I gave a name to my relation.

, Dalip Singh Wasan, Advocate.

His name was Vishaal and when he was with me I used to call by the name of Vish. And all the staff members also started calling him by the name of Vish because it was so lovely and so sweet that all liked this name. I could calculate that Vishaal too was happy that his name had been fixed by me and all have started calling him by that name.

Vishaal was just of my age when he joined our team as a colleague with me. I was holding the position of an officer in the office and he joined here as office superintendent. He was so senior and he was expecting his promotion as an officer and it is on record that he actually got that position within one year of his stay with me. I was so close to him that whatever he had been doing, I had been signing those papers without any comments and without any question and it is also on record that he never misled me. I had been getting appreciations from my head office because our office was very punctual and all the papers were being disposed of in a most efficient manner and all papers were disposed of within the time schedule prescribed by the state.

Vishaal was postgraduate and he was having command in all the three languages. He could draft letters in English, in Punjabi and also in Hindi and similarly he was very efficient while dealing with outside public and with other officers under the administration at the district headquarters. It is on record that I had been sending him to attend local district level meetings and I got always satisfactory reports.

Vishaal was expert in creating relations and within a few days he could develop good relations with my mother and with my father. He often visited our house and as and when my husband met him, he could have talks with him for hours. My mother liked Vishaal because he was helping me a lot. I turned only a signing machine and similarly all serious matters were dealt with by Vishaal.

In spite of my own office room, I was often found sitting in the office room of Vishaal and even my peon had been directing people to the room of Vishaal when they came to contact me. Vishaal and me both were facing the people coming to the office and it is on record that final decisions were always taken by Vishaal and I never objected or commented upon those decisions.

It was my good luck that when Vishaal was given promotion to the rank of officer, he was given the same station and thus I got an opportunity to stay with Vishaal. Vishaal was not belonging to rich family. He had informed me that he lost his father and whatever he is all had been done by his mother. He informed me that he had got one sister who is married and he himself is also married and having one son. This was all about him. He informed me that he is running his family administration with his pay because I had noticed that he was not taking bribe or indulging in corruption. All the people contacting him were of the view that Vishaal is the most sincere, faithful,. Efficient and competent person and everyone was satisfied with his work and conduct and that had been the reason, I had been giving him outstanding reports and all good words available in dictionaries had been utilized by me while writing his annual confidential report.

I had a love marriage and in spite of all this, I started developing relations with this vishaal which were not brotherly. On each morning when I went to him or he came to my room, he took me from my shoulders and pressed me and then we had a pleasant meeting. We had been taking tea and our lunch together and were entertaining our guests in the same room. I had been visiting his house and his wife had been entertaining me well and also giving me a good welcome. She was happy that her husband could get a companion like me and often they both had been coming to our house and we also had been reciprocating these visits.

We had been together for four years and then this Vishaal had been some transfers. But since he had got his house at my city, he was often visiting this station and as and when he came to this station, he never failed to visit my house. We had been having warm and close meetings, but it is on record that we never talked on subjects beyond our normal relations nor we ever utilized words and dialogs which were beyond normal relations. But in my heart of heart I was liking this Vishaal and often I desired that I go with him to some hill-station and remain there for two or three days. But I could not open my mouth on this subject. What was in his mind, I never desired that he should open his mouth. We had been having normal relations and that had been the reason that none from the side of my house, from the side of my parents, from the side of Vishaal ever raised objections and passed adverse comments on our relations. He never called me as a Sister nor I ever called him brother. He was calling me as ‘Madam’ and I was calling him by the name of ‘Vish’. The staff members and others who were visiting our office might be having some comments in their mind, but we were lucky that none passed on adverse comments against our relations.

Now years have passed on. I have my sons and they are young. As and when this Vishaal comes to our house, I refer Vishaal as their ‘Mamaji’ which means my brother and they have accepted these relations and they call him ‘Mamaji’ as and when Vishaal comes to our house. We are still meeting each other and is still putting his right arm on my shoulder and has a press. The relations which were in my mind remained my property and I never disclosed those relations to Vishaal and to any of my friends because relations beyond marriage bonds are not accepted here in India. But I am sorry to note that up-till now I am not in a position to call Vishaal as my brother. He is still ‘Vish’ for me and I am still ‘Madamji’ for Vishaal.

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- Dalip Singh Wasan