'He'

He was our neighbour at Zaindar Mohalla Srinagar for ages. Our houses in mud –mortar were separated by hardly a twenty feet wide general road. He was son of the third brother in a hierarchy of five. All the five brothers with separate kitchens lived peacefully in that house. Ganea Subh was the eldest and he was followed by Bodh Sabh, Lassea Sabh, Mogluea Shah and Noor Din. They all were engaged in Government Silk Factory Rambagh. Despite modest plenty they all gave relatively quality education to their children.

Lassea Sabh’s wife expired in early years of her marriage and she was survived besides her husband by one infant son and one daughter, named Badshah. I am told that the wife of my eldest cousin Gopi Nath Dhar gave the infant her breast feeding. This infant later on was known as Pirzada Ali Shah and we the youngsters used to call him as Shah Sabh.

Shah Sabh was elder to my eldest brother Trilok Dass, whom we used to call Papa. Strangely, little knowing the connotation of the words, we used to call our father Pundit Madho Dass as Baisabh and brother as Papa. All in the mohalla adopted the same connotation. Those were the days when new Hindi and English names for different relations , like Babi, Bahu ji, aunty, Mummy without appropriate usage entered into our households. Names like Beniteath,Benijiger, Kakenijiger, Dedh, Kakenie died unceremoniously. Even mother in some families is  now called Babi and great grand mother-in-law as Bahu ji by her children, grandchildren and even by her daughter-in-law.

Shah Sabh never expressed but he loved Papa like his younger brother. Until 1947, Shah Sahib was away in areas that later on became Pakistan territories. All his correspondence with his father routed through Baisabh.

1947, on his return he married a beautiful damsel of teens, we later on called  Ammi ji. She was from Ustad Mohalla Jammu whose parents had escaped to Pakistan.

Early fifties, Shah Sahib rose to a very good position as Liaison Officer at Gulmarg. He was simultaneously holding the job of a Labour Officer.

Mid fifties he left his job and joined Political Conference, headed by Mohi-ul-din Qarra.

He suffered imprisonment intermittently that shattered his house in making. His wife gave him moral support. She looked after her siblings, their education and to their day to day needs.

27^th May 1964 at mid day with a gloomy face, he through his window called “ Baisabh, Baisabh”.

Strangely my father while playing chess was deaf to the outer world, but that time my father responded to his call “Everything all right.”

“Depan mahra Nehru ji guzreaev (It is said that Pundit Nehru passed away)

Mid seventies, Sheikh Abdullah came closer to him. He visited his place a number of times. His closeness to Sheikh Abdullah was torpedoed by Kh. Ghulam Mohammad Shah. Medical seat assured for his meritorious son was sold at a price. In the meantime he had seen the real face of politics in Kashmir. He unsuccessfully contested Assembly elections on Janta Party nomination.

2011, his elder son Muzaffar Jan arrived from America for his chemotherapy. During a recess of fifteen days in his therapy he deputed him to Jammu to enquire about our welfare. Until 1 in the night he visited all his neighbours scattered in Jammu city. Already booked he stayed for the night at his friend Sushil Raina’s place at Subash Nagar and returned back to the valley next morning to report to his ailing father who was eagerly waiting for the welfare message of his neighbours in exile.

March, 2012 I got a mail from his younger son Babu settled in Karachi. He wrote: “For complete one month prior to his demise he remembered all the members of M Dass Family and expressed concern for them”.

I remember how he used to tie the other end of the rope to his window sill to make an arch to welcome Dushera and Janam Ashtami processions.

He was the person who phoned Dr.Roop Kaw at America and pathetically and helplessly told him that his home was plundered and vandalized.

Peace be to the departed soul.