“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.
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