LIFE WAS TOUGH for young Paan Singh, in Talasaalam village in Almora
district, which rests in the shadow of the Kumaon hills of the Himalaya
range.
Though there is now a bus that reaches the village in Uttaranchal
state, back in 1964 (when it was part of Uttar Pradesh) there was no road
to speak of and the only way to get there was on foot through rough and
rocky terrain.
No wonder the tourist brochure claims the inhabitants of the land are
'amazingly fit and strong with the ability to perform highly arduous
tasks'. Paan inherited strong, healthy genes–which he passed on to his
children.
Farming was a tough grind and unprofitable too and that is what
drove the young Paan–armed with very little education but loads of
determination–first to Lucknow in vain search of a job.
From there he crossed the country to Bokaro in Bihar where
Hindustan Steel Limited was building a new steel plant, then finally to
Ranchi where he landed a job with the Metallurgical and Engineering
Consultants Ltd (or Mecon). Initially he was taken on as an unskilled
worker on daily wages. He worked his way up and eventually retired as a
work supervisor.