The Hindu Business Line : Magic fount of harmony

The simple, poor and uneducated people of Talisma had not shown even a trace of hatred or venom that had brought about the division of the country and had led to several wars.

1971 War: Indian jawans advance into Pakistani territory in the Rajasthan sector - HINDU PHOTO ARCHIVES

A five-hour journey on a rickety old bus over a dusty road brought me to `Talisma Mahadeo' village. Talisma in Persian means magic and the village derives its name from a temple dedicated to Mahadeo and the adjoining tank. The water of this tank is said to cure many debilitating diseases and this has made the village, which is quite inaccessible otherwise, well known. Pilgrims from as far as Mumbai visit the temple-tank complex and take away bottles and cans filled with the water.

The village is located atop a steep scarp facing the tehsil town of Singoli south of the Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh border. The only way to approach the village is by climbing over a sandstone platform.

On alighting from the bus one November afternoon, I went straight to the village pradhan, Dharam Singh, armed with an introduction letter from a village doctor whom I had befriended earlier in another village. The bus had in fact halted right in front of the pradhan's house, which adjoined the temple-tank complex. The village had only a few hamlets and the pucca house of Dharam Singh stood out conspicuously. I later found out that the outer verandah served as a chaupal where villagers gathered in the evening for exchanging news and views. Half the verandah served as a dhaba, which served food to visiting pilgrims.

Dharam Singh read the letter and readily agreed to provide me boarding and lodging. A cot was arranged for me in the two-room school building located right across the pradhan's house. The school happened to be closed for winter vacations. The paratha, vegetables and tea served by the dhaba were quite wholesome and cheap. On my request, the pradhan arranged for a guide to accompany me every morning on my field excursions. This man, Karam Singh, was the pradhan's younger brother. I found him a very interesting and talkative person. He had earlier worked at some engineering project that had employed German experts and he told me about his experiences with them. Each evening I spent some time at the pradhan's verandah, where I ate my dinner, drank a cup of tea and talked to the villagers gathered there. I found that the poor and uneducated people of Rajasthan with whom I interacted were extremely hospitable and intelligent. I talked to them about my town, my university and the research work I was doing. They told me many interesting stories of bygone days, of the whims and idiosyncrasies of the princes belonging to the erstwhile princely states of Begun, Bijolia and Singoli located near Talisma.

It was my fourth day at Talisma; to be exact, it was December 3, 1971. After my dinner-cum-social session with the villagers, I had retired to my room. Lying on my bed I was listening to the BBC Hindi news when suddenly I found myself in a very difficult and uncertain situation. The Pakistan Air Force had that evening struck a number of Indian air bases, including one at Agra, quite near my hometown Aligarh. By midnight, India was officially at war with Pakistan. I had to take a decision — to stay at Talisma and complete my work or take the first bus the next morning and leave for Aligarh. I decided to leave. The next morning, Karam Singh arrived at the appointed time and asked me for the day's programme. He was taken aback on hearing that I was cutting short my visit and leaving for home.

I told him to wait for me at the chaupal whileI packed my things. The first bus would leave half-an-hour later. There was time enough to have breakfast and bid goodbye to the pradhan and others. At the chaupal there were quite a few people waiting for me. They greeted me and, after a few embarrassing moments of silence, the pradhan addressed me: "We know that a war has started between India and Pakistan and we also know that you are a Muslim. You should have no fear on that count; we will not let any harm come to you till we are alive. You are as safe here as within your home. You stay here without any fear and complete your work." I could see clearly that the pradhan had spoken with full conviction and that the people around him were in complete agreement with him. I assured them that I felt quite safe with them. But I feared that in case the war escalated, rail and road traffic might be disrupted and it might be difficult for me to get home later on. They believed me and readily agreed to bid goodbye.

Seated in the bus carrying me away from the small, remote village, I reflected on the happenings of just a while ago. It was a great and unforgettable moment in my life, etched clearly in my memory after all these years. The simple, poor and uneducated people of Talisma had not shown even a trace of hatred or venom that had brought about the division of the country and had led to several wars. That very day, I decided to dedicate my Ph.D. thesis, which I was then writing, to the `poor people of Rajasthan'.

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