My Childhood

At the age of seven I went to Dhanbad with Hari Bhaiya. His wife had chest infection. Badka Bhaiya (Tej Narayan) and Hari bhaiya were working in railways at Dhanbad. For the treatment she went to Dhanbad. Both the brothers were living in the same railway quarter. It had one bed room, a small verandah, a small courtyard, a service latrine in one corner of the courtyard, a small concrete water storage tank and a coal storage concrete tub. The service latrine was only for lady members. Gents used to go to common toilets constructed in the end of the block. The morning scene was pitiable. But it was very entertaining and laughing scene. There was a long queue of persons. Everyone having water pot in the hand. People, smoking and chewing tobacco had great urge for being light. They were shouting, knocking the doors and quarreling. The quarter was in old station area. The number was 162 ‘H’. It was in the name of badka bhaiya. When Belhbarbali bhabhi went there, they took another one quarter of the same type on rent. In the new quarter I and badka bhaiya lived. In the day time I was living in 162H. We took food in old quarter. When Hari bhaiya went to duty I was the only medium of communication between badka bhaiya and belhbarbali bhabhi. In our society husband’s elders and youngers’ wives never talk. Even touching clothes is prohibited. I used to serve food and water to drink and did other works as required. I went to new quarter only to sleep. There were approximately twenty quarters in one block. On one block there were two water taps a few distant apart, each having bathing platform. Though I was very lean and thin, I was very strong. I had come from a rural area and I had capacity to bear the higher coldness and scorching sun. I was stronger both physically and mentally than most of the boys of the school and of all the boys of my class. There was one Vindeshwari singh. He was a senior friend of badka bhaiya. His youngest son was Lal babu, one class junior to me. One day I was taking bath on the platform. Lal babu came and pushed me and started bathing.It was very humiliating and unbearable for me. Moreover I was stronger and always defeating him in wrestling. I gave him a stronger push and came direct under the tap. While I was bathing, Lal babu came silently in my back side and gave a hard blow on my nose with a metallic pot. My nose was cut and bleeding started. I was taken to railway hospital and treatment was done. There is still a cut mark on my nose which always reminds me the event. I got admitted in railway school in class two. The school was only 500 ft away from my quarter. At that time only two subjects Hindi & Mathematics having one book each were taught. I had memorized all the two books. I had not need of the book to read Hindi or to solve problems of Mathematics. I was able to write all the questions and answers without a stop. In the railway school students were reading Hindi very slowly and took more time in solving Math’s problems. When teachers saw my speed they became very surprised. They started to take interest in me. I got first position in the class. The school was very good and teachers were scholars. In class three I started to learn English. I started to solve Math’s problems from the book of Chakravarti. It was a marvellous book. It was collection of thousands problems. It was old style of study to make specialists. When you solve many problems of similar nature you become master of the topic. You can solve those types of sums in little time. This type of study is called professional. I had experimented it on Vimalji, my youngest son and the result was good enough. But Vimalji could not continue it because it is some boredom and requires more labor. --------------contd.