Rehmaan’s shoes

किताबों से कभी गुज़रो तो यूं किरदार मिलते हैं,

गए वक्तों की ड्योढी में खड़े कुछ यार मिलते हैं,

जिसे हम दिल का वीराना समझ कर छोड़ आए थे,

वहां उजड़े हुए शहरों के कुछ आसार मिलते हैं।

गुलज़ार

My friends often say that when it comes to stories, anecdotes, sher shayari etc I have a good calling memory. I find it natural and instantaneous to associate a poem, a story or a scene of drama to any real world scene making it real life dramatic too. Something on similar lines happened today in a bus.

The bus was crowded. It was hot outside and even more hotter inside the bus. Every fellow passenger was lost in his own story. And then hops in this old man.

He did not look flamboyant at all. And had no luggage too. All that he was carrying was a bubble blowing stick. I wondered, he can’t be a vendor as he is carrying only one stick, neither does it look like that he himself goes around blowing bubbles for fun. Just then I recalled an episode of the serial “Kirdaar”. The episode was titled “Rehmaan k Joote” i.e. “Rehmaan’s shoes”. The story had a tragic end which I certainly did not wish for this old man.

The plot dealt with Rehmaan going to visit his daughter as she just had her first child. Rehmaan’s daughter had eloped with a boy and had never visited her parents since then. Hearing the news of grandchild had made the newly made Nana and Naani forget all the past disturbed relations. When Rehmaan finally receives a letter from his son-in-law to visit the mother and son, elated Rehmaan tries to buy all the presents that he could afford and sets on the bus journey. It is then revealed that Rehmaan had got made a silver rattle already for the child much before he received the invitation letter too. What a portrayal of love and amazing acting by Om Puri and Surekha Sikri.

This old man whom I saw in the bus must also be going to visit his younger self. Carrying a bubble blowing stick. What a nice present he has picked and how lucky this child is has to have such a thoughtful Nana/Dada to have found a highly interactive present. Sharing the video of the episode down here. If not for the entire episode but only for the title track you may want to watch it. The magic of Jagjit Singh will live forever.