"Spirit Of Punjab": Elderly Man Seen Serving Tea To Relief Workers Amid Flood

Rajya Sabha member Harbhajan Singh has shared an account from flood-hit Punjab showing an elderly villager offering tea to relief workers. Calling it the "spirit of Punjab," he said the family had lost almost everything in the floods but still chose to serve others.

The clip showed the elderly man wading through floodwaters with a flask and steel glasses in hand. The water level was well above his waist. He walked towards volunteers engaged in relief work and handed out glasses as he poured the tea.

"When volunteers went to deliver relief materials, the flood-affected family, despite having lost almost everything, prepared tea and served it to the volunteers in return. That's the spirit of Panjab. Rab de bande (people of God)," the former cricketer wrote on X.

When volunteers went to deliver relief materials, the flood-affected family despite having lost almost everything prepared tea and served it to the volunteers in return. That's the spirit of Panjab. Rab de bande. #Punjab #PunjabFloods pic.twitter.com/EVdCuHlKuP

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) September 3, 2025

Punjab has declared itself a disaster-hit state as it battles its worst floods in decades, with officials describing the situation as the most severe since 1988. Continuous heavy monsoon rains and overflowing rivers, including the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, have inundated large parts of the state. More than 1,300 villages across 23 districts are underwater.

At least 30 people have been killed in the floods, and more than 3.5 lakh residents have been affected. Nearly 20,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas, and thousands are now staying in 122 relief camps set up by the government.

Rescue operations are underway, with teams also deploying drones to deliver food and medicines to families trapped in cut-off areas.

The floods have dealt a severe blow to Punjab's agriculture, submerging more than 61,000 hectares of farmland and damaging over 2.32 lakh acres of standing paddy crops.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who has been visiting affected districts, has sought Rs 60,000 crore in financial assistance from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has also toured affected areas alongside state officials to oversee relief measures.

Relief support has also come from outside the state. The Haryana government has announced Rs 5 crore in assistance, while the MSME Forum has called for a Rs 1 lakh crore package to help revive Punjab's agriculture, dairy sector, and small industries, all of which have suffered heavy losses.