Who is she,part31

Part31

“Hey, Ghulam Hasan, will you take us to Jammu tomorrow?” The question from Bhaisahab came simply out of the blue.

“Who is leaving tomorrow?” Hasan was also taken by surprise.

“All of us are leaving, including Amma and Babuji”

“If you want to leave, you can, but don’t include us, we are not going anywhere” Babuji said forcefully.

“I thought my words must have made you change your mind but you refuse to understand. How many times will I have to tell you that this place is not safe? Do I need to announce it over a loudspeaker the way the Muslims made announcements from mosques to make us flee our homeland?” This was rude of Bhaisahab. I had never seen this aspect of his nature. Babuji was watching Hasan.

“Bhaisahab, have you lost your mind, do you know what you are talking about? Control your tongue”

“I am absolutely normal; you people are the ones who refuse to see the writing on the wall. I am speaking plain and simple truth and I don’t bother if someone’s feelings are hurt!” He was obviously referring to Hasan.

“Bhaisahab, as far as I remember, you would never talk to Babuji in this tone, in fact I have never heard any member of the family raise his voice in front of Babuji. Lalaji, in spite of having a wild temper, would always speak in very soft tones, no matter what the provocation. What has happened Bhaisahab that makes you talk like this?”

“Hasan, we came all the way to Srinagar with the specific purpose of taking Babuji and Amma out of here. We had informed them to be ready to leave and keep their stuff packed and what do we see? No packing, both Amma and Babuji refusing to come with us? If they were so determined not to leave, they should have told us over the phone, we would have been saved this futile journey. Babuji, you knew the purpose of our coming, why didn’t you tell us not to come?”

“I wanted to but your Amma was keen to meet her darling Bittu. She was the one who said that I should not stop you. She has been missing Bittu badly. Had Bittuji not been with you, I would have told you very bluntly not to waste your time in coming here”.

“He is right, I was the one who said let them come. I had become selfish in my love for Bittuji, I had become desperate to see him, to have a glimpse of him. I thought I would never see him again but when I heard he was also coming, I was happy that I would be able to see him one last time before dying. Was I wrong?  Bhaisahaba, you don’t understand the feelings of a mother, the feelings of a mother who has not seen her beloved son for years and has lost all hopes of seeing him again!” With these words Amma started sobbing uncontrollably, I had never seen her cry like this. Everyone looked stunned.

“Stop this nonsense. If they don’t care that is their problem, why are you shedding tears, these tears will be of no help. I had told you we should ask them not to come but your obduracy prevailed over my reason as it always has. Makhan Lal, stop all this now, you are behaving like a boor, didn’t expect this of you. Hasan, get them a taxi for tomorrow, Amma has fulfilled her wish and now both Bittuji and Makhan Lal can go back. In any case, Bhaisahab never considered Kashmir his home. Right since he got this job, he has never been posted in Kashmir so why should he have any attachment with this place? His home is and will always be Jammu”

“I am not going anywhere” I declared in a loud voice which echoed in the whole room.

“Now what is this new drama? Bittuji, try to understand, Lalaji and Bahuji also need you; they will worry themselves to death if you stay here. Don’t worry about us; we are happy and as safe as anyone else”

“But I want to stay here. I also want to spend some time with you people. I want to live with Amma, what is wrong with that? If this place is safe for you, it is safe for me also, isn’t it?” I knew Babuji would not have an answer to this one.

“Bittuji, you are right. This place is safe; there is nothing to worry about. Bhaisahab said that announcements were made from loudspeakers asking Pundits to leave. That is true. But who was making those announcements, it was not the common Muslim, it was not people like me. It was just a small minority of fanatics. We never wanted the Pundits to leave. We are incomplete without them. Our religions may be different but our heritage, our culture is the same. I agree the situation at present is bad. Many young Muslims have got hold of guns and they have killed some Pundits. Not only Pundits, they are killing Muslims also. We are also scared of them but that does not mean we run away from our beloved Kashmir. You may feel bad, Bhaisahb, but Pundits made a big mistake by leaving their homes. The government should have stopped them but the government of the day also seemed happy to see them go. In fact, the administration helped them in leaving, you may not believe me but this is the truth” Hasan had become excited while expressing his views.

“Stop this,Hasan. I don’t want to hear a word more. All you are doing is defending the actions of your Muslim brethren and I am not interested in listening. Now tell me, are you going to take us to Jammu tomorrow or not? I have another taxi in hand, if you are not willing” Bhaisahb was now on a total warpath. The words of Babuji or the tears of Amma had not had any effect upon him.

‘I will certainly take you and I will drive myself but who is leaving?”

“Bittuji and I”,Bhaisahb replied calmly.

“Didn’t you hear me Bhaisahab? I said I am not going anywhere, and I mean it”

“Do you think I am going to leave you here? Lalaji sent me to take care of you and bring you back. I am not going to listen to your foolish talk. Get ready to leave”

“I don’t care what Lalaji said or will say. For me Amma and Babuji matter more than he does”

“Is that your final decision?”

“Yes it is, how many times do you want me to repeat it?”

“Then let me talk to Lalaji first, let me see what he has to say. He went to the other room, ostensibly to make a phone call to my father.

“Bittuji, why do you persist in staying? We can manage, I told you”

“I know you can manage but Amma needs me and I need her. Moreover, I want to understand what really is happening in Kashmir.”

“Lalaji has gone mad, even Bahuji has caught the same infection. Both of them are saying ‘let Bittuji stay,if he wants to’ If this isn’t madness, what is?” Bhaisahab entered the room with a crestfallen expression.

“This is wisdom, Bhaisahab but you won’t understand it” Babuji said with a twinkle in his eyes. I could see and feel that he was happy at what Lalaji had said.

Everything was finalized. Hasan would come in the morning and Bhaisahb would leave for Jammu.

I spent the rest of the day in my room, flipping the pages of David Copperfield. The dinner was a quiet affair. Bhaisahab looked sullen and very few words were uttered. The next morning, when I came down, I saw that Hasan had already arrived and Bhaisahb was preparing to leave. Babuji and Amma were there to see him off. Before he got into the taxi, Amma  gave him a tight hug. Tears were rolling down her eyes.

“I doubt I will ever see you again, my son. May God be with you”

“We will meet again Amma we surely will” With these words, he got into the car and off he went.

“Bittuji, I will sacrifice my life for you, you don’t know what a favour you have done to me by not going back. Now I can rest in peace.” We made a strange sight, right out there on the middle of the road. People watching would have thought that a mother was meeting her long lost son.