It is not always that a catastrophe be detrimental. Each Ice Age gave birth to highly evolved species. Relatively bad days give us the know-how to differentiate between the sincere and the insincere ones, bad and good, evil and virtuous. Personally I experienced that one ceased to be the same person among one's own relations and family members as one was back home. Adversity opened our eyes.
8th November 2016 at 11 in the night while on way to Chandigarh, the driver of the bus and one of his crew members forced me to disembark the bus en route somewhere in Samba. My pleading did not work. Even my request to drop me at some place where I could get another bus was not conceded. May be to avoid any risk, no bus thereafter responded to my signal. At such occasions I don't succumb to the circumstances. It was total dark and jungle around but a petrol pump nearby was a solace. I entered into chat with my sincere bosom friend Maha Ganesh in my pocket. He stands by my side in sun and shower. I apologized for my folly and begged for mercy. By this time petrol pump keepers became friendly with me. One among many readily seized the opportunity to help the one in need. He and his companion gave their introduction. The captain on the wheel was Ram Paul and his companion was Ravi Kumar. Ram Paul said that his wife is sarpunch and throughout Samba, he is known as Tufan Singh. Tufan Singh is ferrying passengers from DC office stand to Railway Station Samba in his cab. Ravi Kumar is dealing with vegetables at the local Subzi Mandi.
I followed their instructions and boarded the cab. I was told that next morning he would get me boarded in the bus for Chandigarh. Tufan Singh took me to his home, a one-room compartment. His wife the sarpunch along with her children were in sleep on a lone bed. Guest and Tufan Singh too had to share the same bed. Instantly, Ravi Kumar came with a proposal. Tufan Singh accepted the proposal and I was taken to Ravi Kumar’s house nearby. It had a number of bedrooms and I was given a choice. Mothers of the two stalwarts are sisters. My plea that I had my packed dinner with me was out rightly rejected by Mrs. Ravi Kumar and within a few minutes she served me with a delicious dinner. Tufan Singh left for his home with instructions that he gets up at 5 in the morning and leaves for his job at 6.
9th November morning, I got up at 5, took a bath, performed the usual pooja and by 6 I was ready for departure. Mrs. Ravi Kumar packed three ‘muli parontha for my breakfast. My packed dinner was served to cow in the shed. 6 AM Tufan Singh came and took me along with to the bus stand and made me comfortable in the bus for Chandigarh.
In his book ‘Letters from Father to Daughter’ Pundit Jawahir Lal Nehru delivers lessons on different topics to his daughter. In one of the letters he writes:” This universe is an open book”. He starts his lesson on aggradations and degradation from a speck of sand nearby in the courtyard. The speck was in the past a part of a rock atop a mountain. Weathering broke it into tiny specs. Rivers carried it, polished and transported it to your courtyard. At its source, it was degradation and at its final destination, it was aggradations.
I changed my mind to lodge a complaint against the erring driver. I feel rather indebted to him for otherwise I could not discover large hearted families headed by Tufan Singh and Ravi Kumar.
One of my wealthiest friends lives in an Ashram. One day he asked me for a night stay. I promised him my stay on some other day. When I phoned him that I was coming to him for the night stay he said no, the only extra bed available to him was already occupied by one of his cousins. I pitied his pitiable condition and asked our common friend as to why he does not live with his son at Chandigarh. The friend said that his business gives him a monthly income in lacs. Why should he close his business and go to Chandigarh?
I came to the conclusion that wealth more than needed may cause enlargement of heart and the wealthiest people like Tufan Singh and Ravi Kumar despite modest plenty are large hearted.
Brij Krishan