few good people around me

KULCHE WALE UNCLE

8:25 am : hurriedly gulping down my breakfast.

Mummy standing right at the side of the table to make me eat the whole breakfast, even if it means physically forcing me to sit and eat the chapatti. Well, I don’t mind having parantha, but I’m not a big fan of chapatti..!! but due to increasing waist line and erratic blood pressure I’m grounded and being forced to eat dry chapatti with tea….:-(( ohh butter naan.. i miss u so much..:-(

8:30 am: taken my bag and wire for radio. Checked the mobile, purse, handkerchief. Everything is in place. Touched mummy’s feet and after listening to mummy’s daily instructions of taking care and having lunch on time, I’m off to college.

8:32 am: crossing the society park.

Bheem singh uncle sitting in bench as always. He is retired brigadier. I would say, “ GOOD MORNING UNCLE.”. he is always in a jolly mood. He would say, “ GOOD MORNING YOUNG MAN”. And then he would send his german shepherd to say good morning to me.!!! First day I got a little scared seeing this heavy and big dog sprinting towards me, but he just came wagging his tail, and got down with straight back on his hind legs and lifted his right paw while sticking out his tongue. Uncle said, shake it.!! And I did. He is called tito. And  he is a very friendly dog. That day onwards I changed the ritual a bit, I just hug tito and rub his head and neck and say, “ GOOD MORNING BOY..”. first day I did it, uncle asked me why not u shaking his hand. I said , “ uncle lets not pollute this pure creature by teaching him to behave like humans..”. uncle let out his characteristic high pitched laugh. But dint objected to it..!!

I reach the society gate and see our chief security guard, BAHADUR SINGH uncle.  Seeing him, I put my right hand on the left side of my chest, bow down my head and while walking I say, “ RAAM RAAM uncle ji. Kaise hain..??”. and he would say, “ SAB BADHIYA BETA JI..”

8:38am: I have reached SHAHBAD DAIRY bus stop after 6minutes of furious walking. There KULCHE wale uncle has already set up his thela and making brisk business of selling morning breakfast to laborers and other bachelors living in and around ROHINI sec 28 and shahbad dairy, at unbelievably cheap rates. 10 rs for 3 kulche and as much chole as you want. With additional aachaar at times. I again put my right hand on the left side of my chest and say, “ RAAM RAAM uncle ji.”

He is busy heating kulche and mixing chole. He looks up still, and say with a smile, “ RAAM RAAM beta. College ja rahe ho..??”

This initial line was always the same from him. I wonder why. Because he knew that everyday at that time I go to the bus-stand to catch a bus for college. On my first day at the bus stop, I reached a lot early, not wanting to be late. Since I dint knew from where I would get a bus and at that time no one was in sight and I cud see only this same KULCHE WALE uncle setting up his thela. I went up to him, greeted him and asked, “ uncle ji, DCE college ke liye bus kaha se milegi..??”

He was a warm fellow and he said, “ bus yahi se milegi beta. Par tum bahut jaldi aa gaye. Pehli bus 8:40 pe ayegi.“

This was my first conversation with him. The bus came and I went to college. After that day, it became a routine for me to reach there at 8:38 and wait for the bus while standing by his thela. Though it was an ordinary thela like so many other thelas in delhi, but KULCHE WALE UNCLE was very particular with the hygiene and cleanliness around his thela. He would serve food in neat plates and would ask his clients to throw the paper plates in dustbin which he carried with his thela.  

It was a daily routine and soon we got acquainted. What strike me most about him was his calm approach. Even in the bustling morning hours he could keep track of which customer ordered what food and in how much quantity. It was remarkable, given the fact that in the morning at least 25-30 customers could be seen having their morning breakfast at his thela. But even in this all pervasive rush and the noise of a bus stand, KULCHE WALE UNCLE was calm and went about his business with a constant smile in his face and enthusiasm in his voice.

   

While returning form college: I couldn’t give a fixed time for it because, my time of returning from college is variable..!! but what is constant is KULCHE WALE UNCLE and his thela.

Just as I get down from the bus, if he would be free then he would say, “ aa gaye beta..??” which I again find a bit odd, since it is obvious that I have returned, otherwise how could he see me..!! but then I feel it is the way in which our elders show their concern and care for us. Like mummy give me instructions daily to take care, to cross the road carefully, have lunch etc.. at times I do say “ ma, I remember these instructions by heart. I’m no longer a kid..!!”. mummy would just laugh at it.

But if by chance some day mummy forgets to say those instructions, I would say after coming out of the gate, “ ok ma, I’m leaving for college..”. mummy would  say, “ok”. I would again say , “ ma, I’m leaving for college” but this time with a slight smile, and mummy would understand and would then repeat her instructions.  Then only I would feel that everything is in order.

So despite it was funny, the way KULCHE WALE UNCLE always asked me the obvious but still somewhere it made me feel nice. Because no matter how big or old u may be, it always feels good to know that someone is watching your back.

At times I would stick around and talk with him. He was a well informed guy. He liked reading the newspapers. With him one could talk on all issues ranging from CWG scam to INDO – US policy to political scenario. He told me that he has studied till class 7^th but then had to drop out due to financial conditions. He learned welding and worked as a welder in a ship yard in vishakhapatnam. Then through the twists of life, he was accused of stealing and thrown out of job. With just 70 rupees in his pocket he came to delhi in 1992. Did odd jobs like being gardener in TEEN MURTI BHAVAN, working in dhaba as cook, working at station, as laborer in construction sites. He earned money and when he saved enough he married a local girl. He says it was a love marriage. He made his wife elope from home. But after marriage the issue settled down, the girls parents disowned her and uncle dint had any parents to disapprove. So they lived peacefully. Not in prosperity but in peace. He switched more jobs and ultimately settled with this thela when he became physically non capable of doing other things. He has one son and one daughter. He proudly says that he has taught his son till class XII and he is doing diploma . He has married off his daughter and once his son completes his diploma he will get him married. He spoke with gentle calmness and was very humble in his disposition. In almost every 3 sentences, he would say, “ bhagwan ki daya se..”. he was a nice person to talk to. I tried his chole kulche and they were awesome.! Some days I used to bring them for mummy also.

This was the routine which got repeated day after day. Until one day after reaching bus stop I cudnt see his thela. I asked guys standing over there but no one could give any information. I thought maybe he got late in setting up his thela which was odd because I never saw him late as he used to make it a point to serve his major set of customers who were laborers, before their shift started at the factory.

That day when I returned from college and still couldn’t see him I was a bit worried. I thought maybe he is ill.

Next morning again the thela was not there. I asked the paan wala he said, last to last night when he was about to reach his home in shahbad dairy slum ,a drunk young man driving MAHINDRA SCORPIO rammed his vehicle to KULCHE WALE UNCLE and his thela while he was crossing the road and promptly fled from the place. Someone around there noted the number of the car and they lodged a complaint. The guy was convicted and he settled the case by paying all the expenses for the treatment of KULCHE WALE UNCLE. In return he made them withdraw the case. This was a mutually beneficial option because family of KULCHE WALE UNCLE was in no position to take up the huge expense for his treatment. The paan wala also said, may be his one leg would have to be amputated as it was beyond repair, the thela is completely gone. Guess we wont be seeing him anymore, he would be completely bed ridden.

I was shocked to hear this narrative. And extremely sad. KULCHE WALE UNCLE has been fighting with his life till now. Despite being poor he understands the value of education and making his son do a diploma. He has been falsely accused of stealing, still he made out a life for himself. Every time life has thrown him a challenge he has taken it and overcome it, but always remained humble and joyful. And here all his life’s work is destroyed by a punk, a spoiled brat of rich daddy, who was driving drunk. Most of all I was pained at the thought that his son wont be able to make through his diploma now. His one shot at a better life was cruelly snatched away from him.

The road which takes just 6 minutes of walking took me 10 minutes that day. When I returned home mummy could see something’s wrong and I tell her about what happened. Mummy said, “ god tests us all.. but he grills honest people a little bit more so as to see till how long can he take it. Don’t worry. God will take care of him”.

I too prayed to god to take care of him. He did not deserve to suffer.

The incident was in early NOVEMBER. My routine continued as it is. I missed his presence at the bus stop and used to enquire from the paan wala about his well being. Then one fine day in march on my way back from college, I could see a thela at the same place where KULCHE WALE UNCLE used to put up his thela and a crowd of 10-15 people surrounding it. At first I thought it was some other guy doing business at the vacant place. When I got down from the bus and was counting money to give to the conductor I heard a known voice. “ AA GAYE BETA..??”.

I was again shocked. I could see KULCHE WALE UNCLE sitting on a folding chair. His wife managing the kulche and chole, while he was managing the cash. His crutches were kept just by his side. I went up to him and said, “ arey uncle ji aap…?? Kasie hain..??  “

He was smiling. He said, “ theek hu beta.. bas khade hone may dikkat hoti hai isliye tumahiri aunty ko leke aana pada.”

I said namste to aunty. She was a kind old lady and looked equally calm as KULCHE WALE UNCLE. I asked aunty to pack me 2 plates. I took out 20 rupees and went to give it to aunty, she said, “ uncle ko do beta. Mai to paise pehchanti nahi..”

I gave uncle ji the cash. I asked him why he is doing all these at such age and with damaged body. He simply said, “ beta sanju (his son) ka diploma hone may sirf 7 mahine baaki hain. Agar abhi chhod diya to itne saal mehnat karne ka kya faayeda…???”

I took the packed chole kulche and headed home. I just witnessed something wonderful. Here were two old people. Maybe around 50 years in age. Still going strong. The old woman still loved and respected her old man very much and was willing to slog it out together against life so as to give their son a better future than theirs. KULCHE WALE UNCLE would never be able to but a private jet for his wife, nor he could but her diamond ring, but I’m sure when they will have their dinner together at night they will be as happy as any obscenely rich couple.

I reached home. Told mummy what I saw. Had the chole kulche. That evening when I opened the text book for MEASUREMENT AND METROLOGY I observed that weight we measure in GRAMS, distance in METERS, time we measure in SECONDS, speed in METERS PER SECOND…

COURAGE….. WE CAN’T MEASURE COURAGE…