ARM TWIST-RAJJAN BEHAN

It was perhaps Sunday.  I was loitering in Hattian as usual.  "Oye, Oye Fauku, tumahare ghar koi aya hai", Jagdish told me shouting from far away. "Kaun hai?" I asked. "pata ni" said Jagdish. I ran fast towards home.  I was bare feet, putting on an old torn kurtu and malaysia nikker. Unkempt, long clumsy and dry hair presented a real look of pahadi village lad!

reached home within no time.  Saw a man who looked handsome, pinkish gora with light golden brown hair and pink lips as if he had just chewed  a paan.  The guest was sitting on the folding iron chair, we only had in the house.  A charpoy was also lying nearby in the angan. I went near the guest and stood awkwardly by the side of the charpoy.  Dadi said, "Chal pair band Jije de".  I swiftly did so.  In the feet touching process, I noticed a Jhola full of something kept on the charpoy.  There must be something to eat in it. 

I guessed.  But I controlled myself and stood aside thinking that when Jija  would gives this jhola to Dadi!  In the meantime, tea was served to the guest in 'peetal ke glass me'  with a katori.  There was also karah, boor and some burfi served to Jija with tea but he hardly ate anything except tea.  When Jija was taking tea, Dadi asked him, "Achha Jewn hor sab theek hai.  Ball-bachhe theek?". "Jee Naniji sab theek hai - Khaisalla".

 After having stayed for about two hours, Jijaji returned to Pathankot.  While going, Jija gave me some coins and asked me to come to Pathankot sometimes, while raking my hair with his fingers. Now came the turn of the contents of jhola........

 I was then studying in 6th class at Nurpur.  There was a talk of the town that the first President of India, Dr. Rajender Prasadji was to come to Pathankot.  School children, staff and all other government officials were to go to Pathankot.  I was, however, least interested to look up the President but to go to Jija"s house in Pathankot and this was the right opportunity which I wanted to avail somehow.
 Along with school children and staff, first we straightaway went to the ground where the President was to deliver a speech.  There was great, great rush of people.  I could hardly saw Ghandi Topi of the President from a distance so far.  In the afternoon, I  reached Jija's house along with my friend Kuldeep from Ladori who had also come to his sister living in the same street where Jija's house was.  Kuldeep showed me the house and went to his sister's house. 

 Behan Rajjan was surprisingly happy to see me.  Till evening, I ate many things!  There were four children in the house to whom I met first time.  Billu, Kuga, Balli and Bulle,  Billu, the cute girl, was the elder of all..Billu was very happy to have me there.  In the night I ate so nice khana that I had never eaten before!  After dinner, sweets used to be served specially moong dal pithi or gajrela with lot of dry fruits in them.  Before sleeping, a glass of milk was the routine.

 I stayed there for two days.  I enjoyed sleeping on a nice clean bed and cushion pillow.  While going back to Nurpur, the other day, I had kept in my mind that they also have one old type Fitfita and a bicycle standing in the house.  Actually, in those days, I had nearly gone mad for getting a bicycle and learning, but for me cycle was a thing beyond my easy reach.  That is why, whenever, I saw the cycle, I was tempted to grab it somehow and drag it out and try to ride on it!

 I left Pathankot with a wish to come back again shortly and get this bicycle out in the street  and enjoy learning, cycle riding.  After about three months, I got another chance to visit Pathankot.  This time I had made up my mind that 'First the cycle and then anything else'.  I reached Rajjan behan's house once again.  They were all happy to see me.  But they did not know what I had in my mind this time.  All the time I was thinking about the cycle only and nothing else.  But nobody else knew what wads in my mind.

 Time was passing and I could not wait any longer.  Then I gathered all my dare and one by one I asked all my four new friends if they can help me getting the cycle.  Billu okayed and said that I should take the cycle in the street only and that I should not go on the main road.  I agreed to all the instructions and went out of the house with the cycle within no time.

 For first fifteen minutes, I tried the cycle in the street and then, under the influence of thrill, I went to the main road inadvertently and met with an accident with other bicycle in the middle of the road. This accident was due to my own fault.  Some people came running and held me and the cycle and took me aside.  While standing at the road side, I found my left arm twisted. 

 I was afraid, horrified, perplexed, worried and nearly burst out to cry.  I thought that now how could I go home?  What all they will think of me?  I had already put them in a trouble.  I had also broken their trust.  Now what would happen to my broken arm?  I kept on standing there for long manipulating what to say at home! Then, at last, I got an idea, a stupid one, and I made a story that everybody would, perhaps, believe.

 I reached back home after an inordinate delay.  They were stunned to see me in that condition.  They checked my whole body to ensure that there was no other injury except at the left arm!  All were tense and looked worried.  Rajjan behan seemed more disturbed.  They asked me as to what happened, how it happened?  They showered questions one after the other. 

 But I had already cooked up a story to tell, in order to get their sympathy instead of wrath. I said, "All of a sudden, there came two bulls fighting with each other on the road, not giving chance to anyone to escape.  I was hit by these fighting bulls from behind and fell on the road".  All of them, first seemed not believing but took it as I might have not been telling a lie.  I took a sigh of relief!

 Rajjan behan immediately took me to a shopkeeper near the railway crossing on Dhangu Road and got me treated.  We had to visit that person three times.  This time I had to stay at Pathankot for four days!   Till this time, I am on this write-up, no body knows about this secret which I opened today!  Sorry Rajjan behan, Sorry Jijaji!

       

                                           RATTAN MANJRI, MY FIRST FILM IN LIFE

Since I  belonged to a very small Himachali Village Ladori, thought of viewing cinema in the cinema hall, was a remote possibility.  Many youngsters of my age in the village talked about the thrill and joy of watching a film in a cinema hall while eating snacks! Since my early childhood, I was very fond of films as I was already a small time actor doing petty roles in the  shows and functions staged by village Dramatic Club. 

Acting was, perhaps, inherited in me from our ancestors who used to give acting performances, singing, giving guidance to the budding talents and giving musical vocal performances in the Ladori Dramatic Club.

At the age of 9, I along with Raju Bhai, went to Pathankot with the intention to watch the film(s).
From Ladori to Nurpur Town, we both walked down on foot, from Nurpur to Jassur by bus and further from there to Pathankot by narrow gauge train.  While on train, a micro fragment of steam coal particle fell into my right eye while I was enjoying sightseeing outside through the open window.  Even after applying all sorts of methods, eye was not cleared of the coal particle, as a result of which, my eye became reddish and swollen.

On reaching Pathankot, our aim was to watch the movie, may be two, at a stretch.  Both of us reached Ramnik Cinema at Dalhousie Road by double fast walk, all perspiring exhausted, tired and hungry.  Since there was huge rush of people, we had to stand in a very long Q .  Somehow we bought two tickets of film "Rattan Manjri" as we neither had a particular film on mind nor choice. 

The only aim was to see the film in the cinema hall.  It was all sword fighting in the whole film and we could hardly understand anything except few comedy scenes where we might had a forced laugh. My eye, on the other hand, had also spoiled the charm of watching the film with one eye kept close.

In an another show at Empire Cinema at Dhangu Road, we watched the film named "Black Cat'. It was years after that I came to know that the lead role in this film was done by  Madan Puri who held a black cat in his arms throughout the film and acted cunningly.  After these two films, I had managed to see many more films by playing truant from Nurpur but these do not warrant mention!