Shiv’s First visit to Farms in Badbar

 

Papa ji holding Shiv in his lap while standing along with his crew of harvesting machine in the farms.

This historic photograph was taken in April 1976 when our son, Shivpreet Singh, was just one year old and had only recently begun taking his first steps.

His proud grandfather, Sardar Vasdev Singh (“Bhagat Ji”), carried him to our ancestral fields in Badbar to witness one of the most important events of village life—the wheat harvest. In those days, the harvested wheat was threshed using a traditional manually operated machine known as a Toka.

As was our family tradition, an Ardaas was offered before the Toka was started for the season, seeking Waheguru’s blessings for a safe and abundant harvest. On that memorable occasion, this photograph was taken.

The picture beautifully captures a happy, curly-haired little Shiv, content and secure in the loving lap of his grandfather. It is more than a family photograph—it is a precious reminder of the bond between generations, our farming roots, and the values of faith, gratitude, and hard work that were passed on from one generation to the next.

Nearly fifty years later, this image continues to bring back cherished memories of those simpler days in the fields of Badbar.

Developing the reclaimed and deserted lands in Nehri Area

This portion of the land lies on the higher side near the farm of Pama, our neighbor who later settled in Canada. It is close to the farthest tubewell, near the Bhure - Kubbe Road side.

This area, measuring about three acres in total and divided into two parcels of roughly 1.5 acres each, had remained neglected for many years. The land was barren, uneven, and almost desert-like. Papaji used to refer to it as the “Khasi Killa” because of its poor condition and low productivity.

Today, we have taken a major step forward by removing the accumulated debris, leveling the land, and converting it into a proper cultivable field. In doing so, we have reclaimed a significant portion of land that had remained underutilized for ages.

During the clearing operation, many snakes and other creatures were discovered in the debris. Some were injured during the process, and at one point a snake even climbed onto the JCB machine, creating quite a commotion among the workers. Fortunately, the operators and laborers handled the situation calmly and professionally, allowing the work to continue safely.

This marks the beginning of our effort to clean up, restore, and bring every acre under productive control. The next step will be to apply gypsum and other soil-improving measures to enhance fertility so that this land can yield crops comparable to the best fields in our holdings.

It is gratifying to see this long-neglected piece of land being transformed into a productive asset once again.