My childhood has been enriched with people- not too many but effective people. People who in their own few and many words and actions have left a unique,imprint in my mind.
Papa has always been a rich man- filled with stories of courage, hope, determination and success. Even little episodes of his childhood- to me seem like a thrilling novel or an exciting scene of a movie. So let me flip through the images that keep flashing in my mind. These pictures are simply the scenes I have drawn after feeling the past of his life.
It was 1950 a 7 year old, petite boy took charge of a 24 inchi gent’s bicycle and made his way to ‘Girls High School’. His face was well powdered with Nycil because ‘Mem log vaha padhati hai’, his mother had said. Bystanders laughed , but gathering all his self respect, he simply ignored them. Once inside the school and class, somebody told Miss that Baljeet is sikh and so he was absent. That was weird?
And then a day came when Tillu as well became sikh and Amma said no to school. It was a pity – he missed his friends Ballu and Robin. He did not miss the big girls Sheila and Dorothy who would push him off the swing. Lying on bed Tillu was evaluating what all would be going on in school, and suddenly out of no-where- emerged Ballu and Robin – Amma was behind them. “Ooh! They saw me lying down like a tweaky-weaky, they saw my house, they will see Amma doting over me! OH NOooo !”
“How come you both are here?” asked Tillu.
“ You did not come to school today, and I had once seen your house so we came” replied Ballu innocently. Tillu felt ashamed.
Amma did not dote over him but dispatched three bowls of Dalia. And surprisingly Robin ate all his share and had later confessed ‘It was a nice porridge your mother gave that day.”
At the annual concert – he played the role of ninth nigger doll; had his face painted black and lips red and he sang his part loud and clear. The principal gave him a ball as a prize. But Mamaji jeered and laughed ‘Ashok- show me how u sing and dance- c’mon Show me , SHOW MEE!! Show me how you sing and dance in Girls High School!”. Tillu was black with humiliation and stopped talking to mamaji Whenever mamaji came home- he would run away and play with neighbours. When forced to stay- he had his face turned away from the treacherous uncle. The year was close to end when he heard uncle sadly confiding to his sister “I have just one sister and just one nephew and he too doesn’t speak with me”. On Christmas day Tillu forgave him and even accompanied uncle on a Rickshaw to wish Mrs Gomes, Miss Bonafacious, a merry Christmas. No body asked him to sing and dance.
But that wasn’t the end of distress. If not uncle it was his eldest son who created a scene this time. During the recess Tillu was happily enjoying the swing when as always Dorothy and Sheila came and demanded him out from it. He protested and clung to the chains tightly as M K Gandhi would have clung to his train seat in South Africa before being thrown out. There was a certain smirk on Dorothy’s face that made him very very angry but could not comprehend at that age. Dorothy didn’t enjoy swing as the fun to flaunt her age and size infront of him and to snatch him by his collar and push him out of the swing. After few verbal exchanges like ‘Out’, ‘NO’ ,‘I say Out’ ,‘NO!’; Tillu was down on the dusty ground. Friends always fly off in such situations. But fixated on the ground, he did see something familiar- boots – yes boots of Veeru dada- his uncle’s eldest son- the 15 year Raj Kapoor fan all clad in Awara bush-shirt Awara pants. Veeru dada was looking at his befallen brother with a queer expression of guilt and fear. Nevertheless Tillu’s confidence was restored , but as he stood up Veeru had vanished completely. Wonder how could he enter and leave Girls High School that easily?
On his return home- he was greeted by Babuji with a rather stern and angry look- a look Tillu thought he could copy and would give to Dorothy tomorrow! But his thoughts were snapped off with the Babuji’s loud voice
‘Ashok! You little boy – you think you are in girls school so you could have all liberties? You dare joke and sweet talk with big girls at school? This is all what you are learning in an Anglo-Indian school! – I am so ashamed of you- you are disgusting!!’ This was far too much for him to comprehend . Babuji had often been ballistic but the reasons were always traceable except for this time. He laid on the bed motionless and thoughtless. Then Munni came up and confided that not long back Veeru dada had come and told Babuji “ Phupha ji I am sorry but I must warn you- Ashok’s ‘chal chalan’ are not good in Girls High School- I have a friend there who says that the little boy enjoys companies of girls – he talks and teases girls. Too smart for his age, he is not in the right path – I must say this Phuphaji” “And since then Babuji had been restless and waiting for you to be back from school”, concluded his sister.
