Short Story–we Lived our Childhood Once Again
We lived our childhood once again.
Dalip Singh Wasan, Advocate.
I was promoted and was transferred to one of the important towns of the state of Punjab. I was holding the charge of the post of Civil surgeon and there were about two hundred doctors functioning under me. Most of the ministerial staff serving under me were males and therefore, they were rarely entering my room. Most of the administrative work was coming to me through the office superintendent and therefore, I was not required to contact my other staff members.
The Superintendent of police of the district was Mr. Kashmir Singh, I had to take his help when we were conducting raids against the milkmen, against the confectioners, against the chemists or the like. For some time it was going on well, but now we were not having the police force on demand. We had to place our order at least fifteen days ahead and only then the Superintendent of Police was providing us some people and those too were not supplied to us as per our demand.
The office Superintendent of my office was very good in official drafting and therefore, he had been writing very good letters. But we were not getting due appreciation from the police side. Therefore, I decided to meet the Superintendent personally and accordingly I fixed time with him and I was with him in his office. As per our official norms he offered me a cold drink and since this meeting was prolonged, I was also offered a cup of tea . But the Superintendent of Police was still of the view that most of raids could be conduced without presence of police. I explained that the people from the civil side have got a fear in their mind that they are not safe in such conduct of raids and they fear that there could be counter raids from the people side because most of the people are not law abiding and they are of agitating nature.
We had been talking on this subject and ultimately the Superintendent of Police started smiling on me. He was behaving with me as we were having some old contacts. I was not liking all these changes in his talks and in his smiles. I had said , “ I have not come here to establish some love affairs with you Mr. S.P. I am here with you on an official talk. Under the rules I can ask for police force and you are bound to give me police force as per my demand. I am serving a national cause and since you are the custodian of law and order in the district, you are bound to help me.” I continued talking, but he was still relaxing in his chair and was smiling and listening to me. I flushed out some hard words from my mount and then stood up. He raised his hand and I felt he was asking me to take my seat back once again. I was not ready. Ultimately he said, “Kanchan… you are not recollecting your childhood. I am your KJashmira. I had been your neighbour. We had been together in the school up to middle. Then my father was transferred and we had to separate. Your office Superintendent is Bachna who is now carrying his name as Sardar Gurbachan Singh. He is the son of Halwai Tarlochan Singh. He had been meeting me and I am surprised as to why he has not accompanied you today. I think, he could not recall those days and he could not recognize you. You have become Civil Surgeon and he is a subordinate with you.” He stood up, came near to me and took me in his arms and he had been pressing me hard with his body till I too took him in my arms and pressed him. We had been together and he specially came with me and left me in my office. He called Gurbachan Singh and told him that we all were neighbours and were in one school till middle classes. Gurbachan Singh folded his hands and said, “ Sat Sri Akal Madam.” I went near to him and took him in my arms and he too reciprocated and thus a new phase of life started..
I had been meeting Sardar Kashmir Singh and wanted to know as to how he could identify me after such a long time. But everything was clear in his mind. He had said, “ You, me and Gurbachan Singh, all three were class fellows and we all were neighbours too. You might be recalling that we all three had got one bicycle and we all three had been utilizing that bicycle. When I was pulling on the cycle, you had been taking seat on the front side and when Gurbachan Singh was to take his turn, you always took your seat on the carrier. And it is on record that being a girl, we never asked you to pull on the cycle.” But I was not satisfied with this answer. On further query, Kashmir Singh said, “ You had been sitting on the front side and I had been having occasions to have a look on you and to have a complete smell coming out from your body and therefore, on that day when you were with me in my office, I could have a complete look on you and I could recollect all that because during all these years I had been desiring in my heart of heart that I should have the same ride and the same pleasand-smell from your body. I had been longing for this pleasant-smell and actually this pleasant-smell had been haunting me during all these years of my life and in fact I had been incomplete and half-lived all these years. And in fact I am still longing for that pleasant- smell of your body.” This was all which he could express and therefore, when could not forget all this and was having friendship with Gurbachan Singh, I too start ed living in the past and was reliving those days of childhood, which never came back, but since we three had been having one station, we started living those days once again. All were feeling strange, when they saw me embracing Gurbachan Singh on each day when we both met. They had never witnessed a Civil Surgeon meeting his subordinate office superintendent like they way I had adopted for him and on queries from my seniors, I had explained that this Gurbachan Singh had been my class fellow till eighth class. Some of seniors advised me to leave this path and forget the past, but I could not change because of my relations with this Gurbachan Singh and Kashmir Singh. And in fact all these repetitions had been giving me pleasure and life had become more enjoyable for all three of us.
- Dalip Singh Wasan
Tags: Advocate, Cup Of Tea, Doctors, Short Story, Staff Members
