WHEN I HAD TO WALK IN MY UNDERWEAR
Before you get any ideas, let me set the records straight. It is a story of the period when I was learning the ropes at the age of 10. Those who have read ‘Bade Bhai Saheb” (Elder Brother), an absorbing story by Munshi Prem Chand would certainly laugh at me.
PremChand’s ‘Bade Bhai Saheb’ is studious and devotes all his time with books but fails to cross 9th standard even after repeated attempts but his junior brother, five years behind him, who touches books only a few days before exams and whiles away his time in sports and kite flying, but still passes out of the High School with good marks.
In my story, Bade Bhai Saheb is good student, takes active part in sports and passes out with almost equal marks if not more as his junior brother, who is two years junior to him and is in the same standard but spends more time in cultural activities like debates, acting, and music. Bade Bhai Saheb in both the stories have one similarity; they are protective of their younger brother.
We spent most of our summer vacations in our ancestral home tucked away in a village, down in the valley of the remote part of the hilly State presently called Utttarakhand. There was hardly anything enough to do in the village except trekking, playing cards, dice, gilli danda, (no English translation) football if someone was rich enough to own one or hockey played with some sticks. Indoor games like cards and dice were played during the afternoon as the outdoors were too hot. Outdoor games like gilli danda, football, hockey etc were played in the evenings.
At least one in a month we would have picnic. We would pick up our food and eat it somewhere in the forest after trekking a few miles. That was the idea of our picnic sense. The most adventurous picnic was fishing expedition in the rivulet some two miles down in the valley. It was a day long occupation. We would proceed after breakfast. It was usually a group of six or seven boys in nearly same age group. We would carry some wheat flour and vegetables (vegetables because just in case we failed to catch fish), a match box to lit the fire.
Yes your guess is absolutely correct. My position in the team was that of the 12th man in a cricket team. I was to carry the wheat flour and vegetables and also the clothes and footwear of other team members wherever required. Bade Bhai sahib was an expert in catching fish. I do not know what made him sense the fish hiding under a big stone. He would push his hands under that stone, catch the fish and throw it out towards me to catch it and put in the bag. All other team members were also good at the job. They used other tricks also. It was for this reason that they usually made enough catch not only for our lunch but also for carrying some home for the evening family fest.
This was however a very bad day was. It was already three in the afternoon and there was not a single fish in my bag. Frustration was looming large on our faces. With great effort and luck Bade Bahi Saheb caught a fish, threw it out towards me. Clumsy as I was in holding even a dead fish, the fish slipped from my hands and jumped back in the water. It was a big fish enough for our meager lunch. The loss under the circumstances was huge. Evening was approaching, as is natural in valleys.
Bade Bhai Saheb was furious without words. Left to other team members, they would have thrashed me to pulp. We all were in our under wears. He picked up the clothes and footwear, passed on to respective owner, except mine and waved us all to return home.
Thus I was forced to return home in my underwear, bare footed, hungry like all others and of course with the bag containing flour and vegetables.
Before you get any ideas, let me set the records straight. It is a story of the period when I was learning the ropes at the age of 10. Those who have read ‘Bade Bhai Saheb” (Elder Brother), an absorbing story by Munshi Prem Chand would certainly laugh at me.
PremChand’s ‘Bade Bhai Saheb’ is studious and devotes all his time with books but fails to cross 9th standard even after repeated attempts but his junior brother, five years behind him, who touches books only a few days before exams and whiles away his time in sports and kite flying, but still passes out of the High School with good marks.
In my story, Bade Bhai Saheb is good student, takes active part in sports and passes out with almost equal marks if not more as his junior brother, who is two years junior to him and is in the same standard but spends more time in cultural activities like debates, acting, and music. Bade Bhai Saheb in both the stories have one similarity; they are protective of their younger brother.
We spent most of our summer vacations in our ancestral home tucked away in a village, down in the valley of the remote part of the hilly State presently called Utttarakhand. There was hardly anything enough to do in the village except trekking, playing cards, dice, gilli danda, (no English translation) football if someone was rich enough to own one or hockey played with some sticks. Indoor games like cards and dice were played during the afternoon as the outdoors were too hot. Outdoor games like gilli danda, football, hockey etc were played in the evenings.
At least one in a month we would have picnic. We would pick up our food and eat it somewhere in the forest after trekking a few miles. That was the idea of our picnic sense. The most adventurous picnic was fishing expedition in the rivulet some two miles down in the valley. It was a day long occupation. We would proceed after breakfast. It was usually a group of six or seven boys in nearly same age group. We would carry some wheat flour and vegetables (vegetables because just in case we failed to catch fish), a match box to lit the fire.
Yes your guess is absolutely correct. My position in the team was that of the 12th man in a cricket team. I was to carry the wheat flour and vegetables and also the clothes and footwear of other team members wherever required. Bade Bhai sahib was an expert in catching fish. I do not know what made him sense the fish hiding under a big stone. He would push his hands under that stone, catch the fish and throw it out towards me to catch it and put in the bag. All other team members were also good at the job. They used other tricks also. It was for this reason that they usually made enough catch not only for our lunch but also for carrying some home for the evening family fest.
This was however a very bad day was. It was already three in the afternoon and there was not a single fish in my bag. Frustration was looming large on our faces. With great effort and luck Bade Bahi Saheb caught a fish, threw it out towards me. Clumsy as I was in holding even a dead fish, the fish slipped from my hands and jumped back in the water. It was a big fish enough for our meager lunch. The loss under the circumstances was huge. Evening was approaching, as is natural in valleys.
Bade Bhai Saheb was furious without words. Left to other team members, they would have thrashed me to pulp. We all were in our under wears. He picked up the clothes and footwear, passed on to respective owner, except mine and waved us all to return home.
Thus I was forced to return home in my underwear, bare footed, hungry like all others and of course with the bag containing flour and vegetables.
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