Last year, in early February, my father passed away from complications due to pneumonia at the age of 56. In preparation for the funeral my sisters and I were tasked to go through and gather old photos for a slideshow. Many of which I had already seen countless times, many that could be categorized as “family posing forcefully at birthday party”. A staged photograph only tells you who was present and the whereabouts; a candid photograph tells you a story. That is why I am here, to tell you a story.

Uncle (Left), Father (Middle), Grandfather (Right)

This picture struck me rather hard. It showed my father, my uncle and grandfather with real emotion. It is from my uncle’s wedding, my uncle looks upset. Because he is. His wife tells me he was having a bad beard day. My grandfather showing genuine excitement for his son’s wedding. This is when I realized my father had lived as rich of a life, been on adventures, gathered as many stories as I have, all before I was born. There was so much I didn’t know about his roots in India. This is when I realized my father was a boy much like myself and not simply a parent who was there to provide care. I wanted to know more.

This summer, plans began to materialize for a trip to India to spread my father’s ashes in his motherland, Punjab. So, January 17th 2017, I pack my bags and head off to India for 25 days with my family, and friend Daniel. The first 10 days of the trip will be spent in a northern state called Punjab. Afterwards, Daniel and I are going to venture out on our own and travel for 15 days through the state of Rajasthan. We will be taking photos, filming, writing so we can share our story. Stay tuned.

– By: Kanwar Johal