Sunehri Yaadein: Lahore, Delhi and Beyond

By Rajni Bhandari

This book is a story of a young girl born in pre-Partition India, who was forced to flee her home, along with her family, as a refugee in a new environment. She relates, living through her memories, the challenges the family faced for a considerable time, before they were able to relocate themselves. Later she goes on to relate the success she was able to achieve as a daughter, wife, mother, and a teacher. Ultimately, she became an author. She lives through her travels within India and abroad . . . This book is a gist of a woman's fulfillment of her desires and her passion for achievement.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fingerprint Publishing
• Release date: Jun 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9789358565898

Book preview

Preface

I have always been fond of books, right from the early years, when I had just started to understand the written word. My preference for a gift would usually end up by acquiring a new book. I have been very possessive about them and have kept as many as possible, with a lot of care.

It had never occurred to me that, may be, I am also capable of writing books.

It so happened that when I had retired from my teaching job from St. Columba’s School in September 2001, my children had planned our visit to the USA. It was in the month of December. That was going to be our first ever visit in the winter season and I was excited that we will experience snowfall too.

One day in early November that year, I saw a very smart, sophisticated young woman, approaching my house, inquiring about me. She came upstairs and then I introduced myself to her as Rajni Bhandari.

She was the wife of an Army officer, working for the Oxford University Press. I invited her inside and offered her to sit down comfortably in my living room.

She continued to say, I am coming straight to your house, after visiting St Columba’s School, where some staff members suggested that I should meet you for the work that has been assigned to me by my publishing house.

I inquired, What is it that you have in mind?

She answered, I am looking for someone who could write the geography portion of a social study book series.

Flabbergasted, I said, But I am the wrong person. I have never written anything so far, not even an article. And you are talking about writing a complete series of Geography books?

She was very prompt with her answer, I have come to know that you have retired only a couple of months earlier and your colleagues at the school were confident when they referred your name. They said if anyone can do justice to writing books on Geography for classes 6, 7 and 8, then there is no better person than Mrs. Bhandari.

She continued to explain, The Oxford University Press staff has a very positive feedback on your experience. So, they would like to offer you this project.

I thought for a while and then told her about my travel plans. Even so, she came up with a suggestion. She said, Before you leave for the US, just write a bit of a small chapter according to the syllabus of Class 6 book. My editors will go over your work and decide.

I agreed. Needless to add that both my children were happy and excited to learn about the development and encouraged me, Mummy, go ahead. Give it a try.

In those days I was just beginning to learn computers and I was not very comfortable looking up information online. But I managed to write the required portion of the chapter and submitted it to the lady a few days later. Well, my writing was approved and before we were to leave for the States, I was all set to write the first book for Class 6 students.

My first published book was sent to me when I was in Philadelphia. When it arrived by a courier and I opened the packet, I was exceptionally excited to see my own name in print. The book, Time, Space and People, had my name printed in the author section. The cover was aesthetically designed, with lots of colours and it was a great feeling for me to hold it. My older grand- daughter was also watching me and because she could read too. She exclaimed, "Dadi, are you an author?"

Yes, I had become one.

Later, my mother saw the book and when I received my first royalty amount, she hugged me and gave me her blessings. This is how the process of writing books continued for the next 14-15 years. Since then, I have been inspired to keep on writing my thoughts and feelings at regular intervals.

In all earnestness, I must admit that it was my mother who was my greatest inspiration in life, for achieving anything. In the present scenario, it is Mridula mami who guides me and encourages me to keep writing down my thoughts. If it would not have been for her, I would have left this work midway. So, I am extremely thankful to Ms. Mridula Seth too.

Last but not the least, my memoirs have been possible because of my two children, Vineet and Meeta, who have been instrumental in arranging all my travels, all over the world. I have enjoyed being in so many diverse places and countries, savouring the flavour of those regions in person, which earlier I had only learnt about and taught through books.

I hope now I can share those experiences with my readers, so that they can also live those precious memories.

Childhood

I was born in Lahore, in the month of October 1941. I have a very faint recollection of the house in that city except that it was right in front of a girls’ college. It was a two-storey construction, with a living room, a dining room, dadi’s room, a small courtyard in the middle, and one at the backside, along with a storage room for fodder at the ground level. The bedrooms were on the first floor with a large open terrace.

The family included my bhabhi ji, my dadi, as the head, with her three sons—my father and two younger chacha jis.

Mummy came from a family of a high-ranking railway officer, who was used to large sprawling bungalows with many helpers. My papa ji and the older chacha ji, Dev chacha ji, had studied from the prestigious Forman Christian College of Lahore. The youngest son, Yog chacha ji, was quite young and not much into studies.

Everyone in the family was scared of bhabhi ji and had to maintain discipline as she desired. She was over-protective of her sons, as she had lost her husband quite early in life. She always feared for the wellbeing of her children. So, when my dada ji passed away, at that time my father was barely 7 or 8 years of age. Thus, his nana ji relocated the entire family from Lahore to a much smaller town of Hafizabad (now in Pakistan).

The older two boys were admitted in a government school where they studied until Class 10. Both the boys were happy until my papa ji told his nana ji, I don’t want to study any further in this place. I want to go back to Lahore to study at the well-known FC College for my graduation.

So that was the decision taken by my dadi and she told her father, My boys are grown up and mature now so I’ll be safe in the city.

Here, I will go back in time to relate that my paternal grandfather, my dada ji, Mr. Badri Nath Kapur, was the youngest barrister at that time to come back to India, after completing his studies in the UK.

In order to send him to England, his own father had asked for a loan of a substantial amount from the person he used to work for as a munshi (accountant).

He told his son Badri, after clearing his Class 10 exams, This is the very last year when the UK universities are enrolling students for clearing Bar-at-Law degree after Class 10. From next year onwards, you would have to clear Class 12 for the same degree. So, I am going to send you to London for studies. Money is not a problem as I have already taken the loan. Once you come back fully qualified, all would be cleared in no time.

This plan worked very well. No one could foresee what the future held for Mr. BN Kapur.

Mr. Badri Nath practiced law merely for a period of 8 years. Within those years he paid back all the loan, asked his father to quit job, and was also able to buy a few properties in the city of Lahore, which he rented out. He was planning out his future well for his family. Little did he know that he would be hit by leukaemia at that young age.

My father, Kuldip Raj Kapur, grew up to be a young, smart boy after finishing his graduation. However, one thing was peculiar. He was not doing any job or any business, but only collecting his monthly rent as his income, which at those times was sufficient.

His best friend, Suraj Prakash Kapoor, was a first cousin of my nana ji, Mr. Panna Lal Seth. So, when my mother Vimla was studying in college in Jallandhar, SP Kapoor told my nana ji how Kuldip would be a suitable groom for my mother as he was both good looking as well as affluent. Thus, the marriage of my parents was endorsed.

In Lahore, mummy used to do most of the house work although there was a house help from Garhwal region, who assisted in household chores besides looking after the buffalo in our house. There was ample milk, curd, lassi, butter, etc. for the entire family. I used to be a plump, rosy baby in my childhood, always eating and relishing the various milk products. I was the favourite of my dadi and both my older uncles.

My mother used to find one thing very strange in that household—my father used to dress up sophisticatedly but would not go out anywhere for work. He used to hang around in the house.

My papaji told her, I don’t have to do any work. I only have to go for the collection of the monthly rent of our shops in Anarkali and the big bungalow in Lahore.

My mother told him, You must go out for a few hours in the morning somewhere, may be at the workplace of one of your friends. This way the daily routine will look sensible.

Eventually, that was how a little pattern of sanity was attained by my mother.

As time went by, I grew up from a cuddly baby into a naughty toddler, running around the house always carrying my little basket of goodies, eating and munching some nuts, fruits or gobbling white makkhan. Having a pretty face, which was a gift from the Almighty, I turned prettier and rosier by the day. Above all, I was pampered by everyone in the household.

Around the age of three or three-and-a-half, mummy started contemplating my enrolment in a day school. Thankfully there was one close by, adjacent to