Visit to Badbar Dec 2012

The Visit to Badbar in Dec 2012 was as thrilling as always. The train journey was fantastic, fast and exhilarating. While enjoying excellent breakfast on board and reading morning English and Hindi News papers, We reached Sangrur by Shatabdi Express but half an hour late mainly due to foggy weather. Our man Pawan Kumar had arranged a transport and we set for going to Badbar which is at a distance of 10 miles.

On the way we were tempted to buy peanuts being freshly baked in a big 'Karahai'. The vender simply poured 250 grams in to a plastic bag which almost melted due to hot peanuts. That was the first treat we got on the farm visit while passing through green wheat fields on both sides of the road.

We passed Badrukha, the maternal village of Maharaja Ranjit Singh where he spent his childhood. Across the village there is a Gurdwara Mastwana Sahib and its connected Educational facilities. In a matter of another twenty minutes we were walking in our Farms.

As we walked on the side of the fields, the quality of air, after kissing the heads of wheat plants, was so refreshing with healthy feeling that I have no words to jot them down. After a trip to Maru land and chewing some sugar cane offered by our man Mohammad, we decided to go to a near by city Barnala.

On the way, to our pleasant surprise, we spotted a prominent dual Air-conditioned Restaurant and Dhaba in the same building side by side. We had Pakoras and tea served by Sher Jit Singh Randhawa a Gold Medalist in the district Air rifle shooting. This guy will not take a tip from me, I had to convince him hard that it was for his shooting medal and if he wins in the State/Nation, I would promise him five times more. He reluctantly accepted with the promise that I would like to check his status on my next visit. To impress me he was communicating with us in his broken English to all my questions in Punjabi. Next time he promised to talk to me in only Punjabi. Too much talking in English has already tilted my tongue.

Gurdwara Gagga Pati just near our village house. This was a Masjid before partition but continues to serve the same purpose to same humanity.

Sardarni Harvinder Kaur near Nehri Wheat fields with a bundle of hay.

Sardar Preet Mohan Singh overlooking Wheat fields

Sangrur Railway Station, with the arrival of Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal who was born in Sunam just 5 Km from Badbar, the Railway Station was spruced up to welcome the new Minister. I was really amazed to see the power of the Minister. Doors and walls were freshly painted and new planted pots were spread all around. There was an addition of another Platform well marked number 2 but without the excess as the foundations for the infrastructure of stairs, it's landings and the bridge was yet to be taken up.

As I checked up the First Class Waiting Room, I found it locked. In a moment a Railway employee came running to open it for me. He gave a mouth full of abuses to hundreds of people waiting for two trains coming from opposite directions. He feared that they will abuse and dirty the bath rooms in no minute.

The waiting room this time was spic and clean with overdose of disinfectants sprayed in the toilet and bathing area. It was dark and cold though with no companion. I preferred to go out and wait at the platform instead and enjoy the company of so many people looking like me but different than me. While on our journey back, we were well served with hot tea meals which were not hot. The poor server had to transport the meals from another car. But he was willing to go and get it warmed up. The train journey to and fro from Delhi-Sangrur has made my life much easier and quick.

Modern Chaat Stand, neat, clean and tempting only a mile towards Dhanoula from Farms

Grocery Shops near Bus Adda


KABADDI INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT 2012 held first time in Badbar. The pictures are courtesy Kabadi365.com showing glimpses of a keen match between Badbar and Sunam.

Our Jamabandi Records. Thanks to the Information Age, I was able to download my details on line:

Sher Jeet Singh Randhawa, the Gold Medalist who was very keen to serve us, while his duty was on another table. He felt as he could talk in English, had the right to serve us.

Our grandson Sardar Gobind Singh is always excited to go to Badbar. This time, he has grown a little more but not enough and has asked me very hard question, " but there will be no Toilet paper in Badbar" Poor fellow does not know as yet that it will be hard to find a toilet even.

I recall when Shiv in his younger days reached Badbar, while walking from Bus Adda to our house, he had a serious question on the street we were walking. Why do we have to walk on the toilets instead of walking on the street. There was not a foot of place where he could step on clean spot.

On other occasion, Shiv saw fire lit in the open 'Chullah' first time and was very excited with it and would bring more wood to give it my grandma for burning. Shiv compared the 'Khurli' the eating place as the cattle dining table and big 'Chhaba' as their dinner plate.

Our village cousins were thrilled by his city talks and would as him the same questions again.

The cousins now settled in Toronto, Canada still remember him and tease him.
When their pet dog Tiger will wag his tail, Shiv was again inquisitive to know why he wagged his tail so excessively, the cousin finally replied that Tiger was saying Bye-Bye. This question was repeated umpteen number of times and Shiv will reply as tutored. The whole lot of us will burst in to a fit of laughter.

So village Badbar will always have many stories to entertain the next generation.