Story with in the story … Part – 5

(Recap – On the visit of previous owner of my city located property, I received them properly. After a while, the family expressed their wish to visit the orchard firstly, after that, they were intending to throw an intent glance inside the house.)

Orchard exhilarated old couple

On reaching the orchard, they found everything maintained properly and with care. In fact, now the orchard was put more to proper condition than their own time. It exhilarated them. Old couple didn’t forget to touch every tree with hand as if smoothing them. Under every tree, they halted for some moments and whispered some thing. Might be, tendering an apology to forgive them for the act of leaving them behind forlorn.

It was the flash back of the same situation, when last time on handing over me the possession of the property, they bid an adieu by visiting the every nook and corner of the orchard. A shade of repentance was visible on their face.  It was the expressions of being defeated, by the situation of their being feeble, due to the old age. Finding the water hand pump in good working condition, soothed them greatly.

The new small trees planted by me were enough to ensure them, I was not going to fell down old trees. It ascertained them, I was a nature lover like them either. Old lady spoke to me,” Son, when you stuck the deal of the property for the first time, it seemed to us, you bought the property from the business point of view to sell it on further. But as you told, you are planning to stay here permanently, this idea has helped relieved us greatly. Specifically, the way you are taking care of the orchard as a whole, We feel a huge burden is removed from our heart. It seems, you are planning to maintain the orchard as such in future.”

My soothing response

With a natural calm, I responded, ” Aunt, my childhood and prime youth been passed in my parental village in the lap of the nature, Still, I own a substantial portion of house and landed property there. The main attraction to buy this property was this orchard and the open space with kitchen garden purposes. Here, I can ably enjoy both the ambiance of rural as well of urban life. Just because the house has been much older, hence I am forced to renovate that.”

Old lady was mollified by  my response, and said, ” Son, no doubt house is so old and is out of fashion now. It’s true, walls are strong enough to sustain the next floor upon it. Not only the roof Son, even doors and windows needed to be altered now. In fact, alteration is the another name of keeping pace with the present time Son.” I nodded in assent.

 Old man’s recalling

Now old man said in a profound voice, ” Son! an incidence related to this house is reeling before my eyes. Today, I can realize the  “feelings” of that incidence with the depth of my heart. But at the time, when that incidence took place, I took everything as a sanctimonious activity. But as on today, I found myself on the same footing. It occurs to me, by going through some ordeals, time helps us to make us sagacious and matured one.”

I was little bit confused by his this oration and said confusingly , ” I didn’t get you Sir?” Upon that, his son interpolated staidly, ” Sir, better we sit inside first. Some part of that incidence, father too spoke to me when we were en route to this location. Let us , listen the detail of the story from the father. In fact, I too am curious to know about that.”, We all stepped back into the sitting room. Till then, servant had prepared the tea and arranged some snacks. With the sips of tea our story ran further….

The initiation of the story

Old man began, ” Son, today I am an old man and running into my late sixties. Our life is like a mega novel. This contains so many stories. But it often happens with us, when these stories take a shape at a particular time, we don’t take notice of the circumstances which led to shape those stories. But after the long elapse of time, a moment knocks, when we retrospect into them. At that time we realize the pang hidden in those stories and recall that with anguish.”

He stopped to take a sip of the tea and caught the thread of the story back, ” In real way, I recall to come into my full sense of worldly life in this house only. Though, the faint memory of my ancestral house back into the undivided India, I sometimes recall. There, in that memory, I find myself sitting as an infant in the lap of my late grand mother, in the yard of a mansion type house.

As you know, we are Punjabi people. Prior to the independence, in the undivided India, my father used to stay with his joint family. We had our abode in some village of District Lahore ( now in Pakistan.) We had there a big family, consisted of grand father, grand mother, uncles , aunts and so many children. We owned a big grocery shop there as a general merchant, which flourished with a boom. Apart from, a  vast holding of arable land we too owned there.

All this were managed properly with the help of all family members. In the prime youth of my father, the idea to try his hand in some outdoor business struck into his mind. When he planned for this, I was not born. I too have got two elder sisters in the family of my father. One passed away few years ago and another is alive.

At that period of time, the dense forests were copious, specifically in the terrain and hill side part of this region. Besides, the demand of wood were abundant at that time in common, since wood were the main ingredient of life in every facet of life. Hence my father decided to enter into the timber business.The timber wood variety of Saal tree, Rose wood, Deodar cedar and Acasia Catechu were copious in this region.”

Old man description was true

Whatever, old man was describing about the availability of various varieties of timber wood of this region, was correct to every atom. Still, our this region holds the vast forests. Not long ago, this were abode of some renowned forest’s contractors. The forestation in this region was and still is of its own unique type. This forestation helps maintaining the climate of this part in its own way. This makes, our city a known and popular destination because of its soothing climate.

Old man proceeded, ” On the first sight, this city was greatly liked by my father, when he stepped in here. Again, luck favored him here in the timber business. In a contract, he earned a big deal of fortune. Up to that time I was born and was an infant. That was the time, when the political issue of partition of undivided India and concept of Pakistan had already been afloat. Though, common people had had an opinion, this issue would be resolved amiably and no major impact it was going to cast upon the public.

A common feeling people had in mind that despite of the religion, race and castes, all people might go on living amiably, as they happened to live for past so many generations. My father, being a merchant was but to roam in different cities of the country. This helped him come into contact of people of every community. He in advance smelt the oncoming partition of India in near future. He too had some inkling, this division might compel his joint family back in that part, to shift from Lahore to this side of India.” (Cont’d).,, Penned by — Vinay Pharasi …..