He rang the bell three times .I knew it was him .I opened
the door .And ushered him into my drawing room .
He sat down and looked at me .Maybe because of hindsight
that he was suffering from a major ailment ,or it could have been the somber and
tragic moment that he was confronted with –Jaswant seemed he had been robbed of his robustness. He did not speak a word for about 2 minutes .And
then wept like a child.He told me that I was a “padhey likheh” (educated ) human being and that he had little to offer in terms of advice .But before leaving me he held my hand and said “ Sabar rakhoh .(be courageous), inaa da koi dharma nahi haih .Ea saraih goondeh hunh .Wahe Guru inaa nu kadeeh maaf nahi karrooga” (they have no values .They are all hoodlums . God will never forgive them) .
That’s the last I saw of Jaswant ,as he peddled away .To the
unknown world .I was never to hear the
ring of his cycle again .
As a family we tried to fight at the gruesome loss of someone very
dear to us .And then I got busy with Sangeetas pregnancy leading to
the birth of Pratique .I was also offered a Principalship in Bhopal which I decided to take up .Rai was no longer the place it was
.It was caught up in politics and there were attacks on staff members by the “kuchha
baniyan” criminal gang .We started
patrolling the streets through the night in small groups by turns .Mentally
Jaswant went out of my radar .
One day Mr SS Khera (no longer alive ),told me that Jaswant
had passed away .Mr Kheras wife used to work in the Punjab National Bank in
Rasoi and she had informed him about the same .I could not believe that the man
with those rippling biceps and strong
chest was no more. Khera who was also a good friend of Jaswant told me that he
had died blood cancer .
About a week before I left Rai for Bhopal to take over my
first assignment as a Principal ,I made my way to Jaswants house in Rasoi .It
was the first and last time I entered it .The modest house had a low ceiling.It
had only a small window with bar grills on it .The fan hung perilously close to
ones head .I met his wife .There was
nothing much I could offer except a few words .I asked her what happened .She
told me “Khoonch zahar fahal gayaa si” (the blood had got infected with
poison).I asked her whether they had tried to cure it (the poisonous blood).With
a resigned look she said she had taken him to All India Institute of Medical
Sciences where the doctors told her it
was incurable .And prolonging his life would involve lots of money .And that
Jaswant had opposed the move to spend
money for the cure .I asked her what she planned to do next .She told me she would go back to Chowk Mehta
.”If one has to die –one will die anywhere .I wish we had not left Chowk Mehta.He
always used to tell me that one day we will go back to where we belong ” she
said choking .I could understand her
philosophy .My brother in law had come
all the way from Orrissa to serve in
Punjab ,only to fall prey to assassins
bullets .
I bid her goodbye .As I turned ,I saw his cycle propped up
against the wall .There were also the empty crates in which eggs are transported .I could imagine Jaswant on the cycle with
his crates of eggs .I went to the cycle
and rang its bell bell 3 times . My eyes welled up with tears .His
liitle son gave me a smile.He had a smile just like his father.And then uttered
those words that I can still hear “Bilkul Papaa jaise ghanti bajatey ho.(you
ring the bell just like Dad)” . Yes if
you heard that ringtone thousands of times –you surely will know how to do it .I
turned back and looked at his wife and told her to take the cycle with her
wherever she went .Leaving it would have been like leaving a big part of him
behind in Haryana .And then I spoke the
same words that Jaswant had said to me
“Sabar Rakooh.” And added “Wahe Guru thawdaa Khyaal
rakhoogaa” .(God will look after you all).
The other day I went to the supermarket here in Dubai to buy
eggs .I came across a crate of eggs that were small .The same size over which I
had protested with Jaswant .Rasoi is across the seas .Dubai is a big city –the
international jet set .And it has been nearly 25 years since Jaswant passed
away .But I still remember him everytime I buy or eat eggs ,desi ghee and chicken .He fed my body
for many years .Maybe one day I will try to search out his family in Chowk
Mehta !!
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