A Family Heritage Story
Dial Singh
Kalsi
1898 — PUNJAB • CALCUTTA • EAST AFRICA
"The story of one person that not only drastically changed his own life, but also many others, against all odds."
Chapter One
Humble
Beginnings
This is the story of my Great-Grandfather, Dial Singh Kalsi, or Pitaji as his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren refer to him. The story begins in December of 1898 in British India.
Pitaji was named Kartar Singh, born to his parents Labu Ram (Gurdiala) and Indi in the village of Chak-Kalal in Punjab, British India. He was the youngest of three children, having two older sisters, Ishri and Peshri.
At less than 5 years of age, he had lost both his parents to the plague. Orphaned and alone, he was taken in by relatives and eventually found himself in the care of an uncle in Calcutta.
Punjab, British India — circa 1898
"Growing up I always knew my heritage originated in the Indian subcontinent, but the details of the journey from India to East Africa always fascinated me."
— Aman Virdy, Project Creator
Chapter Two
Introduction to
East Africa
The journey to East Africa by ship
Arrival in East Africa
Pitaji and Mataji embarked for East Africa by ship and arrived to the shores of Zanzibar. They travelled to Dar-Es-Salaam in Tanganyika.
Pitaji and Mataji were not alone on their journey. As early as the 1890s, a large majority of the Sikhs who had immigrated to East Africa had already settled into their new land. These early Sikh settlers were skilled laborers who were integral to the development of the British East African Railway.
At the time Pitaji decided to advance deeper into the continent, eventually making his way to Uganda where he would build a new life for his growing family.
Chapter Three
Memories
of Mbale
By Sarla Pawa
I have been approached by Jaswant Kaur Virdi (nee) Kalsi of Mbale, Uganda to recount my memory of her parents, Dial Singh & Harsharan Kaur Kalsi. It is an honour for me to do, as the Kalsi's had been so closely connected with my parents: Dwarka Nath & Somawauri Sharma of Mbale, Uganda.
The two families were connected as early as the 1930s. Both families had done well and brought up many children. The parents' friendship filtered down to their children step-by-step on the age ladder.
Mbale, Uganda — where the Kalsi family built their home
Chapter Four
Entrepreneurial
Endeavours
Musician
Poet
Architect
Engineer
Building Contractor
Petrol Pump Owner
Photo Lab Operator
Philanthropist
Through the Decades
Gallery
Loading gallery...
Chapter Six
The Family
Tree
Pitaji & Mataji had 8 children in Uganda. While the children were born and raised in Uganda, all ended up emigrating out of the country to various parts of the world.
Dial Singh Kalsi
Pitaji • 1898
Harsharan Kaur Kalsi
Mataji
Their Children & Families
Late Amrik Kalsi
& Late Pragya Kalsi ("Bigmama")
1927 – 2021
Grandchildren
Amarpal & Sardool Bhogal
Rawail (Shushi) & Gulshan Virdy
Harminder (Tony) Kalsi
Neena & Manjeet Sembhi
Great-Grandchildren
Sanjit (Sona), Partap (Pancho), Anjeet (Esha), Vikram, Aman, Kavanjeet (Kavan), Amaljeet (Amal), Armanjeet (Arman)
Late Kulwant Kalsi
& Late Vimla Kalsi
Grandchildren
Harjinder (Ajay) & Ritu Kalsi
Great-Grandchildren
Chetan Kalsi, Rohan Kalsi, Nitin Kalyan
Late Manjit Kalsi
& Santosh Kalsi
Grandchildren
Satwant (Beena) & Shiv Kalyan
Dilbag (Dilu) & Reena Kalsi
Great-Grandchildren
Sapna & Rehman Meghji, Amit Kalsi, Nikita Kalsi
Late Balbir Kalsi
& Kanwal Kalsi
1935 – 2005
Grandchildren
Gurmeet (Mitu) & Gurpreet (Preet) Dhindsa
Great-Grandchildren
Jaiman, Devan, Khelan Dhindsa
Late Gurcharan Jando
& Surjit Jando
Grandchildren
Hanspal & Raman Jando
Surinder (Seema) & Manvinder Masloom
Jasbinder (Bindu) & Binde Rakhra
Great-Grandchildren
Sameena, Akshan Jando, Anisha, Kiran Masloom, Kaleena Rakhra
Jaswant (Guddi)
& Late Joginder Virdi
Grandchildren
Verinder & Daljeet Virdi
Parminder (Pummy) & Bandana Virdi
Navdeep (Ashu) & Sangeeta Virdi
Great-Grandchildren
Vivek, Aneesh Virdi, Archita (Nonie) & Jashandeep Gandhi
Pritpal (Gogi)
& Piara Virdi
Grandchildren
Narmeet (Meeta) & Hardeep Rai
Gurdip (Dimpy) & Swaran Virdi
Great-Grandchildren
Arhant Rai, Ishika Virdi, Anika Virdi
Late Amrik Kaur
& Husband
Details to be added
8
Children
16
Grandchildren
27+
Great-Grandchildren
4+
Continents
In Loving Memory
Remembrance
Amrik Kalsi
September 1927 — February 2021
Beloved father of Pepi, Shushi, Tony and Neena. He loved his siblings fiercely. He cared deeply for his sisters and thrived in the company of his brothers.
Click to read more
Pragya Kalsi
January 1932 — July 2006
"Bigmama" as she was known to her family. Born in Ludhiana, Punjab, she was lovingly known as "Cook" within the family circle.
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Balbir Kalsi
1935 — 2005
Balbir Singh Kalsi, a beloved member of the family whose memory lives on through the stories shared here.
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Gurcharan Jando
Remembered with love by the family.
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Kulwant Kalsi
Passed June 24, 2009
Remembered with love by the family. His experiences live on through his son Ajay.
Click to read more
Manjit Kalsi
Remembered with love by the family.
Click to read more
Joginder Virdi
Remembered with love by the family.
Click to read more
Your Words
Guestbook
Messages from family and visitors who have been touched by the Kalsi family story.
The DSK Project
About This Project
The concept of the DSK Project has been ongoing since my childhood. I've always wanted to document the stories that I would hear about my great-grandfather. The biggest appeal that these stories had to me was that they were always about one person that not only drastically changed his own life, but also many others, against all odds. It was for this reason alone that I felt compelled to make this project happen.
Growing up I always knew my heritage originated in the Indian subcontinent, but the details of the journey from India to East Africa always fascinated me. As a child, the story of our family was an adventurous tale of travel, survival, and ultimately the building of a legacy that spans continents.
Special Thanks
A very special thanks goes to my grandfather, Amrik, who was very instrumental in developing my interests in history, geography, religion, and all of the regular topics of conversation that we've shared and continue to share regularly. I would also like to thank all of my Uncles and Aunts who were super supportive of this project.