Remembering Gokul .!!

He was the first peon I had as a Principal .I really don’t know who selected him ,but he was there at the Railway  Guest House at Bhopal when I reached it on a hot May day in 1993 .He introduced himself as “Gokul”,and he bent and  touched my feet .I could see that he had a lot of grey in his hair and his face was terribly weather beaten .Dark furrows were evident on his cheeks and he had eyes that appeared sunk in for a man of his age .

“Kya umer hai aapkee”?(what is your age ),i asked of him .

“25 saal ka hun Sir .”

I did not ask him further questions –some people look years older than their age .The reverse is also true .Over the years ,I learnt that Gokul came from a place called Harda a District and Municipality town .It is relatively unknown but boasts of a good drainage system (developed by the British),and Lokmanya Tilak and Gandhiji had graced the town during the freedom struggle . ,It lies beyond Itarsi and  Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh .All trains on that line pass through Harda .I travelled through it a couple of times as well .
Gokul was orphaned at a very young age and managed to get into a orphanage school in Hoshangabad .He gradually moved up to become a daily wage earner and then hook onto a job in our newly opened school in the premises of the Coach Repair Workshop which was opened up by the  late Madhav Rao Scindia when he was the Railway Minister .He was married and had 2 daughters .His wife Maya Devi was a bit of a eccentric ,but tremendously hard working.

Our school did not pay the peons and the support staff well .I soon realized that the management expected us to manage from the finances that we generated ,which was really peanuts because since the  Railways  had provided us the building ,they expected us to subsidize the fees and the result was a very meager amount of revenue income .

Gokul was the hardest working man I have ever met in my life .And i have never seen a man laugh or smile so less .Whenever he smiled ,it seemed he was making a huge effort to do so .And he never ever lost his temper .He was what what Greek philosophers would term a "Stoic".The school was new ,we had lots of work to do ,there were no cars or scooters for our peons and support staff .Gokul would cycle all the way to the bank in Bazaria to deposit cheques or all the way to Lily Talkies to deliver our mail to the courier server .He would go to the market to get samosas or barfee ,as and when the staff and me demanded .He came in first and left after me when we shut the  school .Sometimes I would reach home at 8 pm and Gokul would cycle back to his home at that time .His salary in 1993 was about 700 rupees and he was hard pressed to make his two ends meet .I offered Maya Devi  a job in the school with the hope of  supplementing his income .However as I wrote –she was not very normal and one day she sat down on my chair and refused to budge insisting that she was the Principal of the school .She never returned back to work the next day .

Years passed .One day he told me he was buying a scooter rickshaw so that he could supplement his income .All he wanted was permission to leave school at 4 ,so that he could ply his scooter rickshaw  for 4 hours or so .Though my work would have suffered –I agreed .There was great fanfare as he brought his scooter rickshaw to my home and sought  my blessings .After a few months –I left Bhopal .

The new Principal ran into problems with Gokul .It is quite sad ,but this happens more often than not –the first casualities of a change  are the Principals peons ,Secretary or Driver .To that extent Principals are very small and insecure minds .Gokul was not allowed to leave school at 4 ,he was loaded with work deliberately till late hours ,and this hit his economic interests as it depended on him plying a scooter after school hours  .He was asked to leave and even accused of “politicking” with me .!!He started plying his scooter rickshaw .He phoned me up ,and even came to Jagdishpur and Jaipur to meet me .He said that he was making enough money and certainly more than what he was getting as a a meagre pay .Maya Devi had recovered and was doing a course to become a teacher .Things were looking up he told me .

He never forgot to wish me on any of  my birthdays .These days the Facebook reminds us of the birthday of our “Facebook Friends”.But how Gokul managed  to remember my birthday ,beats me .And whether i expect a call from other people or not -I expect a call from him on every birthday .I take it for granted that he will ring me up .!!

On 4^th of June ,at about 10 am my phone rang .The number blinked on it “Gokul Bhopal”.

“Sir Janmedin mubbarak”,he said .I thanked him profusely and also told him tha I expect a call from him every birthday .

“Sir aapko kaise bhool saktaah hun”.(how can I forget you).He spoke at length as to how he held me responsible for propelling him to buy a scooter rickshaw (I had given him a few thousand rupees as loan )and as to how he had reached where he had .I asked him how was he doing

“Bahut acchaa chal rahaa Sir .Ab doosra  scooter rickshaw lene ki shoach raha huh .Aur usko toh  maih “bhaadeih”,pe doonga ”.(he was thinking of buying another scooter rickshaw which he would sublet)he said with a tinge of confidence and happiness ."Aur Sir ,maineh ek chota sa ghar bhi banaa liyaa haih(he had also built a small house )Bhopal Hospital ke paas .Chola mandir se aagey "!!

“Aur Maya Devi Kaisee haih”,I enquired ,with a touch of apprehension .

“Sir who baalvadi school meih teacher  haih”!!Ha Ha !So finally Maya Devi did not have to forcibly sit on a Principals seat to become a Principal .Now she could  rightfully aspire to be one on her own! .I reminded him of the day and the incident many years back .Both of us had a hearty laugh .!!

He asked me as to when I was visiting Bhopal .I told him that whenever  I would do so ,I would get in touch with him.

“Mujhe scooter meih leneh aana Gokul”, I told him .(Come and pick me up in a scooter)

“Kahaan Sir aap to taxi  ya dostoh ki gadi meih ghoomeingeh.”(You will move around  in your friends car or a taxi ).

“Nahi –mujhe tere scooter meih bathnaah haih –taxi meih nahi. Bhopal ghomeingeh -Pir Gate ,Lal Ghati,Misrod ,TT Nagar ..........purani yaadeih .......”,I said .There was a pause from his side and then he answered

“Sir ,kab  aa raheh ho”.I could sense he was choking .I told him I would do so very soon .I also told him to try to buy a taxi next !! .I told him to move on to bigger things  .I told him that we live only once .And we should not be satisfied with our successes .He agreed ."Aaap aiyeh .Phir baat karengey"!!,he said 

Very soon ,I plan to visit Bhopal and meet Gokul who owns 2 scooter rickshaws, and his wife Maya Devi .They are no less successful than Narayan Murthy or Sacchin Tendulkar  in my eyes .Infact in many ways more successful because they have  risen from the pits .And will hopefully continue to rise .And i am looking forward to a ride in the vehicle of a man who was my first Jeeves .!! The sweaty , toiling orphan with a weather beaten face and now white hair .A man who epitomizes the spirit of "never say die".Someone who knows that surviving is the biggest challenge of living -because giving up is not a option .A bit like me !!