Vidisha to Julasan via Kashi
My father was a stockbroker but he had a fascinating background. He was originally from Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh. When he was eight and his sister Saraswati was six, they traveled to Kashi on a pilgrimage with my grandparents. My grandfather's name was Brijlal. At the turn of the 19th century (around 1890), it was very important for families to go to Kashi once in lifetime.
In Kashi, my grandma died because she was bitten by a rabid dog. A little after, my grandpa also died due to plague. From his deathbed in a dharmashala in Kashi, my grandfather pleaded with two sadhus to take back his children to Vidisha.
Instead of dropping the children at Vidisha, the sadhus traveled to Gujarat. On Gokulashtami day, the sadhus decided to rest at a temple in Nardipur village near Mehsana. A huge crowd had gathered for the ashtami mela. When they saw the sadhus with the children, they suspected something amiss. They thought the sadhus were planning to sell them in Mumbai. The people of Nardipur saved my father and my aunt.
That is why I took Sunita to Nardipur and we were greeted with tremendous love and respect. My father and aunt had studied in Nardipur. The kind-hearted villagers collectively took a decision on their future and assigned the children to Bhogilal Rajaram, a rich businessman. He adopted both of them.
Image: Dr Deepak N Pandya with his wife Ursaline at the 2006 India Abroad Person of the Year award ceremony.
Photograph: Jay Mandal
Also read: 
Sunita pays respect for cousin Haren Pandya
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