Back to India: Rebuilding Life in Chandigarh
Me:
After surviving the Gulf War and returning safely from Iraq, a completely new chapter of your life began. You settled in Chandigarh, didn’t you?
Savinder Singh:
Yes. By then my mother had purchased a house in Chandigarh, around 1986. That gave us a place to return to and begin life again. Once we had settled there, the next challenge was deciding what to do professionally.
After exploring several possibilities, we finally established a small-scale manufacturing unit producing coated abrasives, high-quality industrial sandpaper used for specialized applications.
Me:
You must have had sufficient savings to start a manufacturing unit.
Savinder Singh:
Yes. In those days banks financed industrial projects, but the entrepreneur still had to contribute about 25 percent of the investment. Fortunately, we had enough savings to arrange our share, and we started the project. Though it was not a large factory, it served us well for many years.
Then circumstances changed. Around 2008, inexpensive imports from China flooded the Indian market. It became increasingly difficult for Indian manufacturers to compete with those prices. At almost the same time, the global financial crisis struck. Those economic pressures eventually forced us to wind up the abrasives business.
We then ventured into shoe manufacturing. We worked as a supporting manufacturer for a larger company that supplied footwear to Zara. Initially the business showed promise, but after a few years Zara shifted much of its production elsewhere, and our business was again affected.
About thirteen years ago we started another venture, manufacturing corrugated packaging boxes. Thankfully, that business has remained stable and continues to do well. It is not a very large enterprise, but it provides a comfortable and dependable livelihood. My wife manages the production planning and plays an important role in running the business.
Me:
That is wonderful. Now tell us a little about your family.
Savinder Singh:
We have three children.
Our eldest is a daughter. She earned a Master’s degree in Economics as well as another Master’s in Management. She is married into a respected industrial family in Panchkula that owns a large hotel. Today she actively manages the hotel business. They have a lovely daughter, our granddaughter, Sada, who is now about three and a half years old.
Our son is a software engineer working with Amazon in Seattle.
Our younger daughter is also highly educated, with a Master’s degree in Data Science and Business Analytics. However, she chose an entirely different career path. Today she has established herself as a Functional Nutritionist specializing in fertility and reproductive health. She runs her own online practice from Chandigarh and has built a successful independent business.
Me:
It has truly been a pleasure meeting you and learning about your remarkable journey, from your family’s early days, to Baghdad, surviving the Gulf War, rebuilding life in India, and finally establishing a successful business and raising such accomplished children.
I hope this conversation when compiled and edited, would become a valuable record for your family.
Savinder Singh:
Thank you very much.
Me:
I really appreciate it. Oral histories like these are precious. Just as my father told us stories about our earlier generations, these conversations preserve our family’s experiences for our children and grandchildren. They will know where they came from and what their family endured.
Thank you once again, Savinder ji. It has been an honour.
Savinder Singh:
Thank you. It has been my pleasure.
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