"Chai le liyo ji"

It was 3:00 am in the morning on 13.08.1999, as I saw chai wale baba gathering his small kitchen consisting: a stove, chai-patti, eggs, kerosene bottle, glasses, adrak etc. and putting them all one by one in a trunk. I was in my CVR room's balcony when I saw this. I thought of talking to him.I went down to the common road of CVR and VVS hostels where baba serves the boys from under a sodium street light.I went down and began chatting.
(This is a real conversation)

(In this conversation, I denote "myself" with m and the "baba" with b)

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m: baba, aapka naam kya hai?
b: Sh. Matu Ram Yadav (actually spells it in english)

m: aapki age kitni hogi?
b: (he asks me "kya date of birth bataoon?") 4/4/1952

m: kitne saalon se chai de rahe ho?
b: old campus- 11 saal. Gurgaon, Haryana, village Kharoumpur Khera(spells that again)ka rehne wala hoon.

m: pehle kahan kaam karte the, aur woh kaam kyon chor(left) diya?
b: pehle BDO Farrukhnagar mein chai deta tha, income kam thee, is liye college ke gaurd ke kehne se yahan aa gaya.

m: old campus mein kitne baje baithtey(sit) the?
b: 7pm se 7am tak, lekin 3 saalon(years) se 7pm se 3am tak baithta(sit) hoon. aur new campus mein 11pm se 3am tak.

m: kya banaate ho?
b: khaane mein: omellete, half fried, full fried, bhujiya. Pehle main(I)andey(eggs) nahi khaata tha, bachchon ne hi andey boiled, half fried banana sikhaya aur maine bhi khaana shuru kar diya.
chai mein: simple chai, dhoodh chai, lemon chai, lekin new campus mein lemon chai banana bund(stopped) kar diya, koi pasand nahi karta hai.

m: baba, college gate ke baahar kya sab hote dekha hai?
b: pehle main auditorium ke baahar baithta tha. phir gate ke baahar shift ho gaya. bahut kuch dekha hai, students ki laraaian(fights), khoon-kharaaba, kahin baar arrest bhi ho jaate the.

m: kashmere gate ke larke(boys) kaise the?
b: students ke paas bahut power thee, unity thee, agar koi students ki larai mein interfere karta tha, to peet(beat) dete the. staff bhi darta tha.

m: baba aap sote(sleep) kahan the?
b: main kahin bhi so jaata tha, boys hostel mein, audi ke corridor mein.

m: old campus ke larkon ki khaasiyat kya thi?
b: k. gate mein agar kisi larke ko expel kar diya jaata tha, woh kabhi hostel nahi chordta(left) tha. sab athourities ko pata hota tha, lekin kuch karne ki aukaat nahi thi.

m: baba, aur kuch batao kashmere gate ka.
b: main(I), hamesha danda(thick stick) rakhta tha, bahut se larke larai karne aatey the baahar se, unko baahar hi seedha kar deta tha. main sabhi wardens ko jaanta(know) tha. security officer aur principal ko bhi jaanta tha.

m: baba, aapke kitne bachche hain?
b: teen, sabse bara(eldest) Rohtak se MBBS kar raha hai final year mein hai, doosri beti hai:teacher ban jaayegi, teesra beta BSc first year mein hai, teacher banna(wants to be) chahta hai.

m: kitna kamaa(earn) lete ho, ek month mein?
b: old campus mein 2000-2500 kamaata tha, exam ke time 3000 tak ho jate the. new campus mein kam kamai hai, abhi 15 din hi to din hue hain, yahan aayey.

m: kitni parai(education) ki hai aapne?
b: metric paas kiya hai, millitary mein kaam kiya 2 saal(1970-1972), phir father ki death ho gayi, to army chor di. apne bhaiyon aur behenon(brothers and sisters) ki shaadi ki.

m: new campus ki buildings ke baare mein kya kehna hai.
b: old campus mein sab solid stufff tha. new campus bilkul bhi strong nahi hai.old campus ka design aisa tha ki ek chowkidaar poorey(full) campus ko sambhaal leta tha. Attar Singh securiy gaurd achcha tha.

m: aajkal DCE mein kaisey students aatey hain?
b: new campus mein parnewale(studious) students hote hain. pehle old campus mein bahut leadership hoti thi and ekta(unity) bhi hoti thi.

m: baba, ghar kab jaatey ho?
b: 20-30 din mein ek baar.

m: baba, zindagi se kya aashayen(desires) hain ab?
b: apni beti ki shaadi karoonga, jab beta doctor ban jaayega, main yeh kaam chor(leave) doonga. lekin bete(son) se koi asha(expectation) nahi hai. main aur meri biwi khud(on our own) reh sakte hain. maine khud majdoori kari hai, lekin bachon ko nahi karne diya. maine unko apna kaam dikha diya aur bol diya "ya(either) parai kar lo, ya phir meri tereh(like me) majdoori karna. mai tumhe parai ke liye paisa doonga".

m: baba, old campus ki kuch yaadein bataao?
b: mujhe yaad hai, bachche(boys) mere paas aatey the aur kehte the ki "baba, raat ko jaldi neend(sleep) aa jati hai, parna hota hai". main unko bolta tha ki mere paas 4:00 baje chai peene aajaana. unko khoob(very) tez chai pilaata tha, unko 2-3 ghanton(hours) tak neend nahi aati thi. larkon ko apne paas baithkar (sit) parney ko bolta tha. maine kabhi bachchon se paise nahi maangey. woh khud(themselves) aakar bata dete the, aur paise dete the. aur aajtak kisi ne mere paise nahi rakhe. maine bahut larkon ki cigarette aur daaru ki aadat(habit) khatam karvaai. old campus mein larke(old students) aate hain to mujhe jaroor milte hain, bahut maan(respect) dete hain. ek larka tha, 1990 batch ka aur calcutta mein kahin select ho gaya tha, mere paas aakar kehne laga "baba, pehchaan liya?" aur maine kaha ki woh 90 batch ka tha aur calcutta mein select hua tha.

larkon se mera bahut pyaar hai. mujhe sabhi larke yaad hain.

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The time had become 4:15 am, and I had begun to feel weary. I said "baba, achcha to chalta hoon" and baba replied" koi galti hui ho to maaf karna."

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