Me as Sheik Chilli in the eyes of my Mother

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Sheikh Chilli lived in dreams, building grand castles in the air, only to watch them disappear in a moment of excitement.

My mother would often compare me to Sheikh Chilli.
I must have been the same, talking big, dreaming endlessly, unaware of how fragile those dreams were. I do not even remember my words, but I do remember her laughter, light, affectionate, never dismissive.

And then, there were those quiet moments…

While she worked tirelessly, cooking, cleaning, caring for five children of all ages. I would sometimes catch her smiling to herself. Not at me, but for me. As if in her heart, she was already seeing a future I could not yet understand.

My mother Savitri Devi a very shy dancer is forced to move her feet on my Shagan ceremony in Panipat while a band plays on.

She never said much, but her silence was full of prayers.

From deep within, she was blessing me—asking for a life of health, dignity, and worldly success for her son.

But destiny had its own timing.

She did not stay long enough to see those dreams take shape…
to see me build, to see me grow, to see our inherited lands and homes flourish.

My father stood beside me in the world of action, guiding, supporting, shaping reality.

With my mother Savitri Devi and grand mother Karam Devi on my Shagan in Panipat

And my mother…
she remained my unseen strength, her blessings continuing, perhaps from heaven, quietly turning those once fragile “castles in the air” into something real.

Dastar Bandi and Power Outage

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“Dastar Bandi and the Night the Lights Went Out”

This photograph captures a day of deep pride and joy in our family.

We had arranged on 8th Jan 1989, the Dastar Bandi of our son Shivpreet at the local Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Jangpura Extension. After the turban was respectfully tied by the Bhai Sahib, Shiv is seen here bowing to touch the feet of his mother, Harvinder, a moment of family values, humility, and grace.

Even today, the picture feels so fresh, so alive.

The very next day, on Sunday, January 9, 1989, we hosted a lively “Hollywood-style” gathering at our home in Jangpura. Many of my friends from the power sector were present. The evening was in full swing when suddenly, a major power outage struck.

Phones began ringing. Those connected with Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre (LDC) were urgently called back to duty. Many of my office friends had to leave, it was no longer a party, but a moment of national responsibility.

By coincidence, another eminent personality from the power sector, Mr. Harish Khanna, Chairman of the Haryana Electricity Board and my cousin, was also present with his family. He immediately cautioned the family to guard the ladies of the family who were wearing gold Jewelry on the occasion.

What was celebration one day… turned into crisis management the next.

The widespread outage, affecting millions, was later reported in newspapers, as reflected in the clipping shared above.

Life has its own way of weaving joy and duty together.

When my mother Biji picked Shivi from his School Bus stop

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In her final days, she had become very fragile. Her balance was unsteady, her speech not always clear. Yet, every day she would insist on going to the bus stop at the end of our lane to see my four/five-year-old Shiv.

She would get ready well in advance, anxious, eager, almost restless, just to drop him and later bring him back from his Bus engaged by his Tiny-Tots Pre-School, his first tele-tots days near Moolchand Hospital, Lajpat Nagar III.

One day, I saw something that stayed with me forever.

Instead of her guiding Shiv across the road, it was little Shiv holding her hand tightly, carefully helping her cross the lane. She walked slowly, almost dependent on him.

I rushed forward and asked, “Why do you go to pick him when you can hardly see or walk properly?”

She smiled and said,
“I am so happy to go for him… in many ways, your son is better than you, Preetmohan! You will see, he will grow into a great person and surpass everyone in the family.”

Her words were simple… but filled with a vision only a grandmother could carry