A Precious Discovery from My Fathers Hand

​Me and My father in 1957

Yesterday, while cleaning my old office steel Cabinet where I had kept many of my important official papers over the years, I came across a treasure I had completely forgotten about.

Most of the old visiting cards and outdated papers had outlived their purpose, so they were discarded. The cabinet was thoroughly cleaned and handed over to Gobind, who wanted a safe place to preserve his university textbooks, mathematics books, homework, drafts, and working papers for future reference.

At the same time, Shivpreet was reorganizing his own growing collection of books. Being an avid reader, he is constantly adding to his library, along with several beautiful coffee-table books that had accumulated in our family room. Harvinder gently reminded us that the collection had become too large and was making the house look cluttered. It was time to organize everything before future guests arrived.

As I continued sorting through old files, I found several forgotten bank passbooks. One by one, they brought back memories of banks where we once maintained accounts but had long since closed them; Syndicate Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, and Punjab & Sind Bank etc.

Then came the real surprise.

My Dad also writes ‘Sital’ in brackets which was his birth name by the Pandit at the time his birth on Ag15, 1919. I am not able to decipher why he has mentioned his birth name here.

Among them was an old Punjab National Bank passbook from our Jangpura branch. As I opened it, I found a beautiful handwritten reference note signed by my father, S. Vasdev Singh. In his neat handwriting, he had recorded a few important details like like Locker number 331 for me lest I forget it by my usual callousness.  Most touching of all, he had asked me to write down a specimen of my signature, reminding me that if I ever forgot my usual signature, the bank officials could create unnecessary problems if the signatures did not match. I had promptly stamped my signatures.

There, beside his own handwriting, was my specimen signature, carefully preserved.

Holding that document in my hands was an emotional moment. It was not merely a banking record; it was a father’s thoughtful guidance, preserved on paper. His concern for even such a small practical matter reflected the care with which he looked after every aspect of my life.

The note is dated 1981, almost half a century ago. Time has passed, banks have changed, and accounts have been closed, but my father’s handwriting has remained as fresh and meaningful as ever.

I am sure all my brothers and sisters will enjoy seeing this priceless little document. It is a simple piece of paper, yet it carries memories, affection, and a father’s blessings that no passage of time can erase.