Letter from Bhagat Singh Thind to His Father
DESCRIPTION
A letter written in Urdu from Bhagat Singh Thind to his father, dated January 21, 1914 and written from Astoria, Oregon. In the letter, Bhagat Singh Thind discusses the his reaction upon hearing the death of Sardar Khushal Singh, and a dispute over a loan his father was paying in Punjab.
THEMES
Family
ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: January 21, 1914
Type: Correspondence
Language: English, Urdu
Location: Astoria, Oregon
TRANSCRIPTION
Document #1 in Urdu, signed by Bhagat Singh
“H.L.Co, Astoria, Oregon, U.S.A.21.1.14 (=January 21, 1914)
My dear saintly, elderly father, may Waheguru keep you in good health.
After greetings (Victory to Waheguru) I submit that with God’s blessing everything is okay here and I pray day and night to the Creator Parmatma for your well-being. The situation is as follows. Your honor’s sacred letter has reached me. I have learnt all the news on reading it. I am very sorry to hear of the death of Sardar Khushal Singh. I am very sad. But our sadness and mourning will not bring him back. Hence, it is better that we accept Waheguru’s Will. If this is His will, we have no power to oppose Him. This day (Day of death) is mandatory for every man and woman. May Waheguru bless his soul and bestow peace upon those he has left behind.
Please write, had the Sardar Sahib returned to you the money he owed you, or not? He owed us Rupees 300, or a little more. And now you have given him another Rs. 345. Did you get any document prepared (for the loan) or not? Without a document, it would be very difficult to recover the money, and this would be a total loss to us.
Further, you have written that Sardar Khushal Singh owed a money-lender a sum of Rupees 200; and have asked my advice as to whether you should pay that loan on his behalf or not. I will not write to you about it. Gulab Singh and party (in-laws of Naraini) have similar relationship (with Khushal Singh), rather closer. If the money owed is to be paid, the two relatives should share it.
You have already written off over Rupees 300. Now it is the turn of Sardar Gulab Singh. He is the one who should pay the money-lender. You need not. But it is your decision. I am slave of no value. I can even sacrifice my life for you. I pray that I never have to disobey your command. However, I have indicated my opinion because you asked for it.”
Unsigned document.
“H.L.Co, Astoria, Oregon, U.S.A.21.1.14 (=January 21, 1914)
My dear saintly, elderly father, may Waheguru keep you in good health.
After greetings (Victory to Waheguru) I submit that with God’s blessing everything is okay here and I pray day and night to the Creator Parmatma for your well-being. The situation is as follows. Your honor’s sacred letter has reached me. I have learnt all the news on reading it. I am very sorry to hear of the death of Sardar Khushal Singh. I am very sad. But our sadness and mourning will not bring him back. Hence, it is better that we accept Waheguru’s Will. If this is His will, we have no power to oppose Him. This day (Day of death) is mandatory for every man and woman. May Waheguru bless his soul and bestow peace upon those he has left behind.
Please write, had the Sardar Sahib returned to you the money he owed you, or not? He owed us Rupees 300, or a little more. And now you have given him another Rs. 345. Did you get any document prepared (for the loan) or not? Without a document, it would be very difficult to recover the money, and this would be a total loss to us.
Further, you have written that Sardar Khushal Singh owed a money-lender a sum of Rupees 200; and have asked my advice as to whether you should pay that loan on his behalf or not. I will not write to you about it. Gulab Singh and party (in-laws of Naraini) have similar relationship (with Khushal Singh), rather closer. If the money owed is to be paid, the two relatives should share it.
You have already written off over Rupees 300. Now it is the turn of Sardar Gulab Singh. He is the one who should pay the money-lender. You need not. But it is your decision. I am slave of no value. I can even sacrifice my life for you. I pray that I never have to disobey your command. However, I have indicated my opinion because you asked for it.”
Unsigned document.
PROVENANCE
Collection: Bhagat Singh Thind Materials
Donor: David Thind
Item History: 2011-08-04 (created); 2013-05-03 (modified)
* This digital object may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media without express written consent from the copyright holder and the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA). The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. If you are the rightful copyright holder of this item and its use online constitutes an infringement of your copyright, please contact us by email at copyright@saada.org to discuss its removal from the archive.