Nangal vibes & a granny who didn’t die

When anyone says that he/she is from Nangal, the inevitable follow-up query is: “Naya Nangal or the old one?”

Old Nangal sat serenely by the Sutlej, home to Bhakra Dam workers and the families relocated from the reservoir’s rising waters.

Across the river, Naya Nangal buzzed around National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) — its factory, tidy sectors, schools, markets, and a hospital. My father worked for the NFL. I grew up there, surrounded by neighbours who knew everything about you — even the things you didn’t.

We had no TV or fridge, but still life was rich. The highest family honour? Your child’s report card. And our most prized possession? A second-hand bicycle.

One foggy morning, my mother dispatched me to inform temple-goers about Bittu’s grandmother’s demise overnight. Dutifully, I spread the sad news — only to return to a shocked crowd… and a very much alive granny waving from her veranda. Turns out that my other neighbour also named Bittu, had lost her grandma.

That morning, I became Naya Nangal’s most discussed and popular figure albeit for a brief duration.

Cdr Anil Kumar Saxena (retd), Nangal