BUA RAMKALI

             Dina Nath, popularly known as Dinu Tau in the village Ladori, was an old man of 70s, in fifties.  He was an habitual chewer of supari granules and taking Chayvan Prash.  A lean, thin old man of average height, Dinu Tau, as he was  known and addressed by all the children of that time, including me, was  a very good story teller.  He used to tell various tales relating to Raja-Rani, Dido-Pida, Tota-Maina and tales of important happenings concerning the village people of olden times which were used to be  interesting, entertaining and informative.

           Dinu Tau was also a very good cook.  His Dal-Chawal and green mango chatni used to be mouthwatering and tempting.  We always wished that Tau gave us some dal-bhat to eat when we went to his house during lunch time!  But, he would, first of all ask one of us to bring a Batau of cool and fresh drinking water from Naun.  Tau was also a religious man and devoted maximum time, in daily morning prayers.

       Let us now go back to time space.  Dinu Tau and his wife lived in their Ladori house which was situated at the next door to Manjhol House.

       Bua Sarvato was in Dadi's lap when Dinu Tau's wife was in family way and Dadi used to visit her twice a day and looked after her well being.  Dadi was very kind at heart.  When time of delivery came, unfortunately, all did not go well as expected and Tau's wife expired after giving birth to a girl child.  Now a grave problem stood before Dinu Tau as to how this child was to be raised alone by him!  Dadi brought that child home and both Sarvato and the adopted girl, named Ramkali, were brought up together, primary educated and married off.

       Ramkali Bua was married to Hans Raj of Nurpur.  He was a Patwari by profession who later retired as Kanoongo.  Fufa Hans Raj was a healthy, tall, handsome and pinkish gora. His heavy and echoing voice was amazingly loud, clear and also decisive.  His stiffened white Turredar Safa with coat-pant attracted people's attention where ever he went on official duty.  This made him 'Odd man out' in the congregation.

       Ramkali Bua and Fufa Hans Raj had very happy family, if not quite well off.  Bua was a jolly natured woman.  She was lively, full of all smiles and laughter, her thunderous but enchanting voice like a mardani woman attracted and compelled neighborhood women and children to spend maximum leisure with bua.  She was so nice a lady that we would hardly see the one like her again in our lives! 

        She, along with her big family lived in Lambi Gali of Nurpur Town. We the children, used to visit bua every now and then especially on occasions of functions and marriages. We also used to visit Narsingh Devta, our Kul Devta established under a huge Peepal Tree by our ancestors, behind Ramkali Bua's house.

       As luck would have it, a very bad time descended on this happy family stealthily.  Tuberculosis, a dreaded infectious bacterial disease entered into the family.  Father of Fufaji, who was a railway retired official was the first victim. After that slowly, slowly, whole family was taken into its tight grip and as a result,

       Fufa, Bua, Shiv, Moksh, Ghatot Kachh, Billu, the little cute girl, all went to their heavenly abode one after the other! Only survived Behan Anjana lives in Chamba with her family and families of Bhai Shiv and Moksh are also living without their heads of families!