Gul Gulshan Gulfam

by Pran Kishore

  ‘That is fine. May Dastagir help him recover soon. Are you going there to examine him?’

  ‘It is better that you see him first.’

  Noor Mohammad was exhausted and he, like the day before, was late by three to four hours reaching home. Malla Khaliq wondered where he had been. He went to Bilal’s room which they had constructed on the isle for their office. He sat in the chair and told Bilal, ‘Sit down, you need not stand up. Sit in your chair.’

  Bilal sat in the chair and Malla Khaliq asked him, ‘Do you know what Noor Mohammad is so preoccupied with? No one knows when he comes and when he leaves.’

  ‘He might be busy with some work for Doctor Sahib. You know his private practice has grown fast.’

  ‘No, that is not the reason; he would have told me that. Ask him about his present engagements, will you?’

  ‘Yes, I will.’

  Malla Khaliq came out of Bilal’s office. He came across Ghulam Ahmed’s son Mukhtar Ahmed with a bundle of letters in his hand. He salaamed his grandfather. ‘I went to the post office to get the mail.’

  ‘That is good. God bless you.’ Saying this, Malla Khaliq walked away to sit in an armchair in the open, and gazed at the lake. He noticed that algae and other weeds had spread all around their houseboats. The interlaced creepers seemed like a huge serpent shrinking and expanding with the ripples in the lake and that made him nervous. With a shudder, he got up and went to his room.

  Houseboat Glacier was in a grove of willows in the greater lake towards Kotar Khana. The lofty Zabarwan hills stretched in front of it and their reflection appeared to be kissing the bed of the lake. Towards the right side, the Shankaracharya temple overshadowed the Boulevard. When Reeny came out on the prow of the houseboat holding Qadir’s hand, she forgot her sadness for a little while. ‘Beautiful!’ Then Vijay Kumar’s son took Ghulam Qadir inside. ‘You must be feeling tired, you should get some rest first.’

  ‘I am soon going to be resting forever,’ said Ghulam Qadir. ‘Don’t you see how these silvery ripples of the Dal beckon me? You also sit here for a while in this soothing breeze that comes to us after touching the snow on the lofty peaks of Mount Harmukh.’

  Dilip Kumar sat down beside Qadir and asked, ‘Which one is the Harmukh?’

  ‘You cannot see the whole mountain from here, but you can see the summits there, behind those smaller hills.’

  ‘Yes, I can see. Is it snow that shines over the peaks?’

  ‘It is snow, of course. What else could it be? How can I tell you what a splendid place it is! I have climbed up twice; first in my childhood when I was studying in Biscoe School, and then once again when I led a party of foreign tourists to the peaks.’

  ‘They say the Harmukh Ganges originates from there. My grandpa told me.’

  ‘Yes, there are two large lakes at the bottom. The water of the two lakes flows out, and in confluence runs into a very large lake.’

  Reeny and Abdul Jabbar, the owner of the houseboat, came out. She said to Ghulam Qadir, ‘Everything is set.’

  ‘Jabbar Sahib has taken care of every comfort. No one but him could have done all this for us. He is a brother of ours after all.’

  Ghulam Qadir looked towards her with a pained smile. Reeny laid her hand on his shoulder and said, ‘Now get some sleep.’

  He got up with a long sigh. Before going in, he turned to Dilip Kumar and said, ‘Gangabal and Harmukh! No place in the world can compare with them. You must visit them.’

  Dilip Kumar knew well that this was the last burst of a bright flame on the waning candle. Nevertheless, even in those last moments, Ghulam Qadir wanted to breathe the serenity of his Mother Kashmir into every pore of his being. When he stretched out on the bed and looked through the window at the Zabarwan, he said to Reeny, ‘Do you see my paradise, darling?’

  ‘Exquisite!’

  ‘Please remember, when I breathe my last, don’t close my eyes for you will find my paradise frozen in them. I will carry that vision as my only wealth to the other side.’

  Reeny turned the other way to hide her tears. Then she pulled the quilt over Ghulam Qadir, and went to the drawing room where Dilip Kumar was waiting. ‘We will have to arrange for a doctor to give him daily injections.’

  Dilip Kumar told her that Doctor Nisar would be coming daily.

  ‘Yes, Doctor Nisar spoke to me, but he did not make any such statement,’ Reeny said.

  ‘Then let us ask him.’

  ‘No, we need not ask him; please arrange for a good doctor and a nurse who could stay here with us.’

  ‘All right, I will discuss the issue with Doctor Nisar. We have got sufficient stock of medicines with us. If you need anything else from the market, please let me know.’

  Noor Mohammad remained anxious. He was in his home, yet lost in some wilderness. He kept looking intermittently towards Kotar Khana where the houseboat Glacier stood. Malla Khaliq noticed how fidgety he was. He suspected something was wrong. He went out on to the isle where Noor Mohammad sat.

  ‘Noor Mohammad, is all well? You have been brooding for the last few days and I find you rather distracted. What is the problem?’

  Noor Mohammad was at a loss. He controlled his nervousness and said, ‘I am just anxious about my daughter-in-law for she is pregnant for the second time.’

  ‘But what is there to be worried about? She is with her parents in Dubai. And her father is a reputed doctor. She herself is an able gynaecologist. I spoke to Nisar only yesterday. He told me that all was well.’

  ‘Yet I am quite perturbed, I don’t know why.’

  ‘Now you go inside; the wind is chilly tonight. Dastagir Sahib shall bring us succour. Now go in.’

  ‘Subhan, where is he? I want him to take me across. There is no one at Nisar Ahmed’s clinic to allot numbers to the patients.’

  ‘Shall I take you across?’

  ‘No. Here comes Subhan. You please go and rest inside.’

  Thus Noor Mohammad lied to escape the situation. When he was sure that Malla Khaliq was inside, he sneaked away towards the Gagribal ghat. There he rented a boat and reached Glacier. When Abdul Jabbar saw Noor Mohammad’s boat touching the ghat, he went running, greeted him and took him aside. ‘They are sleeping right now. You come to the doonga and have some tea.’

  They were about to go towards the doonga, when they heard the call-bell. Abdul Jabbar said to Noor Mohammad, ‘It is the bell from his bedroom. You stay here until I return. Maybe he needs something.’

  Abdul Jabbar he knocked on the door.

  ‘Come in, the door is open,’ Ghulam Qadir said.

  Abdul Jabbar walked cautiously into the bedroom. He found Ghulam Qadir sitting up against a pillow and looking out through the window. ‘Who was it in the shikaarah?’ he asked Abdul Jabbar.

  On hearing Noor Mohammad’s name, he started sweating. In the meantime, Reeny also woke up in the next room. Without disturbing Sulaiman, she came into Ghulam Qadir’s bedroom. When she came to know that Noor Mohammad was there to see Ghulam Qadir, she said to Abdul Jabbar, ‘Why didn’t you show him in? What will he think about us? You please show him in.’

  Abdul Jabbar went out and said to Noor Mohammad, ‘You please go in. How courteous is this memsahib of Ghulam Qadir’s! She scolded me for making you wait outside. Come this way.’

  When Reeny saw Abdul Jabbar showing Noor Mohammad in, she went to the door. Ghulam Qadir stopped her saying, ‘Where are you going? Please stay here. I don’t have the guts to face him alone.’

  ‘No, I am a stranger to him, and he thinks me a sinner. He might hesitate in talking to you in my presence.’ She went to the other room.

  Abdul Jabbar led Noor Mohammad into Ghulam Qadir’s bedroom and walked out.

  Noor Mohammad stood still, and frozen like a criminal. Holding the side of his bed for support, Ghulam Qadir got up and lay at his feet. Noor Mohammad could not restrain himself. He helped him up and held him in a hug. Tears poured from their eyes. Neither of them could speak.

&n
bsp; Reeny was in the adjacent room, trying to listen in. When there was a long silence, she woke Sulaiman. ‘Get up. Your Daddy’s elder brother has come.’

  ‘Who, Noor Uncle?’

  ‘Yes. They were talking to each other some time back, but there is pin-drop silence now.’

  ‘Stop, Mama. Listen! They are talking again.’

  Reeny was curious to know what the brothers would say on meeting each other after so many years. She leaned against the partition between the rooms and tried to hear. Sulaiman got angry and said, ‘What is this, Mama? Let me also hear.’

  ‘I will listen and tell you.’

  He sat down and Reeny tried to connect words with one another and make out what they were talking about in the next room. Noor Mohammad repeated the word ‘maafi!’ intermittently, and this was enough to make her believe that he had come there to seek forgiveness from Ghulam Qadir.

  Noor Mohammad sat on the edge of the bed, holding Qadir’s hand. ‘Look here, Ghulam Qadir, if you could just once say a word to Abba on the phone, all the grudges will wash away. Then he will take you to your own house.’

  ‘No, I had begged for forgiveness by lying at his feet. I did that when I was a worthless waif, and again when I was of some worth. Now what is left for me to gain? Having made a lot of money, name and fame, I have come back, losing the most important gamble in life, and now I am here to play with potsherds. I will lose this game as well soon and everything will be over.’

  Noor Mohammad was speechless. He knew that his father wouldn’t forgive him because he hadn’t even mentioned his name all these years. Having let go of Ghulam Qadir’s hand, he said to him, ‘Vijay Kumar’s son had come to Nisar Ahmed’s clinic and asked him to arrange for a full-time doctor for you. But Nisar Ahmed himself is such an able doctor; is he not allowed to come here?’

  ‘Have we bolted our doors from inside? All these arrangements were made by Nisar Ahmed. Who can stop him from coming here?’

  Noor Mohammad got up and said, ‘You get some rest. I shall send Nisar Ahmed here.’

  ‘Please wait a while. Let me ask Reeny if she has asked Vijay Kumar’s son about the doctor.’ He pressed the bell, and Abdul Jabbar came in. Ghulam Qadir asked him to send Reeny in. After a little while, Reeny came in, her head covered with a scarf, and courteously paid her salaam. Noor Mohammad was taken in by her manners. Ghulam Qadir gently introduced her to Noor Mohammad. ‘This is Reeny De Souza.’

  ‘No. Reeny Qadir!’ she corrected him. ‘I am your unlucky Bhabhi.’

  Noor Mohammad said, ‘When our own son is a good doctor, what is the need for calling any other doctor in?’

  Reeny explained to him that they needed a doctor and a nurse who could stay with them in the houseboat, to meet any eventuality that may arise. ‘So as far as Nisar is concerned, he will be frequenting the houseboat.’

  ‘All right, I will go and send Nisar here.’ Then he placed his hand on Ghulam Qadir’s head and prayed for him. He said to Reeny again, ‘Where is Sulaiman?’

  ‘You will not recognize him. He has grown quite tall, taller than us.’

  ‘I have only seen Ghulam Qadir, Ghulam Ahmed and you. What can I say about others in your family? Yes, I am sure he has grown taller than all three of you,’ Reeny said with a smile.

  ‘May God protect him. So I will take my leave now.’ Saying this, he went out of the room. Reeny followed him. He passed Sulaiman who was in the corridor. He was about to go into his room, but Reeny stopped him. ‘Why are you running away? This is your Noor Uncle.’

  ‘I know. As-salaam-alaikum.’

  ‘Wa-alaikumsalaam! You have really grown very tall!’

  ‘Do you remember after how many years you are seeing me again?’

  Noor Mohammad went quiet.

  ‘Eight years have passed since then. I have kept a record of all the events that have taken place in this time,’ Sulaiman said.

  Noor Mohammad felt a bit embarrassed. He remembered how he had forced him along with his father to leave home. Nobody in the family had spoken even a word with him. ‘May God bless you. So I take my leave now.’

  ‘Thank you for coming and showing us a little support,’ Reeny said. Sulaiman said in Kashmiri, ‘Let me see you off. Come this way.’

  Noor Mohammad was amazed to hear him speaking in Kashmiri. Reeny said, ‘His Daddy has taught him many things. I alone, like an aged parrot, failed to learn anything.’

  Sulaiman held Noor Mohammad’s hand and helped him sit in the shikaarah.

  Noor Mohammad’s shikaarah left and Sulaiman and Reeny continued watching it move away until it had vanished from sight. Then they returned to Ghulam Qadir’s bedroom. He sat near the window gazing at the cliffs of the Sulaiman mountain. Sulaiman went to him and said, ‘What are you gazing at? Noor Uncle has left.’

  ‘I was not watching him. I was looking at your namesake mountain, Takht-i-Sulaiman, and the two-thousand-year-old Shankaracharya temple at its summit.’

  ‘I know, Daddy. You once told me about this.’

  Reeny also joined their conversation. She said to Sulaiman, ‘Do you see the lake at the bottom of that mountain? Your grandfather’s houseboats are somewhere there.’

  ‘They are surely there. Daddy has told me about them – Gul, Gulshan and Gulfam.’

  The sun was about to set. Dark clouds had gathered around the peaks of the Apharwat towering over Gulmarg in the west. The golden gleam of the setting sun gave a crimson blush to the waters of the Dal. Reeny sat beside Ghulam Qadir near the window. He raised his head and stared at Reeny’s face. ‘What are you looking at?’ she asked him.

  ‘I am looking for the reflection of this panorama in your eyes.’

  ‘You are crazy. Why don’t you say that you want to see my reaction to this amazing vista?’

  ‘Let it be so. Tell me what you think?’

  ‘It is marvellous. Sunsets are beautiful in Daman as well, but they cannot match the ethereal beauty of this farewell of the sun by these splendid mountains. But the ocean of Daman is a million times larger than this lake.’

  ‘What about it? The enchanting grandeur of our Kashmir is such that it has become the meaning of beauty for me. I will never forget it. I am not scared of death, but the thought that I will not find my Kashmir in the other world gives me much pain. Can there be such beauty anywhere else?’

  ‘You talk of death again! Don’t talk like that, please.’

  Before Ghulam Qadir could say anything further, Sulaiman came in, after knocking on the door. He said to his mother, ‘How long will you make him sit here? The sun has set. A cold breeze has started blowing and he might catch a chill. Now get up, please.’

  He helped his father up and led him to his bed. The fatigue of the day intensified his pain and Sulaiman and Reeny made him swallow his analgesic. Reeny said to Sulaiman, ‘I don’t know when Dilip will bring the doctor here; we badly need one.’ Sulaiman pressed the bell. When there was no response, Sulaiman went out and angrily called out to Abdul Jabbar. He was at the ghat holding the anchor of the boat that had arrived. He saw Doctor Nisar, another man, and a girl stepping out. Nisar could not recognize Sulaiman at first, but when he went closer, Sulaiman said, ‘Doctor Uncle, please walk faster. Daddy is in a lot of pain.’

  ‘Relax, Sulaiman. All will be well. I am sorry that I could not recognize you. You have grown taller than me, Sulaiman.’

  They walked fast towards the houseboat. Doctor Nisar introduced the two people to him. ‘This is Doctor Dullu, and Nurse Miss Nancy. They will stay here with you.’

  They entered the houseboat. When they were in the drawing room, Sulaiman said to Doctor Nisar, ‘Just a minute, I will be back. Bas aas! ’ Then he ran in. Doctor Nisar was amazed and looked at Abdul Jabbar. The latter said to him, ‘He speaks Kashmiri better than you and I.’

  Sulaiman returned and said, ‘Please come in, Mummy is also there.’

  Doctor Nisar asked Doctor Pushkernath Dulloo and the nurse to wait, and walked into Ghulam Qadir’s be
droom.

  Reeny stood up when Doctor Nisar entered. She paid her salaam to him and stepped aside. Doctor Nisar sat on the side of the bed near Ghulam Qadir. He tried to sit up, but Doctor Nisar stopped him. ‘No. Please don’t get up.’ But Ghulam Qadir could not stop himself. He held Nisar’s hand against his cheek and wept. Then he tried to say something, but Doctor Nisar said, ‘I know. I know how all this happened and I know the pain you are in. Vijay Kumar told me everything. I bear no grudge against you. These issues will be settled later. Our first and foremost concern is your health.’ He turned to Reeny and said, ‘Why are you standing? Please sit down. Have faith in Allah. Where are his reports?’

  Sulaiman lost no time in taking out the file. When Doctor Nisar saw the reports, he went pale. He called Doctor Dulloo in and showed the file to him. Then he said to Ghulam Qadir, ‘The medicines prescribed are as per the latest research. We might not get them here.’

  ‘Don’t bother about that; we have brought the full course with us,’ Sulaiman said.

  ‘Then we need not worry,’ Doctor Nisar said to Reeny. ‘Doctor Dulloo is an experienced doctor. He will stay here to attend to him.’

  Through all this, Ghulam Qadir looked morosely at Doctor Nisar. Holding on to one side of the bed, Ghulam Qadir rose and propped himself against the pillow. Doctor Nisar went near him, caressed his back and said, ‘Don’t worry. You will soon get well because you have come home.’

  ‘True, this pain will end one day, but what can I do about the pain that torments my heart?’

  ‘That too has a remedy. Just shift to your own houseboat. I mean, Gulshan, your own Gulshan. Then see how quickly you recover.’

  ‘No, that is not possible. I know well my destiny. You are a doctor, such a big doctor, and you know as well as I do that my days are numbered. When I breathe my last, I entreat you to request them on my behalf to forgive me. I have hurt them so much that even if I lived for many years and repented for my sins, I would not be able to compensate them for their suffering. So returning to the houseboat is out of the question.’