Its A Small Small World !! Part 1

Sangeeta and me walk about 7/8 kms , 5 days a week .That makes it between 35 to 40 kms a week .The walking tracks  are lovely .They are beautifully manicured and have lots of trees that flank the brick layered path .The path winds its way around a lake which  has lovely British type of benches dotting it (like in Hyde Park! ).Since ours  is not a crowded locality ,one starts to recognize the people who walk .They are mostly foreigners and they usually walk with their dogs.The thing i noticed about them is that they always greet everyone .To that extent they appear to be friendly !Some of them jog –even in the afternoons !! .One gets to see very pedigreed dogs ,and all of them are remarkably well trained .They never veer away from their masters and I haven’t heard them bark .Quite the opposite to our dogs who start to bark and pull their lease towards any dog ,cat,or a duck –much to the surprise of the foreigners and  to our emabrrasment.

About a week back , while on a walk we a saw a Indian couple .From a distance I could make out the they were middle aged  –the man was wearing  shorts , with balding grey hair , and looked fit .He was bespectacled ,had intelligent eyes and spoke impeccable English .His wife was even slimmer (as we leaarnt later ,she is a yoga instructor).A dog was tailing them .He looked a like any stray dog looks in India  .But he was walking with a twig in his mouth !!As we passed each other ,we smiled at the dog  and remarked “He is so cute “.It was enough to set up  a  conversation .

The gentleman and his wife we learnt  were Indians from Gurgaon , they had Canadian citizenships ,and their son was studying at the Toronto University .I told them  that my son was was also in Canada and studying at the Dalhousie University in Halifax . I was pleasantly surprised to know that he knew so much about Halifax and Dalhousie .
“It’s a beautiful place.And its a very prestigious University.I go there very often”,he said .We introduced ourselves and exchanged our addresses and mobile numbers .He was Avijit and his wife introduced herself as Promilla .She was from Neemuch a town on the Madhya Pradesh /Rajasthan border .Neemuch is a part of Ujjain Division.
“I have been to Neemuch once”,I told her . Neemuch is well known for the its special Moharram processions of Tazia. The tradition of Tazia procession is almost 150 years old.I had gone to Neemuch because it has a Aditya Birla School at Khor .I had worked in the Aditya Birla Group in the late nineties as the Principal of DPS at Jagdishpur in their Birla Township at Indo Gulf Fertilizers  .
“Oh that’s very nice .I feel so good .Most people haven’t even heard of the place .And imagine you have been to it “,she gushed .
“We must meet soon”,Avijit said 
“Why don’t you come over for dinner and drinks tomorrow”,I offered .""

“No ,we will make it  some other time  .Aur yeh  ,dinner winner kee habbit  ko chhorow.We will drop in for a drink”,he said with a smile.
 We departed . Joey the dog ,stood silently all the while –with the twig in his mouth. Like us ,Avijit had transported his dog all the way from Toronto .He had put him in  dog hotel in Amsterdam since his journey involved a night halt .!!

His house is just a 5 minutes walk from my place .It felt nice to meet someone from Gurgaon , who was familiar with the University my son was studying in .I looked forward to catching up with him –Gurgaon and Dalhousie University were good enough reason for me to feel more at home and excited  than saying hi and bye to Karen and John our British neighbours !!

Sure enough ,we got a call from him .It was Thursday (weekend ),and he called up to invite us for a drink on Saturday evening .

”Does that suit you Kulbhushan?” he queried .I asked Sangeeta whether it was fine by her and answered in affirmative .

“Yes ,and we really look forward to having a great time”

“Same here” he answered ."See you at 7.30 pm “ he said .We hung up our phones .

On Saturday we went to the mall and  bought a pot with flowers in it and carried it  to his house .We rang the bell .It was 7.30 pm .Joey took off barking inside the house  .We waited for Avijit to open the door .

To be continued –Part 2 . 

Memories of A House -RB 506 -Part 2

We also interacted with Mr W.Pradhan who was the Chief Workshop Manager  in the Railway set up at Nishatpura .Bhopal.The previous CWMs were one Mr Anil Mishra (who i could neither respect nor abhor),and Mr Sinha who was a blunt and intelligent man ,who compromised more than needed in the job i felt .But Mr Pradhan was a great guy -very grounded and tough. .I have never come across such a fine and honest officer as him .He was pedigreed –Don Bosco School ,and IIT Delhi .And his father was a retired MD of a British firm .We spent some wonderful evenings with him .My only problem was as how to serve him Scotch –it was not available  easily those days and though he never made a show of it –I knew he only drank Scotch !!

I also made friends with Dr Mishra and Dr Srivastava who were my neighbours .Dr Mishra( and his very charming wife Manisha ), was a nice middle class man and  a terrific badminton player. One of the saddest moments of my life was when his young  son Raja, died in a accident , while travelling in a local train in Mumbai after Dr Mishra was transferred there .The Correas  moved into his house –and were a fantastic couple.Both are doctors  .Tilden  was never short of tales and words and I wondered  how the pretty and gracious Marylou could smile so much all time .Wonderful couple –with two wonderful kid boys .Just behind my house (you can see it in the photograph ),were the Thoasens –Ajitha and Sujoy .Ajitha is a doctor in the Railways and Sujoy is a IPS Officer of MP Cadre (now a ADGP level man ).They were great company as well and we shared  many evenings with them .Sujoy was the SP of Bhopal , a product of JNU , and hence  there was plenty to talk about  Flanking the Thaosens were Amar Singh and Mr Saxena who had a Alsatian dog who barked quite a lot!!  .I am in touch with most of  them –though I have lost track of Dr Mishra .

I tried to beautify the house .I  remember planting each of the Ashok trees that you see in the photograph .They took a long time to grow up .In particular the second one on the left as you enter the gate .It never grew .Then Jagdish dug a deeper pit –only to find a lot of rubble buried under the spot which was hampering its growth .It still does not seem to have grown to its full potential .I planted a Ashok tree over the grave of Sneezy –but its on the other wall which cant be seen in the photograph .I hope it is still there –it was planted because Sneezy was allergic to heat and sunshine –it was meant to provide a shade over her final resting place .

There are many memories of RB 506.I spent 5 years in it . It’s not that I quit Bhopal  one day, but it’s how many things that I had  to quit all at once: friends ,students ,teachers , music, laughter,the beauty of  falling leaves, ,holding hands,the scent of rain , the concept of  trains... if only I could leave Bhopal slowly and leave one thing at a time!!
Obviously it was very special because it was a residence of a Founder and first time Principal .It was also special because I was a young man when I moved into it .We used to socialize a lot and made a lot of friends –Sharmaji (MBD Books ),the Pondas ,the Trisals (Jawaharlal Nehru School),my only relatives in Bhopal- the Berrys(Baghira Apartments )Jugal Sharma (from Sonipat )the Vermas (from Sanchi )and many many more .We have memories of Pratique growing up and going to school for the first time  from  RB 506 .It was also the house in which we had his "mundan" ceremony when Sangeetas Dad came for the first and last time .I also  remember staying up 2 whole nights swabbing Pratique as his temperature would not drop below 102 and he became delirious.I remember the intense pain when I lost my pet companion Sneezy .RB 506 made me experience  agony and ecstasy .

But the one memory that stays etched in my memory is of the Shatabdi Express which connected Delhi and Bhopal and on which we usually travelled  .From RB 506 ,the railway track was about 200 metres away .And whenever we travelled ,  we never had to ask the railway inquiry about its arrival and departure status.We would sit in our drawing room and look out from its huge window .Its arrival time was 2 pm everyday .We would wait for it to thunder in –huffing and puffing .With a piercing whistle we would see it make its way into Bhopal Station(Habibganj Railway Station was being built at that time ) .Only after that  would we put our luggage into our car and drive to the station because the same train would leave at 2.40 pm .And by the time we would settle down it would start to chug away in the opposite direction to make its way to Delhi . I would always  look out of its window in its first minute of departure .Through the glasses I could see a big huge bungalow .It was RB 506 !!I can still see it as I write .I hope I am able to see it once again –especially from the Shatabdi Express .But I am sure some building must have come up blocking the view .After all –I left Bhopal 15 years back .However there is hope that the view hasn’t changed –because RB 506 has not changed –the pillar of the gate is a testimony to the fact !

( Concluded )

Memories Of A House -RB-506.Part 1

An  old student(Sangeet Khandait) sent me a photograph of the house I occupied as the Principal of Bal Bharati Public School in Bhopal .It was not the first house that I stayed in when I was the Principal in Bhopal .For a month(when I was alone ) ,I stayed in the Railway Guest House whose  caretaker Sain looked after me well .Once he realized that I liked poories –he made them practically everyday .Once in a while ,I would walk into the kitchen and put “tadka” to the dal he boiled –with lot of tomatoes ,garlic and ginger thrown into “jeera” and “dhania” seeds .I also bought and gave  him a packet of basmati rice –because I was not happy with the rather thick rice he used to cook .But the food was good and the dishes were made on demand,and he served me in my bed in my suite (no 2) .

Once Sangeeta joined me –we shifted into a family accommodation –RB/4 .The railways had a system of classifying houses according to the size .So RB/I was the smallest and RB/5 was the biggest .Usually the numeric denoted the number of rooms that a house had .I was entitled to a RB/5 accomadation ,but the house allotted to me was incomplete because the contractor - Bindra –had stopped work due to delay in payments from the railways .But ,I was more than happy with a 4 bedroomed  house which was double storied .My immediate neighbor was the very amiable  Dr Tandon .He was a Punjabi and we felt comfortable and secure with him next door .Pratique was crawling and cutting his first teeth and was prone to get fever .It was reassuring to have a doctor next door .And he would call us for pakoras and samosas when it rained – his wife made lovely “elaichi” chai to go with it.Sometimes she would send “kadi”!! .It was during one of the  tea get togethers  that Pratique took his first step .Mrs Tandon shouted in glee “Look he is walking”.I still remember that day .And the setting .It was one small step for Pratique –but one huge stride for us –his parents .It is a feeling I cant describe –so I wont try .

We stayed in RB/4 for a year .We were well settled but we were asked to move to RB/5 .Mr Bindras’ payments had been cleared and he completed the project –though not the gate .If you notice the photograph carefully ,the pillars are incomplete .Its amazing that after more than 20 years ,the finishing has not been done .

RB/5 was a big house .4 huge bedrooms and a big drawing cum dining room .It had a big garden in the rear and a decent lawn in the front .But obviously the workmanship was not good enough –it had a huge crack in one of the rooms and it leaked during the monsoons.But Mr Gupta ,JE Maintenance was a fine man  .He always responded whenever we had any problem .Later a student from Rai ,Anand Swaroop joined as the Divisional Engineer in the Railways .And a word from him was like a word from God !!

RB/506  had a garage and a nice outhouse in which Jagdish and his wife Kamala stayed .Jagdish and his wife looked after the kitchen ,the garden ,the washing ,and most importantly Pratique .Jagdish travelled with us everywhere –Ujjain ,Pachmargi,Jabalpur ,Indore ,Sanchi,Sehore ,Raisen ,Delhi ,and even Dehradun and Mussoorie .He was my Jeeves !!

I have many memories of RB/5 .Of regular parties with Mr Puri and his family .We would meet every Saturday –in each others houses alternately for dinner and drinks .Mr Puri was a senior Railway employee and he stayed in the same colony .He was never averse to non vegetarian food and a healthy dose of whiskey!! .He also had a Burma background and we would laugh and talk into the wee hours of the next day .He had a wonderful wife (sadly no more )who hailed from Datia in MP .She was addicted to  Video Games and very good at  Contra and Mario !!And she liked to see Arnold Schwarzenegger films .She had a slightly nasal voice .She was a very lovable human being .  Their sons “rishta” with the Verma family  was finalized in RB/5 .It was a great occasion and we served sumptuous food and good drinks .!!


To be continued .

What Sneezy Taught Me .

We never got Sneezy ‘married’(I don’t like to use the word ‘crossed’).Somehow we  could not find a mate good enough for her .We did see a very nice dog of a teacher of our school-Dr Usha Ajay Singh -,but Sneezy did not like him  She would not let him come near her .She was getting on in age and was more than 7 years old –we decided we would not try it again.We knew we were denying her two very basic instincts of any animal –sex and motherhood .But it was just one of those quirks of life that we could not help. She aged gracefully –she had put on weight ,but her movements were slower .She was no longer chasing the cows and the squirrels with the same speed as when she was younger .But she appeared to be fit for her age.And very ,very beautiful.

However, one day we found her unusually lethargic. .We took her to the vet .He checked her  and told us that she was running high fever .He gave her a injection and some antibiotics .She was up and about .We were very happy and even took her to  the Campion School Fete.We thought the problem was over . But it was only temporary relief because she again became  lethargic and lazy after a  couple of days .And she would not leave us even for a minute  . For the first time we started noticing traces of fear in her eyes .Normally,Sangeeta ,Pratique and me would go to the school ,and everytime we came back ,Sneezy would be standing on the sofa next to a big window which overlooked the gate .One day she was not there .We were worried and opened the door .She was waiting for us just behind the door .We hugged her and asked her what was wrong .Why was she not waiting for us near the window ,as she usually did ?She was very ill we realized –because she could hardly stand and had not been able to climb the sofa .We immediately rushed her to the vet .She was running fever again .She wasn’t eating .She woulnt leave us .Her eyes followed us wherever we went .We refused to go out of her sight .The doctor told us that she needed to be put on the drip .If you do not  know Spitz’s well, look at their legs .They are really thin .The vet looked for her vein in her hind leg .It took him some time to locate it.It was a terrible sight to see her with a needle –all tied up .We did all we could to make her feel comfortable .But deep down in my heart and in the dark crevices of my mind I was thinking –must she be wondering why we were putting her through all this ?Yes , she did not know the vet ,he owed her nothing .But to Sangeeta ,Pratique and me she had given everything she had .Why were we silent spectators to her pain?Some questions never get answered in life .But that does not mean you never ask them .

After a few days her condition deteriorated further .She started passing blood in her stool and urine .Her time was clearly up.She was suffering from the dreaded disease parvo.But I refused to give up .I took her to a different hospital .The vet told me that we needed to give her blood transfusions .And that ,that facility did not exist in Bhopal .Dogs unlike humans  have 13 types of blood groups .More injections and more drips for my Sneezy .She had more or less been reduced to a skeleton now.She had completely submitted to us .She never protested to anything we did to her  .But she never dirtied the inside of the  house even at that  stage   .When she wanted to respond to natures call ,she would whimper .I would pick her in my arms,hold her from the stomach upwards and she would pass out foul smelling urine and stool .And then I would wash her .When ever I did that ,she would look the other way –she hated the ultimate dependency –someone else cleaning her  up .It was December and we would wrap her up in  a blanket .I could feel her bones through it .She obviously could not jump onto the bed on her own .She had become more or less paralysed .The calls and visits to the vet became more frequent –sometimes 5 times in a day .One day he asked us –‘Should we put her to sleep?’.’No’ ,I answered aggressively and spontaneously. ‘You seem to have given up.We haven’t’.Please treat her as if she is going to live and not as if she is going to die .Miracles do happen Doctor”,I almost yelled,with tears in my eyes . 
 We charged him with  disinterest and changed him .We  saw something very precious being taken away from us and we appeared so helpless .We realized how small we were .We did everything that someone like us could do . We clutched onto to the last straw .We had not given birth to her .We had no right to take away her life .If it was her and our karma to suffer ,so be it .We would not run away from it .She had stopped eating the matars and gajar. .But she wagged her tale feebly everytime we called her name .She was not dead .

I remember the day on which she passed away .We had put her in the room on the floor,lest she topple over the side of the bed  .It was decided that after every hour we would go and check her up .The school was just about 5 minutes from our house .We said goodbye to her and when I came back after a hour I saw the strangest thing which I have never been able to explain since .Sneezy was sitting on the bed .There was no one in the house .How on earth had she got onto the bed ?It was as if she was waiting for me to come as she sometimes did on the bed .I was absolutely delighted and asked her how she had managed to jump onto the bed ‘Good girl’,I told her ‘You have recovered’.As soon as I said that, she collapsed .She was limp .I phoned up Sangeeta and told her to bring Pratique along .I told them that the end was near .They both rushed home .By this time I had put her on the floor, where a patch of sunshine filtered in .It was 23^rd December 1997. .The sun rays  fell on her once magnificent coat –it still looked very sleek .But unfortunately she was not sneezing.She appeared very still ,though breathing  .I reached for the phone and phoned up the vet .He asked me the position of the tongue .I told him that it was drooping from the side of the mouth .And that she was very still.And that the eyes were starting to look stony At that moment, while I was talking ,she convulsed  ,Her head turned towards me.Her tail wagged  feebly once ,and her her semi stony  eyes met mine.One last time .Then she stopped breathing!! .She had said her final goodbye .The curtain fell and ended a great relationship .

We lowered her into a grave dug quite deep along with lots  of rose petals , gaajar and matar!!.We propped her head on her favourite cushion.Sangeeta put a beautiful red ‘bindi’ on her forehead .We thanked her for the lovely times we spent with her .We apologized to her for any inconvenience that we might have caused .We thanked her for teaching us that those who cant speak ,can shout through their silence .We thanked her for teaching us how to live inspite of losing someone whom one loves dearly .We thanked her for teaching us that true love is never calculating –it is spontaneous .We thanked her for teaching us that you are  smallest  when you are selfish,and you can be larger than life ,when you give , –no matter what  your size  .We thanked her for teaching us ,that it is better to have loved and lost ,than never to have loved at all.We told her that we  hoped we would meet again somewhere .And till that happened ,we said goodbye .We planted a beautiful Ashok tree over her grave .And within 5 days time ,we had got another pup exactly like her .We named her Sneezy 2 .Till today Sneezy is still with me –now it is Sneezy 4 .And don’t I dote on her ?You bet .I can stake my life for her.I continue to learn from my best friends –my dogs . .