Self Respect

19^th March 2014

 

My nanaji Bhagat Narayan Das Lamba used to work as a Contractor in Nairobi, Kenya.

 

During the period he and his two elder brothers had constructed three houses in Bombay (now called Mumbai), Africa House, India House and Bombay House.

 

My nanaji and his brothers were friends of Prithvi Raj Kapoor.  According to my nanima and other senior relatives they used to visit each other often and supervise the construction work of the three houses mentioned above as well as that of R.K. Studios.

 

Unfortunately due to some epidemic attack my nanaji had lost both his elder brothers in Nairobi.

 

As the earning members were no more present my nanaji had handed over his house to Taijis (his Bhabijis) and had shifted his base to Rawalpindi around late thirties.

 

In Rawalpindi my nanaji had built a huge house with sprawling garden called Harbhajan Gardens.

 

After a little more than a decade of stay in Rawalpindi my nanaji was compelled to move across the newly drawn border which had divided the nation.

 

On 15^th August 1947 they had left all their belongings and had started their journey towards Wagha Border.  During the time of migration my nanaji married off one of his daughters Ram Kaur masiji to Gopal Singh Mukole who have lived at 1/20 East Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi since then.

 

In a camp called ‘Waha Camp’ one of my manaji Harkishan Singh Lamba was born.

 

My nanaji alongwith his family could manage to shift safely and had reached Tatanagar.

 

After the impact of the tragic partition had started waning down a bit many people who had migrated from Pakistan had started writing to the Govt / Authorities regarding the details of property which they had left behind for seeking the compensation.

 

When friends and relatives had persuaded my nanaji to do the same he had bluntly refused to do so.  On being asked for the reason for not claiming for the compensation he used to say that before leaving the home at Rawalpindi he had called upon the Lord and sought His assistance for safe migration of all his family members.  He had committed to the Lord that once all his family members reached across the border safely he will not ask for anything more.  So now with what face should he again pray and claim for his property.  Everyone used to call him mad for this but he had never bothered about such comments.

 

After my nanaji had migrated to Tatanagar from Rawalpindi both of his Bhabijis (Taijis) in Bombay had offered him to take his house back.  Neither did my nanaji ever agreed to take the hosue back nor did any of my mamajis ever claim for the house.  Children of both of his Bhabiji have shifted to Birmingham, England and settled there long before.

 

While in Rawalpindi my nanaji had helped a friend to open a cloth shop in Ludhiana. After the migration his friend called on him and requested him to take over the shop but he had denied to do so by saying that it would be totally immoral of him to have any claim over the shop.  The impact of this was such that whenever any of my mamajis or masijis or my parents visit the shop in Ludhiana the elderly person as well as his sons get up from the main seat and make them sit on it.  It is a kind of respect which can’t be put across in words.

 

My nanaji had a deep love and regard for Sikhism and had brought up all his sons as Sikhs and married all his daughters with Sikhs.

 

He had passed away in 1972 on the day of colourful festival Holi.  He has left behind a legacy of honesty and a family which is known for being imbued in the true colours of Sikhism. 

 

We will all remain indebted to him for leading a life of self respect and integrity.