Chachaji

I had no means of livelihood in Delhi. Well, there was a long story behind it. My father sent ten rupees by money order from Alwar, but I refused to take it because he had told me that he had been very sorry about my leaving the College (DAV College, Lahore). At least for two years, I was living in Delhi on one anna per day which I used to earn in an hour. I had borrowed two rupees from the wife of Dr. Yudhvir Singh (the leader of Arya Kumar Sabha who rose to the position of Chief Executive Councillor, Delhi). I used to purchase some stationery from Sadar Bazaar. Quite a lot of stationery could be got for just two rupees in those days. There was a Commercial High School in Charkhewalan. During the recess period, I used to sit outside the school, sell the stationery and earn one anna or so, and was living on that for about two years. In the meanwhile, I learnt typewriting also.

There was a service securing agency (a private employment bureau) in Shraddhanand Bazaar (then called Burn Bastion Road). I went there and enquired from them if they could secure an employment for me. They said: “You have to register your name, pay two rupees and then you will have to pay half of your first month’s salary.” I replied, “I will pay half of my first month’s salary, but I cannot pay two rupees now.” The Manager was very sympathetic and he agreed to take two rupees from me after my appointment. So I got a job as a typist in Sholapur Mill’s shop in Nai Sarak. Along with half of my first month’s salary, I paid the registration fee of two rupees to the employment agency. I made an arrangement with the shop-owner that I would work for only four hours a day as I had to work for the Congress and the Arya Kumar Sabha. He agreed to the condition and paid me twenty-five rupees per month. I used to do whatever work they gave me. They appreciated my work so much that they gave me a bonus of ten rupees on Diwali day, which was an unusual gift in those days.

In the meantime, my father came to Delhi and searched me out through the Arya Samaj. I was still working in the Sholapur Mill’s shop, while residing in the verandah of Shri Ganpatram’s house in a lane. Shri Ganpatram had a cow and along with it I had my cot. When I was sleeping, sometimes I would find that the cow had defecated over me. I used to keep my angeethi (earthen cooking stove) as I myself cooked my food. I used to prepare quite a number of chapattis for the whole day and purchase curd of skimmed milk from a nearby halwai (sweetmeat seller). Being a regular customer, I paid one pie and could get quite a good quantity of curd. The curd was delicious and I used to enjoy the food very much. When I got twenty-five rupees as my salary, I could afford a better living but I still cooked my food and continued to live at Shri Ganpatram’s house.

My father took me to Lala Diwan Chand, who hailed from a nearby village in Jhelum District. He was a military contractor for coal and salt and was a pillar of strength to the Arya Samaj in Delhi. He had his own house called ‘Diwan Bhavan’ at the back of Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. My father introduced me to the young contractor: “Lalaji, we are also from the Jhelum district. This is my son, a rebel. He has come here without any means of support and he does not want to go back. He knows typewriting. If you can employ him in your firm I will have a satisfaction that he is in a safe place.” Lala Diwan Chand agreed to give me the post of a typist on rupees fifty per month. He was very considerate towards me, for a typist was not given such a big salary in those days. Probably, he was moved by my father’s appeal and persuasion.

Subsequently, I shifted with my belongings to Diwan Bhavan from the house of Shri Ganpatram. During the day time, I used to put my bedding under my working table in the office and in the night I would spread my bedding on the table and sleep. I used to take my food in one of the dhabas at the crossing of Nai Sarak and Chawri Bazaar. The dhaba was named after a tree’s name — bar shah bullah, and its owner’s, the dhabawala’s name was Sardar Keshav Singh. Sometimes, Lala Diwan Chand’s wife used to give me food. In those days I would work in the office as a typist during day time and work for the Congress and Arya Kumar Sabha in the early mornings and evenings.

After a year or so, it was by coincidence that Sardar Nanak Singh was given a small room in our office. He got his letter-head ‘Delhi Iron Syndicate’ beautifully printed. He called me to his room and asked me: “Can you type five to ten circulars everyday for despatching to the contractors?” I replied: “How many circulars you need?” He stated: “I need about 500 or even 1000. But it is not urgent. Please type whenever you are free.” Of course, I was not an employee of the Delhi Iron Syndicate. Probably that was the reason why he was requesting me like that. After the office was closed at 5 p.m., I started typing and made 1000 copies by the morning and placed them on his table.

Sardar Nanak Singh was surprised to find 1000 typed copies on his table when he came to the office at 10 a.m. next day. He called me and asked angrily: “From where did you get these typed?” I replied: “I typed them myself.” He went on: “How can it be humanly possible? No person could type 1000 copies! I gave it to you only last evening.” He examined and found to his surprise that they had been typed on the same typewriter. I told him: “The whole night I was typing and I have typed them.” He took all the 1000 copies to Lala Diwan Chand and apprised him of this feat. Lalaji confirmed: “When I went for horse-riding at 4 o’clock in the morning, I saw him typing. It is true.” This achievement created a sensation in the whole office and it earned great admiration and respect. It is my innate quality to do each work with energy and enthusiasm. If there was a fire accident in the city, I would be the first person to rush there and help in extinguishing the fire. That was the all-pervading spirit in me. I cannot explain why it was there, but it was there.