A distant uncle of mine, so close to my dad that both
shared the common name by prefixing CHHOTE (uncle was the younger one, hence,
chhote) died last week in Delhi.
We had known the family ever since we were kids. We are four brothers and a
sister. They were opposite i.e. four sisters and a brother. Uncle was working
for Auditor General’s office, had humble beginning in his career as an Auditor
and by sheer hard work reached respectable level in the bureaucratic
hierarchy. ‘Simplicity, austerity, how
to make both ends meet’ if ever there was a book of this title, he could add a
chapter or two by what he followed through out his life. An example, I recollect, he would cut a cake
of soap into two halves the other half to be used only after the first half is
no more usable as he believed, this way the soap lasts longer. Also he will
dispense tooth paste or tooth powder himself to kids early morning, morning
after morning. He gave best of
education and married off all his four daughters to fairly decent grooms. The only son whom my aunt will carry in her
lap out of affection and display her prized trophy got everything in silver
platter. VIP of the family, he was
treated also like one by the family. I
used to wonder that he (boy) is old
enough to walk why my aunt still carries this over sized boy - word ‘chubby’ got
added much later to my vocabulary. We
hardly knew of discrimination, if any, between son and a daughter. The boy was
admitted for his graduation to the college nearest to uncle’s house i.e. across
the road. Even then my uncle would be
there on this side of the road anxiously waiting for him if he was late even by
few minutes. Though uncle was dead
against any woman working, but it was his lot that he got a working daughter- in-law
Two years back, my uncle (retired 15 years back) fell
unconscious in a temple never to regain his consciousness. He went in coma and became a comatose. His death, last week, in a way, though cruel
to say, delivered him from his sufferings.
My uncle never had any bad habit except, perhaps, two cups of tea in a day:
11 a.m. and 4 p.m. by the clock. He had
to suffer and live like a vegetable for two years, nay, for 730 days and
nights. My poor aunt was totally
shattered during these long two years due to, one, helplessly seeing her
husband die inch by inch and still hope that a miracle will bring him to his
normal self, two, by the callous attitude of this VIP son.
The VIP whom aunt would not let go from her lap even when
he had become fully grown, able to walk boy declared that he would like to have
a separate kitchen. Residing in his
father’s (uncle) house, it required a big heart to make such an unreasonable
demand and bigger heart on the part of my uncle to readily agree to it. Imagine, under one roof two kitchens! Poor aged and ailing aunt. Tantrums, contempt and indifference of son
and his family grew so much that my aunt was silently praying for an early
death of my uncle. Now that my uncle is
cremated, I hear, son has ambitious plans for his father’s property of few
crores made singlehandedly through the sweat of his brow.
In this entire scheme, my aunt has a place, my uncle would have never wished for his worst enemy.
Epilogue : Seeing chacha ji‘s corpse, my
father recollected and sent me this so
very meaningful quote of Saint Kabir, my father had this in his syllabus way back in 1947.
“ सुन गंगाराम
पिंजरा पुराना तेरा हो गया
जब तक हंसा रहा पिंजरे
में पिंजरा हरा रहा
उड़ गया हंस, पिंजरा खाली, बोलनहारा गया
सात-पांच मिलकर उपाय
सुझाया
गठरी-ठठरी बांध लिया
चार जने कंधे पर धर
के जंगल वासा करा दिया
डार चिता में काठ चुना
तब, पावक उसमें लगा दिया
जला फूंक कर चले कुटुम्बी, भुगतेगा दुख एक जीया
जल में जल, मिट्टी में मिट्टी, सांस पवन में चला गया
कहत कबीर सुनो भई साधो
सब रचना को छोड़ गया”