Best of the Worst-2015

“Those were the days of Helen”

Mid sixty were the days of modest plenty. Those were the days when Indian Railways was not on the map of Jammu & Kashmir State. Those were the days when the nearest railway station for J&K State was at Pathankot in Punjab. Those were the days when there was no internet. Those were the days when there was no television. Those were the days when the Telegraph, Telephone and the Post Office were one department. Those were the days when the fastest mode of communication was telegram through Posts & Telegraph department. Those were the days when each word of telegram cost Rs.0.25. Those were the days when text of the telegram used to be too brief to bother for grammar and complete sentence. Punctuation marks were counted as words, hence never used. Those were the days when specific numeral numbers were coded for specific greeting or condolence messages. Those were the days when address of the addressee on telegram was too vague to be located. Those were the days when the Ambassador & the Fiat were the only makes of cars in India. Those were the days when Kupwara and Bandipore districts were part of Baramulla district. Those were the days when ration ghats were at the river ghats. Those were the days of Helen. Those were the days when any film with Helen on its cast was a box hit film. Those were the days when in mid sixties, the messenger from the telegraph department Baramulla was too excited with the word Helen to be normal. The telegram read: “Reaching on third arrange boarding lodging Helen”. The telegram was addressed to 969 Army Engineers Baramulla. The messenger in excitement disclosed the contents of the telegram to every Tom Dick and Harry. People with great fervour waited for third anxiously. Two days wait seemed to them a wait for two years. On third, Baramulla Bus Stand wore a festive look. Since morning people trickled in their festive dresses meant for festivals to have a glimpse of Helen from a safer position. Local police took note of the situation and positioned jawans in adequate number to ensure that there was no stampede. Mid day Panna Lal arrived in a local bus. Alighted from the bus, Panna Lal said to the Army staff car driver on wait: “Who is coming? For whom staff car is on wait? Why is local police here to control the restive crowd?” The staff car diver said: “Helen is coming. In this context 969 Army Engineers received a telegram from Simla.” Panna Lal opened the door of the staff car, sat in the rare seat and signaled the driver to move. Before the driver would reprimand him, he said: “I am Panna Lal Helen Head Draftsman from Simla".

Atrocities inflicted on local populace by militants, says Rashid Khan

Hungama Hai Kiun Barpa Thori Si Jo Pi Li Hai - Manajri - Courtesy MediaOne

Doom's Day

Almost one week before 10^th February, 1962 all National papers in India carried the news that 10^th February, 1962 the whole world would come to an abrupt end. Some papers carried complete description of the doom’s day.

One more hot news about the claim of a sadhu was that on a particular date with his spiritual powers, he would walk on water of the river as he walks on the macadamized road. People gathered on the river bank to witness the miracle. One in the crowd was the then Home Minister of India. Those were the days of the print media only. The event was given full coverage by almost all the big and small national and local News papers.  The final event was described by one of the prominent News papers of the time as “The moment Sadhu stepped one of his feet on the flowing water of the river; he miserably went down like a plumb into it. Soon thereafter, finger was raised on the then Home Minister. His presence was taken as crowd gatherer.

February 1962, I along with my elder brother Girdhari Lal was posted at Verinagh. Doom’s day news panicked my father. He deputed Trilok Dass, my eldest brother to persuade us to come down to Srinagar for meeting the eventuality together under one roof. Somehow we did not oblige the messenger and preferred to face the event as and where we were.

10^th February 1962 passed on peacefully. Some claimed peaceful day was due to offering of their prayers and some attributed it to minor errors in calculation.

24^th February, both of us joined our family at Zaindar Mohalla. Vincent Tailors delivered us the three-piece suit of the same cloth and the same colour. We dressed up in the brand new three-piece suit. Same colour gave it a look of uniform. J L Pandita, the retired Police officer, the then teacher in some private school, on way to one of his tuitions, spotted us and joined us. He put on leather jacket of Girdhari Lal to look smarter.

 Snowflakes started to fall. Sheikh Bashir Ahmmad cautioned us for smarter looks and asked us to beware of ‘Adam nazar’. On way to Lal Chowk, we en route collected shawls from Sun Shine Dry Cleaner and marched on for Regal Cinema. The show had already started. We made up our mind for the second show. J L Pandita said that he was given date and time for payment of tuition money of Rs.35 by Vesh Nath Khazanchi R/O Sathu Barbar Shah, father of his tuition and suggested that we could manage collection of money and be on time for the second show. We agreed to his suggestion and took to Sathu Barbar Shah. Girdhari Lal waited on the roadside and I accompanied J L Pundita up to the main door of the Khazanchi House. J L Pandita went upstairs and soon called me through the window for help. All chaos and confusion, I went up stairs to take Pundita out of the premises. Litigant as he was, Khazanchi pounced upon us and caught hold of both of us. Girdhari Lal unaware of the situation too fell in the trap. Pundita single handed gave a good fight to many Khazanchis and their sympathizers. The message of the scuffle spread like wildfire among Khazanchi relations. Two of the brothers-in-law, Makhan Lal & Chaman Lal from Drabiyar girdled up their sleeves to support the husband of their sister. To our good luck, both were our friends. Dry cleaned Shawls were confiscated and kept in the custody of Chaman Lal. Both failed to retrieve us without any police case against us. Chaman Lal eyed and signaled that Shawls were in safe custody and returned the same to us later on.

Pundit Jia Lal a ferocious faced ASI chowki officer Maisuma Police Chowki arrived along with a few constables at 10 PM. The room was packed to its capacity. By 12 in the night, we in handcuff in chill cold and heavy snowfall were taken on foot to Masuma Police Chowki. The late Chaman Lal Saraf, our friend and son-in-law of Jia Lal and my eldest brother stood surety to get us bailed out. Despite his being son-in-law of the Chowki Officer Jia Lal, we were released on bail only after payment of a bribe of Rs.50. By 2 A M we were back to our home. In descending order we ashamed of the untoward happening took our position in the bed. Girdhari Lal lost all his cool and started abusing and cursing me. My father, after a little while intervened and asked Girdhari Lal as to why he indulged in all the mess. Girdhari Lal said that he got involved because of his brother. Father said that he (Me) got involved because of his friend. Had he deserted his friend in that situation, he would not consider him as his son.

The next day, the late Jagar Nath Bhan of Zaindar Mohalla, the then office superintendent to SSP Srinagar, suggested to ask Jia Lal to close the case or otherwise refund Rs. 50. Closure of the case was beyond his capacity. Under threat of complaint to D N Koul, the then DIG Kashmir, he refunded Rs. 42. He pleaded that he paid Rs.8 to his daughter as ‘atea guth’ that reached the household of our friend Chaman Lal Saraf’s.

Jagar Nath Bhan grabbed Rs.42, but failed to get the case of trespass under article 448 closed. With excuses he failed to refund the money either. One day he used slang language and challenged for no refund. He got a heavy slap that kept him rolling on the road. I took custody of his spectacles and told him its return would be subject to payment of Rs.42.

Two long years we responded to the call ‘Sarkar V/s J L Pandita and others. We had taken Adv. T N Dulloo by his face value. With no questioning the witnesses, he had almost placed us for sentence. We approached the late Advocate Pundit Janki Nath Bhan for his help. He accepted the case for no money in return. He said that the case had reached the stage where only pronouncement of sentence was to be made. He went to Vish Nath Khazanchi in his own car along with the government prosecutor and requested him for compromise. Luckily Vish Nath got influenced by Bhan Sahab and compounded the case.  Even for paper work, Bhan Sahab paid from his own pocket.

The catastrophe proved Sheiikh Bashir’s caution right and the real Doom’s Day to be remembered.

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