By Balwant Sanghera
It is always a pleasure to visit place of our birth. This time it was no exception. My wife Baldev and I along with some family friends were happy to land in New Delhi on February3 after a long flight from Vancouver via Beijing . The immigration and Customs clearance was quick. Thus, we were on our way to Punjab in the early hours.
I noticed that there are more Dhabas and resorts along National Highway One also known as G.T. Road than before. So our first stop for breakfast was at a dhaba named Jhilmil couple of hours drive out of New Delhi. The mooli and alloo paranthas with makhni were delicious. The accompanying spicey tea was very timely and enjoyable.
We arrived in my ancestral village Pharwala in early afternoon. Prior to that we had an opportunity to visit Shaheed Bhagat Singh Memorial in his native village of Khatkar Kalan couple of kilometers from Banga on the Phagwara to Nawanshahr road. It is a very fitting tribute to the respected revolutionary who sacrificed his life for the freedom of India.
We were informed by the museum caretakers that a much bigger facility to replace the current premises is almost ready. That will be a very fitting tribute to the memory of all of the freedom fighters who gave up their lives for India’s freedom.
Since our arrival here the weather has been very good. It is a bit cooler in the morning and evening but very pleasant during the day.
Some of the major stories in the news include jockeying for political alliances for the 2019 national elections. Both the ruling BJP and Opposition Congress are trying to out manoeuvre each other in this process.
Provincially, farmers’ loan waiver is a big news. For example, The Tribune newspaper in its February 5 edition devoted one full page to this issue headlined :When death is the only escape. It is very sad saga of farmers young and old taking their lives as the only way out of debt.
The provincial government’s debt waiver scheme may be a bit too late and too little for some of them. However, for the public as a whole life goes on despite a number of problems like this. More vehicles on the road are adding to traffic congestion and pollution. Most of the Punjabis don’t seem to be too concerned about these issues.
Balwant Sanghera is currently on a family vacation in India.
