Oct 21st Visiting Surat Singh Khairola

My Trip to India Oct 10-Nov 7 2013

Those who know me well know how long it has been that I've dreamed of returning to India. I grew up there arriving in 1959 and leaving in 1976 (with about 5 years int the States). Most of the time I spent going toWoodstock School in the foot hill of the Hymalyas in a town called Mussoorie.

While I was somewhat curious to head "home" to see my old stomping grounds, my main purpose was to begin a journey of understanding my ancestral connections to India and to discover what India has become.

Yes, I found there are a lot of changes in India, but in truth the most remarkable thing was how "familiar" it was to me.

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Oct 21st Visiting Surat Singh Khairola

10/21/2013

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Took a taxi to Happy Valley

First stopped at Library Bazaar

Gandhi Chauk

searched for the Tibetan stores, only to find they now sell factory made sweaters and t-shirts not their handicrafts

The reason to go to Happy Valley was to see Surat Singh Khsirola and his family. He is the son of the man, Prem Singh, who was the Chawkidar of our Mussoorie house, Buena Vista, from 1951 - 1978. Surat moved to Happy Valley in 1976, the same time I left India. Prem Singh moved back to his village in 1990 and passed away in 2000. Surat now lives with his wife and two of his four children.

We were so happy to see each other again. His youngest son, Yogesh, shared with me some of his Hindi hip hop. His beautiful smart daughter, Lakshmi, is doing her BA and working.