6/21/2023 0 Comments Cheerful memory tad friendHe was Sardar Kirpal Singh, who passed away on September 21, at a ripe age of 90, leaving behind an unmatched legacy, and a life lived respectfully, with humility, dignity and simplicity. He was the grand old Sardar of the catering world, or ‘Papaji’ as everyone lovingly addressed him. He had come to bid farewell to an old friend, to years of a wonderful relationship, one that always assured that a big bowl of ‘dum aloo’ would be ready for his friend’s daughter, come what may. When my father passed away in February 2021, a frail old gentleman, dressed in an off white Pathani suit, sat quietly at the back. Her demise has left a big gap in the green space. Pandemic, or not, Birinder never stopped her work, even if it meant running it from her bedroom window, keeping a watchful eye on her blooming paradise. Not only was she gifted and aesthetically sound with an exceptional eye for detail, she was immensely hardworking, and to her family, friends and more than 50 year old staff, like a tree, protective and nourishing. Set up in 1980, Birinder, with an ailing husband and three kids, single-handedly built her business from the ground up, sourcing seedlings and plants from country and abroad, negotiating with a male dominated workforce, and steering ‘The Green House’ to a flourishing success. Gardening was a passionate hobby till her husband suffered a heart attack, and she decided to go commercial with her green space. A floriculturist par excellence, Birinder inherited ‘green genes’ from her grandmother, who cultivated her first black rose in her garden in Pakistan. She breathed her last on January 2, 2022. The first one to cultivate and set up a full fledged nursery in her garden, to cater to the first three major hotels of the city with her exquisite flower arrangements, the first one-stop for floral decor for all our events, Birinder Khullar was a beautiful force of nature. There is probably not a soul in Chandigarh who does not know of Birinder Khullar or has not picked the most cheerful flowers from her ‘Green House’ in Sector 9.
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