A Big Discovery!

The truth is rightly said to be bitter. I lost relations with one of my friends temporarily for five years and one of my relations permanently. Relations with one of my friends got revived after a gap of five

Kamla Shouri Pyari Babi in commanding position

Dolly the divine gift to her mother-in-law

Dolly the divine gift to her mother-in-law

Dolly the divine gift to her mother-in-law

years.

 Badi Amma had to go to bed without food and spend sleepless night for she could not bear humiliation. The other one longed for death that evaded her for too long.

Some blame the present time and the present progeny. But my father narrated to me an incident of early 20th Century when he was in his prime youth. People rushed to enquire about the commotion in his neighbourhood. Their intervention saved an old man who was being beaten by his sons. Next day in the morning some of them were seen in the Zaindar Sahab graveyard getting branches of a mulberry tree. When asked the purpose, they said:”Bub gav sorgus; vanie chue tumisundhi khetrea veman bunavuen” (Father left for his heavenly abode. Now we are making heavenly chariot for him).

Early seventies, Assadullah, one of my colleagues asked me about my children. I said that I am father of two daughters. He put his finger under his teeth and expressed regrets for not having a son. He said that he believed that father of two sons has light to his two eyes (Dhouen cheshmuen gash). I told him that in my Mohalla, there is a Pundit ji who has seven sons. They have assigned one particular day for each to beat him, so that he did not succumb to beating by all together on a day. Anand Joo had a balanced domestic budget. Each one of his six sons used to contribute to run the household comfortably. One day he expressed his anguish to my father. He had regrets for his deficit budget. His second son Chaman Lal (Name changed) had not paid him as much as he used to pay. Chaman Lal justified his cut for being at his in-laws for two weeks. Anand Joo had regrets for he was taken unaware. 

                                                                                                But

All is not dark. Even this time there are Shrawan Kumars around. 28^th May, 2012, to my surprise, retired Session Judge Nazir Ahmmad Kawoos left for his job only after he tied diaper to his old bed ridden uncle with instructions that he may feel at ease until his return and he would change his diaper if needed on his return. Umar Kawoos sought permission from his bedridden uncle of his father before he left for his job. http://youtu.be/H-TDY-jHKOU

16^th February, 2015 I discovered the most virtuous daughter-in-law in Dolly who serves her ailing mother-in-law Piary Babi with devotion and sincerity. I was extremely impressed by her sincerity and her obedience towards her elders. My eyes got this treat after a pretty long time. Her services to her ailing mother-in-law are exemplary. She does not let her go to washroom alone. She feeds her with her own hands. She keeps her in commanding position. She massages her and ensured her recovery from a paralytic attack much earlier than the doctor’s commitment. My inner soul blessed her. 

P L Saproo the divine gift to his mother Babhi-Shyam Rani Saproo

Before he left for his job, Ummar kawoos sought permission from the bed ridden uncle of his father.

 

Before he left for his job, Ummar kawoos sought permission from the bed ridden uncle of his father.

Communal card that rescued me while in distress

The late Mohammad Amin Khan, Field Officer Oriental Insurance Company used to spend maximum free time with me. He was watching my activities closely. One day in September 1989, my landline 278777 buzzed and it was Mohammad Amin Khan on the other end. He expressed his outburst and accused me of being communal. He justified his charge for I used to give my total insurance business to Vijay Kaw instead to him, besides I used to send my vehicles for any breakdown to the workshop of Bansi Lal at Batmaloo.

Vijay Kaw was son of the cousin of my wife. Those days he was without any job. He was doing general insurance business as an agent of National Insurance Company and so he was my choice on priority. Besides, he earned my contract for electric fitting & fixtures of all my construction works.
Khan Sahab had never asked me for any insurance business. He carried the notion that his unspoken words should earn him my insurance business. My priority for Vijay Kaw, unemployed those days was to provide him with the little that I could manage.
To cool fuming Khan Sahab, I checked all my insured properties and was delighted to find that insurance of our residential building was due for renewal.  I paid for the renewal by an account payee cheque in favour of the Oriental Insurance Company. Roughed feathers got smoothened and relations became normal. The communal became secular with the little favourable business.
As usual four days before mass migration of Kashmiri Pundits, I left for Jammu on 16th January, 1990. Return was presumed to be by 1st March 1990, the first working day after winter vacations. Presumption proved wrong and each passing day till date evaded my return.
May, 1990 I got a phone call from Vijay Kaw from Srinagar.  He informed me about the insurance renewal dates of my busses, matadors, and other vehicles. I told him that all my vehicles at Jammu were in the junkyard for want of fuel and usage and grew grass within. I requested him to let me know the insurance renewal dates of my immovable properties viz school buildings and bookshop. Those days in absence of mobile connectivity I repeatedly, in the hostile sun, phoned Vijay Kaw from STD booths, but he preferred not to oblige me. Now he had no business interests in me and I was no more Jija ji for him.
Insurance cover for all the properties insured by Vijay Kaw expired on different dates. Colossal financial loss was caused to me when the properties without insurance renewal were set ablaze by Jihadists on different dates.
August 1990, message came to me that our residential house at Zainakot Srinagar too was set ablaze by Jihadists. This was the only property that was not insured by Vijay Kaw. Luckily it had gone to Mohammad Amin Khan’s business. Somehow, the cheque book counterfoil was with me.  I heaved a sigh of relief when I checked the counterfoil date pertained to September 1989. The insurance of the property was in force until September 1990 a few days ahead of the day it was reduced to rubble.
Till date Vijay Kaw did not disclose the reason of his betrayal and the same is a riddle to me.
Pray the Lord may prune my vices.

My Home in debris

My Home in debris

My Home in debris

My Home in debris

Aadhi aur

For two time meals, he managed with a local dhaba (roadside restaurants). Each meal for two chapattis per meal cost him not more than four annas per meal. (One fourth of a rupee) @one chapatti/per one anna( One sixteenth of a rupee).

Within two days the Manager cum owner cum chef; all in one developed affinity with his new customer Jagar Nath. In view of his little intake, he suggested boarding lodging to Jagar Nath at a contractual fixed rate of Rs.15 per month with no bar on his intake. It suited Jagar Nath. He readily accepted and executed the plan. He calculated that otherwise also it cost him Rs.15 per month, though under fed. The suitable offer assured him bellyful meal plus board and lodging.

The same evening, Jagar Nath with his bedroll under his armpit and the small trunk in hand arrived at his new destination. It was a small place in the first floor, hardly to accommodate one cot. Its ceiling was five feet above its floor. Fridge and fan were not invented for the hotel as yet.

That evening Jagar Nath ate one more than his routine two. The next morning his lunch was double of the routine two. Each passing day, his score showed an upward graph. The manager was committed. He digested his wrong calculation and tolerated the losses incurred.
One day, the manager continued to run from the tandoor to the plate of Jagar Nath to place one more on demand. Tired of the run, the manager now started throwing one more on demand directly on to the plate from the tandoor. The score crossed two dozen. Now the Manager lost the count too. Finally to the demand ‘adhi aur’ the Manager lost all his patience. He went upstairs, packed his bedroll and trunk and threw it on the road. He cancelled his contract and lost all the payment that accrued almost by the fag end of the contractual month.
Jagar Nath is not an exception. 15th December, 2010 I was one of the guests at KC Plaza on the occasion of Ghaer Achuen program hosted by Dr. R K Raina, Joint Director-Senior Scientist RRL Jammu. Dr. R C Dhar (Professor of Chemistry was my invitee. For more than one hour we obliged the boys who offered us fried fish, kebab, dry fruit, and different varieties of veg and non veg. After more than one hour eating and munching, we were asked to have our lunch. Around one of the standing tables, Dr. R C Dhar, Dr.R K Raina, Professor B L Raina, the chief host and I placed our heavily filled plates to justify our lunch. I posed a question to both the Chemistry people as to what mechanism processes all that we dump into this tandoor (belly). Both said in consensus that what the natural tandoor processes in four hours will not get processed in mechanical processor for even twenty years.
Like that of Jagar Nath I too eat much more than my usual diet on marriages may be to justify the payment that my host pays to the contractor. It seems that my tandoor too is sublet on contract.