An old man
feb 27, 2018
So yeah, something exciting happened today which i wanna mention. so i was going home by bus and a little after i found an old man in the next seat to me reading a book written in urdu. this was the first time i saw anyone reading an urdu book so it cuaght my attention. i got amazed
seeing the man reading so attentively. other thing was that his eyes were scrolling from right to left while reading and page numbers were ascending towards left. i never saw somthing like this but i knew that urdu text is read right to left. i kept my gaze at the man
and his book. my curiosity to know about the man was increasing. i wanted to talk to him but i didnt know where to start from. Sector after sector passed and i hoped his stop wont come. now because my stop was just two sectors away i gathered all the courage in me and asked him
"aapko kaun kaun si bhashaye aati hai?", "which laguages do you know?". he shook his head in amazement and looked at me and placed his ear near to me and said-"hain?, kya?"
i repeated- "aapko kaun kaun si bhashaye aati hain?" , this time a little louder.
He smiled and said "hindi, urdu, punjabi-himachali".
i asked "ye urdu hai na?"
"ha ye urdu hai."
"aapne urdu kaha se seekhi?"
"Pakistan se. school me."
i got amazed again and this caught the attention of man sitting next to him. "pakistan"?
"ha waha hindi ko ladkiyon ki bhasha mana jata hai isliye ladko ko urdu seekhate hain."
"to aap pakistan kab gaye?"
"aazadi se pehle"
"phir yaha kab aaye?"
"47 me"
"phir yahi rehne lage"
"pehle punjab, phir himachal, himachal ab chandigarh"
"aapne kaam kya kiya"
"sarkari kaam kiya"
He was still finding it difficult to hear me so i was speaking loudly.
"aapko batwaare ke samay kaisa laga?"
"lagna kya tha wo to qismat thi jo bach gaye. har jagah pe halla tha. gaadiyo me bhar bhar kar idhar se udhar ho raha tha. hum to khidki par he latak ke ek taang idhar aur doosri udhar kar baith gaye. yaha jab pahuche to log naare laga rahe the. hame kaha gaya tha chupchap andar nikal jaana"
i could see the man next to him listening.
"achha tabse aap yaha rehne lage. tab aap kitne saal ke the?"
"13, terah saal ka"
"aapka naame kya hai?"
"jagdish" he replied.
i told him my name and said goodbye as my stop was near and he thanked me
this was the first time i really met and talked someone who was born before partition and luckily he had lived earlier in pakistan too. i cannot imagine the scene the events at the time of partition but it must had been wonderful(when i say wonderful i dont mean it wasnt terrible) to be part of it and to experience it.
If you have experienced something like this or you can tell somthing about partition you are welcome in comments
goodbye
So yeah, something exciting happened today which i wanna mention. so i was going home by bus and a little after i found an old man in the next seat to me reading a book written in urdu. this was the first time i saw anyone reading an urdu book so it cuaght my attention. i got amazed
seeing the man reading so attentively. other thing was that his eyes were scrolling from right to left while reading and page numbers were ascending towards left. i never saw somthing like this but i knew that urdu text is read right to left. i kept my gaze at the man
and his book. my curiosity to know about the man was increasing. i wanted to talk to him but i didnt know where to start from. Sector after sector passed and i hoped his stop wont come. now because my stop was just two sectors away i gathered all the courage in me and asked him
"aapko kaun kaun si bhashaye aati hai?", "which laguages do you know?". he shook his head in amazement and looked at me and placed his ear near to me and said-"hain?, kya?"
i repeated- "aapko kaun kaun si bhashaye aati hain?" , this time a little louder.
He smiled and said "hindi, urdu, punjabi-himachali".
i asked "ye urdu hai na?"
"ha ye urdu hai."
"aapne urdu kaha se seekhi?"
"Pakistan se. school me."
i got amazed again and this caught the attention of man sitting next to him. "pakistan"?
"ha waha hindi ko ladkiyon ki bhasha mana jata hai isliye ladko ko urdu seekhate hain."
"to aap pakistan kab gaye?"
"aazadi se pehle"
"phir yaha kab aaye?"
"47 me"
"phir yahi rehne lage"
"pehle punjab, phir himachal, himachal ab chandigarh"
"aapne kaam kya kiya"
"sarkari kaam kiya"
He was still finding it difficult to hear me so i was speaking loudly.
"aapko batwaare ke samay kaisa laga?"
"lagna kya tha wo to qismat thi jo bach gaye. har jagah pe halla tha. gaadiyo me bhar bhar kar idhar se udhar ho raha tha. hum to khidki par he latak ke ek taang idhar aur doosri udhar kar baith gaye. yaha jab pahuche to log naare laga rahe the. hame kaha gaya tha chupchap andar nikal jaana"
i could see the man next to him listening.
"achha tabse aap yaha rehne lage. tab aap kitne saal ke the?"
"13, terah saal ka"
"aapka naame kya hai?"
"jagdish" he replied.
i told him my name and said goodbye as my stop was near and he thanked me
this was the first time i really met and talked someone who was born before partition and luckily he had lived earlier in pakistan too. i cannot imagine the scene the events at the time of partition but it must had been wonderful(when i say wonderful i dont mean it wasnt terrible) to be part of it and to experience it.
If you have experienced something like this or you can tell somthing about partition you are welcome in comments
goodbye
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