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Manav Mander
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, August 14
Abnash Singh’s father was popularly known as Lalaji during the freedom movement. He worked in close association with Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.
Lalaji, who was also famous as Atma Singh of Shekhupura (now in Pakistan), slipped into depression after Partition, thus lost interest in life. He worked only to get his sons settled but never worked for his own self.
Narrating the excerpts from the life of his father, Abnash Singh says: “My father was hit hard by Partition. He had never imagined in his wildest dreams such a violent outcome of Partition. What happened was far more horrifying and dreadful than he ever thought of.”
Atma Singh owned one of the biggest rice shellers in Shekhupura but had to leave everything behind. He had three elder brothers and all of them died in Partition violence. Atma Singh, along with his as well as his brothers’ family, succeeded in reaching this side of the border with the help of the Indian Army. After reaching Amritsar, they came to Jalandhar and settled there.
Abnash says: “We left the streets of Shekhupura disguised as girls. Sikh boys were killed on sight. Our father made us dress in suit-salwar and we left Pakistan”.
After reaching Jalandhar, the family got “khadar” and hand-stitched clothes for the boys, who came dressed as girls. Daljit Singh, elder brother of Abnash Singh, was like a fatherly figure for the brothers. He would take care of the family while their father was still in shock.
The family’s two caretakers, Prema and Badri, also migrated to India and lived with them for many years.
Papoo Abnash Singh, wife of Abnash Singh, while praising her mother-in-law, Mohan Devi, says she was the most humble woman she ever met. “A woman is the backbone of any family and she proved this. When Partition happened, my father-in-law’s brothers died but it was my mother-in-law who kept the family united. Since she was the only elderly person in the big joint family, she cooked food for the entire family. There were 70 members in the family and she took care of everybody. Some women in the family were new mothers and some were on their family way. She took special care of the nutritional needs of all,” she adds.
Atma Singh’s main aim was see his sons settled in life. He got a cinema hall opened for Abnash after which he shifted to Ludhiana. Laxmi Palace was opened in 1958 and the most popular films were screened at the cinema then.
“Every Chief Minister of the state, be it Partap Singh Kairon, Gopi Chand or Bhim Sen, often visited Shimla (it was capital of United Punjab). On the way, they would come to Laxmi Palace, ask if Lalaji was sitting, meet him over a cup of tea for half an hour and then proceed on their journey to Shimla," remembers Abnash. Atma Singh passed away in 1965. Remembering his father, Abnash says all through his life, he only wore 'khadi' and even his turban was made of that cloth.
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