IN EXALTED COMPANY: Mohd Yunus. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

Raj Bhavan on Monday played host to an unusual guest — a rickshaw-puller personally invited by Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi.

Mohammad Yunus, in his 40s, could not believe his eyes — or his luck — when the governor apologised to him, offered him tea and biscuits, and finally handed over an envelope containing Rs 1,000 just before he took his leave.

“Kuch der ke liye to mujhe yakeen hi nahin aaya ki main itne bade aadmi ke samne baitha hoon (For a moment, I could not believe that I was sitting in front of such a famous person),” Yunus told Metro at his Tiljala residence, recounting Monday morning’s magic moments.

A divorcee, Yunus lives with his younger brother and his family in a cramped room off Tiljala Road. He has been a rickshaw-puller since he was 25.

Yunus was beaten up by a man on January 5 when he came in the way of the governor’s convoy near the approach to bridge No. 4 in Park Circus (as reported in Metro on Monday). This caught Gandhi’s eye and he immediately stopped his convoy, asked a pilot car officer to enquire about the incident and ordered on-duty police officers to identify the rickshaw-puller, so he could say sorry to him.

Yunus, clad in a lungi, was scared standing in front of the imposing gates of Raj Bhavan. “Mujhe bada dar lag raha tha. Maine apne khwab mein bhi nahin socha tha ke ek din mere jaisa chhota aadmi is bade mahal mein jayega. Governorsahib mujhe sofa pe bithaye aur chai bhi pilaye (I was scared. I had never even dreamt of entering this palace. The governor sat me down on a sofa and offered me a cup of tea),” recalled an excited Yunus, who returned home to a hero’s welcome, with garlands and sweets.

What did the governor tell him? “Woh itne bade aadmi hain, phir bhi mujhe aap kah kar bulaye. Us raat ke haadse ke bare mein unhonne bahut aphsos ka izhaar kiya aur mujhe sorry bole. (He is such a great man, yet he showed me such respect. He expressed regret over the incident and apologised),” said Yunus, tears rolling down his weatherbeaten cheeks.