Anil Mama (Maternal Uncle) whom we knew

Anil Mama (Maternal Uncle) whom we knew

It was in the 70s when one night i was excited with the thought of going to New Delhi Railway Station the next day to receive Anil Mama (Maternal Uncle) Anil Kumar Mishra. I could barely sleep that night as the thought of receiving Anil Mama kept me engaged. A man of steely resolve and determination who stayed in Bihar State for 67 years, he was a man of few words and fewer inclinations. In the 70s when we decided to move to Safdarjung Enclave, on the occasion of Grih Pravesh (House Inauguration) Anil Mama was one among different relations who had come from Bihar. I still have faint memories of i along with my father going to New Delhi Railway Station to see them off. We were still in the train coach when it began to move. As we got down from a moving train we had no idea whether Anil Mama was in the coach or left in the platform. We took a trek from New Delhi Railway Station to Old Delhi Railway Station and by God's Grace we were able to ensure that Anil Mama was inside the coach along with my Bhagalpur Uncle Dr S S Rajhans.

In 1984 when i visited Balua Bazar an area in Bihar state bordering Nepal both of us visited Forbesganj to procure some products as his younger brother Sunil had recently got married. I still remember the vehicle in which we were travelling broke down and how he had to literally give a push to have it up and running. When we reached Forbesganj i came across a theatre running a movie named Coolie featuring Mr Amitabh Bachchan.

During my schooldays with the onset of  summer vacations we used to visit our Grand parents (my mummy's parents) residence in Balua Bazar and here we would often across Anil Mama who used to reside there as well. He was into business with returns enough to keep him busy and satiated. Probably in the 90s he shifted his base to Birpur another area in Bihar State bordering Nepal. He had a large shop engaged in the task of selling engine oils for car and other vehicles. Occasionally in the 80s, 90s and till recently he had the opportunity to visit us in New Delhi. In the early 80s during one of his visits to New Delhi i expressed a desire to board a bus from Kamal Cinema to Connaught Place. I went along with him all the way to the bus stop where he said it won't be appropriate for me to board a bus as i was too young.

Again i have faint memories of he taking up a job in Barauni in Bihar State in the 70s and we visiting him in the same place. We crossing railway tracks during night to catch a train to Delhi and he coming to see us off at the railway station. When i was in the college i had the opportunity to read International Herald Tribune with postings from that paper pasted on my cupboard and he making a noting of the same during summer vacations. He was simple, true to heart and a man who never missed an opportunity to express gratitude for the occasional grandeur welcome he came across. Balua Bazar and Birpur were the twin destinations in Bihar he spent much of his time and he would remain etched in our memory for long.