Sardar Pritam Singh was in the news in the first week of July this year as a dealmaker between Nepal and India to fix a prime minister here. At a programme organised to launch a book on Sardar Pritam Singh written by his daughter Kiran Deep Sandhu, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda highlighted the cordial familial relation between his and Sardar's families and said that the latter had supported him during the hard times, including making multiple trips to New Delhi, India, to secure the prime ministerial seat for him.
But while media and social media continued with the criticism of PM Prachanda and the main opposition party CPN (UML)'s obstruction of the parliament, the contribution of Sardar Pritam Singh to the establishment and development of the transport industry in Nepal and its impact on the nation's overall development largely went unnoticed. The book that PM Prachanda launched that day, 'Roads to the Valley: The Legacy of Sardar Pritam Singh in Nepal, is a tale of a 24-year-old Sikh youth who takes up all the hardships to come to Nepal from Jammu and Kashmir, India, with three trucks to start a transportation business in a country where there were no roads except some in the Kathmandu Valley and one connecting the Capital with Terai, thus with the southern neighbour.
That had happened in 1959, when Nepal got a new constitution replacing the interim one promulgated after the demise of the Rana regime in 1951, held its first general elections, and BP Koirala became the first elected prime minister of the Himalayan nation.
Pritam Singh had come to do a transportation business in a country that did not have a workable highway or thriving businesses or industries. Furthermore, during his first visit to the Kathmandu Valley in 1958, his team found people hostile to the foreigners, and they returned with the conclusion that business couldn't be run well here. However, it was Pritam Singh's father, Sardar Kahan Singh, who suggested he make another trip to Nepal to understand people and their needs and investigate business opportunities further.
His father accompanied him during his second visit to Kathmandu, and Pritam Singh found Captain Trilochan Singh Dulat in Kathmandu. Dulat was his batchmate at the aviation school in Lucknow and worked for King Mahendra as the pilot of the royal flight. This encounter proved helpful for them in obtaining transportation licences and many other facilities in Kathmandu.
That year, Pritam Singh began his journey from Jammu and Kashmir with three trucks and the three most experienced drivers: Ishwar Singh, Asa Sign, and name alike Pritam Singh; two assistants, Harnam Singh and Sheer Singh; and some others.
But after reaching Patna, they realised there was no road to take the trucks across the Gangas River and its tributaries. Earlier, they had come to Nepal via Raxaul to Amlekhgunj in a train, so they didn't realise that it would be difficult to bring trucks here. In the book, Kiran tells the story of how Sardar Pritam Singh
and his colleagues brought the first fleet of trucks to the Kathmandu Valley, which was beyond access for many.
Readers of the book are instantly struck by the leadership skills of the Sardar and the calmness with which he found solutions to the life-threatening challenges. With his perseverance, he persuades the oarsman operating boats in the Ganges to tie together three boats to make a ferry that could transport the trucks across the river. The book presents the detailed story of how he persuaded the oarsmen and passed the trucks in just two days. Kiran says a leader understands that each problem is unique, and solutions have to be unique too. A leader also understands that the solutions are with the people who have dealt with the problem and understand the situation better than them.
Pritam Singh was probably the first to run trucks on the recently built Tribhuvan Rajpath, which had a total of 8,700 bends in a 107-km stretch from Hetaunda to Naubise. The drivers had to exercise extreme caution and control to navigate through each turn without putting their lives at risk, writes Kiran. In the 16 days since they started from Kashmir, the team reached Kathmandu.
In February 1959, Sardar Pritam Singh officially registered Nepal Public Motor Service (NPMS), the first trucking company in the country, and started operating trucks. In the following years, the company expanded its services to Birgunj, Dhangadhi, and other major towns at that time. As the company also carried petroleum products to the Valley, they have a strategic advantage as well.
Even the royal palace had an interest in it. The company also started the operation of public bus service in the Valley, which lasted until the early 2000s.
The company supported the development of the Mahendra Highway, Trishuli Hydro, and many other projects. It helped with humanitarian work during the famine and other disasters and closely worked with the government.
Likewise, Sardar Pritam Singh was one of the first Sikhs to come to Nepal and stay here in modern times, although the trend began with Guru Nanak Dev's visit in the 16th century. There is a Guru Nanak Math in Balaju, Kathmandu, where Guru Nanak meditated under a banyan tree. Pritam Singh not only facilitated the arrival of about 10,000 Sikhs to Nepal but also helped in the construction of various Gurdwaras and other monuments, including the one in Kupondole, which became the centre of relief work provided by the Sikhs from around the world during the 2015 earthquake and COVID-19 pandemic.
This book is not just a biography of Sardar Pritam Sing; it’s a history of transportation in Nepal, the expansion of Sikhism, Nepal-India relations, social services by the community, and an individual's contribution to all of these. The book is full of maps and photos related to the stories told in it. Map of the route the Sardar has taken to reach the valley, one of the first trains that arrived to Amlekhgunj, Tribhuvan Rajpath, and many others keep intriguing the readers. There are numerous photos related to the activities and people that have importance in the life of Pritam Singh. At 88 years old, he has witnessed 54 prime ministers in Nepal.
'Roads to the Valley' is an opportunity to revisit Nepal's history from a different perspective, such as people-to-people relations with India, the development and expansion of transportation, Sikhism, and their culture. Pritam Sign remains a towering figure not only for the Sikh community but also for people of all religions, castes, and creeds.
Meanwhile, Kiran hasn't forgotten her mother, the wife of Pritam Singh, Harcharan Kaur, and has dedicated a separate chapter to mentioning her contributions. Naturally, she pours high praise on her father, which is natural on the part of a daughter, but some readers might find it otherwise. The book is printed on glossy paper and is heavy to carry. But if you have an interest in the history of Nepal written from the perspective of people, this is the book for you.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily's Friday Supplement on 4 August 2023.
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