LIFE IN KAROL BAGH

 KAROL BAGH, New Delhi, the place where we lived for the best part of our childhood .

Lot of South Indians used to settle down in Karol Bagh as soon as they land in Delhi from South, searching for jobs and starting a new livelihood in the totally unknown area among Hindi speaking population braving extreme weather.  Paapi Pet Ka Sawal hai na, you see .

My father was one of them.  I came to Delhi with my parents and my siblings at the age of 5 years.  Those days it used to be extemely cold because of less buildings  and less inhabitants.  

WE also landed in Karol Bagh and set up our home in a "Barsati" (means top floor).  Barsati rents are cheaper and most of our South Indians used to occupy them .  One Big room ( no drawing, dining ) all in this room.  Kitchen used to be outisde the room and so are the bathrooms and Toilet (only Indian style).When it rains you need Umbrella to go to these places and for some funny reasons , no one had any umbrellas those days as far as I know.No Umbrella culture.  My parents, grand mother, my brother and sister used to occupy this only room.  These houses have three floors including the Barsati.  The house owner stays in the Ground Floor,   Karol Bagh is well designed place , neat and clean.  Each ground floor would have a fire place like the English houses.  It is easy for South Indians to get house on rent as they have lot of faith in our community ( we used to be very humble and honest (dont want to use the word "Coward" as we dont fight.. No advance amount.  

I remember my father used to take bath in cold water (no geyser etc, then) in extreme cold weather also.

We boil water in a boiler and take bath. Not electric.  You need wooden planks or Koila  underneath to heat it No cooking gas.  Cooking done in Angiti with charcoal burning.  we buy 40 kgs of charcoal every month for cooking.  Later on we swtiched to Kerosene oil stove.  You need Stove Pin to often clean the carbon stuck in the stove for efficient burning.  We get stove pin from Ajmal Khan Road where an old man sits on the streert platform sells it.  He shouts "Sadaov Pin panch panch  paisa tha theen" (stove pin for three only 5 paisa).

we used to sleep in a charpoy on the open space in front of the room in summers and it used to be very pleasant.  We wake up when the Newspaper fellow throws the paper on us from his running cycle from the road.   It is amazing how these newspapers vendors without getting out of the bicyle just throw the paper to each floor by just sitting and riding on his bicyle.  Very enterprisig guys, Mosquitoes were unheard of then.  

Kitchen is adjacent to the room outside and there is a small platform type as you enter the kitchen.  That used to be our dining table.

Me, my brother and sister then go to school which is 2 kms away at Patel Nagar by walk.  We used to have one old Aaya (Manikkam Aaya) who used to escort us to school. There would many school going kids in her team .  She holds all our school bags (they used to be heavy even in those days). Our school was a Tent school originally till class 5th.  In those winter days it would be very cold in the Tents.

Earlier to this, I used to go by school bus for a very short period when my brother and sister were not school going.  I used to sit just behind the driver seat where on the window a metal right turn manual indicator would be operated by me whenever the bus has to turn right. No light indicators then.  

My father would   eat a mini breakfast of 2 dosas, take bath  and again after sometime take full meals.  He would start walking to the Bus Stand which was 2 kms away munching dry coconut bits every day with the Newspaper to read during the journey.

No telephone, no radio and no TV for a very long time in any one's house for a very long time.  Life was quite peaceful.

When the time to start for the school, my brother would get stomach ache invariablly most of the days and he would skip the school at the slightest opportunity.  After the school time is over, he would be perfectly alright.  It is still a mystery.  WE engaged a bicyle wala to take him to school and I try to sit behind the seat for some days till the cycle guy refused to take both as we were paying money only for one.

The most fascinating Festival we look forward to was Diwali.  15 days before we go for shopping and get clothes for all of us.  No readymade dresses then.  Me brother and Fathet would give pant and shirt pieces to one old Sardar Tailor (he used to be our favourtie Taylor) but he has never given the stiched ones before Diwali,  After so many attrempts visiting his shop we get the stiched ones on the day of Diwali for so many years.  Still we give it to him only.

We all wait for my Father to come from office on the eve of Diwali .  He gets yummy assorted sweets from Malik Sweet shop , Connaught Place(courtesy his office) and I would keep eating them in bits and pieces much to the annoyance of everyone,  I cannot forget once sad incident on the eve of one Diwali .  My father came from office  with sadness writ on his face.  He lost his salary to a pick pocket in the bus  That Diwali we couldnt celebrate with same enthusiasm. It is still fresh in my memory.

My friend would come aand call me from downstairs, yelling Raju, Raju , Raju.  His name was also Raju and there used be a dog by the same name in the ground floor. It starts chasing my friend and he would run away  leaving his chappals.

Those days in cold winter there used to be one old man called "kariveppilai Thatha" (karipatha )a Tamilian walking the streets around our place chanting " Ram Ram" without upper cloth with a diya in hand.  He sells Karipatha during the day.

There is a shop nearby called "khema " shop.  I used to go there and buy "chooran ki goli" (very small chooran granules for 2 paise,  He gives handful.  So yummy.

After we shifted to a two bed room accommdation, (one big room and one small room, 5 steps down was kitchen and five steps up was bathroom and toilet fully independent first floor with so much space.

But we never forget the Barsati life.  It was so awesome,

When we come from school, invariably we find the house locked.  Mother would be in one of her friend's place,  She used to be very social with many friends.  WE have to look for her knocking atleast 10 doors.

After we grew up a little, I used to visit Ajmalkhan Road, the busiest shopping street in Karol Bagh with both sides platform shops among the regular shops.  I used to go with my friends after dinner and we eat garam garam Ghajar ka Halwa and Gulob Jamun from the roadside vendor at 11 PM.  

JHAANE KAHA GAYE WOH DIN

 hand.