RAINAWARI JOGI LANKER BRIDGE
PHOTOGRAPHED FROM SHIVA TEMPLE NEAR VISHWABHARTI COLLEGE .
PHOTO AUTAR MOTA
THIS BRIDGE IS LINKED WITH A SWEET MEMORY OF MY CHILDHOOD. I ADD SOME PORTION OF MY SHORT STORY ' MOTHER ' TO THIS PHOTO.
Mother
Growing up meant freedom from the daily nagging of my mother . She would generally address me with her favourite lines
“ You are just like your father . I can not understand the reasons for Your absentmindedness . Which is the world wherein you seem to be lost always ?”
Quite often she would check my school bag after I slept. She would arrange the books and copies in order. Sharpen the pencil for my next day at school. Look for Toffee wrappers or partly eaten fruits which generally lay hidden under Books in the bag . Quite often she would say angrily to me ;
“You will spoil this new bag also .How you dare to keep all dirt inside this bag ? Better carry your books in that gunny sack. Boys like you do not deserve good school bags.”
Sometimes I would tell her that I shall not take food as I am already late for the school . That was perhaps my way of dealing with her nagging .She would come running from the kitchen with a Thaali ( Plate ) full of cooked rice , vegetables and a little curd and mix them and force half of the Thaali down my gullet.
“Now do what you want to do .You lazy creature ! Why don’t you polish your shoes? And these shoe laces, You always keep untied ! ? Who shall teach you these things ? O God! When shall this boy grow ?”
I would sometimes say
“ Let me grow , I shall serve in Army . You shall not see my face for months together .”
“ Let your enemies join the Military service. Let me see who allows you to join Army .Your Mama ( Mother’s brother ) is waiting for you to grow . He shall settle you in Accountant General’s office , Post office or Telegraph office ? What does your father know ? Life is not News Papers and Magazines that your father reads and later passes on to you as well ? I shall have to think many times before your marriage . For sure you are going to put some one’s daughter to great trouble with this attitude ”
Sometimes i felt that she never loved me . Perhaps she could find nothing upto the mark in me . May be she focussed more on me . I was never sure what she wanted from me .She had developed a feeling that all my school friends were better than me in all fields . .She would make me feel that I was simply a good for nothing child. She would often Say:
“ learn something from your friend Kuldeep Machama .See how he helps his mother to buy vegetables and milk from Ismail Guroo’s cow shed every day in the morning . And you! How shall I think of your help to me when I am only busy with your affairs?”
Then one day something strange happened . On my return from the school, I would always provoke stray dogs on the road by yelling “ WOFF -WOFF ” at them .Until these dogs barked ,I would keep provoking them. That day apart from barking , One amongst these dogs ran after me probably fully excited and provoked . In utter fright I ran towards Jogilanker Bridge . Confused and afraid I slipped .The school bag fell straight into the Water Canal ( known as Maar ) below while I hit my head hard against the Iron railings of the bridge . I know nothing what happened after that .
When I gained consciousness, I saw myself in Dr Ram Joo Handoo’s medical shop. I had stitches on my head and my mother held me in her lap .I saw Mohammed Ismail Baakhoru , Ali Tailor , Mohd Sidiq Baker , Gopi Nath Bazaar President and
Noor Mohd Gaat Munshi ( Government Ration Depot Incharge ) also in the shop. Then my mother said in a soft voice ;
“ Son ! Are You feeling better now ?Forget that bag with books ?”
She just kept kissing my hands and forehead . I heard Dr Ram Joo telling me
“ You naughty Boy you made your mother weep ”. Not believing this , I looked at my mother’s face . Tears kept rolling down her eyes and fell on my face . She kept wiping them with the corner of her Saree. Intermittently she kept hugging me and kissing my forehead . I also saw that Mohammed Ismail Baakhoru ( shop keeper ) Brought a Glass of Hot milk from his house . Ramjoo put some biscuits in the glass and passed on the glass to my mother . Strange but true ,I felt like banging my head against the railings of Jogilanker bridge again and again to see my mother ‘s love and attention.
(( Autar Mota )
CHINAR SHADE by
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