Returning home - surprise meeting

Sarb and Pavan at the Bangla Sahib Sarovar

We'd stayed the night in Delhi and got up quite early to take the opportunity to go to Bangla Sahib again. It was a glorious Delhi morning and we stayed at the Gurdwara for quite a while. If you ever go to Delhi this is one place you must take the time to visit, it is an astoundingly beautiful place that just lifts the spirits of anyone who has the privilege to come here.

Our hotel was on the same road as the Gurdwara
On our return to the hotel we had something to eat and then met up with our driver. We left the hotel at about 10.00am and headed for the airport. Our driver Maurari (a Rajasthani living in Delhi) told us that he had a surprise for us, Uday the Delhi Branch Manager of Rajasthan Four Wheel Drive India, (the company that created and arranged our tour) wanted to meet us before we left India. I have to say that this is a fantastic company and anyone wishing to tour India in the way we have should think about using them. At every stage of our journey the hotels were great and the planning was absolutely perfect. They made sure that everything was arranged to make our holiday a great experience. My brother-in-law, Kashmir Singh Nijjar had heard of the company through a friend, he used it and was impressed. At an Albion game (he's a seasons ticket holder also) he told me about it and having used it, I'd whole heartedly recommend them as well.

Uday met us on the way to the airport and genuinely wanted to find out if we had a good experience. I felt really quite taken a back at his concern for our well being and commitment to ensuring we had a great experience. We had a long chat before we sadly parted company. What a great bunch of people!

Rajinder, Tarsem, Uday and Maurari
Once we arrived at Delhi International Airport we booked onto our flight and had an uneventful 9 hour journey back to the UK. One suggestion I'd make is that you take a decent jacket or jumper onto the plane when you leave a hot environment because the plane temperature was absolutely freezing. The other suggestion is, take your own food because the stuff they give you on the flight is hardly edible!

Helping Maurari unload our cases
We returned to the UK at about 6.45pm on a wet and cold Friday evening. We retrieved our baggage, car and I drove us back to Smethwick returning home at about 10.45pm. Looking at this blog now the journey seems like a dream. I'm going to write some more reflections about the journey over the next few weeks, there is still loads we did that I've not captured on the blog. I've also got some points that I'd like to discuss about using blogs vs other media to share experiences such as these. I've a couple of busy weeks at work but once I have a little bit of time I'll start filling in the gaps before they fade away in my memory, so watch this space! Also, any requests or questions please do not hesitate to drop me a line :-).

Day 16

We got up quite early this morning and had a number of family members arrive from various part of the country to see us off. Sarb, Pavan and I are taking off from Delhi so we were the first to set off. Parmy, Iran and Mom are returning at different times over the next few days.

Family gather to say goodbye

Seeing us off

Leaving was as bad as I’d expected it to be. I really hate the time that you spend from the moment you get up and start packing to the point where you actually drive away from home. This occasion was made even more difficult because of the tears that family members shed. No one knows what will change the next time you meet; I think we all selfishly grieve for what we will miss from the presence of others. It’s not the first time we’ve gone through this experience, we’ve gone through it many times in the past, starting with my Dad’s older brother leaving the village in the early 1950’s followed shortly by my father. I wonder whether they thought that almost six decades on, the descendents of their parents would shed tears when leaving each other. We are a big family, five branches in all spread out across the world, yet we all seem to have a bond that ties us together and this place plays seems to play its part.

Pavan and Sarb

Heading for Delhi

After leaving home we travelled for seven hours by car and arrived at our hotel in Delhi. After going out for something to eat we came back to prepare to fly back to the UK tomorrow. Over the next few weeks I promise to add some more thoughts and pictures that I’ve not been able to share due to issues of time. I’ve been amazed by how much we’ve managed to do in such a short period of time. I hope you’ve all enjoyed sharing our journey with us.

Day 15 Final night at home

We had a number of people visit and call on us on our last evening at home. These pictures are of just the family once everyone had left. Dala came back from harvesting the fields and told us of a fire that had taken place in cornfields close by. The heat has made the wheat fields tinder dry and an accidental fire spread really quickly through several fields ruining several months of hard work for a number of farmers. One hates to think of the ramifications for them both emotionally and financially. These are some of the risks of working the land in the Punjab. Dala encouraged us to go onto the roof to look at the scene. We could see the blaze in the distance and took some pictures; unfortunately they did not come out well enough to print here. After the blaze had been put out, we spent quite a while on the roof with the cool evening breeze a welcome break from the relentless heat of the day.

It’s a melancholy feeling knowing that you will not be seeing the family again for a while and you spend the time laughing and joking about the events of the past couple of weeks. There is a tinge of sadness to the whole evening that we’ve all experienced before. It’s such a pity that you cannot open a door and travel several thousands of miles to have a chat face to face with your loved ones. Skype helps but it’s just not the same as actually being there.

We went to bed quite late knowing that we’d have to make an early start for Delhi in the morning.

Me and me Mum (Bit of Black Country from the Punjab :-)

Pavan and Iran with their grandmother

Poli and Sarb

Iran and Pavan discussing homework (they took it with them!)

Group picture on the roof

Poli, Sarb and Kamaljit

Iran, Dala and Pavan

Iran and Pavan on the roof of the house

Day 15 The architecture of staying cool

It's too hot to do anything other than blog at the moment. Here are some of my idle observations, they are given in the hope that no one can accuse this blog of not being educational in some form or fashion :-).

You have to live in a place to appreciate the intricacies that make daily life tolerable. Take for example the need for careful design when building a home to survive in a very hot and humid environment. The temperature is still well in the 40s today.

Our house has two balconies, the upper most one in this weather can only be used during the late evening when the cool breeze from the fields at the back of the house makes it tolerable to sit upstairs. You cannot use this portion of the house during the day unless it is to dry clothes or other items.

The middle balcony has been carefully designed to ensure that it stays in the shade during the day. The open layout allows any breeze to circulate, however if there is no breeze you can use the fan affixed to the roof. The marble floors stay cool because they are out of the sun and if you walk on them bare foot provide a cooling effect for your whole body. In this hot weather there is also the problem of flies. To protect your food and drinks you have to ensure that they are covered all the time.

You really begin to appreciate this type of careful design when it helps you stay cool during the very, very hot weather we are currently experiencing.

Guests come to say hello

The upper floor must provide shade to the lower one

Shade from the floor above

Sitting on a shaded balcony allows access to any breeze

Covers to prevent flies from landing all over the food and drinks

Ceiling fans, a must

Cool marble floors

Day 15 Another visit to the farm

Up till now Sarb had not had the opportunity to visit the farm. So after a quick breakfast we drove out there. The only place that we could comfortably talk was on the roof. Here the breeze from the open fields allows you stay out in the baking sun. For all of us, this place holds a set of special memories in way or another. Prior to the construction of the new house we always used to stay here. We’ve all had some great times such as sleeping on the roof, working in the fields, watching the birth of animals on the farm etc.

The rooms inside still hold pictures from years past and it was quite emotional seeing the different members of the family who are spread far and wide across the globe. Yet this one place, I’m sure, means the same to all of us.

Now the farm hands occupy the farm house. They are mostly people from the less affluent states of India who come to the Punjab looking for paid work. We have a number of people on the payroll who treat this place as their own home. It was nice talking to them and listening to their account of recent encounter with a herd of wild boars!

We had to return home because we had guests.

A quick breakfast

On the main door

Sarb and kids

Mobiles everywhere!

On the roof chatting of times gone by

The only cool place to talk

Some of our farm hands



Pitha takes a rest

Sarb decides to take the bike out

Sarb taking me on a ride!

Our plough

Wheat being harvested
Family pics

Day 14 Evening

It was just too hot to do anything today, so we waited until the evening before venturing out to Phagwara. The kids wanted to buy some Punjabi and Hindi DVDs and an Indian cricket shirt for Jas. On the way back we took the opportunity to take some pictures of the gate that leads into our village from the GT (Grand Truck) Road. This gate is approximately one kilometre from the edge of our village.

In the evening the kids spoke to their Grandfather and Jas in the UK over Skype. Wonderful thing the Internet!

Mum and Poli asleep in the hot weather

Virk Gate

Kids at the gate

Poli greeting us as we arrive

Talking to Dad and Jas in Smethwick on Skype from Virk

Update

I've been writing entries for the blog over the last few days and I've taken the opportunity to upload them all today. I hope it's not too much!

I did not have easily available net access during the trip. Remember that you can access the earlier entries using the menu on the right. Got some great pictures for you to see. We've had a great time.

Day 14 At our Farm

It really is too hot at the moment. The temperature is way up in the 40s and everyone that can, is finding some shade to relax in. It is impossible to do any work in this type of heat.

This morning Sarb and Parmy left for Pandori, their paternal village to visit some of their relatives. Iran, Pavan and I stayed at the house. At about noon we went to see our farm. This was a bit of a mistake because in the mid-day sun the heat is unbearable.

The only way to travel in this heat is to take a motorbike. I was riding the Enfield 350cc Bullet that belongs to my nephew. The hot air just wafts past you as you ride through the fields full of wheat. I love the Punjab!





It’s been five years since I last came to the farm and much has changed. I spent three months as a seventeen year old along with my cousins working on this farm. It holds some very dear memories for me. I love this place because of its location and the calmness that surrounds the fields. The kids had a great time but we had to return to the house because it was just too hot. Iran got to ride the motorcycle. Pavan is desperate to drive the tractor but ee couldn’t do this today because of the intense heat. We’ll come back again tomorrow to see if it gets any cooler. Enjoy the pictures of the farm.

Pavan and Tarsem with the cornfields behind

Iran and Tarsem on the top floor of the farm house

Iran and Pavan in front of the farmhouse

Pavan in her cornfields

You looking at me?

Iran gets to ride the bike

Pavan on the bike

Animals in the shadeDid I mention I love this place?