Jalandhar, July 30-Residents of Uppal Bhopa village today saw the fulfilment of the last wish of Pooran Singh, a hawker, whose ashes reached the village after 63 years of his death in Australia.The urn containing the remains of Pooran, which were preserved by an Australian family to fulfil his last desire to take them to his native land, reached his village, which he had left in 1899 to go to Australia.Harmel Uppal, a grandson of Pooran’s brother Sultani Ram, brought the urn today to their native house. He was accompanied by historians Len Kenna and Crystal Jordan, who are doing research on the lives of Sikh migrants settled in Victoria state in the early 20th century, and Manpreet K Singh of SBS Radio of Australia.Talking to reporters, Len Kenna, who traced the story of Pooran Singh, said she was interested in such stories, particularly of Sikhs, as her father was posted in the British Army in pre-Independence India and was moved back to England during the Second World War and then to Australia.A number of Sikhs migrated to Victoria state of Australia in the late 19th century.“We are keenly researching their contribution to Victoria state and their lives,” she added.Manpreet K Singh said descendants of the families, which were once close to Pooran Singh and his likes, approached the owners of cemetery to revive the memories of their childhood. “Some of the descendants can still recall how Pooran and other hawkers used to play with them and made delicious dishes for them at their homes,” he said.The historians took with them about 50 photographs of Sikhs who migrated to Victoria in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.After staying in the village for nearly four hours, Harmel Uppal, along with others took the ashes to Haridwar to immerse them in the Ganges.
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