One Sikh family that suffered the most at their hands was that of Balwant Singh. Being the eldest of four brothers, Balwant had successfully expanded the business and taken it to great heights. Nearly one-third of the village population was under his direct or indirect employment. His palatial home was famously known as ‘Sardar House’, and he was treated no less than a king. He was a large-hearted man and gave soft loans to anyone in distress without discriminating on the basis of caste or creed, or worrying about returns. Spiritually inclined, Balwant donated a fixed percentage of his income to noble causes every month and took good care of anyone who knocked on his door. Yet, the Muslim clergy nursed a serious grudge against him. His big white house stood out like a sore thumb primarily for one reason—his school for the underprivileged. Balwant enjoyed generous patronage of the local British administrators and, as a result, was permitted to run a prominent ‘girls only’ school in the Valley. The school encouraged poor children, including Muslim girls, to study free of cost which became a bone of contention for the religious leaders who were of the opinion that educating Muslim girls was against the teachings of the Quran.

However, over a period of time, the school gained a name for its good governance, discipline and education. Despite being located in a Muslim area, it boasted a high percentage of Muslim students, which the fundamentalists found difficult to digest, and thus they opposed it vehemently. But the wealthy and powerful Balwant brushed their objections aside each time and kept them at a safe distance. They were enraged by the snub but also scared to stand up to the powerful sardar and hence sulked in isolation. The British administration was uncompromising when it came to rules. Punishments for disobedience and violence were severe and dispensed quickly. Hence, whenever the pitch of their murmur rose above the acceptable decibel level, Balwant reminded them of the Riot Act. But his trust in the British administration was his undoing. He was unaware of the level of hatred that was brewing in the minds of the imams, moulvis and other fundamentalists. The sudden announcement of Partition brought all these feelings to the fore, and without the British police to regulate the town, they wreaked vengeance. Their leaders used loudspeakers in masjids to spew hatred. The volcano of hate exploded and the burning lava flowed in the direction of the Sardar House. It took Balwant by complete surprise and engulfed his entire family.