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With best wishes,
Surjit

I am Tausif Akram From Farooka ( Sargodha ) Punjab pakistan . my Birth place farooka . please visit Farooka ( Farooka High School 1906 to 2021 very good condition )

i read your story.You are story writer in your fmily. Keeping all records and stories for next generations to read and remember.

Thanks

regard

I am Tausif Akram From Farooka ( Sargodha ) Punjab pakistan . my Birth place farooka . please visit Farooka ( Farooka High School 1906 to 2021 very good condition )

i read your story.You are story writer in your fmily. Keeping all records and stories for next generations to read and remember.

Thanks

regard

Tons of Thanks sir .
You are right. Major Agyapal Singh ji was close friend of our family, and used to meet in Delhi. Once we had gone to his house, near airport , when Russian President, and PM were coming to Delhi; ( Bulganin, and Khrushchev ? ). During PM Mr. Nehru time.
Brig (R) Surinder Singh had shown me the big Gurudwara in Chandigarh, near your home, where at entrance his contribution , Seva is noted, just before coming to your home.
Time itself heals, with Blessings of Dhan Guru Nanak Dev ji Maharaj, and elders. More by regular daily meditation, and cleaning from heart.
Family members travelled by various routes to Delhi, after the tragedies. Wise elders, had found ways to send one of my elder brother Jagdish ji, and a daughter of eldest sister , both very young then nearly of age 8 or 9 years ; by an Air Force aeroplane to Delhi, so that some members may survive life. Coordinates to meet in Delhi at specific place, all were preplanned. The majority rest just walked together most of the journey from Sargodha District. All met again after many days.
What I learnt was that the farms , Havelis etc. were in Farooka, while the factories and trade etc. from Silanwali mandi. Cotton sales via Karachi for export, and rest by train or roads.
During British era, export licence for cotton was with Ghanshyam Das Birla only, the protector , guardian of Mahatma Gandhi. Licence regime by heavy bribes continued later, as you know.
After I was age 10 or so, my mother showed me a few ‘ bahi khata’ , where balance dues from others were pending based on our sales, since years. Never got anything, despite tracing those companies, and even of G. D. Birla . No help got ever from anyone. She felt it best to restart new journey of life in unknown place , like another birth on Earth. Very brave bold decision, we all felt. Minor compensation of properties lost took another ten years. Eldest brother and cousins had brought all original documents to show.
I have no pictures of ancestors areas. Just remember a few points only , what I heard from close relatives or elder friends of father, or taya ji.
Sir, I get too much emotional, thus regret I am not writing what you have requested.
I was second youngest child of my father, and now the eldest alive. Three Bhabhis are there. Unfortunately younger brother left for Brighter world due to heart attack suddenly, in Delhi, in year 2000. Others natural long life on Earth. All families and their dependents are doing great, all doing fine, with good education, great work, sufficient owned new properties & bank balance with hard sincere work all time.
Baba Guru Nanak Dev ji ki Mehr rahti hae, aur rahti rahegi, we pray. Blessings from many helped all time to us.
Thank you again sir.
Yours affectionately,

Satish Kumar Manocha, Bengaluru.

Thanks.
The name of our uncle who was a close friend of Shiv Lal was Maj Agyapal Singh. He expired in 1999.
Yes indeed. The partition caused havoc. The wounds have not healed, and our generation will never be able to forget the horror.
As far as I know the business of your family was mainly in Sillanwali and extended to Sargodha. Am I right?
Do you have any pictures of that era.
We invite you to write a post for our blog.
God bless, and please give us an update on your family.
Surjit

Respected General sir and dear Surinder Singh Brig (R),
Thank you sir for your beautiful good notes about Farooka.
It gave me a nice glimpse of where, and how our ancestors , or close neighbors lived since many many generations. Partition in 1947, changed our life altogether.
I was born in December 1944; in same place like yourself , your other family members, or my batch fellow Brig (R)Surinder Singh.
Our families were forced out to leave villages, after cruel murders of heads of our families including my father, Lala Wazir Chand ji, his two elder brothers, Lala Ladha Ram ji and Lala Harnam Das ji and their young Jijaji. You know far better about that time. They were Zamindars and with 3 cotton factories of family. All gone overnight in 1947.
My Dada ji was Lala Moti Ram Minocha. I had family tree upto right generations before me. The big builders of Chandigarh , Minocha Brothers in Sector 9, Chandigarh were from my cousin family. Knew them well, lived for few days in their home during Summer holidays, after start of constructions.
I had no idea of the grand Village Farooka in Sargodha District. I heard a lot in Delhi from many elders who used to come to meet my mother, or Sh. Shiv Lal ji.
Many years later , I remember much from Delhi , from Sh. Shiv Lal ji and Satnam Singh ji who were sons of my Taya ji Lala Ladha Ram ji. Heard about our Havelis businesses etc.in Farooka , Silanwali.
We stayed close by in Roop Nagar Delhi, just 2 streets away, opposite one big Park.
I had great guardian , as my eldest brother ,and smart in many ways, Sh. Inder Nath ji Minocha, B. A. topmost rank from Punjab Univ. Lahore graduated in 1945. He was looking after upgradation of the family cotton factories, in Silanwali . A partnership business firm was formed from Delhi , probably after 1950 , with my eldest brother and cousins Sh Shiv Lal ji and Sh. Satnam Singh ji.
Sh. Inder Nath ji was like my real God to take our new life forward, in the ideal way of journey in our life of entire families of our grandfather. Well educated and took full responsibilities for all cousins and distant cousins, after partition . His son had come to you once, to collect my phone , I left in your house. Sh Inder Nath worked hard, sincerely looked after everyone, paid for good education, for all girls, boys , for all needs , holidays, wedding etc. each of us and many cousins. Like real father.
A couple of pictures of Lala Ladha Ram ji are seen by me. Similar to your ancestors.Have great nice memories , both good & bad parts , keenly listening to my elders like yourself sir. Or from your books you gifted me. Got some books from my brother Sh. Inder Nath, even of one ICS officer on partition horrors faced , with awful pictures. Another book gifted and written by Sh. Krishna Sondhi, Ph.D. from Columbia Univ. New York city. Doctorate in Journalism, and my Apartment mate in New York. Book titled ” India Uprooted ” , about their sufferings , though from such family of good successful Engineer of British era . Krishna Sindhi was son of Chief Engineer of bigger Punjab before 1947. Krishna Sondhi was later full time Advisor in Planning Commission on return from New York to Delhi. His younger brother, Manohar Lal Sondhi, won Lok Sabha M. P. seat from Delhi. Old days memories

Your Chacha ji , ex Army , was a regular visitor to Roop Nagar, a close friend and same age ,class fellow of Sh. Shiv Lal. He participated in annual Akhand Path in memory of our ancestors. Also our weddings.
Tough to recall such worst times of partition of big India.
Tons of Thanks for your excellent note , with sketches, notes from your elder brother, Air Marshall (R) on his trip to Farooka.
My father in law , Sh. Ramji Das was also from Farooka . I heard from him that he was full time advocate for our father and his brothers etc. businesses.. He had studied for B. A. and Law from Delhi Hindu College, which was in Kashmiri Gate in his time.
Lots later sir. Thank you again sir.
With kind warm regards to you and family,
Most Affectionately Yours,
Satish Manocha,
9448061434, Bengaluru.

Thanks.

How can we get a copy your ‘Memorabilia’ Is it available ‘online’

With best wishes,
Surjit