Families lost, found, and lost again

My grandfather belonged to a large family that was traditionally a land owning class and keepers of the crown’s land under the Dogra kings. After his matriculation he moved from his village Kalyal Bainsi (in distt. Mirpur, now Pakistan territory of Jammu) to Jammu city (now in Indian territory) to earn a living as a teacher. But his life was to witness a different plan, when his cousin filled out a form for him to enlist in army
Nehru signed his name in Devanagari script

Image and Narrative contributed by Brian Fernandez, Maharashtra This image has my three year old brother Bruce on my left, and I, four years old, gazing with awe and wonder at the unmistakable icon, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru signing my father’s autograph book. And it has several fond and sad memories attached with […]