Sonia, Rahul Gandhi,biscuits and tea .!!

Being the  Principal of  very visible schools, I have had the opportunity of meeting many celebrities .Some of them come across as very ordinary ,and some of them come across as extraordinary .I am however convinced that looks can be very deceptive.There are some qualities that don’t get reflected in one or two meetings .There are some qualities that can be seen only from close up over a long period of time .Determination,fearlessness,honesty ,tenacity ,persistence,networking skills, sometimes take longer to be understood than lets say the skills of talking and  sense of humour which are instantly visible .So it is quite an effort to attempt to come to a conclusion about the nature of a person in one meeting .And if the person happens to be of a quiet disposition and slightly introvertish ,then the task gets even more difficult .One such person I met once, and for a fairly long time was Sonia Gandhi .And like so many incidents in my life it happened quite suddenly .

A convoy of white Ambassador cars pulled up outside my office at DPS ,Jagdishpur, one day ,and before very long a very amiable DIG, looking after Sonia Gandhis security was in my office with a couple of other officers .He told me that Mrs Gandhi was likely to land in her chopper in the school  football field and whether he could have a look at it .He also told me that our school was one of the options they were exploring, and that she might land somewhere else.But if she landed ,then she was likely to have a wash and maybe a cup of tea ‘Are you married’ he asked ,much to my surprise .I told him that I was . ‘Then maybe your wife can join you in your office and have tea with Mrs Gandhi’,he quipped.I told him that it would be a great pleasure ,and that I also had a son who would love to meet her  .I was grabbing the hand when he was offering a finger.!!He said that he did not want to crowd the room ,but that my son  could come to the field and have a close look at her .He however wanted the bathroom to be sanitized ,and also wanted to have a look at the utensils in which the tea was to be made ‘We will give you the water and  the tea leaves .’He also said that Mrs Gandhi normally liked chocolate biscuits and Bourbon chocolate biscuits would be fine .And as a parting shot he said ‘Rahul ji will be there as well’.Ah ha ,this was some occasion to cherish .Rahul has always had this appeal  about him which makes people swoon .He is a terrific looking guy –I had seen his photographs and also seen him on television ,though I had never met him .

We kept our fingers crossed that the chopper would land on our school fields .It was mid afternoon and I still remember that it was a cloudy day with intermittent showers .The school had given over  for the day and there were security men all over the place .Sangeeta and me kept giving final touches to the room –a photograph to be aligned here ,a memento on the table to be shifted there ,the calendars page reflecting the correct month,dust to be wiped off the window sill,etc .Suddenly there was a lot of noise .Some  cars drove into the school .They carried in them some influential politicians .One of them was Pramod Tiwari and he came with about  a dozen of his followers .There was also Avtaar Singh Bhadana ,the Gujjar leader who subsequently became more than just a acquaintance of mine .Their arrival coincided with the drone of the helicopters .Suddenly ,Verma appeared in my office almost running and said ‘Sir ,Madam has arrived .We would like you to receive her’. Hurriedly we walked the corridors that led to the field .There were two choppers and they landed one after the other .Quite interestingly I had never seen a chopper from so close up .It is really  huge –one cant imagine it to be that big when one sees it in the skies .From the first one alighted some politicians –Sushil Shinde who later became the CM of Maharashra was one of them-and some members of the press ,including the very snooty Rajive Shukla who at that time was a journalist .He kept fiddling with some sim cards for the rare mobile phone those days –I can understand now what he was doing .He was replacing  the sim that he must have  been using in Delhi with  one that was more compatible  with the the  tarrif in the Lucknow region. There were some journalists  from the India Today group, as could be made out from the  accreditation cards round their necks .They stood for sometime with us .It took Sonia Gandhi and Rahul about 15 minutes to alight from the choppers .The pilot of the chopper walked behind them .As I greeted Mrs Gandhi and Rahul,he whispered (the pilot) ‘Are you Kulu Kain from Clement Town’.I was pleasantly surprised ,and nodded my head in agreement .He was Rupi Mahal ,my childhood friend from the same locality in which we lived in Dehradun .It had been nearly 40 years since we had met.He had read my name on the card I was wearing round my neck .We hugged each other ,and he advised me to be with Sonia Gandhi .We would meet subsequently ,he said .He was flying her in a Pawan Hans Helicopter for which he worked .

Like her mother in law ,Sonia walks very briskly –and talks very less .She asked me as to how long I had been in Jagdishpur as the Principal of the school .She asked Sangeeta as to how she liked the place .We told her that we had a son who was keen to meet her .All this while Rahul sauntered along with her . When the psychophants around him shouted slogans ,he was visibly embarrassed,and  told them to avoid it ‘Hum maidaan mein nahin ,school me hain’, he counseled .One cant express in words how good he looks .The complexion is so impeccable ,and  in the words of a urdu poet ,if he were to swallow paan ,u would see it go down his throat .Gods gift to the world as far as looks are concerned .

Just at the end of the corridor ,Pratique ,my son was waiting to catch a glimpse of the Gandhis .I told them about him .Both of them singled him out and beckoned him .As he came forward ,Mrs Gandhi shook his hand and ruffled his hair .The security did not want her to stop –she was quickly ushered into the Principals room .

I sat there with both of them ,as Sangeeta supervised the making of the tea in the adjoining kitchenette.We had brought our tea set from home –it was a beautiful one ,dark brown in colour .We served tea to the Gandhis –along with Bourbon biscuits .Rahul used the toilet to wash up .He was wearing a kurta –pyjama with white sneakers .His kurta was soiled and so were his pyjamas .It was obvious that he had been to somewhere where there had been a moderate rainfall .Mud does not stick otherwise .As he came out from the bathroom ,Sangeeta enquired whether the bathroom was clean .With a lovely smile ,which accentuated both his dimples ,he said ‘Yes ,but now it is dirty’ pointing to his shoes and clothes .!!I even addressed him as Rahul when I asked him ‘How is it in politics Rahul’, to which he replied ‘Theek Hai .Interesting’.I told him we needed more people like him in politics .He obliged me with a smile –his dimples are so compellingly cute..!!

Sonia Gandhi got up to look at some paintings that adorned the walls .The politicians and the press corps sat in the adjoining room .Then someone came in and told her that everything was ready .He was carrying a walkie talkie .She thanked us profusely –as did Rahul .In a shortwhile ,she had got into a car and was off to address a rally in some small village around Jagdishpur .She was supposed  to return after about 4 hours .It gave me time to catch up with Rupi ,who was kind enough to take Pratique to the Helicopter and show him the insides .God knows whether Mrs Gandhi will manage to unite the country –but she surely managed to reunite two age old friends .As it happened Rupi got a message to take off from our school grounds to some destination from where he was to pick up the two Gandhis up .I think it is a part of the security drill to keep changing venues till the last moment to put off people who might be trailing your predictable movement .They never came back .

I have followed hers and Rahuls career vey closely over the last decade or so .Sangeeta and me were struck by her innate innocence and pleasant demeanour .There were no aloofness in her personality that go with power.She appeared to be very grounded .We wondered why she was in politics .Did she really need the power to prove anything ?Why shouldn’t someone like her just relax and live life without getting into its most complex area –politics .She appeared impeccably clean and a prospective misfit –a square peg in a round hole .The sharks would eat her and her son up .But then as I said –looks can be deceptive .I think ,I met a extraordinary human being who looked very ordinary .Just like Mohinder Amarnaths bowling looked to the West Indies ,who took him lightly because he appeared like a schoolboy bowling to the legends .But he was able to pin them down and help India win the World Cup in 1983 .Sonia Gandhi might just do that –win the many battles that appear stacked against our nation .!! 

Posted by kulbhushan kain at 5:20 PM  

Roses in December -Dehradun ,New Years and Christmas !!

I grew up in Dehradun (though I was born in Burma )which is a pretty town lying about 240 kms from Delhi  and just 21 kms  from the Queen of hill stations Mussoorie .Haridwar is 47 kms away . It was a town which once  historically was a part of Nepal but was annexed by the British after the Anglo Nepalese War (1814-1816) A substantial number of Britishers and Anglo Indans   settled down  here  because it reminded them of England. At one time ,one could not buy property in certain parts  of  the town unless one was a Britisher or a Anglo Indian .Many  retired people made it their abode-mostly people who had served in the Indian  Railways during the British time  ,tea planters and even some school teachers (Miss Lumsden for sure !!).It also has a huge Tibetan  and  Nepalese  population now .It was called a town of green hedges and grey hair and a town in which more people died rather than got married .I grew up in beautiful, green ,sunny ,mountainous Dehradun .Our house was and is still on the fringes of the Rajaji Game Sanctuary.

Not surprisingly the town had a English speaking culture .The bus conductors ,the scooter richshaw drivers and even some of the old cobblers and mobile bakers , spoke in English –albeit not the way the Queen would speak ,but surely good  enough to be understood .Not surprisingly the town had some of the best schools the country could boast of –St Josesphs (my school), Doon ,Convent of Jesus and Mary,and Welhams leading the pack .We had Irish brothers teaching us and so were our Principals –Irish .Winds of change started  towards the end of the 60s when some home  Brothers started to “infiltrate” into the system .The smouldering embers of colonialism could be felt and seen in the way we celebrated the festivals .I do remember Diwali and Holi of the 60s –but what I remember most vividly is Christmas and New Years  eve .I remember the town being decked and people going around wishing each other  .The festivals were more public than private like we have now .

If Christmas and New Years was such a important event –it stands to reason that the confectionary of the town had to rise to these occasions .Because what is Christmas without a plum cake .!!And I can say with absolute honesty that I have never been able to get the quality of buns ,bread ,pastries and cakes like the ones that we used to get in the Dehradun of the 60s and maybe of the 70s (when major demographic changes started to take place for various reasons –one of them being that the Anglo Indian families started to dissappear either due to death (Lumsden,Messenger,Col Adams ,Flasskett ,Mr and Mrs Monk and many more ),or because they migrated back to their parent country.I have travelled a lot around some of the biggest and oldest cities of the world –but I haven’t ever come across the quality of the confectioners of the 60s in Dehradun .Milkmade (later the name was changed to Elloras),Standard ,Sunrise ,and Grand (in Paltan Bazaar),were stand out bakeries and good old Central Stores dished out the best bacon,ham and sausages that one could ever get .In Scotland about 2 years back I ordered a breakfast with ham and sausages –and amazingly they smelt and tasted like the ones of Central Stores .These days in the age of calories intake –the ham and bacon with cuts of fat on them are hardly available !!

There also was a Club –The Doon Club .It was the only Club during our times and my father was a member of it.Sometimes he would take us to it (though he liked to go alone there because he loved to drink and play “Teen Patti”!!-which he probably thought was a bad thing for children to see !!).It was a typical British kind of Club –a bigger and more elaborate version of a old pub in England .One could get the amazing  aroma which was a mix of cigarette smoke and alchohol(oh I simply love it and make it a point to buy Cigar and Whiskey after shaves and mix them !!) and food !!Old British “burra sahibs”,would enter it and stand at the door while either the bar boys or the valets peeled of their overcoats and hung them on the pegs .But they always removed their top hats on their own .I don’t know what has happened to the Doon Club –but I am sure it must have been overrun by the feisty and boisterous crowd that one gets to see in lets say Chelmsford  or Panch Sheel Clubs  in Delhi .Please do try to appreciate the fact that there is a difference between a club ,a hotel,a restaurant,or a motel .I think if the Doon Club exists –it is a living dead .The clientele that made it so special has long left the world .

Then there were restaurants .Again very British .Royal Café(which used to be next to Orient movie hall and owned by the Pasrichas I think)),used to have a crooner entertain us while we dined .We always asked the beautiful lady  to sing “Qay Surra Surra (Doris Day ).There was a small dance floor –enough for 3 couples to dance ,and mostly  gentlemen cadets or the army personnel would occupy it .And the  music was soft -not noisy .The fastest one could dance –was the “twist”.!!Once in a while we would also go and do the twist !!but mostly it was ballroom music that was played out –“Aaage bhi jaaney na tu ,job hi hai –yahi ek pal hai”.Ah wonderful memories .Apart from Royal Café –there was Napoli where we would go mostly for Noodles .There was also a juke box to entertain you .Put a coin and listen to your favourite number.And of course my fathers  favourite   eating joint –Moti Mahal which was so ably run by the Ahluwalias .It still is there –and must be among the only restaurants that have stood its ground as  brands have sprouted and overrun the city.Fish and chips –typical British meal –was our favourite ,though they also served tomato fish and peas  of high quality .The restaurant is now managed by the son who went to college with me and is a good friend .I had the pleasure of having food in the restaurant a few years back .I was lost in memories .

As Christmas is now in the past and New Year approaches  ,I am tempted to compare the change that has taken place over the decades in the way these days are celebrated  .In many cities in which I lived –these festivities  have got noisier  and unruly .They are celebrated but there is a difference in the way they are celebrated  .Its like the difference between the music which is played by a band in a baraat in a wedding and the music that is played in a concert  in Vienna  .As for me ,I always remember the celebrations in  the last week of the year as we celebrated them in Dehradun  in the 60s and 70s .I know that  they are never going to be celebrated  the way I would love them to be .Call me a orphan of the British Raj in India .Call me anything .But I no longer celebrate these days .Maybe a bottle of wine  with some fish and chips made at home .And  listen to Doris Day and “Aaagey bhi  jaane na tu”.And then drive down to see the fireworks at midnight at Burj Khalifa .I am told they are quite spectacular .

But nonetheless –“Happy New Year”.I hope all of you have a great year and each of you try to be what you are meant to be .Dont try to get too influenced by others and dont compare yourself with anyone .And give a thought to what Bob Dylan wrote many years back
 "All this talk about equality. The only thing people really have in common is that they are all going to die." Celebrate THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE .Accept the good and the bad .Sometimes accept destiny and surrender .Believe me you might feel more liberated .!!

The "Clean Chit" To Modi

The court has given a clean chit to Narendra Modi in the Gulbarga Society Massacre which led to the grotesque killing of Ahsan Jafri .He was cut limb by limb and his body was burnt -and as such it was not found .Only a pair of chhapals stand testimony to the fact that he existed .Who was Ahsan Jafri?Jafri was a a man who was popular enough to win the Ahmedabad Lok Sabha seat post emergency when Mrs Gandhis Congress was swept out of power post the 1977 Emergency Elections . .He was also a poet and a literary figure and even  wrote a book "Qandeel "(Lantern). On 28 February 2002,(a day after the Godhra massacre ) when riots broke out in Gujarat, he was killed by a rampaging extremist Hindu mob. By early morning, a large mob gathered at the Gulbarg Society in the Chamanpura suburb of Ahmedabad.This is a area very near the Police Commisioners area and which i passed many times while at Ahmedabad . It  was an almost entirely Muslim housing society where the septuagenarian Ahsan Jafri lived. According to First Information Report of the incident filed by police inspector K.G. Erda, the violent extremist Hindu mob started attacking Muslim owned establishments in the morning and were dispersed by the police. However, they reassembled around 1 PM armed with swords, sticks, pipe and kerosene,and  had blown up gas cylinders to blast through walls in the Gulbarga society. The report also mentions that the rioters were guided by voter lists and computer printouts with the addresses of Muslim-owned properties. This claim was repeated by  witnesses presented before the Nanavati Commission. Believing the area to be safe given Jafri's presence, many Muslims in the area had gathered in his compound. Around 10:30 in the morning, the Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police, P.C. Pandey, personally visited Jafri and apparently assured him that police reinforcement would be coming. In the next five hours, Jafri and top Congress officials of the state repeatedly kept calling the police and other government officials requesting safe transport for the residents, but no help arrived.The FIR by Erda further stated that the police station had 130 policemen on duty that day, and were well armed with teargas shells. However, no one was deployed to disperse the crowd, despite Ehsan Jafri and top Congress politicians repeatedly contacting the Director General of Police, Police Commissioner, the Mayor, Leader of Opposition in the State parliament, and other top government officials.Nothing happened .!!The crowd went on a rampage .Around the same time another massacre was taking place at Naroda Patiya a  few kilometres away .It was one of Indias darkest days and showed how ineffective governance can reduce human beings to beasts .
There is no reason to celebrate the courts verdict .Whether Modi was directly involved or not is not the central question .There may be proof or there may not be proof of his involvement .The fact remains -who is accountable for the law and order in a state in a democracy ?It is the CM of the State .Morally he will always be talked about in Indian History as the Nero who fiddled with the harp as Rome burned .For me -he will always be like the father in a family who was either incompetent or indifferent to the plight of his wife ,daughters ,and sons being raped or killed .I am afraid this is the stigma he will have to live with -much like Rajive Gandhi role in the anti Sikh riots .There are are certain things which are wrong always -irrespective of which Party you belong to .And there are certain things which will never go away -even if you become the PM or President ,or a demi God . 

A Month Away From India .!!

Its been exactly  a month since I landed in Dubai .I have never stayed away that long from India since 1986 when I was away for 2 months in the Phillipines .At that time I had nearly broken down one night because I was feeling homesick –India sick .That was about 30 years back –I was young and I was prone to high emotions .This time –I havent felt the urge to break down !!But that does not mean that I don’t miss India .I refuse to believe that anyone born and brought up in India ,can ever get it out of ones system .Its very natural –the sights ,the sounds ,the smells ,the struggles ,the achievements ,the love affairs ,the moments of victories and defeats ,the relatives ,the friends ,the poverty ,the affluence,the flora ,the fauna ,the seasons  –everything is wrapped around us and has got into our body politic .You cant divorce anything that you have experienced .If you try to do –you will fail because it will be diminishing a large part of your being .When one goes abroad –one should never try to move away from what is a part of you .One should try to add what the new experience will unfold .At the end of the day –the fortunate ones come back home .No one leaves home –never to return .Thats why Shashi Tharoor came back ,that’s why Chandan Mitra came back ,that’s why Rajdeep Sardesai came back ,that’s why Sagarika Ghosh came back ,that’s why Arnab Goswami came back ,that’s why…………….oh innumerable Indians came back when they had the world at their feet .And that’s why we will also come back one day .If we are lucky –we will come back still young enough to work ,if unlucky –at least I will come back to die in India .

The difference between Dubai and India is huge –both in work culture and landscape .Dubai is a international city .In the locality in which I live –my next door neighbour is a French (he has a signage outside his house with a Champs Elysee number on it )on one side and a Fillipino on the other .In the evenings when I walk into Spinneys which is the supermarket just across from where I stay ,I find mostly foreigners .They are the residents of Springs (where I stay).I havent interacted with  anyone of them as yet  .But I am sure ,very soon I will make friends with them .Springs, is a green oasis in the middle of a desert .Impressive buildings jut into the sky around it in a distance  .In the evening ,Dubai is more gliterring than Paris which is called the city of lights .It comes alive with resturants belting music and belle dancers .Alchohol flows freely in the hotels ,and half of Abu Dhabhi and the whole of Sharjah pack its Malls and night clubs .The beaches are crowded with people of all ages –men and wowen in swimming trunks and bikinis absorbing the sun on their oiled and well maintained bodies .Some just sit around and watch the blue waters- occasionally pointing a finger towards a passing ship in the distance .It is a small city by Indian standards –probably no bigger than Defence Colony and South Extention combined .But because everyone has at least one car and because cars occupy more space than individuals –it appears crowded during rush hour .There are no dense foliage of trees and there are no undulating pieces of land .Its flat ,and its monotonous .The best  view of Dubai is when you are about to land at its airport.Below you is a landscape which is brown in color –and its uninterrupted .Contrast this with when you land in Ahmedabad –its interspersed with trees ,dark clouds ,a meandering Sabarmati with a number of bridges ,flat fields surrounded by small hills .A completely different scenario .

The people move around briskly .Everyone walks as if he/she is about to miss a flight .They are almost running all the time .There are no two wheelers in the city –neither cycles or motorcycles .Service Companies bring the housekeeping staff in small sophisticated buses at a particular time and take them away at a particular time .If you make them stay longer –you pay them extra and also pay for their taxi fare home .!!The metros are a mode of transportation for the lower middle class or people who don’t have a driving licence .Everyone has a car .Its no big shakes here –I have a Mitshubushi Lancer ,but will be getting a Prado shortly (four wheel drive ).But I do use the metro –because I like to see what happens in there .

I have been pitchforked in life from a small town like Dehradun to a gliterring fast paced city like Dubai .I taught in a school as a young man whose address was “Village and P.Office Rai”.All my life I spent in interacting with children and a population that was laid back and in places where Sangeeta and me would get up and enjoy our Green Label Lipton Tea on a balcony from where we could see Nilgais ,Peacocks ,Squirrels ,Dogs ,Buffaloes-and even people going to defacate in the fields !! .We would feed the pigeons bajra every morning and would give our dogs two biscuits each of Marie .This was a ritual for years .Life was getting very cosy and comfortable and as such time passed very fast .Because good times travel very very fast !!

Coming to Dubai is my way of slowing things down a little .When one starts a school ,its always like climbing a mountain .One labours up the slope and one moves slowly .Psychologically you feel you are slowing down time .Once one reaches the top,different problems confront you .Everyone wants to pluck the fruit from the tree you have planted ,and at times to do that they try to run you down .One can slug it out –but it adds no value to your life .Its a waste of time .You have two choices –go down to from where you started or climb another mountain.!!But moving downwards takes  one to the destination too fast .I don’t want to cycle back down to Dehradun yet !!I will reach it too fast .And once I reach it –I will rest .Coming to Dubai is my way of climbing yet another mountain .Slowly !!Steadily !!Honestly !!Reaching the summit !!And then going back home .One thing is sure .I think it’s the last mountain I am gonna climb .And you can bet –I will reach the top !!There is a lot of strenght in the legs and the mind left as yet .!!

Teaching Her During A Flight

We  meet   different kind  of people when we  travel in trains ,ferries ,busses or planes  .I always make sure to connect with them by talking .I realize that these are special relationships because they   generated because  people  are on the move,and basically accidental by nature  .And nine times out of ten  they  die once we reach our respective  destinations .We may never meet them ever again .They come into your life for  1 hour ,3 hrs ,12 hrs ,18hrs or 22 hrs !!And  then they  disappear.

 It is rare to be seated next to someone who is travelling for the first time –be it in a train ,bus, ,ferry  or a plane ( have I left out some other modes of transportation?) When I boarded my  Spicejet  Flight from Ahmedabad to Dubai yesterday ,I did the normal things .I sat down  at  my window seat and started to read the travel magazine .Then I started to surf my facebook on my blackberry .I checked to make sure that my camera and  passport is safe . (I am paranoid about it).After  a short while the crew announced that the flight was about to take off and that we should all fasten our seat belts .I had hardly noticed  that a middle aged lady had occupied the seat next to me .I fastened my seat belt , but  I saw she was struggling with hers .I smiled at her and volunteered to  fasten  it for her 

“Pehle baar ur rahi hoon(I am flying for the first time )” she said  .Before she could thank me ,I reopened  the seat belt and asked her to fasten it on her own .She was slightly slow ,but she managed it .I asked her to open the seat belt and she looked at me with amusement and confusion .

“Madam ,aap  uthrengi  bhi toh(you will get down also).Aur phir wapas bhi to Ahmedabad lautain gee.(and you will return to Ahmedabad also).Ab seekh lo, aur bhoolna nahi”.!!

The teacher in me was asserting  himself .She smiled in a childish way -and we had become friends .She was  short in height but appeared tall in commonsense  .She did not know a word of English .My purpose was to teach her and make her  aware  about the procedures of a first time traveler  .I remembered how I had made a fool of myself when I had flown for the first time and how a insensitive Englishmen had laughed derisively at me when I had wanted to go to the bathroom and could not unlock the belt .And even though the airhostesses show it by way of practical demonstration, and on some flights on a screen ,it does not help because it is just a small part of a long monologue of emergency procedures .After having flown so many times  ,I am sure I will still not be able to pull down a oxygen mask  or a life jacket  in a emergency -though I have seen it being demonstrated a million times .!!

I entered into a conversation with her .She was smart women –very sharp and very shrewd .But she was very afraid of flying .She closed her eyes and kept mumbling “ram,ram” as the aircraft  gathered speed before its take off .She kept telling me that she was getting “chakkers”(feeling dizzy).And after only about twenty minutes of flying she asked me “Kitnaa samay rahtaa hai Dubai ke liye”.!!I told her to relax and  to divert her mind , told her “See we are flying over the Rann of Kutch”   -a wide expanse of mud and water surrounded by green .She refused .She said she might vomit .I told her that a waste envelope was provided in the jacket of the seat ,so she could empty out into it .I was firm and added –“muj par mut karna” .The lady was quiet and luckily did not bring up .Later on, I  convinced her to look out through my window .We were flying over Pakistan and I could see the Indus meander through it like a snake .She was eager and said ,

“Pakistan ? We migrated from Pakistan .My grandparents were from Sindh”!.She was excited that she was was flying over Pakistan .She looked out .She was quiet .There must be many a connect through tales between her family and Pakistan .Just like it is for me .She had a sense of humour too .As luck would have it ,we  got caught in a slight turbulence over Pakistan .The plane rocked a little and dropped height .The experienced traveler knows all about it ,but for a first timer it could be frightening   .“Yeh kya hua?”,she asked looking visibly frightened  .“Kuch nahi”I said .I explained that these are routine things that happen during flights .She was quick to respond (I am translating in English)

“This Pakistan also tries to create fear among Indians .They try to unsettle us .But they are like clouds that thunder ,but don’t rain .But they sure shake you up”.I had a good laugh .I told her that air turbulence has got nothing to do with Pakistans ill intentions towards India  .I felt like telling her “Please don’t be like Arnab Goswami and see everything   Pakistani   in every misfortune that befalls our nation!!And our planes !!

I was able to convince her to see the Arabian sea and the Persian Gulf as we flew over it .She noticed a number of dots –ships –that were sailing .And then the landscape changed .I brought out my camera to take photographs of the vast expanse of sand .I told her to look at the hillocks of sand .By now ,her fear of looking down  had disappeared .She was enjoying the view of  the earth from the air .She even spotted a highway that cut across the sandy terrain –like a grey snake .And then we started to lose height .We were descending on Dubai .I told her to watch out for the thousands of the fabulous buildings that that form the skyline of  Dubai and the islands of water  around  which they have built colonies for people to stay .She said she was frightened –but I told her not to miss the experience .In between she had asked how much does  a ticket cost (return).I asked her as to how she did not know –had she not bought it ?She had informed me that a friend had sent her the ticket .She also told me that she was a JBT Teacher in a school in Manicknagar ,Ahmedabad .And that she had lost her husband about 10 years back in a road accident .I did not ask her, her name .And neither did she ask me who I was and what was I going to Dubai for .

The plane touched down .Bumpy and noisy !I told her to follow me to the immigrations and promised to help her get through it and take her to the conveyer belt (no .5).She was obedient .And she followed me .But she refused to take the escalator or the moving walkways(or a travellator as the Brits call them).She said she would get “chakkers”.I told her to keep pace with me in that case becoz ,I wanted to be the first to get the clearance at the immigrations .It can save you 20 minutes or so .!And I usually walk fast on the travellators –so if one is on a travellator and one is walking fast ,then someone simply  walking would have to run to keep pace .And she was huffing and puffing ,but managed to keep pace .

We went through the immigrations and since I had only my hand baggage I said goodbye to her after telling her from where to pick up her checked in baggage .She thanked me profusely .And we parted our ways .No cell numbers were exchanged .We did not even know what the others name was .And we may never meet each other again .But by reaching out to her ,I made sure that I would not forget her for a long time .And maybe even she may be able to remember me because I interfered so much in her travel .My attempt was to teach her .I don’t know whether she was a good student or not .But that does not mean that we stop being interested in people we may never meet again and whose names we  don’t even  know .Or whether they pass or fail .!!

The Stabbing Of Of Muzzafarnagar .

The gory and bloody riots in Muzzafarnagar has shaken up the whole country .It partly reflects the deep divide in our society as well as the complete failure of the administrative machinery .It also reflects how the social media can be used with such devastating effect .And it also frightens one to the bones -Muzzafarnagar is only 135 kms from the Capital of India .It is not a town in far away Bihar or Eastern U.P.,or some other state.It lies near the heart of the power centre of India -Delhi.

Muzzafarnagar is a bustling town mid way between Delhi and Dehradun .I know it well because when I used to study at the Delhi University ,I would pass through it at least 10 times in a year .Add to it ,the number of times we drove with our parents to visit our relatives in Delhi and friends in Meerut –and you will imagine that it is one city I have travelled through more than probably any other city .As one  descended from the Sivalik hills in Dehradun , we would hit Biharigarh where we would gorge into the small marble sized pakoras , and  minutes further onwards  we would  cross over the Ganga Canal and the Army Cantonment  in Roorkee ,pass through the  rather crowded mandi town of Manglaur,then reach Purkazi which was special for me because my cousins (the Joshis),managed a 100 acre farm there .I remember that once they got a huge chunk of wild boar meat which they had shot and which  we cooked and ate at our place in a winter month .Purkazi also had a Animal Husbandry Farm hoarding displayed on the main road .Whether it is still there (the farm I mean ),I don’t know .But for all of us ,it was a important landmark as we meandered through the town ..After Purkazi –we entered Muzzafarnagar .This is a large Municipality Town and sits right in the middle of the sugar belt .It was founded by Shahjahan in 1633,and has 11 sugar mills –making it one of the worlds largest sugar producing town .It also has a steel plant and plenty of factories producing iron stuff –“saryaas” and angle iron.A road forks off from Muzzafarnagar to Shamli a short distance away and brings you into a town that is famous for its brick kilns and “Shamli eent”(Shamli bricks ).It has also been immortalized in a short story by Ruskin Bond “Time Stops At Shamli”.If you haven’t read the short story –you have not read any short story .Muzzafarnagar is only 135 kms away from Delhi .Just about 20 kms away further from Muzzafarnagar is Khatuali .This is  a stopping point for everyone .Buses ,private cars ,taxis ,and even youngsters coming from Meerut and Muzzafarnagar on two wheelers  .Why ?Because it has one of the best motel /hotel/fast food/restaurant /aviary/deer park etc complexes in India  .(We once bumped into film star Navin Nischol with his entourage here ).It is a great place to stop by and have some great snacks .The bathrooms are spotlessly clean and service topclass .Once one left  Khatuali ,one always got caught in the traffic congestion of Meerut and Modinagar before one hit Delhi .

When I read about the riots in Muzzafarnagar ,I was more than just concerned or interested in a casual way .After all I know the place inside out and we had never heard of a rioting of this type ever .And frighteningly –it is only 135 kms from the power centre of Delhi .What happened ?

Trouble started when a young  Muslim man  was killed on August 27 allegedly triggered by comments passed at two Jat girls in Kawal village .The retaliation was swift and brutal .Two of the girls cousins attacked the young man leading to his death .The counter retaliation was not long in coming .The dead mans relatives caught hold of the two who had attacked the dead man and and beat them to death .The Jat Community demanded punishment for the killing of the two youth .It called for a Panchayat on the 31^st and demanded the removal of the SP for his “partisan” behavior.They also demanded a compensation of 25 lakhs for each of the deceased and called for a “bandh” in Muzzafarnagar  on Teachers Day -5^th September !!.They also threatened that if no action was taken ,then they would call a “MAHAPANCHAYAT” on September 7^th at Nagla Mandaur.

Curfew was imposed .Tens and thousands of Jats gathered defying the prohibitory orders on 7^th at Nagla Mandaur  for what the Jats called “BAHU BETI SAMMAN BACHAO MAHAPANCHAYAT” .Inflamtory speeches were delivered .Anger was fuelled even further when some of the participants were attacked .Incidents of stone pelting ,and firing took place where a IBN 7 reporter was killed .Muzzafarnagar was on a pile of gunpowder .Someone had to just light it .

This is where the old 2010 Pakistani video entered the picture .A MLA is said to uploaded it on his facebook page asking people to “see what is going on in Muzzafarnagar”.It was a video showing two men being brutally lynched by a mob in Sialkot in 2010 .This was projected as the killing of the two boys on the 27^th August .!!It just showed how fragile peace is in India at the grassroot level .No one is bothered there about the food security bill or coalgate or railgate .No one has heard about the RTE OR NREGA.There are no Delhi Public Schools ,Shriram Schools or Doon Schools there .Those issues are meant to be discussed by people who inhabit “India”.But “Bharat’’ is different .Here people are  bothered about their survival .This is a land which is called the wild west of India .Here more than 15000 people  have licensed weapons and many times more than that illegal arms .It is estimated that every second household has a weapon .Here law and order and being fair is all that is required .Here the national anthem should be

"tu hindu banega na musalamaan banega 

Insaan ki aulaad hai, insaan banega."

 And when the state tries to do the exact opposite to get votes –the people  take law into their own hands

The mayhem has continued .Why did the police not step in when the first killing took place ?Why did it not step in when the second killings  take  place ?Can the police  hide behind the fact that FIR s had been lodged ?Why did they allow people to gather for the Mahpanchayat when section 144(curfew ),was imposed ?Why did the police not go house to house and confiscate the firearms ?Is it a game plan orchestrated by political parties to polarize the communities to get votes for election 2014 ?Isnt  the CM responsible for the incident and accountable for it rather than passing  the buck on to the opposition and blame them for the “mischief”?.Why was no action  taken when the Home Minister had warned the CM that there was trouble brewing up and he should be vigilant ?Is minority politics going to create a scenario that led to horrible riots in 1946/1947 ?There are hundreds of questions that need to answered .

For me –Muzzafarnagar will always be a town through which we drove and had our breakfast or lunch at Cheetal .For me Shamli will always be a place where Sangeeta and me stopped as we drove from Rai to Dehradun to have the wonderful puri ,aloo and pumpkin vegetable.

There were no rioters then .From where ,and why have they come to haunt this lovely area ? And Ruskin Bond –why has “Time NOT stopped at Shamli”. ?

The Birth of A Principal-Part 2.

G.D .Mishra spoke,slowly deliberately “Principal Sahib” he began “Aapko pataa hai h kal raat kya hua”.?I looked at him with fixed eyes .I did not answer his question(ooh its such a eerie feeling as I write –it seems just like today ,now !).Sajjad took over “Doctor Aggarwal ki acchi pitaai hui.Aap toh yahah se wapas laut jayaye .Kyoh hamare yudh meih bali ka bakra bananaa chahte ho” he said .He continued (I am writing in English though the entire conversation was in Hindi). “We will not let you work peacefully .We will gherao you ,we will trouble you .We are not against you –but we are against privatization .Dont waste your time .You are a smart man and you will do well in Delhi where there are hundreds of private schools .Why the hell do you want to come into the government sector and disturb the balance here .Dont act like a stooge (“chamcha”,he called me ).”.The others were lookin  at me and sizing me up .I now realize that they were gauging my mental toughness.And I now realize how important it is to be a good communicator My turn to speak had come .I began slowly .My voice was modulated and my ideas were thought out carefully .Gokuls words were ringing in my mind .He had asked me not to speak anything that these fellows could twist to their advantage.The wily,ambitious Brahmin was upto the task .He had not been a Secretary of the Teachers Federation of Rai for nothing .

“I don’t know your internal politics,and I don’t want to know it ” I began.Viresh tried to make a point but I told him not to interrupt me .He would get his chance after I spoke . “Tiwariji (Vireshs surname)aap isse vaad vivadh pratiyogta maniyeh .Aaap ko  prash poochne ke liye samay baad me milegaa”,I said .I continued “I have nothing to do with your ambitions and strategies .I have come here to try and make a difference to the lives of hundreds of children .If you give me a chance to do that maybe you might see a great mind at work .You might be able to see the inherent passion,the knowledge and the vision .Who knows maybe you might be seeing perhaps the greatest educationist at work.But for that I have to be given a chance.You don’t even know me and my work.I don’t know about my future ,but I know what I have come to do .You will find me dead honest ,because money does not interest me to the extent that I will go about making it by illegal means .I know my job .I come from a very respectable and successful family.I like politics ,but I love poetry ,literature and music more ”By now I was in full flow .My passion had been ignited and when that happens –nothing can stop me .I was swinging my arms and moving around .Remember I was standing .They were sitting .It was as if I were taking a class .I needed to be in control .And believe me –I was bloody well in control !.

“And finally remember”,and I looked at Sajjad “Don’t ever threaten me .I am not frightened of anyone of you.What is it that  you can do ?Beat me up ?So what –can you break my spirit ?Kill me ?What will happen –another principal will replace me .And where is the guarantee that he will be better than me .?Do what you want –I will not Quit.!”There was a huge emphasis on the words “Not quit”.I consider it to be among my greatest fightbacks(the one involving my recovery from the jaws of death in a hospital being the greatest) .!! I looked at Viresh and told him “Haan Tiwariji ,ab boliye –kuch kahenaa chahahte thae aap?”.There was stunned silence .And some of you who think I speak well ,should have heard me on that day)Viresh  got up from his seat came towards me and put my chair to where it belonged ,shook my hands and said “Guruji,aap apni seat par bathiyeh .Hum aapko yahaan se kahin nahi jaane denge”.Bal Bharati Public School was finally born .!!In the evening ,I hit the bar of Ranjeet Hotel(on Hamidia Road ,the one on lake road had not been started then) ,ordered a pint of beer and their famous “Chicken Sizzler”.It is no coincidence that our last meal was also to be at Ranjeet Hotel and it was after a felicitation programme (farewell),in which Viresh Tiwari garlanded me and waxed eloquently about my contribution to the school .He had said that he hoped that one day I would return .To that extent he had not understood me well enough .I am never the one to return .But for the moment I had won my battle and war at Bhopal .!

It is tough building up schools .Even if the founder is a devil he must be given his due .I sometimes envy people who are lucky to walk into schools that have buses ,staff,children,furniture ,labs ,infirmaries ,affiliations,fire safety mechanisms ,safe drinking water ,buses ,drivers –the list can go on and on .Its a tough job –its easy for people to change things and point out deficiencies .But spare a thought for people who had nothing to change !People who came to set up structures and systems .!But then some people do it And at the end of the day I feel immensely proud that I was able to do it .But one has to be lucky to have a sensible management to work through .Mr Baveja was a workaholic and a perfectionist .I did not love him –but admired him(that’s why I prefer people who love me rather than people who admire me !) .I had a fabulous staff .Mrs Jagjit Kaur brought a touch of class to the staff –very elegant and always smiling .Abha Goel was the pusher –a bit of showperson ,but I could always rely on her when something needed to be done .Abha Sinha was a conscientious worker who did wonders with the Mont Deptt where she was ably supported by Debjani Sarkar .Then there was the round eyed Debjani Sen who loved to play the fool .One day I saw her dancing in the staff room all the time singing “yeh kaali kaali aankhen,yeh gorey gorey gaal”.I can never forget the expression on her face when she realized that I had been watching her all the while .She left subsequently and became a Central School teacher at Balaghat .There was also Poonam Krishnani-very petite was very strong willed ,who was not afraid to speak her mind .There was the sports teacher who also directed plays –Mr Shailendra Paliwal .Very talented and can you imagine I allowed him to direct a play called “Mera Gadhaa Banaa Collector”.!Why imagine ?Because our chief guest was the Collector .!!There were many more –the very sophisticated Nandini Trivedi,Vijaya Choudry ,Sunita Sharma (Maths)Mehroo Naqvi who migrated to NewZealand and with whom I had a telephonic conversation just a few weeks back .What a wonderful Commerce teacher .!There was also Johnson Verghese ,Kuldip Sagre(Music)who later joined the Indian Railways and Ram Asrey Dohare the librarian .There was also the mild and mellow Shamim Akhtar from Faizabad .A wonderful lady who taught Hindi and brought me my kababs and seewien on Id.!Very nice kebabs Mrs Akhtar –I still remember them every Id .Lily Saluja the lady with short hair (a la Princess Diana type)was also among the pioneers.I remember her husband who was a very interesting man,but sadly passed away in a road accident in Chandigarh .But leading the pack was the smart and attractive Dr Usha Ajay Singh from Lucknow .When we were interviewing her one of the experts (I think it was Dr Rajguru),got her bogged down on some concept of Chemistry.(she was a Phd in Chemistry) .I was more interested in her achievements in archery in which she had won medals .After the interview ,the panel thought she was overqualified for teaching in the school .And that she would quit .I held the opinion that Usha was a prize we could not afford not to win .She was selected .And what a contribution she made to the school .She stayed on till I was in Bhopal .Later she quit ,got selected in the Administrative Services and the last message I got from her were Diwali Greetings .She signed off by writing “Usha Ajay Singh.Collector ,Seoni”.You have travelled very far away Usha ,but you will never travel so far away that I will not be able to see you and remember you in my mind .And thank you for putting my dream into place in Bhopal .! There were the administrative staff also –Mr B.L.Aggarwal who was well into his seventies but still worked harder than all of us .He handled the accounts .Tariq ,along with Kalpana Bhatt supported him in his office work .Gokul ,Jagdish,Kamlesh and Guddi Bia were the peons .They worked laboriously and without complaining .Two housekeepers –Sunil and Mukesh made sure that the bathrooms and rooms never got dirty enough to catch my eye .I paced the corridors regularly and met all the parents .

The students were very keen to learn .We were a small school –only 900 kids when I left.I remember some students very vividly –Yashika Ahluwalia ,Biplop Sen,Sumit Dhaliwal ,Suman Kapoor(Kapoor Tent House),Raja Khullar(please some of you –could you provide me information of his whereabouts )Roli Saxena ,Srutika and Geetika Aggarwal (from Delhi-what a wonderful father they had)Pranav Seal(what a sportsman),Amisha Arora(what happened to her?)Mubina and Shireen Khan(am still in regular touch with Mubina ,though not with Shireen),Vineet Nair(now in London),the Correa brothers,Ahbhilash Sasi ,Bhavana Antrewala,the Richarayias,Vaibhav Khandekar and may more .It was a great school .We participated in many activities and we sent teams outside –to Lucknow for a international programme once .!!

Its not that the school did not have problems .I found myself under siege when a boy –Anil Neelkanth(maybe his first name could be wrong)committed suicide because he had failed in the exams .Everyone blamed it on the school and they wanted me to stay away from his funeral.But there was no way I was going to do that .It was like losing a son .I went for his funeral .I prayed for him .I offloaded what would have otherwise remained forever in my heart .I was also hounded for unfurling the national flag on the 14^th of August .The Unions took over and interpreted it as if I was celebrating Pakistans Independence Day.(Incidentally Inderjit Gupta the then Home Minister of India had done the same thing in the Bengali School ,Raisina Road ,Delhi!!)There was a huge gheroa,the press played it up by printing it in “reverse”(writing it in white against a black backdrop!)calling it a “bizarre act by a overenthusiastic Principal”!!It was torturous and I even applied for anticipatory bail.!But I was able to tide over all that with what I had learnt from life( the saying  “the worst of your fears and the best of your hopes seldom come true” became my favourite during those stormy days!) and and help from my friends and wellwishers.But one thing it did to me –it pitchforked me from oblivion to centrestage .Did I like that ?Maybe some of you who know me well can answer the question .!!

(Last part of the blog –friends ,places ,incidents .)