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Chapter Eight
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The children of the third standard class were all gathered together in the auditorium, and it was a farewell party, to their teachers. The annual holidays were to start, and families were moving to the hill stations. Our sweet Naina was very happy, and the children were chatting with one another. The Class teacher came in, and told them, to be silent for a moment. She told them that their holidays would start, and they would come back in two months, to join their next class. Naina was going to the fourth standard, and soon she would be eight years old. It was April in 1986.
Diwakar came personally, in his car to take his daughter home. There were many fathers, and some mothers who had come to take their children. They met each other and were exchanging their views about how their children had fared well in this school, and praised the efficiency, and the effect it had on their children. The children came marching in a single file, to the outer courtyard, where the parents were waiting, and the parents were straining their eyes, to see where their own kids were. Diwakar, spotted Naina, in her flowered pink dress, and with her two pigtails, neatly plaited, and held tight, with pink ribbons. Her school bag was hanging on her back, strapped to her shoulders. The child saw her father, and was ecstatic, and came hopping towards him, and gave him a tight hug, and remained in his arms for a long time.
Diwakar, was brimming with joy, at his good fortune for having a sweet little angel like Naina. After giving her juicy kisses, on her two puffy cheeks, he said to her,
"Baby, we are going home now. Say, good bye to your friends".
Naina waved her hands to her friends, and said to them,
"Bye, bye. See you next year".
She jumped into the back seat, with her maid Radha, and the latter held her tight in her arms. Diwakar, sat on the driving seat, held his steering, and put the key in the ignition, and turned it on. The car engine purred, and then started, as he pressed his foot on the accelerator. Soon he disengaged the gear, and reversed the car, and turned it to the main gate, and out he went, as Naina was waving from the back to her friends.
The car zig-zagged, on a downward slope to their bungalow, a kilometer away. On the way, the hills on either side of the road were green, and the trees swayed in the gentle breeze. Some wild flowering bushes were flush with bright colored flowers. Naina, got the gentle breeze from outside into her car, as it touched her warm cheeks, and they were flushed pink with the noon breeze.
She enjoyed the ride, and saw all the familiar cottages straddled on the slopes of the hills and knew that soon, it would rain, and the streams would start flowing and she would see men catching fish in the streams. They were nearing their house, when her father stopped his car in front of the Ice Cream shop, and got down. He took his daughter and Radha out to the shop, and told them to select their favorite Ice Creams. Naina liked Butter Scotch. Radha too had the same, and Diwakar, just took a bottle of coke. Diwakar, also bought a packet of chips for his baby, and they sat back in the car, and drove home.
At home, Anjali was waiting for them, and she warmly greeted all thee of them, and told Radha, to take Naina to the wash room, give her a bath, and change her into her home clothes, and get her ready for lunch. She did as she was told. Naina walked to the wash room, holding the maid's hand, gently trotting, as she went. Anjali, alerted her, to walk gently like a good girl. She was brought up in a strict home, in Calcutta, with all the elegance of the British household.
Diwakar, told Anjali, that he would like the family to go to his mother's house to spend some days. She told him, that she had meeting of her ladies club on the next two days. They could plan to go after four days. Diwakar, took leave for a month, and they wondered if they should take the car, or the train. Anjali told him, that the train, would be comfortable, and Naina would enjoy the ride, and see many things on the way which will broaden her ideas of the countryside. So Diwakar made arrangements for the tickets, and on the appointed day, they all packed their bags and their driver dropped them at the station. Diwakar, instructed him, to come to take them from the station, on the day of their return. He told him, that he would phone him, before coming. If he would be out, to inform the watchman, to take the message.
The meter gauge train, was dainty and comfortable. They got their seats, and Naina picked her favorite seat no 16, on the window side. This was almost reserved for her by the TC s. Mr. Diwakar Bhardwaj, was a well known railway officer on this railway. The rain started and moved in a smooth fashion through the hills and valleys, and crossed many a small bridge, over a stream, now almost dried up. After an hour's ride, they reached the station, from where they had to take a tonga, to his mother's house. Radha was informed by her son, by phone, as by now, most of the town had telephones connected, and the lines worked very well.
Radha, came out to the porch, to receive her son and daughter in law, with whom, was little Naina. The grandmother was sixty six years old, and kept good health. She had servants who looked after her ancestral house, and rooms were readied for the guests. It was turning towards evening, and the shadows of the evening skies, cast a quiet gloom in the valley. The servants had warmed up water for bath, and all of them bathed in hot water, and changed to fresh clothes.
Naina was the center of attraction, and the grand mother was doting after her, and the servants were vying one with other, to shower their charms on her, and the queen of angels, was quite proud of her position, and got attention from them. But her innate sense of proportion, made her not to take advantage of these willing men and women, who were waiting to serve her and her parents.
In the night, Diwakar and his wife, planned with his mother their future outings into the hills, and also a trip to the tea estates. The night soon fell, and all of them tucked themselves in their beds, under warm blankets. Naina was blissfully asleep, and must have dreamt of beautiful hills with flowers, and rushing through the bushes, and plants over the thick, lush green grass of Siliguri.
The old lady, enjoyed her time with her son and his wife, and the child that God sent him, in a very unusual way. Little did he know, that this would be his last visit to his mother, and so too his mother was least anticipating, that her eldest son, would be no more by the end of the year. Naina was filled with memories of her father, taking her on horse rides, train rides, and car rides. She remembered how she held his hand, and took the first steps.
One month before Naina's eighth birthday, on 3rd December 1986, Diwakar fell ill, of pneumonia, and after a brief illness, passed away on 21st November, 1986. This was a very painful day in the life of Anjali and Naina. Their grandmother decided to come to stay in Diwakar's house, and left her house in the hands of a caretaker. From this time on, till her death on 6th of June, 1990, she was there to guide and nurture this little girl, the same way she planted seeds of goodness in her son. These few years from 1987 to 1990 made a deep impression on Naina. She was twelve years old, when her grand mother died, and received a strong foundation, which helped her through all the ups and downs of her life yet to come. Just like her grand mother, she learnt to be gentle with others, to be polite and give others the space they needed. She had an implicit faith in a God, who would take care of her, as he had taken care of her in her past twelve years, and he would do the same in the next dozen to come. No one could understand this girl, even in the presence of hostile opponents in her path, she would give them the right of passage, and move aside, and in spite of this, the victory in the end would be hers, and she could not explain why. Her grandmother had told her, not everything is in our hands, we just have to do what is right, and God will see that all the jig saw pieces will fall in place at the right time. Sometimes, these right times would take long, as Naina will come to know from experience.
Previous Chapter
Next Chapter
The children of the third standard class were all gathered together in the auditorium, and it was a farewell party, to their teachers. The annual holidays were to start, and families were moving to the hill stations. Our sweet Naina was very happy, and the children were chatting with one another. The Class teacher came in, and told them, to be silent for a moment. She told them that their holidays would start, and they would come back in two months, to join their next class. Naina was going to the fourth standard, and soon she would be eight years old. It was April in 1986.
Diwakar came personally, in his car to take his daughter home. There were many fathers, and some mothers who had come to take their children. They met each other and were exchanging their views about how their children had fared well in this school, and praised the efficiency, and the effect it had on their children. The children came marching in a single file, to the outer courtyard, where the parents were waiting, and the parents were straining their eyes, to see where their own kids were. Diwakar, spotted Naina, in her flowered pink dress, and with her two pigtails, neatly plaited, and held tight, with pink ribbons. Her school bag was hanging on her back, strapped to her shoulders. The child saw her father, and was ecstatic, and came hopping towards him, and gave him a tight hug, and remained in his arms for a long time.
Diwakar, was brimming with joy, at his good fortune for having a sweet little angel like Naina. After giving her juicy kisses, on her two puffy cheeks, he said to her,
"Baby, we are going home now. Say, good bye to your friends".
Naina waved her hands to her friends, and said to them,
"Bye, bye. See you next year".
She jumped into the back seat, with her maid Radha, and the latter held her tight in her arms. Diwakar, sat on the driving seat, held his steering, and put the key in the ignition, and turned it on. The car engine purred, and then started, as he pressed his foot on the accelerator. Soon he disengaged the gear, and reversed the car, and turned it to the main gate, and out he went, as Naina was waving from the back to her friends.
The car zig-zagged, on a downward slope to their bungalow, a kilometer away. On the way, the hills on either side of the road were green, and the trees swayed in the gentle breeze. Some wild flowering bushes were flush with bright colored flowers. Naina, got the gentle breeze from outside into her car, as it touched her warm cheeks, and they were flushed pink with the noon breeze.
She enjoyed the ride, and saw all the familiar cottages straddled on the slopes of the hills and knew that soon, it would rain, and the streams would start flowing and she would see men catching fish in the streams. They were nearing their house, when her father stopped his car in front of the Ice Cream shop, and got down. He took his daughter and Radha out to the shop, and told them to select their favorite Ice Creams. Naina liked Butter Scotch. Radha too had the same, and Diwakar, just took a bottle of coke. Diwakar, also bought a packet of chips for his baby, and they sat back in the car, and drove home.
At home, Anjali was waiting for them, and she warmly greeted all thee of them, and told Radha, to take Naina to the wash room, give her a bath, and change her into her home clothes, and get her ready for lunch. She did as she was told. Naina walked to the wash room, holding the maid's hand, gently trotting, as she went. Anjali, alerted her, to walk gently like a good girl. She was brought up in a strict home, in Calcutta, with all the elegance of the British household.
Diwakar, told Anjali, that he would like the family to go to his mother's house to spend some days. She told him, that she had meeting of her ladies club on the next two days. They could plan to go after four days. Diwakar, took leave for a month, and they wondered if they should take the car, or the train. Anjali told him, that the train, would be comfortable, and Naina would enjoy the ride, and see many things on the way which will broaden her ideas of the countryside. So Diwakar made arrangements for the tickets, and on the appointed day, they all packed their bags and their driver dropped them at the station. Diwakar, instructed him, to come to take them from the station, on the day of their return. He told him, that he would phone him, before coming. If he would be out, to inform the watchman, to take the message.
The meter gauge train, was dainty and comfortable. They got their seats, and Naina picked her favorite seat no 16, on the window side. This was almost reserved for her by the TC s. Mr. Diwakar Bhardwaj, was a well known railway officer on this railway. The rain started and moved in a smooth fashion through the hills and valleys, and crossed many a small bridge, over a stream, now almost dried up. After an hour's ride, they reached the station, from where they had to take a tonga, to his mother's house. Radha was informed by her son, by phone, as by now, most of the town had telephones connected, and the lines worked very well.
Radha, came out to the porch, to receive her son and daughter in law, with whom, was little Naina. The grandmother was sixty six years old, and kept good health. She had servants who looked after her ancestral house, and rooms were readied for the guests. It was turning towards evening, and the shadows of the evening skies, cast a quiet gloom in the valley. The servants had warmed up water for bath, and all of them bathed in hot water, and changed to fresh clothes.
Naina was the center of attraction, and the grand mother was doting after her, and the servants were vying one with other, to shower their charms on her, and the queen of angels, was quite proud of her position, and got attention from them. But her innate sense of proportion, made her not to take advantage of these willing men and women, who were waiting to serve her and her parents.
In the night, Diwakar and his wife, planned with his mother their future outings into the hills, and also a trip to the tea estates. The night soon fell, and all of them tucked themselves in their beds, under warm blankets. Naina was blissfully asleep, and must have dreamt of beautiful hills with flowers, and rushing through the bushes, and plants over the thick, lush green grass of Siliguri.
The old lady, enjoyed her time with her son and his wife, and the child that God sent him, in a very unusual way. Little did he know, that this would be his last visit to his mother, and so too his mother was least anticipating, that her eldest son, would be no more by the end of the year. Naina was filled with memories of her father, taking her on horse rides, train rides, and car rides. She remembered how she held his hand, and took the first steps.
One month before Naina's eighth birthday, on 3rd December 1986, Diwakar fell ill, of pneumonia, and after a brief illness, passed away on 21st November, 1986. This was a very painful day in the life of Anjali and Naina. Their grandmother decided to come to stay in Diwakar's house, and left her house in the hands of a caretaker. From this time on, till her death on 6th of June, 1990, she was there to guide and nurture this little girl, the same way she planted seeds of goodness in her son. These few years from 1987 to 1990 made a deep impression on Naina. She was twelve years old, when her grand mother died, and received a strong foundation, which helped her through all the ups and downs of her life yet to come. Just like her grand mother, she learnt to be gentle with others, to be polite and give others the space they needed. She had an implicit faith in a God, who would take care of her, as he had taken care of her in her past twelve years, and he would do the same in the next dozen to come. No one could understand this girl, even in the presence of hostile opponents in her path, she would give them the right of passage, and move aside, and in spite of this, the victory in the end would be hers, and she could not explain why. Her grandmother had told her, not everything is in our hands, we just have to do what is right, and God will see that all the jig saw pieces will fall in place at the right time. Sometimes, these right times would take long, as Naina will come to know from experience.
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