Our Predecessors
Our ancestors came from Punnawal a village near the town of Barnala that
used to be surrounded by sand dunes on the margin of the Rajastan desert.
The village was known for its craftsmanship
Some 550 years ago, the Punnawal region suffered drought and many villagers,
farmers (peasants), artisans and others migrated a few kilometers northward
to Tajpur, which was one of the 125 villages owned by a Muslim chief of
Raekot. The village had 5000 viggas (1 vigga = 1/2 acre) of
land. It was named after a Muslim called Taju. In those days farmers (peasants)
and artisans lived amicably on equal terms, one serving the other. |
Ancestory
Our ancestory goes back about 150 years ago; there were 5 brothers:
- Harkrishan.
Harkrishan was still very young when he was "donated" to a monastery
(dera). It is difficult to say why. Maybe it was because his
parents did not have enough food. There he grew up into a pious sadhu
under the guruship of Pundit Butaram. Finally he became the head of
that monastery. We are told that in the course of one of his pilgrimages
to the Ganges he brought a Brahmin wife. As a result he was thrown out
of the monastery. He raised two daughters and two sons.
- Sarvdyal
Sarvdyal was a renowned musician (raagi). He was married in the
village of Bassian. Much later, father Hari Singh also married there.
- Atra
Atra became an ascetic (bhagat, yogi).
- Ramdyal
Ramdyal had a son named Roda who had three sons: Dheera, Veerval and
Heera. Veerval's only son Santram was killed in Quetta (war or earthquake).
- Uttam
Uttam had one son, Gian Singh
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Gian Singh
Gian Singh was my grand father. His first fiancee died before marriage.
He was an excellent musician (Raggi) and physically very strong.
He married Mahn Kaur of Lakha Village. Times were very hard. He worked
to bring up his six children. When he died all he left behind were 2000
rupees, 2 bullocks and a 1 buffalo.
- Thakar Singh
Thakar dies at the age of 17 or 18.
- Thakari
Thakari was married to Mehnga Singh Saund of Deherkey village. I do
not remember seeing her. She died in the early 1940's. Uncle Mehnga
Singh migrated to Kenya leaving his family behind and never returned.
He was a very strong person physically and mentally. Through hard work
he had built a big house in Eastley, Nairobi. He became an escetic and
lost all. While his sons have done well in India, his grandson Kulwant
Singh Saund came to Kenya and married there. He now lives in Derby,
UK. The whole family has special talent for metal work and engineering.
- Basant Kaur
Basant was born in 1898, married Sher Singh of Thikriwal village in
Patiala State. She is the one who brought me up after my mother died
in 1942. Sher Singh spent many years working in Uganda mainly in the
Madhvani Sugar Factory at Kakira, near Jinja. His family stayed in India.
He visited them regularly. They had one son and four daughters.
- Santa Singh
Santa was born in 1901 (1902 according to his passport). He was about
7 years old when his father Gian Singh died. He married Bishan Kaur
of Kaunkey village at the age of 11. At 18 was his maklava, that
is when when the wife comes to live with the husband for the first time.
At 22 (in 1923) his son Kartar Singh was born (married in 1946 - Saun
badi 9 Tuesday). They have three other sons: Amar Singh, Bhag Singh
and Kirpal Singh. All of them live in or near Tajpur. Uncle Santa Singh
went to Kenya in 1927. He had to stay in bonbay for 18 months before
he could get a dhow to Mombasa. All pre-war voyages were by dhow. When
I last met him he still had his British passport No 8932 issued on 1
March 1938. He returned on 8 July 1938, never to return to Kenya. He
was very strong minded, technically proficient and a professional religious
musician well known in the region. He was quite well read and had considerable
political involvment especially in the Akali movement. He valued so
much being on the soil that he did not permit his sons to go back to
Kenya. During his stay in Eldoret, Kenya his technical skills contributed
in a major way in the construction of the first Sikh Temple. He died
in 1996.
- Hari Singh
Hari Singh, my father, was born in 1904. He was very young when his
father died. He did not remember him. He died on 20 February 1980.
- Prem Kaur
Prem Kaur was born in 1908 after her father's death. Married to Bachhan
Singh. In January 2003 I met her two daughters in Ludhiana and Tajpur.
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