SATNAM CAME HOME and narrated the whole story to his mother. She was relieved to hear that the pair were still in town and her face lit up when she heard they’d be coming the following day.
Mother and son left early the next morning and were back an hour later, settling the old man and the girl in their new accommodation. Word soon spread to the neighbours and they started coming in ones and twos to greet the new arrivals. Their interest grew exponentially when they discovered that the old man was a proficient hakim and the girl was not merely literate but well-versed in Urdu. Moreover, they had learnt from Kesar Kaur that the unfortunate pair had lost their entire family in the riots and wanted to hear the whole story from the horse’s mouth.
Over the next few days, almost the entire neighbourhood dropped in at one point or another and rare was the person who didn’t shed a tear or two upon hearing their tragedy. Women tend to be a lot more emotional than men and you could often see them biting their lips and sobbing as they heard Krishna narrate how she had lost her two brothers and her sister-in-law.
The procession of visitors was endless and while Kesar Kaur didn’t have the heart to ask them not to come, she did prevent them from quizzing Krishna. She could see the girl breaking down and becoming melancholic each time she recalled the horror they had endured.
Kesar Kaur was also shocked when she saw their meagre belongings—just a few clothes, a rug and a thin cotton blanket. The weather had turned but the nights must have been quite cold when they first arrived in Amritsar. How did they cope with the night chill, she wondered. She posed the question to Krishna, who calmly replied, ‘Although it wasn’t all that cold indoors, it did get a bit uncomfortable in the serai’s verandah where we spent the first few nights. There was no dearth of generous donors who would come with rugs, blankets and even quilts. But Bapu ji would have none of it. Fortunately, he had a few rupees in his pocket, and he used them to buy this rug and blanket, in addition to some essential groceries. So, we’d lie down on the rug and cover ourselves with the blanket.’
Uff! Kesar Kaur sighed quietly. Such injustice!
Krishna and her Bapu ji spent much of their first day with the visitors. Almost all of them ended up being moved by the magnitude of their tragedy but also impressed by their evident grace and dignity in the face of such adversity and wanted to invite them home for a meal or two. But Kesar Kaur was resolute in politely declining those invitations. She wanted to cook for them herself at least for the first week or ten days, until they felt settled in their new environment. But that didn’t cut any ice with the Baba, and he managed to persuade her to allow them to prepare their own meals. Kesar Kaur reluctantly acceded and sent some firewood and kitchen utensils through Kanhaiya to get them started. The curfew lifted for a few hours the following day and Satnam moved quickly to get ration cards made for both.
Satnam was leaving home the next morning to take care of some pending chores when he heard the Baba call him. Turning around, he approached the Baba and found the old man quietly removing a small gold ring from his finger. Handing it over to Satnam, he said, ‘Sardar ji, I hate to bother you, but can you please sell this for me?’ Satnam looked first at the Baba and then at the time-worn ring that had been placed in his palm. He stood frozen for a good minute or so before trying to return the ring to him. ‘Please keep it with you, Baba ji. We’ll see about it later.’ But the Baba refused point blank and a lengthy discussion ensued. Unable to convince the old man, Satnam reluctantly took hold of the ring and headed upstairs instead of going to the bazaar.
Krishna was sitting close by and observing the gentle tug-of-war. Seeing Satnam take the stairs, she surmised that it would now be the mother’s turn to use her persuasive skills on the Baba. And predictably, she saw Kesar Kaur coming down the steps a few minutes later.
‘Look at the way they’ve embraced us,’ she marvelled. ‘Such affection, such empathy for total strangers! Both mother and son are going out of their way to make sure that we are comfortable…’
Her thoughts were interrupted by Kesar Kaur’s vehement protest. ‘What’s wrong, Bapu ji? Have we done something wrong that has offended you?’
‘Done something wrong?’ Baba exclaimed. ‘You are like angels descended from the heavens to help us, Bibi.’
‘So, what made you remove this from your finger?’ she asked as she placed the ring beside the Baba on his bed.
‘Dear Bibi,’ the Baba responded. ‘If someone gives you an inch, don’t take the whole yard, so say the wise ones. You have given us shelter, and that’s no small favour.’
‘Bapu ji!’ Kesar Kaur continued with a note of dismay. ‘I brought Krishna here because I see her as my daughter. But I don’t know if I have the right to make that claim, especially if you won’t accept it.’
For once, her transparent warmth and sense of kinship left the Baba speechless. His defensive walls had started to crumble. He picked up the ring and put it back on his finger without saying a word. Kesar Kaur heaved a sigh of relief. Satnam, who had been listening quietly, removed the white thatha he’d been wearing to press his beard into place and left for the bazaar.