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Imagine having eight siblings spend 10 days on holiday together overseas. Sounds like some boot camp, huh?
Five years ago, the eight of us (aged between 40 and 70), packed our bags and left for India, our late father’s country of birth. It was a maiden trip for some of us, and we decided to make it a “siblings only” holiday, without our spouses and children.
While we have had numerous reunions in various parts of Malaysia, we never travelled in a big group abroad.
Our eldest sister, Ajaib, was excited at the prospect of a pilgrimage to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, as it was on her bucket list. It’s also on mine.
Our youngest sister Sarjit had travelled to India just the year before so she – and Kulwant – were the trip organisers.
We covered New Delhi, Amritsar and Agra. Everywhere we went, we felt our late father’s presence – it seemed as if he was welcoming us to his home. He must have been proud to see us together in his home of birth.
My dad, Tara Singh, left India for Malaysia at a young age, in search of a better future. We are so grateful for his vision and sacrifices to migrate back then, which has brought us to where we are today.
The highlight of our trip was the visit to the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar in the state of Punjab. A pilgrimage by Sikhs to this Gurdwara is akin to a Muslim going to Mecca to do his haj.
We walked on the pathway around the Gurdwara in a clockwise motion, covering all four sides. We also cleansed our spiritual souls by taking a holy dip in the pool at dawn.
We engaged in conversations with God individually and as a union. We never felt more complete as a family. While we may be half Sikhs by virtue of our mum being Chinese, we are proud of our Sikh heritage.
The visit to the majestic Taj Mahal in Agra was another highlight. The marble structure was a sight to behold, truly one of the wonders of the world.
When you come to India, you bring huge empty suitcases, and fill them up along the way. The ladies had a whale of a time shopping for Punjabi suits, kurtis and sarees. The merchandise would cost double the price in Malaysia.
Thankfully, the 30kg baggage allowance per person for our flights came in handy!
India is undoubtedly a food paradise too. Breakfast would typically be aloo parotha with achar and yogurt, and washed down with cha. Our main meals comprised tandoori baked chicken, dhall makhani, aloo gobi, saag paneer eaten with naan or basmati rice.
We enjoyed the camaraderie and togetherness during our journey. The trip, which exceeded all our expectations, really brought us closer as a family. Apart from bonding time, we also managed to do some soul searching and reflecting in our quiet moments and space, away from our monotonous and hectic life.
We learned new things including our blind spots and idiosyncrasies, some embedded for years, as we frankly and candidly shared and engaged one another about our shortcomings and strengths.
They say, you won’t know a person until you’ve lived with them for long periods of time. It has been ages since we lived together, but we realised our bond as brothers and sisters is potentially the longest relationship we’ve all had in our lives.
While we can choose our friends, we certainly can’t choose our siblings.
It was indeed an inspiring and unforgettable trip for us, siblings of the Tara Singh family.
The views expressed are entirely the reader’s own.
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