Charanjit Singh Batth
Founder
Batth Farms | Caruthers, CA (USA)
Ancestry & Birthplace
Lyallpur (undivided British India)
Adopted
Nurpur, Ludhiana, Punjab (India)
Residence
Caruthers, CA (USA)
From Food to Life: The Raisin Allure
The ideal of agri-business, introducing the Sikh community to the global business community, never losing hold of his culture and traditions..
It was in 1959 that I first stepped onto a plane and reached the wonderland, that is the USA. Of my 80 years of life, I have been here for the past 60, ever since I was 21. After all these years in my foreign home, I feel proud to see my children and grandchildren still speak Punjabi and celebrate every Indian festival with a gusto only the residents have.
All these years have taught me a lot, through the many profits and losses. And I am thankful to Parmatma1 who has guided me through the thick and thin. He has led me along the path of hardwork and success. Although it was not always the same as today, had it not been for Him, I wouldn’t have achieved as much as I have.
Partition shook me to the truth!
Fifth among nine siblings, I was born on 17 July 1938 to the beautiful Surjeet Kaur and the loving Sham Singh Batth in Lyallpur, a place so close to my heart that till date I’m able to smell its air. My father was a farmer who sweated it out to fruitfully cultivate his 70 acres of land in Punjab of united India, a large and beautiful India. The grievous partition of 1947 forced people out of their homes to establish themselves in some new region. Leaving my home perturbed me but I was astonished to see my father rather ready to leave. Was it that easy to leave behind the fields, the home, the people?
While my family migrated to Nurpura in 1947, I, all of nine years, stayed back and was among the lasts of my family to I didn’t accompany my family but soon had to give up and tag along with my last few relatives migrating to the new India.
My father had sent a bus for me. It is still so fresh in my mind. Our troop from newly built Pakistan stayed in Amritsar and Jalandhar in the initial few days, finally settling in Tangara, Ludhiana, the ancestral place of my father’s maternal grandfather.
The idea to work in the USA started to germinate in my mind in the 1950s when one of my elder sisters got married to a bright young man, Karam Singh Nahar, whose family had been there for over 50 years. Her father-in-law, Sardar Paul Singh, had earned a good reputation, owning some 250 acres of farming land. His stories about that country were no less than something straight out of a movie – horses and cattle grazing, labourers working; they intrigued me. The impact was so deep that my brothers and I decided to make a life there, building the American dream. I was just 12 then, a student of a small school in Raikot, Ludhiana. You see, someday I wanted to tell stories of my own, and look where it has brought me!
It took me nine years to arrive at my promised land though!
Anything to live the American dream
Had it not been for my father I would not have made it to the USA. Although we had moved to the Indian side of the border, he still shared good rapport with our old neighbours in Pakistan. In the late 1950s, he arranged for my Pakistani birth-certificate to prove my petition to fly across the seven seas. I was a student of Sardar College, Ludhiana, when I finally moved to the USA in 1959. Those days remind me of cheerful times I spent with my friends. We would play games for hours. We were not afraid of anything.
I had only $20 when I first landed in the new country; that was the limit imposed by the government. But I had to give $10 to one of my co-passengers on the plane, for he needed it. In San Francisco, to match the standards, I had to repeat high-school. But it is never too easy to repeat school when you’re 21. Owing to my discomfiture, I was promoted to grade 12 when my sister’s in-laws requested it, but couldn’t be as smart as my classmates. How could I? My interest lay in making money on the farms. And I guess my interest did pay me well enough!
From picking grapes to owning a ranch!
Right after school, Paul Singh gave me a job on his farms. So here I was, 21years old, picking grapes in the land of opportunities. I worked with him for five years as a foreman and later as the farm manager, learning the nuances of raisin cultivation.
When the US government amended its immigration laws allowing immigrants to bring their blood relatives to the USA, I immediately returned to India and arranged for my siblings to settle down in my foster country. By then I had become a US citizen. Two years later, two of my brothers and a nephew joined me. Settling in Rhode Island, together, we worked hard, saved and invested. We finally bought a 50-acre ranch, our first, in 1969 and named it Singh Brothers.
We collectively worked towards growth for the next three years, leasing and buying land, which contributed to buying more properties. While on this beautiful journey, I realised splitting up the business could be a good idea; however, only the partnership had ended not the relationship. Although we work separately today, we still are close and are always available for each other.
In 1977, I decided to cultivate almonds too and bought a separate land for it. We worked hard, day in and out, and soon I was given the title of The Raisin King. And it all is because of farming, hardwork and dedication that we could make a difference! There have been times when we decided to try other ventures, but somehow we have always come back to farming.
Success isn’t judged by bank accounts, but by happiness. My happiness and completeness lies in my wife, Shamsher Kaur, who has supported me like none other. Our kids, Harmer (not married), Lakhvir (married to Dr Baljit Sidhu), Kamarjit (married to Rampinder Kaur), Gagandeep (married to Dr Kirandeep Kaur) are ready take the business to new heights having studied Agriculture Business for their graduation. Each of them is blessed with three kids each, making us grandparents to nine.
Have faith; He watches
Why raisins, I am asked often. I have no answer to it except that it is what my first job was and I am probably stuck with it. Knowing that Punjabis can really work hard, I often work with them; it not only gives me greater productivity but also helps them be better settled in the USA. When I realised the number of Indians was increasing in Caruthers region, an Indian place of worship was pondered upon. In 1988, we built a gurudwara. I was elected the Board of Director of the Raisin Bargaining Association, a chair I served for 20 years. I was also lucky to have received the Lincoln Award by the Republic Party.
After all these years, I have learnt that the most important thing is to keep going, no matter what difficulties. When Parmatma threw difficulties at me, I knew it was his way to test my determination. The guts he bestowed upon me have encouraged me to do my part of sewa, further contributing my efforts for the development of various societies, gurudwaras and associations for sports like Kabaddi. I have happily helped many schools in their renovation and construction. One such school in Ludhiana, in fact, was renamed after my father as the Sham Singh Memorial High School. In 1988, my fellow Punjabis and I built a gurudwara in Caruthers.
The mantra is to take calculated risks and work hard to turn it into profit. Growth is important, no matter how small.
Philosophy
Respect elders, love youngsters and speak well to everyone. Your good advice can make a big difference in someone’s life.
I love…
Playing Kabaddi, Football and Hockey. I was good at sports in school too. And travelling. Shamsher and I have visited over 20 countries, and are in Ludhiana for a few weeks every year.
Success Mantra
Hardwork is the only secret to success, an open secret. If your dream can’t make you work hard, nothing will!
I’d suggest the youth…
To be honest, with themselves, their work and everyone they deal with if they want to go a long way. Be polite and helpful. Help people get de-addicted.
The world doesn’t know that…
California raisins are the most versatile, nutritious and economical dried fruit in the world and I am one of the biggest producer of raisins in the world. I am also a founder member of NRI Sabha USA.
AKA
King of Raisins | Punjabi-American farmer
Gallery
ISBN : 9788193397695