Regeneration of our relations with time
This story is surreal. Many years ago, I worked at Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana and stayed in house number 543-R, while my colleague, Shiv Prasher, lived in 543-L. Barring a shoulder-high wall and colours of the exterior, the two houses looked one. The windows of rooms on both sides of the wall faced each other.
Prasher and I would exchange greetings but we never really got down to talking. Once the wall fell and our houses practically became one. My son, Jaskaran, was the happiest as he could play on both sides.
As time flew, Prasher migrated to Canada with his family and we shifted to our own house in Sugandh Vihar. Life moved on but the one thing I remembered about Prasher was his liking for sweets, particularly balooshahis.
My son went on to take up a job in the research and development wing of a German multinational farm machinery company in Chandigarh. He decided to go to the US for postgraduation. After completing his masters, he went to Montreal in Canada to present a research paper at an international conference. There, he happened to interact with a scientist who asked him, “Where are you from?” “From India,” Jaskaran said. “Where from in India?” the scientist asked. “From Punjab,” my son said. “Where from in Punjab?” “Ludhiana, sir”, he replied. “Do you speak Punjabi?” the scientist said. “Yes.” “Taan phir Punjabi ch gall kyon nahi karde aapan (Then why don’t we talk in Punjabi)?” said the scientist.
During the conversation, it turned out that the scientist was none other than our old neighbour, Shiv Prasher, who was at McGill University of Montreal. He worked in a specific area of bio-resource engineering in which my son was also presenting a paper. Impressed with his research, Prasher suggested Jaskaran work with him for his PhD and assured him of research assistantship.
It’s surprising how they met in a foreign land after decades of our leaving Model Town in Ludhiana. Both are now in the same research team.
Two years ago, I was involved in an Indo-Canadian project to clean up Budha Nullah at Ludhiana. It was again a surprise that Prasher came to Punjab Agricultural University as a Canadian team leader of the project. He was particularly nostalgic about house number 543-R. I remembered his weakness for sweets and served him freshly prepared balooshahis at home. We even packed him the sweet delicacy, which he gladly agreed to carry to Canada, saying, “I can leave other belongings but I’ll take the balooshahis for sure.”
From then onward, Prasher makes it a point to visit me whenever he is in India. I too am happy to receive him as there’s nothing as heart warming and comforting than being with old friends. There is mutual respect, confidence and trust between our families.
This story proves that relations can be regenerated even if the two sides are temporarily and spatially separated due to circumstances. Time only strengthens relationships as they emerge more intense and stronger.
LIFE MOVED ON BUT THE ONE THING I REMEMBERED ABOUT PRASHER WAS HIS LIKING FOR SWEETS, PARTICULARLY BALOOSHAHIS