HOLDING MY FATHER’S FINGERS

 

 

My father would sometimes take me out with him , when I was growing up . Perhaps in earlier times this was  a common practice . However these are ‘digital times’ where emotions have been kept in backburner.  What was the reason  for him to do so ? Maybe to show the world outside or just an outing , I cannot say . But, I remember my father in many ways and one such is when I accompanied him holding his fingers!

My earliest memory is when he took me to  Lansdowne on vacation  from Allahabad.  I had spent my childhood  in Lansdowne . It was a happy childhood with my brother and the large family . My Grandfather edited a newspaper from there and his mother ( my great grand mother) was alive and active then . We brothers received  so much of love from her and from our grandfather , uncles and aunts, neighbours, our memories are full of joyful days of that period. We have plenty of photos in our album of those times in ‘Subedar Mohalla’  which gives happiness still. Therefore my visit called back those times  and I could relate to that place- The Church which housed a school where I studied , the park which was my favourite place , the bazaar and chocolate burfi of Kanhaiyalal   . Since then we brothers go regularly to Lansdowne to look at our rented house opposite the park  in the small and calm cantonment town.

My father had plenty of tales to tell about Jim Corbett and his hunting expeditions . These formed part of the bedtime stories and he would relate the story with much action and the roar of the tiger etc . I took from him and would tell the stories to my children in a similar manner.   In the sixties he manged a van and took us to Corbett National Park and the sight of an elephant herd chasing our dark grey van still excites me . Later,  I would read books by Corbett and found him to be a wonderful writer – ‘The Man eating leopard of Rudraprayag’  is among his best works. Corbett National Park has remained my favourite sojourn and retreat much to the reluctance  of my wife and children ,  who insist on exploring new sanctuaries.  Though I have not yet sighted a tiger , but  I prevail that where in India you would find such tall trees , thick forest , a river flowing and the largest number of Tigers!

Allahabad was a city of Intellectuals , writers, leaders and Lawyers. It also boasts of some of the finest bungalows of the colonial era . Civil lines area with broad parallel roads and sprawling residences was created by the British after the ‘First war of Independence’ of   1857   by  perishing five villages. My first experience of visiting one such bungalow was with my father who took me to the residence of one Mr Tiwari , senior Advocate near Thornhill Road. A well kept lawn and garden with wide variety of plants and flowers and two German Shephard dogs ! This was in the late sixties and the multi-storey ingress  was lurking in the corner! I could experience some satisfaction  when I stayed  in a bungalow in Katari Bagh , Wellington island Kochi during my Navy days!

My father would every year order a box ( peti )  of apples from Chobatia near Ranikhet , Kumaon which the family looked forward and relished . He would also distribute some to his friends and associates and I would often accompany him . The happiness on his face as he handed over the fruits mentioning with pride about quality of the fruits from the hills makes me smile still. Fruit culture is prevalent in hills and often we would take fruits with us to gift to friends instead of sweets .   

Train journeys in older times were enjoyable ; getting down at remote stations and looking for vendors for tea and local snacks. Some stations are famous still for their unique items such as ‘Sandile ke laddu’ and ‘Shankargarh ka Peda’.  The reading culture was much prevalent and before boarding the train one would buy the latest magazines and newspapers from the country wide present ‘Wheelers book shop’ . These were exchanged with the fellow passengers and on occasions some interesting discussion would also take place .   I recollect one such journey when I purchased among other publications the latest copy of the ‘Blitz’ weekly newspaper edited by the legendary editor Rusi Karanjia who was among  the earliest to carry out  ‘ investigative stories’. The last page of the paper was always written by the famous writer and film maker Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. My father would read many newspapers and he had told me that he improved his English by reading the English dailies aloud . I too would do the same  and during vacations would read to my grandfather who was surrounded by newspapers, magazines and periodicals. That edition of ‘ Blitz’ carried the cover story from ‘cover to cover’ , was a special edition on Independence Day . It carried in detail various ideas to make our country ‘Great’ and consisted of numerous micro and macro suggestions. My father first quickly read the paper and then I read the same  and we agreed that it was a good article and I clarified some aspects from  father . As was the practice we kept the copy for many days to be shared with  other family members and friends .  Father possessed   a small library from his student days and books with titles-‘Light Of Asia by Edvin Arnold ’, ‘ Inqilab by K A Abbas’ ‘ Glimpses of World History ‘ by Nehru are retained in me. We brothers too maintain our libraries !

  Once I accompanied my father to ‘Institute of Gandhian Thought and Peace ‘ near Allahabad University . There was some discussion and Z A Ahmad the famous leftist leader and Rajya Sabha member was also expected .  I was among the youngest in the meeting and among others was Mr Mulla the famous senior advocate of Allahabad High Court and Zia Ul Haq the local communist party leader . Though Dr Z A Ahmad did not arrive but there was a lively discussion and repartee and Mr Mulla was highly critical of the new policy of the Government  regarding ‘Adult education’ he said that how does one expect a poor Rickshaw Walla to attend classes after a hard days work!  Participating in discussions was much sober in those times ! When I joined university along with my friends we joined the weekly club ‘Elysium’ headed by the genial Dutta Sahab the Editor of Northern India Patrika for many years .His nephew Ranjit Dutta was my friend .  The meetings were held in ‘Barnetts Hotel’ in civil lines run by the Dutta family   and we were served tea.  Many eminent personalities would visit   our meetings and talk to us among them were the famous Justice Markandeya Katju who was a Lawyer at that time and was very popular among students .

 There are some people whom we cherish life long and one such person was Dr V S Narvane Professor of Philosophy at the Allahabad University and later visiting professor in US universities . He had taught my father and formed a lifelong association with him and our family. My father took me to him and I was immensely impressed by his thinking , knowledge and the beautiful house adjacent to circuit house which he built . His study consisted of wide variety of books and I would borrow them sometimes . He wrote in simple lucid style reminding me of the style of Hemingway and Nehru. He wrote books on philosophy , culture and Literature . Once he lectured us in the ‘Elysium’ on ‘Indian and Western Art’ and there was an overwhelming  response in the manner and fluidity of his narration from all of us .

Holding my father’s fingers unwittingly I imbibed so much that I could face the world confidently. Sadly he left us so suddenly and early depriving me of my duty  to hold his hand  in old age!  

STUDENT POLITICS

 

The recent elections in Jawaharlal University Delhi were in news.  How Left and Right ideologies clashed and the election were contested intensely as ever. I was immediately reminded of my days in the University of Allahabad in the late seventies where I had an engrossing peripheral view of the ‘student Politics’ of those days and was a hesitant  participant too! 

We were exposed to an organised parliamentary procedure in our school St Joseph’s College Allahabad by our revered and visionary Headmaster Father Rego in order to make us better citizens and leaders of tomorrow. There was Prime Minister and ministers, his cabinet  and parliamentary debates ; all nominated . Once there was some rowdiness in ‘Parliament’ and the Parliament was dissolved and ‘President’s Rule ‘ was imposed . Students were appointed as ‘secretaries’ and functioned under the ‘President’. I too was appointed ‘Canteen Secretary’ . My job was to keep a keen eye on the items sold and to watch that prohibited items such as ‘chewing gum ‘ were not sold. Once I confiscated  the many brands and packets  of chewing gum /bubble gum and deposited in the school office.  

I heard of  the closely fought election of CAV college Allahabad and how Nisar won the election and emerged as local leader. Therefore ‘student politics’ was permitted in some intermediate colleges too ! Not then but now when I mull over it I consider it was perhaps not appropriate for colleges to allow such serious  politics ,influenced and financed by the local politicians and political parties.  Much time was being wasted on politics at the cost of curriculum and the local politicians were creating their support base and a constituency.

University for me was truly an eye opener . Specially my Allahabad university with its domes and historical structures and history . It was established in 1887.  Having worked in a university and seen the campus of numerous famous  universities in India I can say with pride that few come close to Allahabad university in infra structure and legacy   – Arts and science faculties , Senate hall , Vijaynagram hall,  JK Institute, Libraries , hostels , open spaces  etc. These historical marvels were activated and energised by dedicated and  eminent Professors , Scholars and Administrators. Dr Amr Nath Jha was head of English Department and then Vice Chancellor for three terms in the forties  . He was perhaps the youngest VC at that time . Harvansh Rai Bachhan , Prof Dastur, Prof Deb , Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, Raghupati Sahai Firaq, Ram Kumar Verma , Prof J K Mehta , Dharamvir Bharti , Dr Murli Manohar Joshi , Megh Nath Saha and many more have imparted education in the University  .Their very presence , thoughts and ideology have enriched the legacy of this great university.

The list of political leaders at the National level who studied in this university is quite impressive -   Motilal Nehru, Madan Mohan Malviya , Acharya Narendra dev, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma,  Govind Ballabh Pant, Chandra Shekhar, Visvanath Pratap Singh, Gulzari Lal Nanda,  H N Bahuguna ,  N D Tiwari , Arjun Singh and many more. Perhaps this achievement is a motivator for the aspiring students to try their luck! However; no parent send their children to this illustrious university to become a politician as most become politician when other options fail! One student Rakesh Diwedi would contest for the President’s election year after year and never succeeded . However out of sympathy he was elected  President when he was in his late thirties.

 I joined the university because my father had studied there. He was a student  leader of AISF ( All India Student Federation) as during his time socialism was a preferred ideology  and the October Revolution of 1917  in Russia was an inspiration. But during my father’s time in the late forties and early fifties the elections and politics in the university never affected the studies and examinations were held in time. But when I joined the university the political leaders of all colours prevailed the campus . Dressed in their traditional kurta -pyjama they would be surrounded by their admirers and move around meeting and greeting students and listening to their problems such as admission in a certain department, hostel requirement, issue of library books, fee submission etc.  A parallel system existed. I was a science student and had cleared my intermediate science with difficulty and so had opted for Arts subjects in graduation . I found Economics, Modern History and English Literature very interesting and so never missed any classes.  

 Soon the election programme was announced and the university was in the grip of its fever . It appeared that a license to bunk classes , to address classes by candidates was accorded. Pamphlets and processions pervaded the university campus. Slogans in support of candidates adorned the walls of the departments and libraries . It was a bizarre and unesthetic spectacle. An atmosphere of festivity and celebration existed during that period . The most interesting was joining any procession which was visiting the Sarojini Naidu women hostel otherwise a restricted place ,    to address the girls there who also enjoyed the attention which was accorded to their constituency . Invariably a huge procession would enter the women hostel and singing and dancing would  accompany the sloganeering but when the procession came out of the hostel the strength would deplete by half !

We students from the English medium schools had a sizeable numbers and were wooed by all candidates and  were refereed as ‘Hi Bye Londe’ ( Hi   Bye boys) . During the election seasons all leaders and candidates talked to us politely . University politics was a launching pad for state and National politics for many ambitious leaders and some did make the cut. It was believed that certain high profile politicians and ministers closely monitored the elections and financially supported the potential winners.

 I was supporting the left supported candidate for the post  of the Secretary of the ‘Students’ Union ’ . I remember that the vice -President of JNU Students’ Union visited during the elections and spoke to students in English in the various classes in support of our candidate. In the fray were not only students with long term political ambitions but few studious students would also join to test their popularity and aimed to make a difference in the existing murkiness.

My friend Deepak Dhawan who was among the toppers of Law first year filed his nomination for the post of ‘Publishing Secretary’ . We were sure that his credentials would get him to the post . It made the opposing members tense too and there was request and polite threat to withdraw but he did not relent.  His chubby face , simple appeal and baby fat was quite endearing and the girls called him -Glaxo Baby. Though he did not win the elections he fetched about 1200 votes against the winning candidate who got about 2000 votes but he made an impact which was the purpose .  

 The election of the President was keenly contested and I favoured   Anugrah Narayan Singh a candidate supported by the left. What I remember was that on the last date of the campaign a ‘Mashal Jaloos’  ( Torch March ) was organised which was very impressive . At dusk when the lights faded the students set out in one fine with their flaming torches with the posters and banners . It was indeed a captivating sight . He won the elections handsomely .

During the elections various attractive slogans were invented . However the dominant slogan was ‘ Tempo High hai ! ‘ prefixed by the name of the candidate – ‘Deepak ki Tempoi high hai’ ( the wave is in favour of Deepak) . We were advised by other supporters that during discussions the sure win of our candidate should be emphasised whether he was winning or not .

 Looking back I consider that interference of politicians should be curtailed and only issues of the university should be point of discussion and debate . I lost one year on account of anti-reservation strike of 1978-79 as our final exams were delayed by one year . It was an unofficial zero year

But I still look back with fondness   at  those years of learning  and happiness.

SUMMER MEMORIES OF ALLAHABAD

 

 

  Summer is the season when nature manifests its anger , with some sweet relief in shape  of melons, cucumber and mangoes . Though some retreat to vacations to colder latitudes but the large majority have to slug the heat to make the ends meet.    

The summer is in full bloom, the monsoons are awaited , the temperatures are being monitored. The birds search for water in streets and doorsteps of concrete structures! The dogs gasp with elongated tongues, the world moves on!

 Summer brings many memories .  In Vishakhapatnam I would read regularly the fatality count on account of ‘Heat stroke’ , most who died were poor labourers working on roadside without shade and  who did not have the freedom to stay secure at home. Now I am in Goa and here too the summer heat and humidity is sapping .

  However , many memories of the summers spent in the heat waves of Allahabad come rushing; though all seasons visit Allahabad, but the city is famous for its summer ! My Mother returning  home by rickshaw after her examination duties,  would insist that an urn full of water be given to  the ‘Rickshawala’ and she would ensure that a piece of 'gur' ( jaggery) is also given as it was her belief that in hot weather when one was sweating one should not drink cold water empty stomach .Water serving points( piau) were available at street corners as it was the custom of the city.

   The summer began soon after Holi and ended close to Diwali, May to August were hottest period. At that time Air conditioners  were non-existent in middle class homes , later we could afford water coolers ;but not in all rooms . In summers we would lie on the floor and the solitary USHA fan was our source of survival; the fan is still serviceable! The heat in Allahabad was a challenge, we were always cautioned to guard against the dreaded 'loo' ( the heat wave peculiar to summer seasons in eastern UP) and covered our head with a soft towel when venturing out, the agony was aggravated by the fact that the movement was slow , either on cycle or on rickshaw; scooter came later which was a relief.  Sometimes I  would see a solitary person on the road between High Court and Circuit House on a cycle with his head covered fighting the heat wave and opposing hot wind and trying to make way, his movement ahead would be very slow and from a distance it would appear the  cycle was stationary on the road. During the afternoons the only shops open would be of 'Paan/bidi/cigarette'!.

  My Father also suffered in summers along with other lawyers as there was no change in the dress regulation, he was tied down by the black coat and what accompanies Lawyers' uniform  and was sweating all the time , there were white sweat marks perennially under the arms of his coat.  Maybe the court rooms were air conditioned/air cooled or  'khus-khus' was put but the travel to ‘High Court’ was full of hot air and slowness of ‘Rickshaw’ made it even more treacherous  . Most Government offices had coolers for the officers and ‘Khas- Khas’ mats for the staff, casual staff was recruited during the period to water the vertical ‘Khas-Khas’ mats fixed to the doors and the windows which cooled the air and the very smell /aroma of Khus -Khus was refreshing (I miss those days).

   Reading occupied much of our time during vacations; Nandan, Parag ( children's magazines) when children and  weekly/ fortnightly magazines such as Samtahik Hindustan, Dharmyug, Illustrated weekly,  when grown up. We graduated to reading Premchand and James Hadley Chase soon. ‘Panna’( a drink made of raw mangoes, fresh mint and sugar/jaggery) was available at home and ‘Kissan's ‘ orange and lemon squash and ‘Rasna’ were also there, Coke was a luxury. Water was cooled in a big 'Ghara' ( a big earthen  container ) which was filled in the morning, it was supplemented by a few 'surahis'  ( a slim earthen container- Pitcher ).  Water purifiers  and filters were non existent. ‘Surahi’ was carried during journeys on train and often purchased at the station and whilst disembarking either handed over to a fellow passenger or broken by throwing out of the train. It was  a common belief and experience that the water of ‘Surahi’ was the sweetest ( or was it the water of Jamuna in Allahabad which was sweet?).

In the evenings when the sun had set but the warmness persisted we would look out for the Ice - cream  vendor of the famous local ‘Rita ice-cream’ . During that era each town and city had its local brand of ice-cream and the big brands monopoly had not set in.  

     Sometimes we friends would go to swim at the  enclosed ‘coral club’ swimming pool. Cucumber the thick and thin variety were relished after application of liberal salt and red chilly , the ‘Kharbujas’ ( melon)of Allahabad are to be found nowhere else , green in colour from inside and yellow-green pattern outside , always sweet, we made juice out of it when ‘mixies’ arrived. Mangoes would be suckled passionately; at least 5 to 6 in one go; the small desi variety . Allahabad is blessed with huge tamarind trees which not only provide shade but sweet and sour fruit which was strewn on the road struck by wind  or bird or children throwing stones to pluck the ripe and raw fruit . On certain occasions we were treated to the famous ‘thandai’( a beverage made of milk and dry fruits).

  Clothes most preferred were half pants /Tshirts and the universal white lose kurta-pyjamas. The vegetables grew despite the heat and ‘lauki, tinda parbal’ were available in good numbers and variety  . These were grown in ‘kachar’(  sandy region close to river). My mother would invariably shop for the vegetables and fruits on her return from college from the road adjacent to Government Press and behind the AG Office, where fresh vegetables and fruits of the season were available. At night, the fruits and vegetables from the ‘kachar’ were carried on camels’ back to the mandi for sale the early next day. It was a picturesque sight to see the camels in one line slowly moving toward   towards their  destination as the cycles and rickshaw plied alongside. Most camels were loaded with ‘water melons’ on both sides .  

  Many years have passed since I left the historic city but I remember it for many reasons and one is its distinct summer- the fragrance  of the 'heated earth' is deeply etched in my heart and mind.

WORDS AND VIEWS

 

 

   In    1982  one of the finest English Judges  Lord Denning ( Alfred  Thompson  Denning  ) submitted his resignation  as ' Master   of the Rolls'  ; the third senior most Judge in England. He was in that chair for twenty years and could have continued till his Death. He was Judge for  38 years and many Lawyers consider him  as the Greatest Judge of the century. Many of his verdicts  resulted in changes in the 'British Common Law'.  What prompted his resignation were his remarks in a book in which he seems to have suggested that " some members of the Black community were unsuitable to serve as Juries ,  and that immigrant groups may have had different moral standards to native English". The views made the Black Lawyers complaint to the Lord Chancellor and he was also criticized in the Press. A distinguished career thus ended in an unnecessary blemish. His  remarks also put a question mark to his years of learning and writing work!

   In December 2014  Peter Hollingworth, a senior Immigration Judge in England had to tender his resignation after he allegedly made racist comments against an Indian origin woman with surname  Patel. she had filed a case of harassment and was not present in the Court . When the Judge asked for her the prosecutor informed that she was not in Court. To this the Judge stated " She can't be doing anything important… with name like Patel she can only be working in a corner shop…" When she learnt of  his comments she complaint of the matter to the  Senior  Judge.

There was no legal binding on the Judges to tender resignation , but they resigned to uphold the ‘values of the society’ and for the long term good of their Nation. It is famously said the ‘ Laws do not make people virtuous’ !  Just one moment of casualness , one remark made their entire career questionable! It is a common saying that ‘Choti choti baton se badi badi  baton ka pata chalta hai’  ( small talks make big revelations! )

  In March this year the Finance Minister of Uttarakhand Premchand Agarwal had to resign as minister following his insensitive remarks in the assembly in February. During a debate he had stated  that the Uttarakhand state was not created only for the ‘Pahadis’ ( hill people)  . The speaker intervened and stated that such divisive remarks should not be made and that all the people of Uttarakhand were one . However  there was an outrage in public and he was also reprimanded by his party and finally was left with no option but to tender his resignation. Thus his ‘words and views’ led to his political fall.

Each word creates an image and we respond to that image . Poetic and creative words register soothing and reassuring images and we return to those images and artists frequently but violent and aggressive words are provoking and create  oppressive images . Sometimes societies fall victim to such images and thus conflict and antagonism arises.

The power of ‘Words’ is  much established! Words do not vanish ; they resound, rebound and return . Sometimes with fondness sometimes with regret ! ‘Words and Views’ have life beyond the moment . The famous Hollywood actor Al Pachino states that ‘words can make you fly’ and that  ‘word made flesh’. In his memoir titled ‘Sonny Boy’ he writes “ But when I read from the book of Psalms in a big, booming voice –‘ He that walketh uprightly , and worketh righteously , and speaketh the  truth  in his heart’ – I could feel how powerful the words were . Because the words can make you fly . They can come to life. Like my friend Charlie used to say , the word made flesh , to borrow another biblical phrase . That’s what  I thought acting was , just saying beautiful words and trying to entertain people with them”    

The power of the ‘Word’ is stated in Hindu Vedantic philosophy which states that ‘Shabda Brahman’  meaning that the world is word . In the book titled ‘Om Gayatri and Sandhya’ published by Ram Krishna Math ,  Swami Mukhyananda writes “ Now the ‘a’ ‘u’ ‘m’ , known as Matras ( phonetic constituents) of Om , are symbolic not only of the beginning ,middle, and end of all the words , and of the entities and concepts represented by them , but of all the worlds ( Lokas) as well for purpose of meditation . They represent the three planes of Bhuh, Bhuvah, and Svah and the corresponding microcosmic states . …….Hence  Om is also characterised as Sabda -Brahman( Sound Brahman or Brahman in the form of Sound or the word  )  “  

    To hear good , and to see good is emphasised in   ‘Vedic Swasti Vachan’ ( chanting for well being and prosperity) :

‘Om Bhadram Karnnebhih Shrnnuyaama Devaah |

Bhadram Pashyema-Akssabhir-Yajatraah |

Sthirair-Anggais-Tussttuvaamsas-Tanuubhih |

Vyashema Deva-Hitam Yad-Aayuh |’

 

( O Devas, May we Hear with our Ears what is Auspicious,

 O (Devas who are) Worthy of Worship, May we See with our Eyes what is Auspicious,

 With (Sense) Organs Steady and Body Praying (due to Hearing and Seeing the Auspicious) ...

 ... May we Attain  the Lifespan allotted by the Devas (thus finding fulfilment in our lives).

 

  Freedom of Speech is the Corner stone of a Democracy but it is  not unbridled  as it has responsibility and Accountability linked to it . Accountability to the people. The Judges resigned because they were aware of the ethos of their Nation and perhaps could understand the grave lapse which the 'People' would not tolerate. However many public figures in responsible positions  utter irresponsible and insensitive statements   they know that the people may tolerate them or perhaps they know that our people are too engrossed to meet their economic sustenance and may therefore ignore  such  aberrations. But our Democracy will remain flawed till such time our  Citizens in the higher positions  are not mature and refined  in their

‘ Words and Views’.