Pradeep Gupta
My father worked as Private Secretary with Sheikh Mohd Abdullah during his 2nd tenure as Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir from 1975 till his death on 8th September 1982. Sheikh Sahib had taken over the reins of Government with outside support of the congress party after the Sheikh-Indira Accord in 1974.
We in the family were in great awe of the Sher-e-Kashmir even though he had once made an unscheduled stopover at our house at ‘Sadeeq Manzil’ Dalgate Srinagar on way to the Dargah Hazratbal, a shrine he rebuilt with contribution from the public. I had stolen a glimpse of him from behind the curtains. My mother kept us away from his gaze. He was immaculately dressed in Sherwani and Karakul Cap. A towering personality both literally and in metaphorical sense. My desire to meet and interact with him remained unrequited. An opportunity would come my way later.
I was a hostler in Delhi University from 1971 to 1977 and would visit my father at Kashmir House at Prithvi Raj Road whenever he accompanied Sheikh Saheb to Delhi. This would give me an opportunity to enjoy delicacies from the Chief Minister’s Kitchen so ably supervised by the legendry cook, Bindoo Ram and also afforded me an opportunity to meet multitude of people who would throng the place during Sheikh Saheb’s stay.
As per routine when I visited the Kashmir House on the fateful day on 26th March, 1977, I found the place deserted. I rushed to my father’s room to enquire why it was so. It appeared that there had been fast moving political developments the previous day. Sheikh Saheb had got whiff of a move in the Congress party to withdraw support to his government and stake claim to form their own government. The wily Sheikh had outsmarted his opponents by recommending dissolution of the State Assembly. The Governor, Laxmi Kant Jha accepted his advice, dissolved the Assembly and ordered midterm elections. Sheikh Saheb ceased to be the Chief Minister but returned with a thumping majority in July, 1977.
Sensing that in the lull in Kashmir House would be the best time to meet Sheikh Saheb, I pleaded with my father to let me meet him. After apprising Sheikh Saheb of my keenness to meet him, he ushered me to his room. Sheikh Saheb was seated on a sofa and by his side sat the late Shamim Ahmed Shamim, MP, a satirist and person possessing sharp wit. I was both excited and nervous. Sheikh Sahib perhaps realizing my predicament gave me a warm hug, which restored my confidence. Asked me what I was doing in Delhi University and what I proposed to do in life. I informed him that I was pursuing a course in M.Sc (Physics) and added that if I were to receive his blessings I would contest coming election to the State Assembly! Sheikh Sahib did not hide his disappointment at my response and advised that I should rather aspire to be a scientist. I was completely crest fallen. All my hopes of becoming an MLA and even a Minister were completely dashed!! Shamim-Ahmad-Shamim, however, came to my rescue by countering Sheikh Saheb by asking why he had devoted his whole life in pursuing a political struggle when he was himself an M.Sc in Chemistry. Sheikh Saheb did not respond and seemed to be in deep thought perhaps recounting and reflecting upon the events since 1931 when he had launched a struggle for the rights of oppressed sections of society. I quietly withdrew from the room.
There was another chanced encounter with Sheikh Saheb in my father’s room in the Civil Secretariat at Jammu in the year 1981. He had abruptly entered the room and enquired from each one of us, why we were there. When he questioned me, my father interjected that I was his son. ‘Oh MLA Saheb Kaise Ho’ he said to me. I sheepishly informed him that I had joined the Kashmir Administrative Service and was currently posted as a Tehsildar. ‘Acha, Logon Se Murge Mat Lena’. I would never do that I responded solemnly and have kept the promise to date.
(The author is a former Civil Servant.)
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