For Sukhpal Singh, life stood still when he unexpectedly reunited with his Japanese son, whom he had left with his mother 20 years ago. Inspired by an assignment in college, 21-year-old Rin Takahata traced his father in Amritsar.
The Osaka University of Arts student landed in Amritsar on August 18, a day before Raksha Bandhan. Armed with his father’s name and old address along with photographs and belongings carefully preserved by his mother Sachie Takahata, Rin went from house to house and shop to shop on Fatehgarh Churian Road.Eventually, some locals recognised his father from these old photographs and guided him to his new address on Loharka Road in Amritsar.
“I had gone to my in-law’s house for Raksha Bandhan when I received a call from my brother that my son had arrived from Japan. I was shocked and rushed back immediately after asking my brother to look after him,” recalled Sukhpal. “Words cannot capture emotions and feelings I experienced when we finally embraced each other,” he added.
Both father and son had tried to find each other through various social media platforms but failed.
Explaining his decision to search for his father, Rin said: “During a college assignment on creating a family tree, I had information about my mother’s side of the family but knew nothing about my father except for his name, Sukhpal Singh. This inspired me to search for him and meet him.”
Sukhpal fell in love with his first wife Sachie Takahata after they met in Thailand. They got married in Japan in 2002 and started living in Chiba Ken, a prefecture adjacent to Tokyo. “Rin was born in 2003. However, fate had other plans and our marriage faced difficulties. I returned to India in 2004. Sachie came to India that very year and we both again went to Japan. However, despite our attempts to reconcile, misunderstandings persisted. I eventually left and started living separately and returned to India in 2007. I later married Gurvinderjit Kaur, with whom I have a daughter, Avleen Pannu,” said Sukhpal.
Sukhpal said he spoke to Sachie and told her that their son was with him and she need not worry. “Rin is an adult and makes his own decisions,” his mother told Sukhpal.
On Raksha Bandhan, Avleen tied a rakhi on her Japanese brother and Gurvinderjit Kaur welcomed him as her son. When asked whether he wants his parents to meet, Rin said: “Of course, I want them to meet at least once.” The Japanese student wants to keep coming to India to visit his father and extended family. “I would be regularly coming to Amritsar and staying with my father and his other family members,” he said.
