Home, other than Home Author : Dr. K.S. Kang

 

Home, other than Home

Author: Dr. K. S. Kang

As school drew to a close for vacations,all children were excited to go to their homes and spend a few days with their parents as this was a hundred percent residential school. One student, named Jaipal, turned sedate and morose as the vacations were announced. I observed it and called him to my office on the pretext of knowing the place that he will visit during the vacations. But he gloomily replied, ‘ I ‘ve nowhere to go as my parents have migrated to America last year, I do not have any relative to look after.’ I asked him emphatically, ‘ Are you serious, there is no relative of you to look after you in the country’. His demure reply was, ‘ No I have a distant cousin, who is in Police service but he too busy in his problems to care about me’. Now I wondered whether Jaipal was telling lies, so I asked him raising my tone a little, ‘ You’ve said that your parents migrated to America last year, then where did you spend your Summer Vacations, are you befooling me’. To my natural query he replied with downcast eyes, ‘ if it had been summers it would not have been much of the trouble, but as this is time of winters, so I am worried more about spending my vacations and that’s why I am reluctant to leave the school premises during vacations. I must tell you that I am not telling lies, my parents really migrated to America last year and I spend the subsequent Summers Vacations in the golden complex Amritsar, where I used to get two fair meals a day and for the rest of the day I cleaned the premises of the temple and utensils at the Langar.’ Looking at me I vividly remembered his father who handed Jaipal, who was ten years old at that time, over to me saying, ‘ Now you are his father, mother and everything for him,do whatever is best for him’. I felt responsible for his well being all over the year, not only during his stay in the hostel but still I took him to Principal and narrated his problem to him, who kept moving from one place to another in his office while listening attentively to my narration with Jaipal standing with bowed head in one corner of his office. Principal looked at Jaipal for some time, and he also knew that Jaipal was a great foodie at school as the accompanying officer to NCC camp reported about him that when Mess Havildar was asking from every cadet how many chappatis they will take in lunch. Jaipal calmly replied ‘sixteen’,. Mess Havildar was stunned and amazed by this reply and said in surprise, ‘Are you mad ?’. To it Jaipal replied calmly, ‘ It is up to you, if you will give at once, then it will be sixteen chappatis and if you will give in instalments then it will be thirty two chappatis, as my chapptis will get digested in the path that I will cover in coming to you to ask for more chappatis.’ Though Principal knew his reputation but still fondling his head with affection said, ‘ I cannot open school mess for one inmate, but don’t worry you will not have to go anywhere because as long as you are in school, you are my responsibility. From today he will take one meal at the residence of the staff staying in the campus till vacation ends, and today he will take meals at my residence to begin with’. Principal took Jaipal affectionately to his home that day and he issued the orders to each faculty member staying in the campus to host him at least for one meal till the vacation ends. Seeing the liberal gesture of Principal, both Jaipal and I came out of Principal’s office smilingly.