by Pran Kishore
Ghulam Ahmed was busy showing carpets to a party of Europeans, but hearing the noise outside, he came out to see what the matter was. The general manager spotted him from a distance and greeted him loudly. Ahmed asked him, ‘What are the greetings for?’
‘You are an uncle now; our boss is the father to a baby boy. We just received the news from Daman.’
Ahmed was flummoxed. What is this new calamity that we have to face? Now what should I do? I have to see Reeny and Ghulam Qadir to congratulate them. If I don’t, it won’t be right. She allotted this showroom to me even before Qadir’s consent. If I don’t go to Daman, I will have to greet her on the phone. And if I phone her, what will Ghulam Qadir think of me? If people back home come to know about this, they will simply disown me. On top of it all, Lala Sahib’s son Vijay Kumar is arriving here day after tomorrow; he will also come to know about it. On second thoughts, his arrival may be a blessing in disguise. He can be the one to inform everyone in Kashmir that Ghulam Qadir has had a second son. Let me ask the general manager for the phone number of the hospital.
In the evening, he made a phone call to Daman and Reeny received it; Ghulam Ahmed thanked his luck. After thanking him Reeny said, ‘Don’t you want to congratulate your brother? He is sitting beside me. Here, talk to him.’
Ghulam Ahmed congratulated Qadir as well. He could make out that Ghulam Qadir had not liked his calling Reeny.
Ghulam Qadir forgot all about his past for some weeks. Reeny felt assured that some miracle had revived all her withered roses and life seemed in full bloom to her. But after a fortnight or so, the general manager of Hotel Sea Waves phoned to tell her that Narayan Joo’s son was coming there along with his family the following week. Ghulam Qadir felt like he had been hurled down a mountain.
Vijay Kumar had told him many weeks ago that he would spend a couple of days in Goa. He in his turn had insisted he come there along with his family.
He had thought that Vijay Kumar was the only link between him and his family, and was eager to host him. But when he heard that he was coming all of a sudden, he got worried. He said to his general manager, ‘Did you not tell him I am not in Goa?’
‘I did. I even broke the news of the arrival of our little boss to him.
‘It is okay.’ Clenching his teeth, he put down the receiver. When he told Reeny about Vijay Kumar’s impending visit to Goa, she looked happy. ‘So after a few days you will have to go to Panaji. The baby will be a month old by then. You should leave after celebrating his first-month birthday. I would love to come along with you to see him, but the doctor has asked me not to leave Daman for some time.’
After celebrating the first month of his child, Qadir returned to Panaji.
A week after that, Vijay Kumar reached Goa with his wife. Ghulam Qadir was prepared to face Vijay Kumar. Vijay Kumar had seen the worst of him. He had treated Qadir sympathetically all those years ago in Bombay. He hadn’t labelled him a sinner. He took the couple sightseeing in Daman and to meet Reeny. He was sure that after meeting Reeny, Vijay Kumar might suggest that Narayan Joo meet her. If Narayan Joo liked Reeny, he would convince Malla Khaliq and the others to forgive him.
Vijay Kumar and his wife loved Reeny. They assured Ghulam Qadir that time would heal all wounds. Before returning to Bombay, Vijay Kumar promised Ghulam Qadir that he would tell his father everything. Ghulam Qadir embraced him and said, ‘I have been cast away by my own brothers, but you, my brother, will certainly take my boat across. If you can make your father believe that all that happened in the past happened because of the unavoidable fate that held me captive, he might persuade Abba to forgive me.’
‘You need not worry. I will convince my father to speak to Haji Sahib.’
When Ghulam Ahmed came to know that Vijay Kumar and his wife had returned to Bombay, he heaved a sigh of relief. He had been hiding away from them. Ghulam Qadir had shown Ghulam Ahmed’s showroom to Vijay, but he hadn’t shown up.
Ghulam Ahmed heaved a long sigh and said to his salesman, ‘Peter, go upstairs and fetch me a cold Coke from the hotel. And throw in some ice as well.’ Peter ran up the stairs and Ghulam Ahmed sat down on the sofa. ‘Oh my Dastagir! I wish to lay down my life at your feet for this great mercy on me!’ Peter brought him a bottle of Coke and poured it out into a glass. ‘Put some ice into it.’ Peter held out the glass to him and he guzzled it in one go. ‘Ah! Now my heart feels a little cool and calm.’
‘Sir, what did you say?’
‘Go and have some Coke yourself. I have been spared from telling anyone anything. Let Vijay Kumar tell them everything.’
Vijay Kumar phoned his father. ‘Daddy, now it’s up to you to mend the broken relations.’ Narayan Joo kept quiet for a moment and then said to him, ‘I think you have also become enamoured of Qadir and his Mem like Ghulam Ahmed. Tell me, what will happen if, God forbid, you abandon your wife and marry some other woman? Would I ever forgive you? No, no. I cannot plead his case. But yes, I cannot hold back the news that a second son has been born to Ghulam Qadir. He may do whatever he chooses to with that information.’
When Narayan Joo nervously passed the news on to Malla Khaliq, all his wounds began to bleed afresh. He cast a scathing smile at Narayan Joo. ‘You deserve a lot of greetings! Come! Let us rejoice and announce this news to all of Kashmir! Instruct the chefs to prepare a feast, why don’t you?! Now why are you silent? You know we have already severed all relations with that unfortunate boy. Then why did your darling son go to him? Answer me.’
Noor Mohammad, Aziz Dyad and Mukhta overheard the entire conversation from the kitchen. Aziz Dyad nervously said to Noor Mohammad, ‘Go pacify your Abba; he is furious. I am afraid he might spew more venom on your poor Lala.’
Noor Mohammad lost no time. ‘What is all this, Abba? Do you think that the world should stop spinning? Vijay Kumar’s job demands that he travel from city to city; he is after all a businessman. He might have gone to Goa on business and met Qadir by chance. Is he supposed to dig out his eyeballs to refrain from seeing him?’
Narayan Joo interrupted, ‘Noor Sahib, the anger that plagues your Abba plagues me as well. He did not say anything wrong to me.’
Malla Khaliq felt bad for his rudeness. He held his friend’s hand and said, ‘Please forgive me; I don’t know what has happened to me.’
‘It is not only you, something has happened to all of us,’ Noor Mohammad said. He had argued with his father for the first time in his life.
Narayan Joo touched Noor Mohammad’s shoulder and said, ‘My dear son, circumstances took such an ugly turn that they outwitted even the bravest of men.’
The fire was still raging in Malla Khaliq’s veins. He turned to Narayan Joo. ‘See this person did not tell us anything about this!’
‘Maybe he did not know anything about it.’ Noor Mohammad tried to plead for his brother.
‘How could he not know about it? He might be busy in garnering the oats of Qadir. It is also possible that they might have strictly told him not to divulge anything to us.’
Aziz Dyad tried her best to hold back her anger, but when she sensed that the argument was unending, she came in and burst out. ‘You just sit here and pass judgements without even knowing what is happening there!’
‘Congratulations, your darling son there has had one more son. Ready yourself to go greet him.’ Saying this, Malla Khaliq tried to silence her.
‘I heard it, I heard everything. Please don’t broadcast the news now.’
‘What are we going to get by stretching this issue?’ Narayan Joo silenced her. ‘Ask your daughter-in-law to get me a cup of tea.’
Aziz Dyad went back to the kitchen and the argument stopped. Nobody mentioned Qadir or his second son after that.
Noor Mohammad was feeling angry with Ghulam Ahmed. In the evening he made a call to him from Doctor Nisar’s house. After reproaching him, he said, ‘You deserve much applause for forgetting all of us after reaching Goa. Even if you had not told anybody else, you could have at least c
onfided in me that Ghulam Qadir had had a son. You will never change.’ Noor Mohammad forcefully put the phone down.
Qadir held on to Vijay Kumar’s promise that time was the greatest healer. That was the only hope that he had left. But when nobody in Kashmir contacted him for several months, his hopes faded. He once again began to seek solace in drinking.
Reeny stayed in Daman for most of the time, and there was nobody to stop Ghulam Qadir from drinking or take care of him. She spent most of her time nursing her child, yet she never forgot to call her husband every evening.
Neither Ghulam Qadir nor Reeny could decide what to name their son. Ghulam Qadir finally left it to his wife with only one request: that his name should not indicate his religion or caste. Reeny wanted to select a name that would have some connection with Kashmir for she still nursed the hope that Qadir’s family would welcome them home some day and embrace her son as their own. But Ghulam Qadir could not come up with a Kashmiri name. They therefore fondly began to call the baby Tinkoo. But when they decided to celebrate the child’s first birthday, Reeny felt silly writing ‘Tinkoo’ on the invitation cards. She said to Ghulam Qadir, ‘If you don’t suggest a proper name, I will not get the invitation cards printed, nor shall I invite anyone.’
Ghulam Qadir unwittingly uttered ‘Sulaiman’. ‘But if you want the name to be in keeping with your own religion, you could call him Solomon,’ Ghulam Qadir said.
‘Does the name have any connection with Kashmir?’
‘Yes, it does. There is a mountain just in front of our houseboats, called Sulaiman Teng, the Hill of Solomon. At the top of the mountain, there is a two-and-a-half-thousand-year-old temple called Shankaracharya. When we wake up early in the morning and open our windows, the hill is the first thing that is visible. It looks splendid in the morning. I am sure my Abba will admire this name.’
‘Okay. Sulaiman! The name sounds good!’
She looked at the baby lying on the floor playing with his toys. ‘So, Tinkoo Sahib, you shall be called Sulaiman from this moment. How do you like it, Sulaiman?’
Sulaiman’s first birthday was celebrated with much pomp and show in the hotel at Daman. Without Ghulam Qadir’s consent, Reeny invited Ghulam Ahmed as well. But how could he gather the courage to go to Daman? He wished Reeny on the phone. Ghulam Qadir had sent a card to Vijay Kumar also and entreated him over the phone to come. He kept waiting for Vijay Kumar even after the party ended. But when he did not turn up, Qadir felt very sad. He went upstairs and started drinking in his room.
After putting Sulaiman to bed, Reeny found Ghulam Qadir drinking. ‘What is this madness? I did not stop you while the party was on because we were celebrating, and so I let you have your fill. But you continue drinking even after the party is over, like a drunkard.’
Qadir had started to slur and he said, ‘What do they think of themselves? Have I committed a murder? They expelled me from my own house and severed all relations with me! Okay. Let them do so, but there was still one bond left … Vijay Kumar, a brother of mine, how much he cared about me – and then his father, our own Lala Sahib, he has also disowned me – Oh God, I am feeling stifled! Now tell me what I should do … I try my best to forget everything, but cannot—’
Reeny sat beside him, and held him close. ‘I can feel your pain. I know that even after having achieved all that you had yearned to, you feel like you have lost everything. You don’t know how much it hurts me to see you in this wretched condition. But only cowards take the aid of alcohol. Please don’t repeat this madness in future. I am always with you. Let us fight together, and I am sure we will be able some day return to our dear ones.’
‘Everything’s finished,’ he said and then started wailing over his destiny. Reeny held him tighter and made him lie down beside her. ‘Now get some sleep. Time heals all wounds.’
Ghulam Qadir was fast asleep within no time. After that day, Ghulam Qadir kept looking forward to the day when time would actually heal all his wounds, but his wounds turned into irremediable gangrenes. Five years went by. Many things happened in those five years.
Ghulam Ahmed understood that he had lost all his respect among his employees, and so did not want to continue living in Goa. Ghulam Qadir’s attitude towards him influenced other Kashmiri businessmen and they all looked down upon him because he lived in a rented room even though he was related to a big hotelier. When he was free from Abdullah Shah’s debts, and had saved sufficient money, he sent the key of the showroom to the general manager of the hotel. He also wrote a letter to Ghulam Qadir in which he expressed his reasons for returning to Kashmir.
All these years Ghulam Qadir had expected that Ghulam Ahmed would come closer to him and share in his sorrow. But when Ghulam Ahmed did not deign to make any effort, he convinced himself that this was good riddance. When Reeny came to know about this, she said to Ghulam Qadir, ‘You keep Ghulam Ahmed’s showroom vacant. I am sure that he will return.’
Malla Khaliq was happy that Ghulam Ahmed had repaid all his debts and was home never to go away again. He was all the more glad when Ghulam Ahmed gave him sixty thousand rupees that he had earned from his business in Goa. The rest of the money he kept with himself to repay what he had borrowed from his father-in-law.
When Naba Kantroo came to know that Ghulam Ahmed had returned from Goa and had resolved not to go back, he became furious. He vented his rage on his own wife. ‘You get up and call Zoon. Tell her to come here along with that worthless fellow. Get up, why don’t you? Get up, and do what I say.’
Just as his wife came out of the room, she heard the compound gate opening. She peeped out through the window and saw Ghulam Ahmed and Zoon entering the gate.
When Naba Kantroo saw his wife coming back, he reproached her again, ‘Are you afraid? You sit here, I shall go and drag him in. He has ruined my daughter’s life.’
His wife warned him, ‘Sit silent, they are coming here. You hear him out and then do whatever you want to do.’
Ghulam Ahmed and Zoon stepped in. He was carrying a huge bag in his hand. He greeted his in-laws and calmly sat down. Naba Kantroo responded to his salaam rather grimly, but his wife was very polite and said, ‘Are you well, dear Ama Lala? We are seeing you after so many months.’
‘I had some business compulsions and could not visit Kashmir as often as I would have liked.’
Naba Kantroo lashed out at Ghulam Ahmed saying, ‘He was so overwhelmed with his business that he did not find time to phone us! Then why did you shut your shop there? To take charge of your estate here? Or have you sold away even your shop?’
Zoon got angry with her father. ‘Daddy, why are you always scolding him so harshly for no reason? He has come here to see you after so long and you are insulting him!’
Ghulam Ahmed held his anger in check, but seconded his wife. ‘They are used to poking fun at me. Why are you getting so agitated?’ He then took out a big envelope from his bag, and held it out to his father-in-law, saying, ‘This is the money you had entrusted me with, along with the interest.’ Then he passed the bag to Zoon, saying, ‘There is also something for your mother in it.’
Zoon took out a few suits and a few kilos of cashews from the bag and gave them to her mother. ‘These suit pieces are for you and the cashews are for Daddy. You may sneer at him, but I alone know how deeply he loves you.’
Ghulam Ahmed said to his father-in-law, ‘I have not sold my shop there, nor have I given up my business. I value Abba’s honour more than anything else in the world. I stayed there so that I could repay the money and the interest that I owed you, and to Abdullah Shah who had entrusted his carpets to me so long ago.’ Then he turned to Zoon. ‘Let’s leave now.’
‘No, this is not proper, my son. How can I let you go without having lunch?’
‘We are quite full. Haji Sahib served us lunch as soon as we entered his house. Please let Mukhtar Ahmed come back with us. He can go to his college from there.’
Hearing the sarcasm, Naba Kantroo could not hold his anger in,
but he reflected a little and reined in his tongue. He changed his tone. ‘You are getting irritated. Look here, dear Ama Sahib, whenever I say anything to you, I say it only for your own good. I had come to know from Abdullah Shah that you ran your business quite successfully. You know your father does not talk to me. Both of us were happy, but when Abdullah Shah told me that it was your father whose fear made you wind up your shop and come back to Kashmir, I was really angry.’
‘No, I did not return because of my father. I have returned of my own accord. Abba, of course, has his own principles which everyone admires. I returned only to safeguard those principles.’
Naba Kantroo got more furious on hearing this. ‘Yes, we all know about your father’s principles. He does not understand that times are changing. Had he been wise, he would not have forced his millionaire son to leave his house. Qadir had only done what every rich person does. Is it a sin to take a second wife?’
Ghulam Ahmed did not think it proper to argue further and he said to Zoon, ‘Get up now. The issue is getting unnecessarily stretched. Get up and let us leave.’
Zoon got up and followed her husband, but before crossing the threshold, she said to her father, ‘Please send Mukhtar Ahmed home as soon as he returns from college.’
‘Yes, we shall send him. Why won’t we? We will surely send him to serve that Bilal there who has been made the heir apparent by your father.’
‘You need not worry about that for it is our personal matter.’ Having said this, Ghulam Ahmed left, followed by his wife, his head held high.
After they left, Naba Kantroo’s wife reproached her husband. ‘They had kept silent so far because you had them under your thumb, because they owed you money. How will you control their lives now? And tell me, how long will you keep Mukhtar Ahmed separated from his parents? Why don’t you let him go back to his home?’