(This is a transcript of notes taken by Sunil in about 1972. He sat with Grandpa/Great Grandpa/Great Great Grandpa Tara in Jabalpur in the Prendergast Road house, asking him about his very early life. Here is what Grandpa told him.)
Took the name Tara later.
Mother: Ata Ram. Born Daimwal village, Hoshapur district. Died when Grandpa was 7 years old. She came from a well to do family.
Father: Jaimal Singh Sardar. Mounted Police Baluch, worked in Quetta. Born in UchiPalian.
Grandfather: Bahadur Singh. He had 4 sons including Chadrith Singh and Jaimal Singh.
Grandpa Tara had a brother, Jagir Singh. He died after 6 months.
After his father passed, Esher Singh (Ishwar?) looked after the family. He was a cousin, a landowner. His father, Chadrith, became a sadhu – associated with a banyan tree near River Bain. Grandpa and Gramma returned to the village after 22 years and the whole village turned out. Showed first in 1927, again in 1929.
Grandpa described his early memories of the mounted police, peaches in Quetta, and in the house there; he loved eating mud off the house walls when 5 years old.
Guardian: name was Sardar Harbans Singh; he became a Sikh preacher, put Grandpa in school 1913-23 – orphanage. Guardian’s orchard, Grandpa broke an orange and was reprimanded! Sant Singh was an early friend. Went to Khalsa College, played cricket. He recalled that Sant Singh was at W-4 Patel Road and had a son.
