Chased………

1967 I was posted by the Planning Department at Jammu. My office was in the premises of DC Jammu at Wazarat Road. The nature of job was Bench Mark Survey. Head of the department was Dr.Joginder Singh, Director Agriculture Jammu & Kashmir and my immediate officer was D P Khajuria who later on retired as Director Agriculture Jammu.

 The general mode of conveyance was the City Bus. The route for the City bus was from Panjtirthi via Shalimar road-Rajinder Bazar-Residency Road Gumut-Jewel Chowk- narrow Tawi Bridge wide enough to pass one-way traffic by turn to Satwari…..Its return was the same route via Rughnath Bazar to Shalimar-Kachi Chawni to Panjtirthi.

Tuesday the 4^th April 1967, I left my office earlier for some personal job at Government Polytechnic at Bikram Chowk. I boarded the overloaded City Bus at Shaheedie Chowk for the Government Polytechnic. The bus had hardly taken turn towards the Gumet road, when I felt some handsome and moderately well built but nicely dressed in white cream colour coat and matching pantaloon making advances towards my genital organ. First I took it as the curse of the overcrowded bus but soon I realized that it was a deliberate action. I became nervous and blushed. The bus stopped across the bridge to drop the passengers of the Stop. My stop was a little ahead. Out of wit I hurriedly alighted from the bus and boarded another one that came from the opposite direction. This bus too was overloaded. I managed to get foothold from the front door and squeezed in when students from MAM College were hanging on its frame and body all around. I heaved a sigh of relief.

The relief was short lived. The man on the chase managed his entry through the backdoor of the bus and was making efforts to reach me. The bus stopped at Jewel Chowk to drop some and pick up others for onward stops. I paid for Kachi Chawni but alighted at Jewel Chowk to escape molestation. The man too alighted and followed me.

My friend, classmate, hostel mate at the University and colleague in the planning department retired Joint Director Planning Ghulam Mohammad Bhat was posted at the Directorate of Animal Husbandry. His office was very close to Jewel Cinema. I rushed to him. He was surprised to see me panting. I revealed the abnormal day to him and asked him to escort me to safer zone. Ghulam Mohammad Bhat is tall and master of pleasing looks and authoritative personality. He accompanied me to see the man who had dared to tease me. The man by that time on wait pretended to see the posters and photographs of the film on exhibition at Jewel Cinema. He realized his futile efforts and left me free. Ghulam Mohammad educated me that he was a Gay and I was chased by a Gay. Thank god and G M Bhat who managed to save me from the catastrophe and saved my bachelorhood until my marriage in 1969.

My belief became stronger that ‘jinu rakhay sanie mar sukay na koie’