The story of “Asthmatic cart of Parmeshawaram,” is the story that swings between two contradictory prepositions of human nature vis a vis. This story is based upon the saying that if property is your own , you use and consume it very carefully and with a deliberation. But, if it belongs to others, you are at liberty to loot it, as per your own accord. This anecdote belongs to the bygone era of my teenage village life. The lead character of the story is “Parmeshawaram bhayyan.” Here term “Bhayyan” in Hindi belt is akin to “brother.”
His forefathers basically belonged to the Eastern part of Utter Pradesh Province of the Indian territory. They happened to migrate this North Western part, as servitude to Brithish Saheb in pre-independence era. Here, they served in menial job as chowkidar, gardeners and domestic help to them. When India declared as an Independent Nation, the British masters at the nick of the time of leaving this country, handed over these people some pieces of arable lands owned by them. They did it in gratitude, and these families got settled here permanently on that account.
Parmeshawaram bhayyan was acknowledged as “parmeshwara” only. At the time of Independence, he was a kid only. For long time to come, entire India remained totally a backward country, and, villages existed with most of muddy houses with thatched roofs. The roads to tread were roughly hewn. In the summer season, these roads remained covered with ankle deep dust. Whilst, in rainy season entirely muddy and slippery. In rest of the season they were full of holes and slopes. Even the roads of the cities were not worth mentioned though were asphalted. But Nation was so poor that after once got asphalted, never got repaired timely and remained riddled with holes of different sizes.
As a driver of the Ambassador motor car –
In my childhood memoirs that I can recount in the decade of late sixties of last century and onward. This Parameshwar Bhayyan, used to run the Ambassador brand car of some rich man of city . He happened to visit back his village, after a gap of every three to four days. This he was but obliged, to fulfill his family liabilities and look after the house hold affairs. On the next day, he left back for his duty; and in his this kind of family visit, ever he rode on the car alone. Those were the days, when in pastoral life hardly a few persons in the village owned bicycles. And owning that, was considered a sign of well-off position.
Might Parmeshwaran Bhayyan be the driver, in the eyes of his master in the city. But, back in the village, he occupied the position of “sole owner” of Ambassador car in the village. Often, on returning drive to village, he generously obliged people a free ride back to village. It happened, when he found them treading the way, back to home.. On such occasions, he happened to give full throttle to his car, by pushing maximum pressure on the accelerator paddle. It made his car stormed roaringly in the village streets. The same contradictory preposition, I mentioned at the beginning of the story, applied to the vehicle. Since, vehicle was not his personal property, it belonged to the Master. If there occurs any damage to the car, the Master was there to bear that.
Features as a person
As far as, personal description of Parmeshwar Bhayyan concerned. He was short in height, dark skinned, having no visible neck as such. Meant his head seemed stuck heavily on his shoulders. Having big egg shaped eyes, with inflated pupils which seemed trying to eject out from the eyeballs. Along with, having a hoarse voice with self opinionated conviction, with a whim to let down all villagers. Simply by looking at him, an impression generated, as if, you looked a toad frog.
A minus point added to his conjugal life was. After having enjoyed long nuptial tie, he was not blessed with any offspring. To say, whole through his life he remained childless. His better half was an affable woman, but looked somewhat an aged woman. Might be, due to the complex of not begetting any child or of some other biological flaws. He seemed quite younger before her. As it happens in pastoral life, when he would begin to boast about his “driving entourage experiences of all India level” with intent to let down villagers. Someone of villagers, in between intercepted him intentionally, to restrict his boasting drive.
This would be done, by invoking the description of his conjugal affairs ,and very rudely. The rudeness, which is common in illiterate villagers’ propensity. Any one, in the group would ask,” How is the health of mother? Whether she is ok .” Here, “mother” was a pinpoint hurt about his better half, who looked like an old woman. This would make him to boil over. Offendedly he retorted, with his inflated pupils, in hoarse voice, ” You are right son! Elder sister in law, is equivalent to mother . Do visit my place tomorrow in morning, and take blessings of my wife by touching her feet.” But never he carried any burden upon his heart for that sally.
Virtue in his life
His life, as a driver was passing on smoothly. Despite his being in the vocation of driving, never he indulged in any kind of alcoholic drink or weed smoking. Whilst, this driving avocation had had an infamy for these vices. He had earned a reputation for immaculate life in the entire area. In contrast to this, all his friends from childhood, who passed their life on agriculture based avocation were indulged in country liquor and some in charas (ganja) smoking.
On one day, it dawned upon him that it,s better to own a personal vehicle, instead, to run the car of Master as a driver. Better, he should own some cart. After a great deliberation, he made up his mind. As it was the financial situation of his, he could not afford to buy an Ambassador car at the time. So, he managed to buy a “three wheeler auto loader” of miniature size. This prototype loader, had recently been introduced in the market for handy transportation of goods.
Change in mind set
No sooner, he owned the “three wheeler auto loader,” a drastic change was observed in Parmeshawara Bhayyah behaviour by the entire village. Till the time, he drove the Ambassador car as a driver of his master, he drove that recklessly and ruthlessly. But, when he began to run his own “three wheeler auto loader”, he allways managed to drive it so softly. So tenderly he drove the loader, as if, someone walking on egg shells. He did all this to preserve his Cart (Loader.) As it was and still is fashion to inscribe some slogans on the rear side of transport vehicles by drivers. He, too got imprinted a slogan on the rear of his loader, ” If you having a full lungs, dare you overtake me.”
From here only, his “three wheeler auto Loader” derived the ignominious title. “Asthmatic Cart.” Parameshawar bhayyan was inclined to run his transport service from his home only. He had certain advantages for that. At that period of time, Public transport service in the name of running of private buses were operated at a place, that was at a two miles distance from our village. That operational point was called as ” private bus adda(station).” From here only, private buses bound for city left and come back as per scheduled fixed for the purpose. From this place main city was about six miles away.
Naive villagers trapped in
Some villagers, who owned bicycles happened to visit the city on that. But, a good deal of people had to tread on up to bus stand and board on the bus. This situation provided an advantageous ground for Parmeshawar bhayyan. For, his loader business was mainly operated in the city area. So he managed to load on villagers planning to visit the city, on the same charges as they happened to pay as fare for bus transport. It was added with an advantage, they now had not to walk on foot, to catch the bus to private bus adda. These passengers he unloaded near the city bus stand.
This was a good scheme, and at the beginning it befitted all. Irksome situation began, after sometimes. It turned up into a rigged journey to passengers. Since, Parameahwar was the master of the loader, and, he used to drive that so tenderly and carefully. It seemed, as if, behind in the carrier, he was supposed to carry not the passengers but the fragile items of pottery. That was the time, not only the rough hewn roads of the villages were heavily spotted with pits. Even asphalt roads of the city were too riddled with holes on account of poor untimely maintenance.
The passengers of loaders, either had to squat on the backside floor of the carrier of the loader or to be stood over there. During his ride, Parmeshawar drove his loader so carefully and at a slackening speed. This all he would do, with intent to save it from the pits of road. This maneuver took generally one and half hour to cover the entire journey. To villagers, it was a vast time consuming drive, that made them tired. They people were accustomed to his reckless and stormy driving of Ambassador car, that happened to cover this distance just in few minutes. They but naturally anticipated his new loader as “fast service provider” as that of Ambassador car. But it seemed to cripple panting heavily.
Nick name to loader
Now, they people began to mock at the slogans inscribed on the back of his loaders, “if you having a full lungs…..” A nick name, they gave to his loader was, “Asthmatic Cart.” It was, on account of his slow, undulating and panting driving. To them, it seemed to move with labor and pant breathing, as a patient of “Asthma” moves, with breathing problem. Gradually villagers began to avoid the “Asthmatic Cart” on this or that pretension
But the luck of Parmeshawar bhayyan favored him. In the sense that if he suffered the loss of passengers at morning time, he managed to compensate that by picking passengers on evening time when returning from city. Though, with vital change in prototype of passengers. Further, their picking spot was near the Private bus adda and these passengers used to pay generously. These were the habitual drunkards of village and nearby vicinity. They were daily customers of the “country liquor shop.” They would engage Parmeshwar Bhayyan for return trip on proper payment.
Though this business was little more time consuming. For, passengers on their desultory mannerism, often release themselves from the liquor shop whimsically. All these tipsy passengers, on being packed on the rear carrier of the loader, start their journey in spree of different moods. It would create a colorful scene! One of the passengers is singing pastoral or some film’s song. Another one is swearing on some imaginary person. In doing that, crossing the barriers of social norms and values, and one of them, trying to check this unsocial behaviour of companion. The rest are shouting and screaming in enjoyment or whatsoever. Though this distance of travel was to pass across the thinly populated hamlets scattered over in between. This noisy melodrama, preceded the arrival of loader. And, villagers would just make a remark,”It seems asthmatic cart is back home.
Metamorphosis
Everything was running properly. Parmeshwar Bhayyan along with his reputation of “non alcoholic driver,” too, secured the tipsy passengers in sooth. Drunkards, saturated with a feeling that they were in the hands of a safe driver. Might the god know only, how and why this “Metamorphosis” in the persona of Parmeshawar occurred? How covertly it infected him, and no one could have an inkling of that? The riddle was, while waiting for daily passengers by sitting inside the loader, how he managed to start consuming the alcohol drinks secretly and regularly. This covert personal drive of alcoholic spree, never could be known to people, but for the mishap that occurred on that fateful day.
It was the marriage season and on the village square a motor bus stood. The bus had brought the marriage procession along with groom from a distance place. Suddenly, there arrived the loader of Parmwahwar, with the same erstwhile stormy speed he was famous for Ambassador car driving. The loader dashed violently, against the rear side of the stationed motor bus with full force. The next scene was, some passengers scattered blown over in the air, some got trapped inside. Parmeshavar Bhayyan, too, trapped inside over driving seat badly injured. Hardly they were taken out .
The most astonishing scene was, the coming out of foul and stench breathing saturated heavily with country liquor, from the mouth of unconscious Parmeshawar’s mouth. Somehow, all injured were taken to the city hospital in the same motor bus. That is another story, but worth noticing thing was. At that old period of time, in the rural areas the “Asthma” was almost an incurable malady. No any such medical facility of Nebuliser was available to patients, when arrested by Asthmatic bout. The simple treatment in fashion was, to administer him with some swigs of country liquor .Country liquor helped increase blood circulation in fact, and, patient felt temporary relief. Based upon the same experience, later on people cracked the joke about “Asthmatic cart” of Parmeshawar Bhayyan. ” Though the treatment of Asthmatic cart was in proper direction, but, the over dose of Medicine harmed the patient.” …Penned by__ Vinay Pharasi…..
