Part
27
“There is nothing to be afraid of, Bittuji, must be some of
our close friends. They must have heard of your coming” Babuji looked
completely unperturbed. Amma was also carrying on with her food. I was the only
one who had stopped eating. I was not scared. I knew if it had been something
to be afraid of, the first step Babuji and Amma would have taken was that of
protecting me. Amma, in, particular would have raised a big hue and cry but both
of them were cool and calm and their calmness rubbed off upon me. The only
thing I was thinking of was that they had shouted out my name and also said
that they would break open the door. This was the worrying factor for me.
Suddenly Khalid rushed in.
“Bittuji, come out fast” Khalid was breathless. “You can
finish your food later” I looked at Amma and Babuji. They were looking at
Khalid with questioning eyes but did not say anything, they just nodded at me.
This was their way of saying I should go. I got up but let me be frank enough
to say that I was slightly afraid. My fear was natural, particularly after all
the stories I had heard lately about the happenings in Kashmir. I got up and
followed Khalid, not knowing what to expect.
“Who is it Khalid?” I asked as we neared the main gate.
“You will see for yourself” he sounded excited and his
excitement itself was a mystery to me. The main gate was open; there were a
group of people waiting outside on the road. Thankfully, the street light was on
and I was able to see their faces. They looked familiar but I was unable to
place them. Before I could come out of the gate, they rushed inside and almost
pounced upon me. They were four in all and all the four were elderly people.
Somebody held me from the front, somebody held me from the side and one person
grabbed me from the back. I was being smothered; I found it difficult to
breathe. Were they trying to capture me or kill me with their bare hands? I
caught a glimpse of Khalid and was shocked to see him laughing soundlessly. Was
Khalid a part of this gang? Had the protector become a destroyer? My fear knew
no bounds. This was the end of me. Anita, I am sorry, you will not be able to
see me again, I said to myself.
“ Bittujiya you are back, we are thrilled to see you!” One
person spoke out. Slowly they let go of me. I took a deep breath, I had almost
been suffocated. But before I could recover, everyone started hugging me one by
one, each hug tighter than the other. All this was beyond my comprehension. Who
were these people?
“You don’t recognize us do you Bittuji?”
“How can he? He hasn’t seen us for ages”
“Bittuji, you may have forgotten us but how can we?”
“How can we forget the tough times you gave us?” Each of
them had spoken one by one but I was still clueless as to their identity. The
only positive aspect was that my fear had vanished. Whoever they were, they
were not my enemies.
“I am Gulla, the meat seller, recognize me? Your Amma used
to wake me up in the middle of the night because you had demanded Roganjosh and
she could never say no to you” I looked at him closely and finally recognized him.
The thought that I used to cause so much trouble to Amma made me feel ashamed
of myself. I had hardly ever been to Gulla’s shop but many times he had come to
our home to deliver mutton which the family had ordered. His shop was just
across the road, visible from my room.
“I am Bilal, the barber, remember me? You would make it very
difficult for me to cut your hair; you could just not sit still, sometimes I would
get so frustrated that I felt like throwing you out along with the chair. I was
the one who shaved off your head on your mekhal (Mekhal is Yegnopaveet in Hindi’)
You didn’t want to have a bald pate and Amma supported you but Babuji stood
firm” Recognizing Bilal was not difficult as I had my last haircut in Srinagar
at his shop.
“I am Qayyum, the gardener, I am sure you can never forget
me. I used to work so hard in maintaining the lawn and you would ruin my hard
work by playing cricket. I used to complain to Babuji and he would try to stop
you but Amma always came to your rescue. Do you remember, once you hit a shot
and the ball hit me on the head? I almost fell unconscious. I still carry a
lump on my forehead, whenever I feel it, I think of you” Yes, I remembered that
incident very well. I had received a severe tongue lashing from Babuji and he
might have thrashed me had Amma not saved me.
“And I am Rashid, the tailor. Oh, Khudaya, what a brat you
were! Whenever you came to try out a new shirt or a pair of trousers, you would
create a mighty mess. You would always find fault with everything, sometimes
the clothes were too tight, sometimes you found them too loose and I don’t remember
a single occasion when you approved of the fitting at the very first trial.
There were times when Amma would come to my shop and ask me to come home
because her lathsahab was in no mood to come to the shop. I don’t think any
mother could have done what she did for you. No doubt, you were a spoilt brat
but you were the darling of one and all”
My God, what a reception I was getting, a reception fit for
V.I.Ps!
“Hey, why are you all standing outside, why don’t you come
in?” Babuji had come out but he did not bother to find out who these people
were. It seemed as if he had already known who they were. Everyone greeted Babuji
very warmly and Babuji’s response matched theirs.
“Majeed told us about Bittuji and we could not control
ourselves. We just had to meet him, to see him. After all we have seen him grow
up into the young man that he is now.”
“You should have waited till the morning; you know very well
the harassment that you are subjected to by the security forces. What was
hurry?”
“The army wallas know us very well by now. They come to our
shops many times; they look at us and let us go, so we are not worried about
them. The coming back of Bittuji is a momentous occasion for us” They made me
feel like a celebrity.
“Anyway, come in and have something to eat. Amma has made
some very good Roganjosh”
“For her darling son, Bittuji, of course. That was why
Khalid was looking for the best of pieces; after all it was for our Bittu raja!”
Gulla ruffled my hair affectionately.
“Hey, Gulla don’t touch his hair, if anything goes wrong
with his hairstyle, I will have to face the music tomorrow” Bilal guffawed.
Babuji again asked them to come in but they refused, saying they were getting
late and they would come again the next day. They give me another loving hug
and left.
We went inside. Babuji told Amma all that had happened. Amma
looked at me with tears in her eyes.
“Do you see Bittuji, how much everyone loves you, loves my
darling son?” Tears were now flowing down her cheeks like water from a spring.
I lay my head on her lap and promised her I would never leave her again.
Suddenly, the telephone rang. It was in the drawing room.
“It must be Lalaji calling up to find out whether you people
have reached safely. Khalid go and see who it is” My father was called Lalaji
by everyone and my mother was known as Bahuji. I had still not got used to
calling them Daddy and Mummy, even now I addressed them as Lalaji and Bahuji.
“It is for Bittuji” Khalid shouted.
“Who is it?” Babuji asked.
“I don’t know, it is some girl” I recalled, I had given my
Srinagar number to Anita but how could she be calling at this time?
“Go and see who it is, must be one of your Amritsar friends”
Babuji remarked. I rushed into the other room and I almost snatched the
receiver from Khalid’s hands.
“Hello’ I said excitedly.
“Oh, Baitu,my love, thank god it is you. I was afraid you
might be sleeping. Darling, everyone has gone to attend a wedding, I was also
supposed to go but I pretended I was unwell because I wanted to talk to you.
Baitu, when are you coming back? Have your grandparents agreed to leave
Kashmir?”
“Anita, my love, I reached this evening. It will take me
some time to convince them”
“But I don’t have time, my father has chosen a boy for me
and the engagement is supposed to take place on the 10th. You will
have to come back before that and take me away from here. You know I cannot
marry anyone but you. I am ready to leave my parents but you should be here
otherwise where will I go?” It was the 6th. Only four days left.
“Don’t you worry, Anita, I will be there before the 10th,
come what may” We talked sweet nothings for sometime till Amma shouted,
“How long will you go on talking, it is time for you to go
to bed, do you hear?” Amma sounded a little stern, maybe because I was talking
to a girl. A few more words and I said bye. I returned to the living room or
the dining room. No one asked me anything. No questions about who the girl was!
Both Babuji and Amma asked me to go to my room and wished me good night. I said
good night to Khalid also.
Immediately, on entering my room, I flung myself onto the
bed. I should have fallen asleep immediately after a long and stressful day but
sleep would not come. Anita’s phone call had turned my world upside down. I had
promised her I would be back before the 10th but in my heart of
hearts, I knew it would not be possible. I was sure my grandparents would never
agree to leave. I had witnessed some very touching scenes that day, so much
love and affection had been showered upon me. People whom I had not met for
years welcomed me like a long lost son. They were all Muslims and Bhaisahab had
said they were our enemies. He was wrong and Babuji was right. Even I would
find it difficult to leave Kashmir now. You have an easy choice to make Bittu, all
you have to do is to choose between Kashmir and Anita, your grandparents and your
love. Choose Bittu, choose, Kashmir or Anita…..Anita or Kashmir? I tossed
around on the bed till sleep gave me respite from the torture I was facing!
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