Proud Sardar Preetmohan Singh in front of his village houseBadbar Dist Barnala
If you ever happen to visit my village and ask the Patwari Saroanch or numberdar or anyone around about me, whether a man named Preet Mohan ever lived there, or where his house is, you may be surprised. Most people will not recognize my name.
Yes, they will recall that we were among the “Multani landlords”, those families who migrated from Multan (now in Pakistan) and were allotted land here after Partition. My family, along with my uncles, once held nearly 800 acres of land.
But names fade with time.
If you truly wish to find my home, you must ask in the language of the soil:
“Vasdev de munde di kothi Kithe hai?”
And then, instantly, directions will come alive.
They will guide you toward Gaganapati and just near the masjid, you will ind my house.
There, my identity still lives, not in records, but in relationships… in memory… in belonging.
S Gobind joins his Dad Shivpreet
Just to make it easier for my co-villagers and strangers, I have erected a detailed name plate showing my lineage and also attaching my Baba Ji’s name Bhai Nand Lal Goya the eminent poet Laureate in the court of Tenth Guru Gobind Singh.
