One Fed My Head ,The Other Fed My Body .Part 1

We often forget people who are not on Facebook or Twitter .We often forget people who would never have been on facebook  or twitter  had it been available 30 years back ..The facebook and twitter class is the “new upper caste” in India .And like the upper castes ,at most  times they do not represent the real India .

There were two such people who would not have been either on facebook ,twitter or a smart phone .One of them fed my mind and the other fed my body .One of them was called Ram Sudan who lived in Narela  a small town on the outskirts of Delhi .He  brought me my daily copy of the Times of India when I was teaching at Rai Sports School   nearly 35 years back .

Rai was a village .But  the Motilal Nehru  School of Sports pitchforked it into prominence .It brought in the celebrities –from Indira Gandhi ,Bishen  Bedi ,Kapil Dev ,Kiran Bedi ,Roshan Seth ,Sunil Dutt ,Leela Samson ,Swapan Sundari ,Tanvir Habib –everyone .It had a wonderful infrastructure and a wonderful Principal who himself was a celebrity –Yash Paul Bharadwaj .

But life was slow .We never got our newspapers before 2pm .The reason was simple .The demand for the Times of India in and around was minimal .It came to Narela via a local and then it had to be transported to Rai .But who would have liked to come nearly 20 kms to distribute a newspaper to a young Post Graduate from Delhi University ?Haryana gets  very hot and very  cold in summers and winters .And in the monsoons it gets very wet .If you have to cycle from Narela day in and day out to deliver  a  newspaper  round the year  ,then you had either have to be committed or a superman .Ram Sudan had both these qualities .

Ram Sudan was a thin man and when he started to deliver my daily dose of newspaper ,he was in his early 50s .His mode of transportation was the cycle –Atlas cycle !!He wore a dhoti and cycled slowly .He reminded me of the tortoise in the kindergarden story of the hare and the tortoise .He plodded on –but what was more important –he always managed to reach his destination  .I  once  requested him  to try delivering   the paper before 8 am .I was used to getting my paper at 5 when I was  in Delhi and Chandigarh

“I will give you extra Sudanji.”,I said

“Sir no matter if you give me lakhs ,I wont be able to deliver the paper at 8 .I get it at Narela at 9” .And he would smile .

Those were the days when internet and computers were not even heard of .And being in a village ,the newspaper  was the only source of information .Food for the mind as I once told him

“Sudanji , paper to mere dimaag ke liye khuraq hai( paper is nourishment for my mind ).Aur aap mujhe 2 bajey tak bhooka rakhtey ho( and you keep me hungry till 2pm).”

He looked at me and folded his hands “ Sorry Sir .Kya karun .And I know what hunger is all about” .His family had been displaced from Pakistan and made their way to Sonepat .From there Sudan had struggled but was not able to break the shackles .He had started selling newspapaers –especiaally Hind Kesari and the Hindi Tribune which were in demand in the area he lived .But English newspapers –“Sir margin kum hai” he would say .

Ram Sudan had a tragic look about him .Maybe not tragic –but perhaps a philosophical look about him .He seemed to be far away most of the time –far away from where he sat and talked .

One day on a Sunday he came wet .It had been raining .It was a winter rain ,the one that we get in December in the North .He always wore a thick grey polo neck sweater over his kurta .But on on Sunday he was wet .Normally he would slip the paper under my side door .But on this particular Sunday he knocked .I opened the door .

“Sirji ,chai mileygee?” (Can I get tea ?).Thand  lag rahee hai(I am feeling cold)”.

As  a bachelor at that time ,I was not organized enough even for a cup of tea .

“Come in .I will give you something better “,I said .I gave him a towel to wipe himself  and poured a large peg of Old Monk rum with hot water (from my water geyser).I told him to down it .He was happy .He asked  for another  one .I gave him another .This time I did not have to ask him to down it .He did so himself .He asked for a third one .I refused .I told him ,that it was not yet 3pm and he had to cycle 20 km s home .He left .

After 15 minutes I went to just check on him .Near the gate was a biggish lawn .I saw him lying there .The sun was out .I went to ask him how he was .He told me he was fine and was enjoying the sun and the drink .I still remember his last words to me .

“Sirji ,sone  pe  suhaagay ho gaya” .!!(roughly meaning icing on the cake –the sunshine and the drink).And as a afterthought , he moved away from himself into the lost world of his and whispered “Iswar aap ko bahut lambhi umar dey( may God give you a long life ).

That’s the last I saw of him .The December holidays started ,I went to Dehradun for a break and when I came back ,his son started to deliver the newspapers .He told me that Ram Sudan was not well and was suffering from pneumonia .I wanted to meet him ,but just could not find the time to do so .

After sometime his son also stopped coming to deliver the newspapers .One day I came to know that Ram Sudan had passed away .I went to Narela  not only to pay homage to him but also to pay up for the bill which stood  against my name .I have never felt comfortable with debts .I entered his one room house .His widow sat in a corner  –quiet .The son introduced me to her .She nodded her head .I did not know what to say .I don’t know the social etiquettes and I don’t pour my heart out with people I meet the first time .I looked at the wall where a photo of Ram Sudan was hung .And as in the photograph of every diseased –a garland  of flowers were hung on it .My eyes met his eyes .I thought he smiled at me .Then I lost sight of him .I wiped my tears .I gave some money to his son and told him that it was what I owed to him .After a bit of hesitation ,he accepted .

But financial debt is one thing .Till today when I read the Times of India ,I remember Ram Sudan.

After all ,he  fed my mind for 7 long years .Its a debt I will never be able to repay .So what if he is not on my  Facebook  Friends list .He is in my head  and in my heart .He nourished them as few have .