Oral history with Satyajit Singh Majithia, 2013 May 28
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Born to parents, Surjeet Singh Majithia and Kushal Pal Kaur, Satyajit Singh Majithia, lovingly called Saty, was born in Amritsar, next to the Circuit House on 30th September 1938. The history of Mr. Majithia’s ancestors is really long, but the family had relations with Ranjit Singh, as his grandfather was married into the Majithia family. They had an estate in what now is Pakistan, called Dhani state, which was known for it’s horses. His family has a history in governance. His family also has a long history of war with the British, whether in alliance with Ranjit Singh or just by themselves too. Mado Jetha was the name that established Majitha, a place thirty odd miles from Amritsar. During the British, they were one of the only villages that had a municipality. The Majithias were known as the iron warriors of the Ranjit Singh empire, they were very active at the helm of affairs. Mr. Majithias grandfather was the Prime Minister of Nabha State, his name was General Shivdev Singh, who had a very strong personality, he suffered a lot as he was frequently put in prison by a Maharaja. One of the anecdotes that Mr. Majithia shares tells us about how his great grandfather was imprisoned in Banaras, while Maharani Jindal was there too. What has been told to him is that his great grandfather had his sister switch places with Maharani Jindal and helped her escape the jail and was taken to Nepal. When the mutiny broke out, his great grandfather protected the fort that he was imprisoned in, out of respect for women and children as he claimed that his fight was only with the men. He was later given an estate in Gorakhpur as a reward and he started his own farming there- whether indigo or sugarcane.His family is very well known and also from a very historically rich lineage. His Grandfather started a campaign to get people to join the air force and because the air craft industry hadn’t developed so much people were hesitant to join. His father and cousin joined the air force, his father then went onto became a fighter pilot and was selected to put on a show when the Prince of Wales came to India for a visit. His uncle Sir Kirpal Singh, took over the political work the family was doing. Upon his death, his father took on this political work. He was then also made the Ambassador to Nepal. Then his father became an MP after the third election, and also had a difference of opinion with Krishna Menon. His father had strong opinions against the Chinese and that’s where lay the difference of opinion, his father felt that China was major threat. Apparently Krishna Menon, was provoking Jawaharlal Nehru against Mr. Majithia’s father. After which he handed in his resignation as he didn’t want to be doubted and had strong beliefs. Mr. Majithia also holds strong opinions about China. His grandfather also worked towards upliftment of farmers, with the help of the leader of Haryana.He went to school at Sacred Heart School in Amritsar. He also went to the Doon School in Dehra Dun, which led to him being cocooned from the happenings of Partition. After his schooling in Dehra Dun, he went to Aitchison College in Lahore which was a very sports orientated school. He also did some of his schooling in United Kingdom. He didn’t finish his schooling in the UK all the way through but upon coming back to India he wanted to join the air force but his father suggested that he was not of the correct age to do so anymore. Given that, he ended up handling his father’s business in Gorakhpur. Then he got married to his wife, and had three kids, two sons and one daughter. His daughter is a MP in Delhi, his son is on the Cabinet and his oldest son is handling their family business and he resides with them in New Delhi now.His views on religion is that each religion teaches you to love the creation of the almighty and that those who don’t understand their religion end up fighting instead. That our souls are to be connected to your religion, and how could souls fight? He claims that they never differentiated between Hindu and Muslims and Sikhs and treat everyone equally when he went to college in Lahore.
Description
| Type of resource | moving image |
|---|---|
| Extent | 5 video files |
| Place | Ludhiana (India) |
| Date created | May 28, 2013 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
| Sound content | Sound |
| Color content | Color |
| Map data | Scale not given ; Pre-partition residence: Amritsar, Punjab, India (31.6339, 74.8722); Current residence: Amritsar, Punjab, India (31.6339, 74.8722 |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Majithia, Satyajit Singh, 1938- | |
|---|---|---|
| Interviewer | Sandhu, Manleen | |
| Interviewer | Singh, Sukhpal | |
| Creator | Sandhu, Manleen | |
| Creator | Singh, Sukhpal | |
| Cinematographer | Singh, Sukhpal | |
| Sponsor | Acton Family Fund |
Subjects
| Subject | India > History > Partition, 1947 |
|---|---|
| Genre | Filmed interviews |
Bibliographic information
| 1947 Partition Archive - Satyajit Singh Majithia | |
|---|---|
| Source ID | partitionArchive_0582 |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/cy062hz9278 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © The 1947 Partition Archive (http://www.1947partitionarchive.org/). All rights reserved. To protect the privacy and well-being of the interviewee, use of this content for any purpose other than personal, non-commercial use requires the explicit written permission of The 1947 Partition Archive.
Also listed in
Loading usage metrics...