Baljinder Singh’s story starts with a promise to his grandmother. At the age of 12, he swears to find his grandfather, Mehnga Singh, a man who left his home country for Australia in the 1920s. It’s a commitment that he never wavers from during his 23 year long search.
This is the premise of Anita Barar’s latest documentary Finding Grandpa. The documentary is not just a retelling, but is a revival of the past through a pastiche of voiceover and re-enactments, all framed by interviews with Baljinder Singh.
Incidentally, it was whilst filming another documentary, Crossing the Line, which focussed on Partition and the despair of Indian Australians who had been separated from their loved ones that she crossed paths with Baljinder Singh and became fascinated with the generational weight he carried.
“Here was a man who risked everything to fulfil his promise made to his Grandma…When I met Baljinder Singh, I knew right there that the story had to be told and I must make this film,” Barar says.
Rather than simply focusing on Singh’s seemingly impossible journey to find his grandfather, Finding Grandpa also tells the story of the people left behind by Mehnga Singh. Much of the emotional core is derived through flashback, where viewers see the anger directed to Baljinder’s grandmother, Radhiye, by her children for refusing to follow her husband, as well as her own pain and regret. She is not presented merely as the woman who didn’t follow her husband but as a person who waited in vain for her loved one to come back.
“It was important that the audience not only listen to Baljinder’s story but also empathise with it; so, I used several re-enactments to bring to life memorable past events,” Barar says.
Param Nayyar who plays a young Baljinder is highly convincing and is able to portray the sorrow of a child when confronted with shared familial pain. Urmil Nayyar, who plays the grandmother puts on an equally moving performance.
But the main narrative is delivered through an emotional Baljinder Singh. Barar’s questions effectively guide his retelling and portray the difficulty of his task.
“It’s like deciding to jump into the sea to catch the right fish,” he says.
Holding only the letters his grandfather had sent to his grandmother prior to Partition, he recalls going to Sikh temples his grandfather likely visited, institutions like the Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages and even the police in Camden, the suburb his grandfather sent his letters from.
Throughout this journey, he was completely unaware that his grandfather had, like many other Indian immigrants at the time, changed his name, going under ‘Charles Singh,’ instead. As a result, a search that was expected to last a few months, took years to end. It is only after going to the National Archives of Australia, that he receives a vital clue about his grandfather’s life.
Interestingly, Baljinder also acts as himself in the documentary during various re-enactments, and it’s a creative decision that pays off. Perhaps as a result of reliving his past, Singh is able to achieve an emotional depth that few amateur actors would be able to reach.
Underpinning these moments is Pupinder Mintu’s haunting voice, combined with a score composed by Avijit Sarkar. When played over a sweeping view of the Australian suburbs, one wonders about the sense of isolation felt by Mehnga Singh.
A welcomed respite to these moments is the input from historians Len Kenna and Crystal Jordan who were instrumental to the search.
They remind the audience that Mehnga Singh’s story is not an anomaly. Singh is just one out of a sprawling cohort of Indians, many of whom were cameleers and hawkers and were integral to Australia’s progress.
“Many of the hawkers would go years without having slept in a bed,” Len Kenna says in a speech prior to the screening. “Whilst many Indian Australians would go back after getting a quid, Mehnga was one of the few who stuck around.”
As fate would have it, in the process of looking for Mehnga Singh, Baljinder finds another Indian immigrant who seemed to thrive in his new home, making donations of 1000 pounds to Camden hospital. In order to preserve his legacy, Baljinder Singh reinstalls a plaque put up in honour of his contributions, referring to him as “my second grandfather.”
Watching Baljinder Singh’s story, it becomes clear that his journey wasn’t fuelled merely by the bravado of his 12-year-old self, but it was the product of a genuine and undying love for his grandfather, grandmother, uncles and father. Whilst he may not have been able to meet his grandfather, it’s clear to see that the tenacity that allowed Mehnga Singh make a home in Australia lives on in Baljinder Singh.
READ MORE: Linking History: Indian Servants and Convicts in Australia- Indian Link
