Let live

When squadron leader Prem Kumar Khullar retired from the Indian Air Force, instead of looking for another job to supplement his pension, he decided to devote the rest of his life to helping the helpless. He bought some land in Palwal in Haryana and turned it into green fields growing wheat and Basmati rice. He set up the Association for Blindness and Leprosy Eradication. With his own resources and with help from his friends, he set up a hospital where the peasantry of the region could get medical assistance and medicines at minimum cost or free of charge. He later added to it a lending library because books other than text books were not available or beyond the pockets of the village folk. That is when he got in touch with me. I gave the books I no longer needed to his library.

In course of time, the word spread that Khullar was a do-gooder and would help anyone in trouble. He was in for a surprise. One early morning, he found a new-born girl left at his door step. Then another. And another. They were not wanted either because they were illegitimate or simply because they happened to be girls. Haryana and Punjab have a shameful record of female foeticide. Believe it or not, in both the states, the ratio is 725 girls to 1,000 boys. In many districts, one out of four girls is killed before or soon after birth. Religious leaders make a lot of pious noise against this evil practice, quote scriptures about the need to respect women as mother, wives, sisters and daughters, but to no avail. Destroying females is a hoary tradition. In many agriculturist families, brothers shared a single wife because each could not afford to have one for himself. What can we do to put an end to this vile custom? I, for one, do not have the foggiest idea.

Prayer song

Jai Dev Bajaj of Pathankot usually sends me pieces about his experiences. Here is a small piece in a lighter vein that I want to share with my readers: “Till 1994, our commerce college in Lahore was the only college with no girl student. Perhaps commerce was too mundane a subject for girls.

“So highly romantic and irrepressible Oglers and Romeos of our college would either loiter in the nearby SD College or the Fateh Chand College for girls or the more adventurous would cycle away to the unchartered waters of far-off Kinnaird College for women which, they said, had the most beautiful girls in Lahore. Some would return even with minor head injuries caused by sandal attacks by the unwilling Juliets.

“But then the prayers of these boys called loafers were heard and a miracle happened.

“Three girls from Baroda joined our college because their railway officer fathers were transferred from Baroda to Lahore. Their names were typical old names of two or third century back. One girl was Shakti (Power), other Shanti (Peace) and the third, Vidya (Education). In looks, the trio was far below average, but in days of youth even they looked ravishing.

“But then tragedy struck before the comedy had even started. Principal Kapoor and Vice Principal Ahmed Hassan, both educated at Oxford but highly orthodox in their outlook, entered our class and declared: “Girl students will sit in the separate front row and no boy student will talk to girl students and anybody breaking the rule will be rusticated.”

“For a day or two, a pall of gloom descended on the college corridors. But boys will be boys, specially Lahore boys. So a suitable prayer (bhajan) was coined and sung in chorus as the girls entered the classroom: “O God, grant me Shakti so that I can acquire Vidya, and then live with Shanti forever.”

“Alas, Professor Ahmed Hassan could not interfere with this Hindu prayer.”

Water, water, everywhere

Brandy and water injure the kidney

Rum and water are bad for the liver

Gin and water clog the brain

Whisky and water infect the heart

“Is it water that creates all health

problems?”

Blank card

In a marriage feast, Banta was eating for a long time. Santa asked him “Banta, you have been eating for a long time. What is the matter?” Banta said, “Even I am tired of eating, but I can’t help. It is mentioned in the card — dinner from 7 pm to 10 pm.

(Contributed by J.P. Singh Kaka, Bhopal)