ABSTRACT
Chandan was a young boy when his family was torn from their home in Lahore (now in Pakistan), where his father worked as a sheet metal worker in a factory. The 1947 partition of India and Pakistan was violent, and had taken its toll on thousands of families on both sides of the new border. Chandan’s family was among the thousands of Punjabi Hindus who fled for their lives. His father was determined to protect his family and worked very hard after settling in a small town, north of Delhi. Chandan grew up in harsh circumstances, shielded by strong family ties. Soon after completing high school, he decided to quit study and set up a small enterprise, charging batteries in the local marketplace. With his unfailing dedication, the business expanded to include several locations. The family continued to be extremely cohesive and supportive of each other. Chandan married and the couple had three children. He was determined to educate his children well, something he had missed in his life. Today all three of his children are engineers.
