( DON’T SAY BANGALURU AGAIN )
When Aasha ji advised Ramesh
Kumar Koul, her suasband to go to
Bangaluru and see their newly married daughter and son in law , he pretended as
if he heard nothing. This typical style of Ramesh Kumar to avoid conversation
was quite familiar to Aasha Ji. Quite often she did not drag her conversation
sensing Ramesh Kumar’s disinterest .
Possibly this was not the moment to leave conversation at that point . She did
not keep quiet and continued .
“ I say to you, look this way . Where are you lost ? Don’t you ever
think about Sweety ? It has been more than six months now . We do not know
anything about Sweety and Rohit Ji.I don’t believe these telephone calls . What do we get
out of these calls ? Just ” I am fine “
or “How are you ?” . And then the usual line “ We shall talk tomorrow. I am
busy today “. Is this communication ? I
am sick of this style that these youngsters have adopted. We don’t know facts . We don’t know which direction these people are going .
We don’t know what they are eating. We
don’t know how they are living . You
should have gone twice up till now but
you appear to take these things lightly. ”
Ramesh Kumar kept quiet. Sometimes he felt that staying in his home
for full day after retirement was a curse . He better tell his wife that he had
a job and leave at 10 a. m. in the
morning and return at 6 p.m. to save himself from these daily grilling sessions
. For him , Aasha ji was there in the house only to rake up any and every issue
to create unending annoyance for him. But then he also thought that to some
extent she was right . He had seen Sweety talking on her mobile phone for hours when she
received calls from her colleagues or friends . She also chatted with so many
friends on internet as and when she came to Jammu from Bangaluru where she had
been staying for the last three years .And to her parents , she would simply
say “ Are you fine? Okay , We shall Talk tomorrow. I am busy today “. Both
Aasha ji l and Ramesh Kumar were long waiting for that ‘Tomorrow’ to arrive .
It never did.
Ramesh Kumar would also think that there was no Issue worth talking
between Sweety and her parents except a mutual reassurance that all were fine .
With friends she had issues of her age , job and future .
“young children are sharp and better equipped to understand and decide
what was best for them. “
Consoling himself with these thoughts , Ramesh Kumar would often feel
that all was fine. That made him to stop further thinking on this issue .
Now that he could not avoid going to Bangaluru , Ramesh Kumar started
his preparations . He booked his air ticket and bought Kulcha , Rajmash , Kashmiri Brinjals , Nadru (
lotus roots ) , rice powder , a packet of Barfi from Pahalwan’s shop , Kadam ( Kohlrabi ) Pickle ,Vaarimuth ( small black Beans
consumed by Kashmiris ), a small wood carving house boat , a papier mache Kangri
, one kg of Kagzi walnuts , Kashmiri spices from Prasad Koul’s shop , Burzil almonds
and a small 5 gm packet of Pamore Saffron and finally green leafy Haak . Aasha
ji had accompanied him and selected most of these items .
When Ramesh Kumar asked Aasha ji as to who would cook all these
vegetables , she had said this :-
“It is not so difficult. Sweety is there . Let you go first , both of
you should help each other to enjoy all this stuff. I wish I could go . Even if
you have to cook something for the children , there is no issue . We live for
them only. Had Rinku not been in his ten plus two final class , I would have
loved to go personally . But I can’t leave him alone at this crucial period . Who shall
make him to get up at 5 a. m. for the tuition classes
? And listen, don’t you ever ring
up that Nalini , your cousin sister .
We had enough from this relation of yours . She didn’t have the courtesy to
invite Sweety and Rohit Ji for a lunch or dinner . Leave that Lunch or dinner
aside , she has not invited them even for a simple cup of tea . All your relations are like that
. They demand respect from us but never exhibit it when their turn comes .
Don’t telephone her about your presence in Bangaluru .”
That day all flights from jammu airport got delayed due to inclement
weather . Inspite of leaving Jammu at 11.30 a.m. , Ramesh Kumar reached
Bangaluru at 6 p.m. He was tired and not
in a goof mood. He also felt cheated when the Airline staff at Jammu asked him
to pay Rs1700 for the extra baggage that he was carrying.
When he reached Sweety’s flat , it was locked . “ O God! where to go
now? ”, he said to himself .He decided to
knock at the door of the adjacent flat .As he did so , an elderly person
came out and conveyed politely that they don’t know anything about Sweety and her husband .
They neither had the keys of the flat
nor any information. Accordingly , he could provide no assistance on this
front. Thanking him for opening the door , Ramesh Kumar picked up his luggage
and came down by the building lift to meet thesecurity guard at the entrance.
The guard informed him that he too had no information and offered to keep his
luggage in safe custody till Sweety and her husband arrive.
Ramesh Kumar decided to call Sweety on her mobile .First , second and
third ring and pat came the reply in a hush tone .
“ Papa , please wait . I am in my office . It shall take me about an hour to
reach home. Rohit is coming to pick me up. “
Ramesh kumar also informed his safe arrival to Aasha ji . While he was
busy on his mobile , the security guard
had brought him a cup of tea and made him to sit on his bed cum cot. Gossip
followed . Kashmir problem, general corruption in the country and finally
sandalwood smuggler Veerapan came up for discussions . Impressed , the guard
kept listening .
At 9 p. m. , Sweety and Rohit
arrived in a car. Hugging , smiles and together they proceeded to the flat . Ramesh kumar wanted to talk
about his long wait and seek reasons as to why the flat key was not kept with
the neighbour or the guard but decided to forget all that he went through. Once
inside the flat,he wanted to have a bath and go to sleep . Sweety switched on
the TV set for the news . Together they heard the news while Rohit busied
himself with his laptop. Sweety was also busy with her mobile and
intermittently looked towards the TV and her father. That was the communication
environment in the room .
Before the newsreader shifted to weather report / forecast , the door
bell rang. A boy entered with some food packets that had possibly been ordered
by Sweety . And then she suddenly declared ..
“ Papa , let us have food .”
Somehow, Ramesh Kumar ate the oily
and spicy food served in the disposable
plates . Drinking half a bottle of mineral water , he felt like going to bed
immediately. Bangaluru was pleasant in August . He went to the bed room ,
changed his clothes and had a dreamless sleep waking up at 6.30 a. m. This was
the time when Asha ji would bring him a cup of hot tea along with the morning newspaper.
That made him to feel something like a king in his house . Where to get the tea
? How shall he begin his day without the usual cup of tea ? He kept thinking .
He opened the window and saw groups of people in the park below the flats .
Morning walkers in sports shoes and tidy clothes . Women and children walking briskly
over the circular track in the park. Hawkers distributing newspapers to the
residents of the flats . Newspapers with
pages secured by tight rubber bands
being thrown up like projectile with perfect skill and even to the
fourth floor . Just below his bed room window in the open balcony ,he
found a newspaper . That kept him busy for about one hour . What to do now ?
He went to the kitchen and to his surprise , he found the sink full of
unwashed utensils . Plates , cups , saucers , glasses and spoons . The maid had
possibly not come the previous day. He opened the refrigerator and found that
there was no milk . Sugar and tea, he could locate but then he could never drink black tea. He came out and looked at
the wall clock that kept ticking in the silence of the flat .It was 7.30 a. m. He went near the bedroom door of Sweety , put
his ear close to the door but could hear nothing. No sound from inside the
room. He believed that Sweety and Rohit must be sleeping. Why disturb them
?after all his cup of tea was not that important .
“ Let me take a shower and finish with my shaving now “, he said to himself.
Another half an hour and it was 8 a.m. . He again went to Sweety’s bed
room and found total silence .
“They must have slept late . It is unwise to knock and disturb them. “,
he said to himself and returned to his
bedroom to revisit the newspaper pages .
He thought of going to the market to buy milk and bread and make Breakfast
for everyone . But then he did not have the keys of the main door. He was
warned by Aasha ji not to venture out without door key in the pocket. The door
if closed , would only open from outside with a key.
“So what to do now”,
he said to himself.
It was 8.30 a.m. and as per his information , Sweety and Rohit had to leave at 9.15 a.m. for their office .He
again came closer to their bed room door. There was no sound or movement
inside. Now he started feeling that things were not normal. Something was wrong
. And then at 8.40 a.m. , status quo
continued . Should he knock at the door ? Should he ring Sweety on her mobile ?
Will it be decent if they were actually sleeping? No! No! something is fishy . They should have
been ready to leave by now. Should he inform Asha Ji back in Jammu ? No ! No!
she will get disturbed unnecessarily. Why not open the gunny bag that had Nadru
, Haak , Kulcha and all that stuff and keep everything in refrigerator. He
finished it quickly with his ears and eyes focused at Sweety’s bed room. It was
8 50 a. m. and Status quo continued .
Now he felt seriously worried .
“ Should he call
the guard ?’
“ Should he inform
his wife Asha Ji ?”
“ Should he break
open the door ?”
“ Had he come to Bangaluru to see all this ? ”
“ O God ! what is
this punishment ?”
“ I don’t need the tea or breakfast ?”
“What to do
now as
something is surely wrong over here ? ”
A whirlwind of
disturbing thoughts gave him a shooting headache . He kept talking to himself.
A cigarette was all that he needed at that moment but where to get it.
It was 8.55 a.m. and suddenly
he heard some movement inside the room. He came closer to the door and heard some commotion in the attached wash room
. The toilet tap was open and then somebody opened the wardrobe . He heaved a
sigh of relief, radnk a glassful of water and felt as if his hand had come
underneath a boulder but now he had managed to get it released safely .
It was 9.15 a.m. when the door of
Sweety’s bedroom opened . She and Rohit were ready to leave for their
offices .
“ Papa, we have already ordered some items online like eggs , fruits ,
vegetables , India Gate Basmati rice , bread ,toned milk, butter and some
grocery . The delivery boy shall be here in half an hour or so . The maid shall
come at 10 a.m. She has a set of keys
with her . May be you need to go out, so keep this set of keys in your pocket.
The maid will prepare your breakfast and lunch . I have already talked to her
about it. She shall make chapatis and some dry vegetable for our dinner . You should
have your breakfast with bread and eggs . If you can, please make some Rajmash
the way mummy makes it . You know how mummy makes them spicy and chatpati with
a little of tamarind, ginger and all that . You better guide the maid and she
can make it herself . ”
Sweety opened the refrigerator door and saw it stuffed with what
Ramesh Kumar had brought from Jammu .
“ Please remove all this to create space for what has been ordered
from the Mall. Okay bye .”, saying so, Sweety and Rohit hurried towards the building
lift .
“ Very strange , It looks as if this younger generation does not need breakfast . Shall they go to their office
without eating anything and work all the
day? What for do they earn if they can not have timely and proper diet ? I do
not understand . This is not done. They are simply playing with their health. I
better buy them a sandwich maker . I better Buy them the filling stuff , some
olive oil , a bottle of tomato sauce and a bread today . Let them start it from
tomorrow. So simple . Just spread the filling stuff on the bread , apply little
olive oil to bread pieces and put it inside the sandwich maker . Switch on the
power and have your hot stuffed and tasty sandwiches with sauce . I forgot
their lunch issue .Shall they not have their lunch?Where shall they have it? I
can’t see them like this anymore .I need to do something. “
That was what weighed heavily in his mind at that moment. But then he
also thought that they might Be going straight to the office canteen for their
breakfast . He had heard that many corporate offices run subsidised canteens
for their staff. He wanted to clarify this issue once for all and free his mind.
“ Let me first ask Sweety about this breakfast issue . May be my
sandwich maker shall go waste ? May be they have some better arrangement in
their office . And for home made breakfast , you need to get up at 7.00 a.m. To
get up at 7.00a.m. , you need to sleep
at 11.30 p.m. at the most . This younger generation has changed their body
clock by sleeping at 2.30 a.m. How can
they get up at 7 a.m.? And this Sweety is now dependent on the maid for
everything. Can’t she cook two cups of rice for their dinner ? Eating stale
chapatis for dinner shall make them sick some day . I am going to discuss all
these issues with her tonight . I am going to buy them a small rice cooker .
That should make their system smooth .Very simple to handle . Just two cups of
water in a cup of rice and nothing more .”
With these thoughts in mind , Ramesh Kumar suddenly turned pensive .He
also wanted to have a general look inside the house . For this , he first went
to Sweety’s bedroom and found Rohit’s night suit on the floor . The calendar
page had not been changed since last three months . The shaving razor and the shaving foam
container were in the wash room sink. Two wet towels were lying on the bed . A
half filled coffee mug was lying underneath the bed . On the side table, near
the bed , lay a half eaten rusty apple with a kitchen knife close by .No one
had opened the rubber bands of the newspapers for so many days and these had
been thrown in the lower shelf of the bedroom cupboard .
Moving to the kitchen , he
found that the refrigerator had not been cleaned since long . The washing
machine too revealed similar story. A packet of Prasad Kaul’s Kashmiri Mirch powder
that Aasha ji had given to Sweety during her
Shivratri visit to Jammu , was lying unopened in the kitchen cupboard.
She had forgotten to keep it in the refrigerator as was suggested to her by
Aasha ji.
“ This is not a family house. Everything is in disorder over here .
They live like inmates of a college hostel. This sweety has not learnt anything
from her mother . “ , Ramesh Kumar said to himself.
But then he also realized that she had lived away from her parents for
so many years .She had left her once she
cleared her ten plus two examination . The crucial period when she should have
picked up all these things and other values was spent away from home .
“ She was not to be blamed totally . A girl who is sharp and efficient
at her job , can pick up all this with a little effort. I better send Aasha Ji
for a fortnight next time. Everything shall be perfect to the desired level . “
These comforting thoughts made Ramesh Kumar forget all and move ahead. .
While he was about to move to kitchen , the door bell rang .The delivery
boy from some shopping Mall had come and placed the bill and the ordered items
on the lobby floor .Ramesh Kumar checked the items physically with the bill and
found them in order .It was 11 a.m. now.
The maid had to come at 10.00 a.m. sharp but had not turned up .Ramesh kumar
felt hungry but disorder was prevalent everywhere . The kitchen the sink , the refrigerator , the wash rooms
and the bed rooms .
He came to kitchen side . Looking at the upper Shelf of the kitchen
Almirah for some small pressure cooker for cooking Rajmash , he found a new 3
litre rice cooker lying unopened over there . As per the complementary tag
attached to it , the rice cooker had been gifted by some friend to Sweety on
her marriage . To cook Rajmash , he now needed to wash the pressure cooker
lying in the sink .
It was 11.15 a. m. now and the maid had not turned up. Accordingly
Ramesh kumar decided to do some purposeful work . He thought it better to begin
with washing of the utensils lying in the sink . He opened his shirt and threw it
on the lobby chair and went to the kitchen sink . Thereafter he cleaned the
refrigerator and put the ordered stuff inside it . It was 11.45 a.m. when he decided to make a cup of tea which he
drank along with a Kashmiri bakery Kulcha that he had brought from Jammu. He
now decided to cook Rajmash . And for that he had many other things to do . He
went to the market and bought a pack of tamarind , fresh ginger from the
vegetable seller , cigarettes , onions and a new gasket for the pressure cooker
that he had washed clean .He also opened the rice cooker wrapper that he had
seen in the kitchen cupboard shelf.
When he finished with cooking of Rajmash , it was 2 p.m. and he felt
like having another cup of tea. In Jammu , by this time , Aasha ji would
normally serve him his lunch and he would go for his usual sleep . This was the
time when Aasha ji would close his bedroom door and switch on the television
set to watch her favourite serial .
As he started to prepare his tea , the door bell rang. An elderly man
was at the door. The guest wanted to enter and say something. Opening the door
, Ramesh kumar, ushered the guest in and made him sit comfortably.
“ I am T. Rangachari , your next door neighbour. I am sorry I
didn’t recognize you yesterday. You are
Sakshi’s ( Sweety ) father . The guard told me all. Are you comfortable ? Any help
or support you need , do call me. Don’t
feel it , my son and daughter in law are busy and they are a little shy to mix
with neighbours . This younger generation
is busy in their own affairs .I
retired as principal of a degree college
in Madurai , Tamil Nadu. This is our flat and my son woks
in Infosys .My daughter in law is a Gujrati girl. She is also an engineer with
Samsung. In fact we came last month only as she delivered a baby . She is on
maternity leave and is now going to her parental home next week . Her father is an officer in the State Bank of India and posted at Ahemdabad
at the moment . We plan to stay a month more whereafter my daughter in law
shall bring her mother for the day care
of the baby . We may come after
Deepawali for another three months since my daughter in law’s mother
is going to Texas, USA where her own daughter
in law is in a family way . So either we or her parents shall keep coming till
the baby is about three years . Once the
child starts going to school, things shall get better organized and parental
support may not be a necessity then. We
have to provide this support to our children to enable them to work and earn
for their families . That is the present reality of life . “
“ Yes sir , life is like that . And once the child is about three years old , shall you not stay with them ? ”,
said Ramesh Kumar .
“ What for Mr Koul ? We are happy at Madurai . I have recognition and
some identity over there . Here , only the guard has time to listen to what I
say . Children have a busy life schedule and their demands and priorities are
at cross with our demands and priorities . Should we stand against the flow ,
if we can not move with the flow ? Never Mr Koul. And then this life is a
highway. We have walked enough , we need to create space for others to walk
freely. By word others I mean those who follow us. We must be more sensitive to
their feelings and aspirations .”
“ I do not get what you say Sir. You mean that as parents , we have a
utility value ?’
“ No! No ! Mr Kaul , you understood it differently . Children are not
against us in any way. They are straight and simple . We were tricky and double
talkers . They don’t have time for all
that we picked up from our elders to remain connected in social life . Wasn’t
that a phony life ?”
“ Sir I didn’t get what you
want to say ? “
“ Fine I put it this way . You should allow a plant to grow
independently . No plant shall grow under the shade of a tree. Every plant
needs its independent share of free air ,
sunlight and natural water . We should not create any hindrance in that
flow but be facilitators of that flow ”
Ramesh kumar was a little shaken by this discussion and replies from
Mr Rangachari . But his adaptability made him to knock off this thought from
his mind and move ahead .
“ It is destined who shall prepare or cook and who shall finally eat .
May be this cup of tea, that is in the kitchen , was destined for this guest . “
Thinking so , he brought the tea and some Barfi that he had brought from Jammu
and offered to Mr Rangachari
“ Why this formality . Aren’t you haviong tea.?. Are you sure it was
not for you ? “
“ No ! no formality sir , I had my tea sometime back. You see , one
gets acidity with so much of tea. I avoid it now .”
“ So you have come all the way from that militancy
affected and the disturbed area . I have never been to that side of the country
but we hear a lot of things about that area . Militancy , border crossing ,
firing , strikes , demonstration and all that . Something is even in today’s
newspaper .”
“ I read that . That is Kupwara's border area . Kupwara is a district
head quarter in the kashmir valley
.Jammu and Srinagar cities are separated by hills and a road distance is about
300 km . Jammu is also known as City of Temples . Jammu is a peaceful area .
Except some isolated incidents here and there , even kashmir is peaceful now .
It is not 1990 atmosphere any more.You should also not base your opinion only
from reports appearing in the newspapers
or headlines flashed by TV channels . Quite often, that may not give you a
correct picture of the ground realities. Come to Vaishno Devi ji some day and
see for yourself. I would even suggest plan a visit to the Kashmir valley next year.”
“ Yes , Vaishno Devi ji goddess
shrine . My wife’s brother is posted in Udhampur Northern Command HQ. He is a brigadier
in the army. Every time he talks to us,
he invites us to Vaishno Devi ji shrine . The militancy and the firing news
keeps us undecided . I am told that the army can manage a special Darshan at
the shrine . My brother in law says that he shall come personally to Pathankote
to pick us up in his vehicle. I do not know where all these places are . But
frankly speaking , we are afraid to travel to that area .
After Mr Rangacharti left, Ramesh Kumar felt like going to sleep. He
thought it better to bolt the main door of the flat from inside . While doing
so , he also saw an envelope that had been thrown in from the door chink by
some courier company’s delivery boy .It was an invitation for some share
holders meeting by Tata Motors . The envelope was addressed to Rohit who had
obviously made some investment in shares of Tata Motors .
He kept the envelope in Sweety’s bedroom and then Put the ceiling fan at
full speed . Spreading a mat underneath the fan , he slept on the floor . When
he got up it was about 6.30 p.m. . The hot August sun had mellowed down in
Bangaluru. He had possibly slept at odd time of the day and as a result when he
woke up, he felt a little moody and sullen. The day was on its last legs but
life had set itself in motion below in the open space around the flats .
Opening the lobby window , he looked at the park below and saw children playing
badminton , cricket with rubber balls or enjoying bicycle rides on the track
inside the park. He also saw groups of elderly people sitting on benches in the
park and busy talking to each other. Everybody looked happy and worriless at that moment .
Even birds returning to their nests looked joyous and cheerful while flying
freely in the evening sky .
“ Does the evening sun spread so much happiness ? In Jammu , I have
never noticed how and when this day light slips into darkness . My mother would
sigh at daybreak and say ‘ O God ! why did this dawn come again? ’ Now I
understand that some people feel embarrassed at day break as well. Can evenings
also be so cheerful ? Does the mind start preparing itself for another dawn
?Does human hope recreate itself every evening ? Does a man feel the futility
of the day at dawn or sunrise ? Very strange. ”, Ramesh Kumar said this to himself. He had
turned philosophical and pensive.
Sometimes he would get these mood swings
with his daytime sleep in jammu also . In Jammu , he would go for his daytime
sleep at 2 p. m. and get up at 3.30 p.
m. . He had to be ready for PHE ( Public Health Engineering ) water supply in
his area which would be turned on around 4 p. m. That kept him busy till 5.30 p.m. Everyday he
needed to switch on the electric motor and fill his rooftop water tank .
Thereafter he would water the lawn and flower pots and finally fill up the
underground water storage tank. Thereafter a shower followed by his evening tea
that Aasha Ji would bring him while he sat in a chair in the lawn.
“ What is the use of this lawn I ask ? You can not sit for a minute
over here . So many mosquitoes . They starts attacking your feet and lower
limbs or the exposed body parts . We spend so much in terms of the manure,
insecticide sprays , gardener’s wages , electric bill for watering , repeated turf
mowing and buying all these ornamental plants but can’t sit for a minute over
here . We better grow some vegetables over here .“ He would repeatedly tell
this Asha ji as and when he sat in his lawn.
It was Aasha ji who was against all this else he would have since
started growing vegetables .
For a moment he forgot he was in Bangaluru .Shifting his thought back to
Bangaluru , he went inside the kitchen and wanted to make a cup of Tea for
himself. He also put two bread slices inside the toaster lying on the kitchen
slab to make them hot and crispy. No butter as he had elevated cholesterol
levels and was advised caution . Thereafter went down to KFC store nearby that
he had seen in the morning and bought some fried chicken leg pieces which he
put inside the Refrigerator .
” Now I need to make some chutney from walnut kernel , Dhania , ginger
and curd for them the way Sweety’s mother makes it . How tasty she makes it ? I
need to prepare some fruit salad as well . They must be really tired and hungry
on their return . Let them enjoy this simple home food . I know sweety relishes
that chutney with Rajmash and Basmati rice . I remember her school days. Sometimes , she would eat simple Rajma -
Chawal in the school canteen and bring back her lunch untouched . How fast do these little girls grow and
change ? Strange and unbelievable . Cooking rice is a ten minute job.So easy
with this rice cooker now. But it would have been too cheap of me if Rohit was
not made to eat some non vegetarian stuff. After all he is a son in law. He
can’t be offered simple Rajmash. This time KFC chicken but surely next time I
need to cook some tasty mutton Rogan Josh . But surely this KFC chicken tastes
like a fried fish and then it is neat and clean . Let me see what they like for
tomorrow . “ Ramesh Kumar felt happy at these thoughts . He now decided wash
some fruits for preparing the Salad . He had just peeled one apple when his
mobile bell rang .
“ It is sweety . She must be coming early today . That is like a good
girl . I need to tell her to bring some Ice cream . How good to have some ice
cream after the dinner . I must pay for that “ It was sweety on the
other side .
“ Hello! hello! .
Sweety Beta … Bring some ice cream with you . No problem , come at your
convenience “
“ Fine . Ice cream shall come . No worry . Papa listen . We are going
to have our dinner with my senior colleague Kalpana Kamath . She is going to
South Korea on a project and she has invited some office colleagues for a
dinner today . In fact she had told us at least one week before but the date
was undecided as her husband had to come from Chennai . Now that her husband
has come today , she has invited us tonight . Rohit is also joining me . We
shall be going straight to Kalpana’s residence from our office .So please have
your dinner and don’t wait for us . In case you feel like sleeping , do sleep .
I have the additional door key with me . Good night ”
“ But the Rajmash
and KFC chicken ? And you know the maid had not come today “
“ What did you do
then ?. Let me see what best I can do ”
Ramesh Kumar was taken aback with this news .
“ What to do now? Where to keep all this Rajmash and chicken ? What to do
with all this stuff that I brought from Jammu ? What for did I clean all this
and put myself to this strain ?” He kept thinking all this and then thought it
better to do some purposeful work .
He put the Rajmash inside the refrigerator and cursed himself and his
wife first for having forced him to come to Bangaluru and then for suggesting
to carry all that stuff , which according to him , would eventually go waste
now .
Except Barfi from Pahalwan’s Jammu
shop lying in the refrigerator , everything else that he brought from Jammu was
lying in a bag kept in the lobby . He
opened this bag and found that the green Haak and the kohalrabi ( Kadam ) that was so fresh had dried up and turned
yellow partly. He removed the yellow leaves and kept the remaining Haak and
kohalrabi in a polythene bag that he placed inside the refrigerator. He also
broke the long lotus roots ( Nadru ) to smaller pieces and put them in a
plastic bowl half filled with fresh water . He then placed the bowl inside the refrigerator.
He also kept the walnut wood ( carved ) houseboat and papier mache Kangri
inside Lobby show case . The remaining items he kept inside the bag only.
He felt like smoking and took out a cigarette from the pack that he had
purchased from the market .
Opening the lobby window to allow smoke to escape out , he switched on
the TV and heard about incessant rains in Jammu with River Tawi crossing its
danger mark. That made him a little worried about Rinku and Aasha ji.
“ The weather had been cloudy and it had been drizzling since last
three days over there when I left but it has suddenly taken a worst turn . How
would have Rinku gone for his tuitions in these rains ? A motor bicycle is of
no use in this weather . The forecast informs rains for 72 hours more in and
around Jammu . This Bhagwati Nagar area is going to get flooded now . O God ! save
us from the floods. I should have bought a plot of land in Janipur side . It
was very cheap that side in 1991. And see how fast it developed . But here in
Bhagwati Nagar , river Tawi is often frightening during rainy season . “
He looked for his mobile phone and then spoke to his wife and Rinku .
Informing them that he was fine , He advised them to shift to Janipur side in
case rains do not stop . His younger brother lived in that area and he also
spoke to him about his absence from Jammu and the threat of floods looming
large in Bhagwati Nagar area . Asha Ji didn’t like his seeking help from his brother and assured
him that she shall manage everything herself.
“ If I feel any problem , I will shift to Tosha’s house . Why do you
involve everyone ? I do not live alone in Bhagwati Nagar .More than thirty
thousand people live in this colony . Rest assured, relax and attend to the work
for which you have gone to that place . ”
Tosha was Aasha ji’s sister .This communication with his family in
Jammu disturbed him. It was 8.45 p. m. now . He had no appetite for his dinner
.He wanted to call on Mr Rangachari for a change but then the door bell rang
and a boy delivered some packed food and ice cream.
“ I am not here for eating and enjoying myself with this hotel food .
How happy it would have been if we would have sat together for our dinner ?
This younger generation does not know the value of money . They spend it like
water . If only Sweety and Rohit sat and talked freely , I would have made them
understand benefits of saving money for the future .The bank fixed deposit
schemes , LIC plans and ULIP etc. I
believe they are investing in share market . Very risky investment and then the
returns are purely market driven. O God
! what is this new generation. I also had age and generation differences with
my father but I never had my own way . I knew what hurt him and what pleased
him.. But this younger generation appears to be without emotions. You can not
love them too much . They get irritated . Where is the question of showing them
your resentment or anger ? Who likes to have this hotel food without children,
family , friends and well wishers . I am not a writer. I am not a poet or a
painter who needs solitude for creative work. I am an ordinary social creature.
I need communication , company , children and the family around me . I am not an Island that
some familiar traveller may visit now and then . I am a city and a crowd that
likes to live with collective consciousness . I need to share my happiness and
sorrows . If I had my way , I would not eat this food .But that shall
complicate the issues and I have not come to this place for such like things .
“
Ramesh Kumar was again thoughtful and serious . It was his first day
only and he felt as if he had lived for months in Bangaluru. Reluctantly , he
ate the packed meal that had been ordered by Sweety for him . He placed the ice
cream in the freezer of the Refrigerator as he did not feel any need or mood to
have it at that moment . It was 10.00 p.m. now.
“What to do now ? I can’t sleep
so early . I should not have slept during the day . Let me switch on the TV. “
He kept changing the channels and finally stopped at “ Kasheer” channel . Some
comedy play of Shadi Lal Koul , his favourite actor was being telecast from
this channel. He stuck to it and it made him feel little relaxed .
He must have finally slept at 11.30 p.m. . Sweety and Rohit had not
returned by then . When he woke up it was 7 a.m.. As he moved towards the
kitchen to get some drinking water , he found sweety’s bed room door open .
Surprised at this , he opened the door but neither sweety nor Rohit could be seen.
“ Had they not returned the previous night ? Had they left early today
? ”
This development made him tense and restless . Returning to his bed
room , he saw an envelope near his pillow. Opening it hurriedly , he sat on the bed to read it .
“ Papa , I thought not to disturb you. You were sleeping . I have to
join a new project at Mysore today . We
have our client interaction at 10 a.m. I am leaving at 6.30 a.m. Rohit will drop me at the bus stand and then go to his office . I shall return to Bangaluru by 7.30 p.m. today .Shall speak to you
as well . The maid is coming today at 10.00 a.m. .She will do all. Spoke to her
in detail. Regards .. Sweety “
Heaving a sigh of relief , he
proceeded to the wash room to have a
bath .At 7.30 a.m. sharp , Sweety rang
up her father .
“ Good morning Papa . You
should finish your breakfast at 11a.m. The maid shall give you a packed tiffin and a
cab shall come to the flat at 11.30 a.m.
The cab driver is well known to
us and he will take you to some places
in Bangaluru . I mean places like
Lalbagh garden, ISKCON Temple ,
Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace ,Vidhan Soudha
, Government Museum etc. We have already told the driver to wait for us at 7.30
p.m. outside Forum Mall. See you there in the evening . Enjoy yourself. You need not pay the
driver . He has been paid . “
Ramesh Kumar felt relieved and happy at this development .At least ,
they shall be together in the evening . He wanted to buy a branded shirt for Rohit and a
Titan wrist watch for Sweety.
“No better occasion than this.
Sweety’s earning do not debar me to
spend on her . For me , she remains the same
little child. ”, he said to
himself.
The maid prepared his breakfast
and also kept some dry vegetable and Chapatis for his lunch in the tiffin box.
At 11.30 a.m. , the taxi arrived to pick
him up. He visited all the places that sweety had wanted him to
see. Though he felt lonely , yet the
proposed evening get together made him
happy . From 6 p.m. onwards , he
kept looking at his wrist watch .The driver brought him to the Forum Mall at sharp 7.30 p.m. Rohit and Sweety were already waiting for him.
“ Dinner we shall see how they
desire to have it. Should they eat out , it is my duty to pay . We can also cook at our residence . Just ten
minutes for rice cooking and reheating of the chicken and Rajmash in the microwave oven . So convenient . “ He felt happy at this thought .
Together they went inside the spacious shopping mall. Rohit went to
Arrow’s ”s show room and Sweety selected a shirt for him together with
a matching tie. Ramesh Kumar pulled out
his purse and requested that he
be allowed to pay not knowing that Rohit had already presented his credit card
at the counter. Thereafter Rohit went to
a shop and bought a new Woodland shoe.
“ O God ! six thousand for a shoe. Can’t he buy it from a Bata shop.
What is the problem with Bata , I don’t understand. Then what is the shape of this
shoe for which he is paying so much hard
earned money . And this Sweety is possibly
happy on this overspending . Are they
crazy about a brand ? He could
have easily bought a good shoe for 1500 rupees from the Bata or Liberty show room. They need to save money . This
flat has also created a loan liability
on their young shoulders . Rohit must have also raised a car Loan . Tomorrow they need money for the their child
. I don’t know what or if at all they
save something . Who shall explain
to them about the need to have a child
as early as possible ? The earlier one is free from the responsibility of
children the better it is . Who shall
guide them if they don’t share and tell their plans . “
Thereafter they went to a restaurant
. Sweety ordered assortment of Mexican
foods comprising of hot corn soup, spicy black beans , yellow rice , Nachos and lemon soda etc.
She also advised the waiter to bring
some ice cream after they were
over with the main menu . Addressing her father , She said:-
“ Papa taste some Mexican food. This is vegetarian. Some what close to Indian
food “
“ I will pay for all this . Then I will have . You don’t allow me to
pay . Swear by me that you will allow me to pay for this .”, said Ramesh Kumar .
“ Why do you worry so much for the payment. I have my debit card points
. We are spending them else they shall go waste . “
Ramesh Kumar could not comprehend what she meant by the points and he thought it better to keep
silent .
“ I shall get some opportunity to pay . Let me wait for some time .“
,he said to himself .
When Ramesh Kumar got up from
his seat , his mobile phone slipped from his hand and fell to the ground . For
the first time Sweety saw that her father had the basic model of a Nokia phone
that would normally cost 1700 or 1800
rupees . She led Rohit and her father
to a Samsung store and bought a
new Samsung Android set costing rupees fifteen thousand .
“ Now Papa keep it . You can use
WhatsApp, Viber , Skype and Internet
so easily . That was an outdated and useless set .
Let me change the Sim and you should use WhatsAPP and internet . I believe
you have a mail account . Use it. I shall be sending you mails
frequently. “
Ramesh Kumar had mixed feelings . He was happy to see his daughter
spending with confidence but he also
felt a need to counsel her on saving money .
“After waiting for a month i get a pension of rupees 21000 approximately and here these people are
spending 25000 just in one hour .
And most of the expenditure is unwanted and avoidable . They don’t know the value of money .” , he
said to himself .
Thereafter Rohit brought the car from the Mall parking area . it was
10.30 p.m. and they decided to go home. While Sweety sat on the front seat ,
Ramesh Kumar relaxed on the back seat .
“ What happened to your
Hyderabad training Rohit ? “ , Sweety wanted to enquire from Rohit .
“ Don’t you understand from
this shopping ? I have been asked to report to Hyderabad day after tomorrow
. I may fly by morning flight day after
. Shetty has been asked to arrange tickets for me and Raman . In fact it is
a 10 days training in toto . A Finnish
trainer is coming to train us . And after this training , they shall put me on the company’s prestigious
new project for their Finland
client ”
“ Then you must go . Ten days is nothing . I shall manage. I know a
group of girls in Mysore who live together
in a rented flat . I shall stay
with them till you come back. I can’t
stay in
Bangaluru and cope up with this
daily up and down journey after our
projects actually starts ?”
“ That is a right approach . Tomorrow
, I am coming at 5 p.m. for my packing and all that . You should wait for me at the bus stand . I
shall pick you up at 7.30 p. m. . and from day after you better stay at Mysore
“
Listening to this communication, Ramesh Kumar felt abundantly
disturbed.
“ I am a retired person but not a useless creature .I know nothing
about their programmes and planning .
Here this girl does not discuss any issue with me . She does not allow me to spend as if this retirement has snatched my right to expend . And there
in Jammu , her mother is after
me to spend even the last penny from my
pension thinking as if I am still getting my full salary and other perks that I used to get . Forget spending and forget this retirement issue ,
I have come here to spend some useful time with them and they have their
own engagements and plans . They didn’t inform me about all these plans . What was the
need to come to this place all the way if they had to move out ? And all that I
bought with me is just waste . No one has appreciated and taken due notice of
our efforts in collecting all this stuff, packing it, carrying it by paying so much to airline
company . For me it means that either I
remain stuck up alone in this Bangaluru flat for 10 days more or I pack back . “
Ramesh kumar was engrossed in his world of thoughts that kept him
disturbed all along the journey back home.
“So sweety , neither you nor Rohit ji shall be in Bangaluru day after
tomorrow. “, he intervened
“ Obviously . But that won’t affect you . You can stay over here
and then go to Nalini Bua’s
house for a change . She shall be more
than happy. I shall fix up with the maid . She shall cook for you and I shall fix with our Taxi driver , he shall
drop you at Nalini Bua ‘s flat and bring you back as it suits
you . Her husband has also
retired from HAL recently . In fact they
telephoned us six times for a dinner . Nalini Bua’s husband even came to our flat once to take us to
their home . We had gone for a
picnic to Ooty with my office colleagues . We came to know from the security guard
later . And then one day I saw Nalini Bua and her husband in a restaurant where we had gone . They
paid our dinner bill and again requested us to visit their place
for dinner or lunch . I didn’t tell all this to Mummy. It becomes some issue . I know , Mummy would have said that we
should have refused their paying for our dinner . I have no time for all those things . But
surely they are good people .We telephoned them later but I feel they were not satisfied . And
then I may not be free from the office
before 7 p.m. from day after tomorrow
when the project work actually starts . That means normally I can be in
Banguluru flat not before 10.30 p.m. .
So tiring and impossible to leave again at 6.30 a.m. next day . Till Rohit comes back , I shall
stay with a group of girls who have rented a three bed room flat in Mysore .
And Papa our office programmes are sudden and without any advance notice . We
hardly get any time to plan. I came to know about Rohit’s training just this
very moment .” , said Sweety
Next day Rohit and Sweety left for the office at 9.15 a.m. When the
maid left , Ramesh Kumar
packed all that he had brought
from Jammu in a bag. He applied some
mustard oil to the brinjals to keep them
fresh . He had finally decided to go to
his cousin Nalini’s house and thereafter leave for Jammu . He opened the door of the refrigerator and
found that the leafy Haak and the
kohalrabi ( Kadam ) looked fresh and green . He decided to pack it next day else it could turn yellow.
“ Barfi ! let it be here . They
can consume it . This saffron is of no use to them . I shall carry it back to
Jammu. Let the other items go to Nalini .
It was destined for her only , I was a simple carrier .“
He thought of visiting Mr Rangachari but then changed his mind . He
changed the Sim from his New Mobile to the old set .
“ So difficult to handle these complicated sets . I think Rinku shall
use it at Jammu . Not my cup of tea. I need
SMS and voice communication. I
had enough of their communication over here and what more is needed through this Skype or Viber whatever they call it.
“ , he said to himself and kept the new
mobile set in his suit case .He then
dialed Nalini’s mobile number and
spoke ..
“ Namaskar Nalini Ji .I am Ramesh Kumar . I am in Bangaluru and
staying with Sweety . I hope you are not going to any place tomorrow . I want
to come to your place . How is Baijaan (
Nalini’s husband ) ? I believe Sweety knows your place ? “
“ So lovely to know it . We are here only and even if we were going , we would have happily cancelled it. I shall be waiting for you .
Sweety knows were we live only that she
didn’t come to our place . I shall be
waiting for all of you . Bring Rohit ji
and Sweety with you. If you have
not done your return tickets , don’t worry for the train bookings . Our next door neighbour is a very senior
officer in the Railways , you shall get
a ticket for any train in special quota
or Tatkaal . Your brother in law also
knows the GO AIR manager at the airport . No issue for a direct Jammu
flight anytime at reasonable rates through him. We shall plan everything . Worry
not. I am cooking your favorite Dum-alu and Alla Yakhani ( spicy
gourd cooked in curd ) . “
Next Morning , Ramesh Kumar got up early and went to Nalini’s house in
a taxi that Sweety had arranged . He carried all the stuff that he had brought
from Jammu to Nalini’s house .
It was a grand reunion after Sweety’s marriage . Everybody felt
cheerful and happy. Nalini cooked Haak , Kadam , Nadru Yakhani ( lotus roots cooked in curd ) , Roganjosh
, vaarimuth ( small black beans )
and many other Kashmiri dishes during his stay . Together they went
to the places that Ramesh Kumar had visited alone in the taxi that
Sweety had arranged . He felt he had
missed so much during his first
visit to all these places . He also went
to see a movie with Nalini and her husband
. Together they went to
Banagaluru Kashmiri Sabha meeting. Ramesh Kumar recognized some college friends in that get together where he had
some Kashmiri Kahwa tea and loochi ( quick fried fine Atta
Poorie ) over there . Nalini
bought a ladies suit for Aasha ji and gave it to Ramesh Kumar.
One evening , Nalini’s husband took him to a relation’s house where he
was served sumptuous Kashmiri non-vegetarian
dinner that included Roganjosh , Yakhni
, Mutchh ( minced mutton balls cooked in rich Gravy ) and Kabargaah ( mutton pieces laced with curd and rich spices and then deep
fried in Ghee ). After so many years , he
drank imported scotch in this get together .
Surprisingly , Never did he feel the necessity to smoke at
Nalini’s house until he returned to
Jammu.
Today when a common friend told me that Ramesh kumar had returned to Jammu
, I rushed to his place for some urgent
work . In fact I had to take him to the
Patwari for getting a Farad ( revenue record )
for the plot of land that I had purchased . I intended to mortgage the plot
for a housing loan and Farad was the basic documents needed to create simple
registered mortgage . The concerned Patwari was well known to Ramesh Kumar . Ramesh Kumar was always helpful in getting things done in
revenue department . Inside their house
, I found that he was sleeping in his
bed room while Aasha ji
was busy washing his clothes .
Inspite of my requests not to disturb
him , Aasha ji cried :-
“ Are you listening ? see who has come to see you . “
Rubbing his eyes , Ramesh Kumar
came out of the room and I said:-
“ How was your Bangaluru trip Ramesh Ji ? So you were with Sweety and Rohit ji . Are
they fine ?”
It appeared as if he did not
pay any heed to what I had said. May be
he was not in a mood as Aasha ji had disturbed him and woken him up from his sleep. He must have
been really tired with the journey back
home.
“ Ramesh ji , I say about Bangaluru . How was your stay ? “ I continued
To this he replied
“ What have you to do with Bangaluru ? “
As he said so , there was a knock
at the door . A courier boy had come with A packet
. Aasha ji went running from the
wash room to receive the packet . She
did not want to open it in my presence
but Ramesh Kumar said .
“ He is not a stranger . He is a member of our family . Please open it .”
As she opened the packet , she
found a ladies “ Titan“ wrist watch
with a Tag
“ “For my lovely mom “and a
mobile phone with a tag “ Dear Rinku, whynot make it above 95% this time ? “
“ Now this poor lady shall not
complain about communication , care and attention . She stands adequately bribed
. “ I heard Ramesh Kumar saying
so to himself in a low tone .
Asha ji’s eyes turned moist as she
kissed the New wrist watch.
And Ramesh Kumar went inside his room , pulled a
cigarette from the pack lying in his cupboard and lit it. Looking towards me he said:-
“ Avtar Ji ,Bangaluru is not a
place to live . Let us not talk about that city . Please don’t say Bangaluru
again .”
( Avtar Mota…Jammu ..2015 )
.
CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
