When I Lost My Father Dr G S Rajhans
In passing away of Dr G S Rajhans I lost my father, a true champion of democracy and an all- weather guide. My father was born in Sultanganj in Bhagalpur District of Bihar State in India in 1938. He excelled in studies and secured first class first rank in Economics (Hons) from TNB College in Bhagalpur. He gained Fulbright Scholarship and for the same he visited Kolkata for the interview. He had reservoir of talent reflection of that was illustrated in different innings he played in different fields. Having got the nod for Fulbright Scholarship he sailed to the US by ship from Bombay (Mumbai) and reached North Carolina University in Chapel Hill.
In Sultanganj his father Jaideo Rajhans (My Grandfather) was told by Andh Swami a religious preacher who could read the future that he would have four sons who would go by the names of Shiv Shankar Rajhans, Gouri Shankar Rajhans, Karuna Shankar Rajhans and Gyan Shankar Rajhans. Jaideo Rajhans was a man of limited means witnessing rocky rides in his business endeavours and a gentleman who actively participated in freedom struggle and waged a battle against English Establishment unfettered by the hardships he faced off and on. Jaideo Rajhans along with his wife Kiran Mai Rajhans raised four sons all of whom excelled in studies. The four sons were aligned to a schedule where they would get up early in the morning sometime after 4 am and get immersed in studies with the support of lamp. Later they would go for tuition to Upendra Master who was strict and would leave no stone unturned to see that the four sons of Jaideo Rajhans were out and out study buddies.
Jaideo Rajhans had dual responsibilities something he handled with ease primarily described by his undiluted commitment to freedom struggle quite authentic till the last phase and also see to it that the family members he was grooming were up and moving. He would make it a point to see the four sons recite Biography of leading political leaders of that time each day and would inculcate in them the mission that they would have to raise their standards/ambitions to the level of none else than the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. The English Cops who came visiting our house had enough respect for Jaideo Rajhans and would often salute him as he was a stalwart and this has often been recalled by my father. The English Establishment had put my grandfather in prison for his active role in freedom struggle and the period he was incarcerated it was tough time for Rajhans Family. It was the Bengali families in Sultanganj who came to our rescue when we were in distress.
The four sons would have interactions with Andh Swami quite often and he was a source of inspiration. In Sultanganj the four sons had learnt the ropes of swimming and would swim from one shore to the other of river ganga whenever opportunity came. The days spent in Sultanganj were quite memorable and cherished by four sons who made it a point to visit their parents after they were settled and content with family life. Anectodes of that period has been recalled by four brothers at different points of time. Jaideo Rajhans has been instrumental in raising schools, colleges and other institutions in Sultanganj in post independent India and this has been duly noted by four brothers and others as well. There is Rajhans Lane in Sultanganj where we have our ancestral house.
The eldest Shiv Shankar Rajhans became a Doctor having pursued higher studies from London, the younger brother Gouri Shankar Rajhans wearing different hats ranging from managerial assignments to diplomacy and writing skills, the younger brother Karuna Shankar Rajhans joining India Forest Service and the youngest of the lot Gyan Shankar Rajhans having settled in Canada in the latter half of 60s. Gyan Shankar Rajhans's Bhajnawali Programme commitments have been historic and are up and running to this date. My father's interactions with Pramila didi, Kalpana didi and Anand Bhaiya (children of Shiv Shankar Rajhans) when they were young and spent much of the time with him was duly noted by my father on different occasions.
When my father sailed to the US he pursued higher studies in Economics duly bound by the fact that he would have to take up teaching assignments as well. In the initial period he stayed with an American Family and later had a room of his own. My father was keen that my mother join him in the US but that could not happen as war broke out with China. My father returned to India and after a year of stay in Sultanganj took up a job in Bird And Company in Kumardhubi. Here during the course of his stay he fell ill and stayed in Patna for some time. Here after a short duration stay in Agarwal Hotel he stayed in a flat given to Jagannath Mishra my father's father in law (Kamal Narayan Mishra) brother who was MLC (Member of Legislative Council). During the time when my father was not well he would recite Hanuman Chalisa and put in a prayer for himself at different intervals. When my father got fully recovered Bird And Company gave him assignment in Kolkata where we stayed in Basu Lodge Flat in Lake Garden. There were in all six flats in the same complex with some occupants going by the names of Chatterjee and Dhameja.
When I was born the first thing my father and mother did was to take me to Kalighat Temple in Kalighat Area of Kolkata. From Bird And Company my father secured a job in Alok Udyog (Sahu Jain) in Kolkata branch. Here he was advised by his well wishers that why doesn't he try in Delhi branch of the same company as the situation in Kolkata was getting hostile. During his stay in Kolkata he replenished his writing skills and wrote for different publications. In May 1969 we moved to Delhi with my father carrying a letter of job in Alok Udyog (Sahu Jain). Here in Delhi my father got a job in Delhi branch after efforts put in by him and other persons as well. Lalit Narayan Mishra my father's father in law's eldest brother was not keeping well given his poor heart condition and was recuperating in a hospital and here Sitaram Kesri came visiting him. During the course of interaction Sitaram Kesri assured my father that he would see to it he gets transferred to Delhi branch. WE stayed in Amar Colony for some months and from where my father had to change two buses to reach Alok Udyog office in Punjab National Bank in Parliament Street. This was too taxing for my father and and later we shifted to Old Rajinder Nagar. In 1971 my father was asked by Hindustan Times Management to share articles/ stories which were published in different publications during the course of his stay in Kumardhubi, Kolkata and Delhi. Here he was keen to get a job in editorial side of English Publication Hindustan Times given the rich reservoir of articles done by him that he could lay claim to but had to content with managerial responsibility as circulation manager.
On October 20, 1977 on Dussehra Day we moved to our own house in Safdarjung Enclave and that was the day when we had Griha Pravesh (House Entry). The house in Safdarjung Enclave was built on the back of loan taken from LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) which was duly paid back in time. His brother Shiv Shankar Rajhans who was running his clinic in Bhagalpur was in attendance and so were other family members. His other brothers Karuna Shankar Rajhans and Gyan Shankar Rajhans visited our house in Safdarjung Enclave as and when the opportunity came with their family members. The series of interactions with Gyan Shankar Rajhans where they would recall the days spent in Sultanganj and the memories of attending Shiv Shankar Rajhans marriage (S S Rajhans got married at a young age) are truly stupendous. There were handful of houses in our Safdarjung Enclave lane and we were the only one with telephone connection and that was handy for other residents as well. His stint in media where he not only handled managerial responsibilities but also resurgent writing skills came handy when he tried for Congress party ticket in 1984. He was an effective Member of Parliament and his oratory skills won him admirers. My father is not amidst us given the malfunctioning healthcare system in India as experienced by his stay in two hospitals but he would continue to inspire generations to come.
Next My Father's Stint In Parliament And His Days As Ambassador To Laos And Cambodia
