Taar Babu of the Jhaal
By Rajbir Deswal
The roaring sound of the water fall, commonly known as “jhaal” on the western Yamuna canal never seemed to disturb him. He had, perhaps, become used to it. Not even for a single moment during the whole day his ears enjoyed the serenity and calmness of silence. Added to this was the “thak-thak” rhythm of his Morse code system of telegraphy for sending messages, with short dots and long dashes, in those days. He was the Taar Babu, employed at the Anta Khaal, near my village on the canal bank.
Taar Babu was a simple man. He could be seen wearing his round collar-coat in winters and a khadi vest in summers. His grey hair added grace to his contented face adorned with a pair of Gandhi-style spectacles. His family stayed with him in a quarter behind the office. The nearest town was about five miles away. Yet he could not afford to leave his place of duty. He was supposed to transmit messages regularly, mostly about the flow of water in the canal provided to him by the staff on duty.
Passers-by could see Taar-Babu tending and pruning the plants in the front yard. The jamun and mango trees grown by him yielded good crops. Vegetables too were grown any hedges, since there was no neighbour and, perhaps, no stray cattle to damage his plant kingdom. A profusion of flowers, mostly marigolds and roses, marked the boundaries of his kingdom. Taar Babu and his family lived there alone, all by themselves.
Passer-by would never miss greeting Taar Babu and in return invite a smile from him. He was a regular invitee to all the social functions in the village. He was a regular invitee to all the social functions in the village. He was always seated next to the Choudharies and was held in good esteem by all and sundry in and around the village. Besides being the village postman, he was also the recognized reader of letters and other documents of illiterate villagers.
During panchayat sessions, he was invited to sort out certain thorny issues. He never took sides but only assisted the panchayat in understanding the technical aspects of disputes.
Taar Babu’s three children were carried to the village school on a bicycle by a belder. They were the best dressed students. Villagers admired the children’s looks and appearance since their hair was properly combed and well oiled. They were the role models for practicing cleanliness, preparing for examinations and showing social graces.
Whenever senior officers of the irrigation department visited the village, or certain sites nearby, Taar Babu was there to bring the problems of the villagers to the notice of the officers. He acted as a committed representative of the simple rural folks.
Years rolled by. Taar Babu retired. He left the “jhaal” site and shifted to some unknown place with his family. Nothing was heard of him for long.
Last summer a Superintending Engineer visited our village. He expressed a desire to visit the “jhaal”. He alighted from his car and moved in a very familiar way straight towards a dilapidated and deserted structure. He looked at the forlorn walls and fallen roof with concern. This was the place where the Taar Babu lived and worked about 40 years ago.
Near the “jhaal”, a colony had come up now. The Superintending Engineer ordered creation of a small park, renovation of the structure and planting of marigolds and roses on the small patch. He was the son of Taar Babu, one of the three role models for students of the village school.
The roaring sound of the water fall, commonly known as “jhaal” on the western Yamuna canal never seemed to disturb him. He had, perhaps, become used to it. Not even for a single moment during the whole day his ears enjoyed the serenity and calmness of silence. Added to this was the “thak-thak” rhythm of his Morse code system of telegraphy for sending messages, with short dots and long dashes, in those days. He was the Taar Babu, employed at the Anta Khaal, near my village on the canal bank.
Taar Babu was a simple man. He could be seen wearing his round collar-coat in winters and a khadi vest in summers. His grey hair added grace to his contented face adorned with a pair of Gandhi-style spectacles. His family stayed with him in a quarter behind the office. The nearest town was about five miles away. Yet he could not afford to leave his place of duty. He was supposed to transmit messages regularly, mostly about the flow of water in the canal provided to him by the staff on duty.
Passers-by could see Taar-Babu tending and pruning the plants in the front yard. The jamun and mango trees grown by him yielded good crops. Vegetables too were grown any hedges, since there was no neighbour and, perhaps, no stray cattle to damage his plant kingdom. A profusion of flowers, mostly marigolds and roses, marked the boundaries of his kingdom. Taar Babu and his family lived there alone, all by themselves.
Passer-by would never miss greeting Taar Babu and in return invite a smile from him. He was a regular invitee to all the social functions in the village. He was a regular invitee to all the social functions in the village. He was always seated next to the Choudharies and was held in good esteem by all and sundry in and around the village. Besides being the village postman, he was also the recognized reader of letters and other documents of illiterate villagers.
During panchayat sessions, he was invited to sort out certain thorny issues. He never took sides but only assisted the panchayat in understanding the technical aspects of disputes.
Taar Babu’s three children were carried to the village school on a bicycle by a belder. They were the best dressed students. Villagers admired the children’s looks and appearance since their hair was properly combed and well oiled. They were the role models for practicing cleanliness, preparing for examinations and showing social graces.
Whenever senior officers of the irrigation department visited the village, or certain sites nearby, Taar Babu was there to bring the problems of the villagers to the notice of the officers. He acted as a committed representative of the simple rural folks.
Years rolled by. Taar Babu retired. He left the “jhaal” site and shifted to some unknown place with his family. Nothing was heard of him for long.
Last summer a Superintending Engineer visited our village. He expressed a desire to visit the “jhaal”. He alighted from his car and moved in a very familiar way straight towards a dilapidated and deserted structure. He looked at the forlorn walls and fallen roof with concern. This was the place where the Taar Babu lived and worked about 40 years ago.
Near the “jhaal”, a colony had come up now. The Superintending Engineer ordered creation of a small park, renovation of the structure and planting of marigolds and roses on the small patch. He was the son of Taar Babu, one of the three role models for students of the village school.
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