Savinder and Ravinder - Auroras, Part IV

​Back to India: Rebuilding Life in Chandigarh

Me:
After surviving the Gulf War and returning safely from Iraq, a completely new chapter of your life began. You settled in Chandigarh, didn’t you?

Savinder Singh:
Yes. By then my mother had purchased a house in Chandigarh, around 1986. That gave us a place to return to and begin life again. Once we had settled there, the next challenge was deciding what to do professionally.

After exploring several possibilities, we finally established a small-scale manufacturing unit producing coated abrasives, high-quality industrial sandpaper used for specialized applications.

Me:
You must have had sufficient savings to start a manufacturing unit.

Savinder Singh:
Yes. In those days banks financed industrial projects, but the entrepreneur still had to contribute about 25 percent of the investment. Fortunately, we had enough savings to arrange our share, and we started the project. Though it was not a large factory, it served us well for many years.

Then circumstances changed. Around 2008, inexpensive imports from China flooded the Indian market. It became increasingly difficult for Indian manufacturers to compete with those prices. At almost the same time, the global financial crisis struck. Those economic pressures eventually forced us to wind up the abrasives business.

We then ventured into shoe manufacturing. We worked as a supporting manufacturer for a larger company that supplied footwear to Zara. Initially the business showed promise, but after a few years Zara shifted much of its production elsewhere, and our business was again affected.

About thirteen years ago we started another venture, manufacturing corrugated packaging boxes. Thankfully, that business has remained stable and continues to do well. It is not a very large enterprise, but it provides a comfortable and dependable livelihood. My wife manages the production planning and plays an important role in running the business.

Me:
That is wonderful. Now tell us a little about your family.

Savinder Singh:
We have three children.

Our eldest is a daughter. She earned a Master’s degree in Economics as well as another Master’s in Management. She is married into a respected industrial family in Panchkula that owns a large hotel. Today she actively manages the hotel business. They have a lovely daughter, our granddaughter, Sada, who is now about three and a half years old.

Our son is a software engineer working with Amazon in Seattle.

Our younger daughter is also highly educated, with a Master’s degree in Data Science and Business Analytics. However, she chose an entirely different career path. Today she has established herself as a Functional Nutritionist specializing in fertility and reproductive health. She runs her own online practice from Chandigarh and has built a successful independent business.

Me:
It has truly been a pleasure meeting you and learning about your remarkable journey, from your family’s early days, to Baghdad, surviving the Gulf War, rebuilding life in India, and finally establishing a successful business and raising such accomplished children.

I hope this conversation when compiled and edited, would become a valuable record for your family.

Savinder Singh:
Thank you very much. 

Me:

I really appreciate it. Oral histories like these are precious. Just as my father told us stories about our earlier generations, these conversations preserve our family’s experiences for our children and grandchildren. They will know where they came from and what their family endured.

Thank you once again, Savinder ji. It has been an honour.

Savinder Singh:
Thank you. It has been my pleasure.

Savinder and Ravinder - Auroras, Part III

​From Baghdad to Another New Beginning

Me:
So this is how Savinder Ji began the next phase of his life. After completing his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California, he set aside the American dream and joined his father, who had established his own construction venture in Baghdad, Iraq.

So, Savinder Ji, what happened after you reached Baghdad?

Savinder Singh:
We were in Baghdad for about two years. Then history took a dramatic turn. Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, and soon the Gulf War began. Later, the United States launched military operations against Iraq, and everything changed overnight.

Me:
You were actually there when all this happened?

Savinder Singh:
Yes, I was there throughout that period.

At that time, our company had nearly 1,000 employees working on various projects across Iraq. Almost all of them were Indians whom we had recruited for the projects. They included laborers, technicians, engineers, supervisors, managers—people at every level.

I had been married only recently, and my wife was with me in Baghdad. We had just attended my younger brother Ravinder’s wedding in the United States and returned to India. My father decided to stay back in India for a while, while my wife and I returned to Baghdad to continue managing the business.

Then, unexpectedly, Iraq invaded Kuwait.

My father was in India, and I suddenly found myself solely responsible for the entire operation and for the safety of nearly a thousand Indian workers.

Me:
So you personally arranged for every one of them to return safely to India?

Savinder Singh:
Yes. Every single one of them.

Fortunately, the Government of India mounted one of the largest civilian evacuation operations in history. Hundreds of special flights were organized to bring Indian nationals home safely, free of cost. My wife was evacuated on one of those flights along with many others.

Me:
But you stayed back?

Savinder Singh:
Yes. I remained in Iraq until the very last worker had safely left. Only about ten days before the actual war began did I myself leave Iraq.

Me:

That reminds me of the saying, “The captain leaves the ship only after every passenger is safe.” You truly stayed behind until your last man was out.

It is remarkable how this family’s journey keeps unfolding, from Jhelum, to Dhanbad, to Baghdad. Just when everything seemed settled, the Gulf War destroyed years of hard work. The business that Surinder Ji and his father had built with such dedication had to be abandoned almost overnight.

Thankfully, with the timely intervention of the Government of India, thousands of Indians, including their own family members and employees, were safely repatriated.

But what about the financial losses?

Savinder Singh:
They were enormous.

We had to abandon heavy machinery, equipment, construction materials, offices—everything. We applied for compensation through the United Nations process, but nothing substantial ever came of it.

Me:
Did insurance or the Indian government compensate you for those losses?

Savinder Singh:
No. There was no financial compensation. The Government of India helped by evacuating our workers safely, which was invaluable. The Iraqi state authorities also reimbursed a small portion of the transportation costs, but compared to our total losses, it was insignificant.

The greatest achievement was that every member of our team returned home alive.

Me:
So life changed once again. In a way, you became a refugee for the second time.

First, your family had been uprooted during the Partition of India. Now, decades later, the Gulf War forced you to leave behind everything you had built in Iraq.

Once again, you had to begin life from scratch.

Savinder Singh:
Exactly. We returned to India and started exploring new opportunities. We carefully evaluated several business possibilities before deciding what to do next.

Me:
And that is where the next chapter of your remarkable journey begins.

Savinder and Ravinder - Auroras, Part II

​Building a Life in Baghdad: A Son Joins His Father’s Dream

After reaching Baghdad, I asked Savinder Singh Ji to continue the story of his family’s remarkable journey.

Surinder Ji explained that his father had initially worked with a company engaged in constructing prefabricated houses in Iraq. After gaining valuable experience, he decided to establish his own construction business in Baghdad.

I then asked him, “Did you also go to Baghdad around that time?”

He smiled and replied:

“Yes. I had just completed my engineering degree and had already secured admission to the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles for my master’s degree. Before leaving for America, I decided to visit my father in Baghdad. But when I reached there, I found so much exciting activity around his work that I postponed my plans and accepted a job in Iraq instead.”

Savinder Ji joined a company as a Service Engineer responsible for the maintenance and commissioning of heavy earth-moving equipment, massive bulldozers, excavators, draglines, and other construction machinery. He deferred his admission to USC for one year and spent that year working in Baghdad.

Recalling those days, he said with great affection:

“Baghdad was a wonderful and amazing city. The Iraqi people were extremely warm, gentle, and affectionate towards Indians. There were well over a hundred Indian companies operating there, employing thousands of Indian workers. The Indian community had a very strong presence. Even a delegation of Indian Army officers was stationed there, teaching at the Iraqi Staff College.”

One of his fondest memories was visiting the historic Gurdwara in Baghdad every Sunday.

He explained:

“The Gurdwara stands beside the shrine associated with the local Pir whom Guru Nanak Dev Ji is believed to have met during His travels. Every Sunday there was a large congregation, and on Gurpurab the gathering was so huge that it reminded you of the great congregations at Bangla Sahib.”

I asked, “Were they all Sikhs?”

He replied,

“Not at all. People from every faith came, Sikhs, Hindus, and many other Indians. Everyone joined the congregation. It truly represented the spirit of the Indian community.”

His words reminded me of what I witness today at the Gurdwara in San Jose. Every weekend, many non-Sikh families visit with their parents and children. They come to seek blessings, enjoy the peaceful atmosphere, and partake in the langar. They are welcomed with the same warmth and equality as everyone else.

That, I believe, is one of the greatest strengths of the Sikh tradition. Every person is treated with dignity, regardless of religion, caste, nationality, or background. There is no discrimination, no expectation of payment, and no distinction between rich and poor. The same spirit continues today at Sri Harmandir Sahib (the Golden Temple) in Amritsar, where millions are served equally every year.

Returning to Savinder Ji’s story, I asked what happened next.

He continued:

“After spending a year in Baghdad, I came to the United States and completed my master’s degree at the University of Southern California. Around that same time, my father left his employer and established his own construction company in Iraq. As the business expanded, he needed someone he could trust to help him. So instead of pursuing my own career in America, I returned to Iraq to join him.”

I remarked that this decision was extraordinary.

“After earning a master’s degree in America,” I said, “most of your classmates would have eagerly searched for high-paying jobs and settled in the United States. Very few would have left that opportunity behind.”

Savinder Ji simply smiled.

For me, that decision revealed something very special about his character. It reflected not only professional ability but also deep loyalty to his father, faith in the family enterprise, and the willingness to place family responsibility above personal ambition.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons I felt so drawn to know more about him and his remarkable journey.

Savinder and Ravinder - Auroras, Part I

Savinder Aurora

​Today was a memorable and unexpected day. Ravinder Ji from Connecticut came to visit us, accompanied by his elder brother, Savinder Singh Ji. It was my first time meeting both of them together. From the moment I saw Savinder Ji, I was impressed by his calm demeanor, dignified personality, and natural charisma.

Ravinder Aurora

During the evening, there was little opportunity for a meaningful conversation. We exchanged only a few words. However, this afternoon, while Ravinder Ji had gone to meet a friend, I found myself alone with Savinder Ji. It was the perfect opportunity to learn about the remarkable journey that had shaped such an impressive individual.

I greeted him warmly.

“Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. Sat Sri Akal, Savinder Ji. I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak with you. I would love to know about your family’s journey, beginning with the days before Partition.”

Savinder Ji began by recalling his father’s life.

Their family originally belonged to Jhelum, in pre-Partition Punjab. During the Partition of India in 1947, they were forced to leave everything behind and migrate to India. They first settled in Dehradun, where the family purchased a modest house and started rebuilding their lives from scratch.

In those early years, his father accepted whatever work he could find. He worked as a clerk, a typist, and in several other small jobs simply to support the family.

A turning point came through the encouragement of his maternal aunt (Masi Ji), who persuaded him to move to the coal-mining region of Madhya Pradesh. There, another relative recognized his potential and encouraged him to pursue higher education.

At around the age of twenty-one, he left for England to study Mining Engineering.

Life in England was anything but easy. During the day, he worked as a laborer deep inside the coal mines, shoveling coal and performing physically demanding work. In the evenings, he attended engineering classes. Balancing hard labor with higher education, he completed his Mining Engineering degree over the course of four years.

After returning to India, he began his professional career with Shaw Wallace and later joined the Thapar Group, which operated coal mines in the Dhanbad region.

Then came the nationalization of coal mines in 1971 during the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. With the coal industry being nationalized, the Thapar Group shifted its focus toward hydroelectric projects and assigned him to one of their most ambitious ventures, the Kali Nadi Hydroelectric Project at Dandeli in Karnataka.

As a civil and mining engineer, he became the Technical Director of this massive undertaking. The project included constructing an enormous tunnel nearly 10 kilometers long, along with a vast penstock system and other major engineering works. He spent nearly twelve years working in Karnataka.

Savinder Ji fondly remembered those years. Their family home stood atop a hill surrounded by dense forests. Today, that very location has become part of a protected forest reserve. Even during those days, the family occasionally witnessed tigers and leopards roaming nearby. Despite the isolation, he recalled it as one of the most beautiful and picturesque places they had ever lived.

Later, he also contributed to the famous Tehri Hydroelectric Project in Garhwal.

After leaving the Thapar Group, he joined Maker Construction, a Mumbai-based engineering company, which sent him to Iraq for another challenging assignment.

One of the most fascinating aspects of that project was the use of prefabricated housing technology. Entire concrete wall sections, including electrical conduits, switches, and fittings, were cast in factories. After curing for about two weeks, these massive wall panels were transported to the construction site and assembled like a giant Meccano set, enabling rapid construction of complete residential buildings.

At this point, we decided to pause our conversation.

The story had already become rich with history, engineering, and personal determination. We agreed to continue with the next chapter of his remarkable life in a later conversation.

Movie ‘Satluj’ - “Reel & Real”

​

Watching the recently released Hindi–Punjabi film Satluj, based on the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, has left a deep impression on me. Like many people of my generation who lived through the turbulent years in Punjab between 1984 and 1995, I believed I understood much of what had happened. Yet, after watching the film, I found myself reflecting on that painful period in a way I had never done before. Even days later, I am still trying to come to terms with the emotions it stirred.

The film has prompted renewed discussion among South Asians around the world about one of the most difficult chapters in Punjab’s history. It has encouraged many people to revisit the events of those years, to learn more about them, and to reflect on the human cost of violence and the importance of justice and accountability.

Bhai Dilawar Singh.

Dy. SP Ajit Singh Sandhu

After watching the film, I began collecting photographs and historical material relating to the real individuals portrayed by the actors. I hope to preserve these images as part of a broader effort to help future generations understand this tragic period through documented history rather than hearsay.

DGP KPS Gill

SPO Kuljit Singh

CM Beant Singh

The years of militancy and counter-insurgency brought immense suffering to Punjab. Thousands of Sikh families lost young sons, while many Hindus, police personnel, public servants, and other innocent civilians also became victims of violence. Regardless of religion or background, the tragedy touched almost every section of society. It remains a painful reminder of the devastating human cost of extremism, unlawful violence, and the breakdown of trust between citizens and the state.