Where it all began! (2002)


As a child, my family would talk about my maternal grandfather, and two of my grandfathers went to work in Panama for many years, leaving their families behind for so many years. These stories gave me curiosity to learn more about Panama and ultimately what they were doing there. 

arrived in Panama 1905



Over the years, I learned they started off their lives there in 1905, with my grandfather Hukam Singh was last to leave for Panama. My maternal grandfather (grandmother's brother) Amar Singh left India, was headed to Canada, was the first one to arrive in Colon, Panama in 1905 purely by accident.  Though he may have struggled in the start, he eventually started a profitable business in Colon - and when my grandfather made it over, he worked in the canal zone.





Amer Singh and Company, Colon, Panama

My grandfather's brother Dharam Singh was the only person, whose wife joined him in Panama with his 5 year old son, Tara Singh from Punjab, India.  His four daughters were born in Colon, Panama.

My family: Grandfather Hukam Singh, his brother Dharam Singh
and grandfather Hukam Singh. Grandmother with my aunts.
















I also knew that many others from my village had gone to Panama during the building of the canal and had decided to make it their home. This spurred my desire to visit Panama and see and learn more.  


Puran Singh, Tara Singh, Dharam Singh,  Karnail  Singh

Serendipity stepped in when Dave and I were at the Dixie Gurudwara, Mississauga, and I bumped into one of my classmates from back in India. During our catch up, she told me that she had just visited her cousins in Panama City, and she let me know that my brother's schoolmate Tara Singh had been posted to Panama as the Ambassador from India. I probed her more about her visit and asked her to connect me with Shri Tara Singh. She got me his phone number and a week later, I was talking to him, and he told us to come visit him asap as he was being posted to Guyana as the next High commissioner of India. So just like that I booked our flights, and Dave and I were on our way to see Panama for the first time.

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