Eventually we were directed to Punjab, a state in northwest India, where we stayed for a while in a missionary home in the city of Chandigarh and then rented an apartment. I started regular pioneering in September 1974 and was invited to become a special pioneer in 1975. Preaching helped me to realize that there was a great need for literature in Punjabi so that more people could learn about Jehovah’s love and justice. In 1976, the India branch office invited the three of us to help with translating literature into Punjabi. Without typewriters or computers, this was very labor-intensive. We had to handwrite the translated text and manually check and proofread it. Then we worked with an archaic local commercial printery, typesetting the text by hand one letter at a time.

Despite relapses, I moved to Wolverhampton in 1978, pioneering in a predominantly Punjabi-speaking area. We made handwritten meeting invitations and had them duplicated at local shops. We then distributed them to Punjabi-speaking people, inviting them to the public talk. Now Britain has five Punjabi congregations and three groups.

The Britain branch was aware of my work as a Punjabi translator in India. So the branch office contacted me in the late 1980’s. I started commuting to London Bethel in connection with preparing fonts and software and to help establish publishing standards for the Gurmukhi script. I had a grueling schedule earning a living, caring for my mum some distance away, and commuting to Bethel. But it was wonderful to be involved.

In September 1991, I was invited to be a member of the Bethel family and to work with translating Bible literature into Punjabi. This was completely unexpected. I felt unqualified, had an illness, and was over the age requirement for a new Bethelite. Yet, Jehovah granted me this amazing privilege.