Nehru who?

It was 9:30 at night in the newsroom of All India Radio; the phone rang. The editor in charge answered. The person at the other end said: “Can I talk to someone senior? I am Nehru.” The editor said, “Nehru who? You can talk to me.”

The caller answered: “I am Jawahar Lal Nehru, Prime Minister. Where did you get the story of Indian Agent Kewal Singh being declared persona non grata and asked to leave Goa by the Portuguese authorities (who still ruled Goa)?”

Mariputana, who never thought he would ever have to answer to the Prime Minister about anything, got so nervous that phone fell out of his hand. He shouted for another editor to answer the PM, who was waiting on the phone.

The second editor then told Nehru: “Sir it is a PTI story and Kewal Singh has left Goa for Bombay by car.” Nehru thanked him and hung up.

Aftab

He came to me in a pram at 4am on a cold Delhi morning. That was the first time we were seeing each other. The little bubbling fellow started smiling as soon as he saw me. He raised his arms as children do when they want to be carried in arms. That was it, we became instant buddies for life..

On our way home we had a whale of a time. While the driver drove the car the two of us started playing and making merry. This relationship lasted for decades till he grew up in the eighties. We lived under one roof for five years and in those years we became very close to each other as both his parents were working and did not have much leisure.

During his early years we would pack some bread crumbs and go to the Lodhi Gardens to feed squirrels. As my garage was a little away from our flat I used to carry him on my shoulders. At the garage I would make him sit on the bonnet and ask him to hold on to one of the wipers for support. Surprisingly holding on to the wiper for support did work and he never slipped.

In the garden we would feed the squirrels who would come to pick bread crumbs in droves.