MERA DESH BADAL RAHA HAI
LT COL NOEL ELLIS
24/VII/2023
My wife and I had to attend a funeral yesterday. With a heavy heart we proceeded to their home. It is a tradition that ‘Mala’ (garland of flowers) are offered as a token of reverence to the departed soul.
On our way, we halted at our favourite ‘phoolwalon ka thela’. They are hard working people, making all sorts of garlands and can customise one on demand. There is a tradition in the Sun City that for various functions, people are felicitated with ‘phool malas’, from birthdays, to retirement, to death.
I stopped the car almost kissing one flower cart. My wife lowered the car window and asked, ‘Malan ji’ as that is the way ‘lady flower sellers’ are generally addressed with respect. Do chokho mala hai kain? Do you have two good garlands? This lady removed the damp cloth covers to exhibit her wares. Somehow, the flowers didn’t look so fresh, so my wife decided to check garlands on the next cart adjacent to this one.
I kept sitting in the car listening to music, when I noticed that wife had got in conversation with a man holding flowers in a polythene bag. I won’t use the word ‘Gentle’ as a prefix to ‘Man’, as you will soon find out. My wife was born and brought up here, so meeting an acquaintance or a class mate is quite common. It appeared their conversation was intense.
We were in a hurry to reach the departed’s home. Wife bought two garlands and hopped in. It would be a coincidence if this man was buying flowers for the same reason, was a passing thought.
I had to ask her about this guy, as I was not familiar with him. Generally, over the years one knows most of the guys and gals from her class, school, and college. All of them are my friends too. Kaun tha? Was the obvious question. She said, abhi chalo, raste main batati hun, a bit agitated.
She generally doesn’t retort like this. As we turned and got on to the highway she told me, ek pagal admi tha. I almost jammed the brakes. What happened! I said. I thought I remembered his car number. A White Tata Tiago EV, but could not recollect now.
What my wife revealed from that conversation was shocking & has me shaken from inside, which is the reason I am keying in this article.
He asked my wife, phool mandir main chadhane hain? Are you going to offer these flowers in a Mandir. Tumhe matlab, kahin chadhaun, she said. Basically, she told him to mind his own business. Some people are in a bad habit of getting into conversations.
This man further went on to say, aap us wale thele se mat liya karo, pointing to the one where my car was standing. What the heck my wife said! Kyon, Why, may I know, she asked. Vo ‘doosri jaat’ ke hain hain. Hame hinduon ko support karna chahiye, unko nahi.
My wife lost her cool and gave him left right and centre then and there. I wish my windows were down and had heard the conversation. That man would have been flat on the ground, irrespective of the consequences. That ‘B’ would have been garlanded on the spot with the same garlands.
Why didn’t you tell me? My blood was already boiling. She said, choro, itna accha suna ke ayi hun, ki vo chup chaap bhag gaya. Even the other malan ji told my wife to calm down. Aap kahin se bhi lo, jo aap ko pasand ho, ye insaan theek nahi hai.
I sat down to mull over that conversation. A thought flashed my mind that is this country heading towards a different direction? I just hope it is not true. If people are spreading such canards, we shall see more riots in this very peaceful city in the near future. Elections are also round the bend.
When I recalled, what dresses both the Malans were wearing, it was the traditional Rajasthani dress called Ghagra-Choli. Even the colour of their dresses was similar, a light green with floral prints. However, they both spoke thet Marwari, which is the local lingo. There was no way one could make out their religion from their language and deportment.
Don’t we sing “Mazhab nahi sikhata, aapas main Bair rakhana, hindi hain hum vatan’ hain, Hindustan hamara-hamara. Sare jahan se achha…...?” Emphasis is on “Hum Vatan”, from the same vatan, same mitti, same land, same roots & same country.
All those who keep bashing the malan ji’s community, I pity them. India is in troubled waters, if this mentality prevails. Hamara Bharat Badla-Badla sa kyon nazar aa raha hai? I wonder!!!!!!!!
JAI HIND
© ® NOEL ELLIS
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