THE BAND MASTER AND THE DRAWING MASTER OF MY SCHOOL

                                       

KAAR E NAJAAR ... BA DAST E GILKAAR

In DAV school , we had a drawing teacher who used to put on colourful turbans ( Dastaars ). Sometimes light pink , sometimes light yellow and quite often creamy white . No one knew his real name . He was nicknamed RANGA DASTAAR .  During the course of time, Rang Dastaar shortened to RANGA. Many boys started calling him Ranga behind his back . Later, I came to know that the real name of the drawing teacher was Tara Chand. He was very strict with his drawing students . For him drawing was the most important subject that the boys needed to learn.He would get excited and agitated over small issues and then cut a fresh poplar tree branch to silence students with three or four lashes . He would charge upon recalcitrant boys like a tiger .And then we had a Band Master who acted similarly. His name was Niranjan Nath. Boys nicknamed him as Nera Band. The Band Master and  the Drawing Teacher were friends . Boys were actually afraid of these two teachers . Niranjan Nath  would come to our school possibly for two days . With a stick in his hand, he would start his morning drill  immediately after the prayers . I still remember the band tune . It was based on the popular film song, " Aaj kal mein dal gaya, din huva tamaam,  tu bhi so ja  so gayi, rang bhari shaam" . The song was written by Shailendra  for Beti Bete( 1964 )  movie.

 And one day ,I saw the Drawing Master playing on the side drums while Niranjan Nath stood nearby and watched with keen interest .Suddenly, he snatched the side drums from the drawing teacher and started playing himself .

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" Ba ti hai ousus yi waayaan .( I was also playing the same tune) " , said the drawing teacher.

" Gatchh tul  burusha ta chhak rang . Dapaan Kaar e Najaar ba daste gilkaar.........or Go and pick up the brush and splash colours. Have you heard the Persian sayings ' kaare najaar ba dast e gilkaar "  meaning a carpenter's job being got done from a mason's hand " ,replied the Band Master. 

( Avtar Mota )

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