“I left India in 1979 looking for a job as an electrician. I heard they needed electricians in Saudi Arabia, so I spent two years there. Because my last name is Singh—and because of my turban—they didn’t extend my visa. They were very strict about religious beliefs. So I went back to India, and then I went to Germany. I worked in a factory where some Punjabi people worked doing the welding for seats in cars. Then I moved to California because it is hard to settle in Germany as an Indian person. I first had a tourist Visa and lived in California, working different jobs.
It was hard to come to California alone, but Los Angeles is a huge city. It looked very different after being there for just one year. Some of my Punjabi friends from Germany came to LA and we all helped each other. We had the temple too and we went there every Sunday. I worked in a restaurant and within three months I got the chance to move from a helper to a cook. I first worked as a curry chef then I eventually became an all-arounder. I learned very fast. A lot of it I learned from my mother, sitting around the clay stove outside of the house. I remember sitting there and watching her cook. Mostly I learned from there. So, when my boss said, “Are you ready to cook?” I said, “I can do it.” They gave me a chance.
Then, my sister married some guy in Massachusetts. So, she came from India to Massachusetts in 1985. They opened a restaurant in Burlington called India House and he sponsored my permanent visa. So, in 1989, I moved to Burlington and worked there for a few years. It was totally different; there weren’t many Indians. It was a little bit harder than California, but it’s okay because it is quiet, peaceful, and there is no crime.
We opened our first restaurant in Concord in 1991, but the people there were not as open to trying new foods. With the money we had left, we opened our Hanover restaurant in 1992 near the football stadium. The people living in a college town have tried different foods already. We were in that location for 28 years and then COVID started. So, the school asked us to move to the building we are in now.
I have been in the Upper Valley for almost 30 years and my kids grew up studying in Lebanon High School. My daughter graduated from Dartmouth in 2015, graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School, and is now doing her residency at Penn State. My son went to Keane State and moved to Boston.
I am technically retired but I still work. I take pride in running this place with my family. I have tried telling my son to come here and follow my footsteps! I really enjoy working with my family. When you work with your family you work together the best way. They are stable and you don’t have to worry about how motivated people are. Ultimately, we are the ones that must work. I don’t have much time to go on longer trips because of the restaurant, but we like to visit different areas. On Sundays we often go to the temple in Boston. We also have the Community Center here, where my family will gather once a month. I don’t have any regrets about being here in the Upper Valley. Everything is perfect.”
Balbir Singh
– Lebanon, NH
