My Father Gouri Shankar Rajhans Came From Humble Background

My Father Gouri Shankar Rajhans Came From Humble Background

Coming from humble background my father Gouri Shankar Rajhans negotiated challenges in life thanks to his upright upbringing in Sultanganj in Bhagalpur District in Bihar State in India. He would often narrate tales of Sultanganj sprinkled with optimism that his family radiated even in odd moments. When dacoits were out to launch an assault on his household how one of his relations spun a magical tale of his house being beehive of large number of family members and that was enough for dacoits to retreat. Ajgaibinath temple he and his family would often visit for which one had to avail a boat ride. When he fell ill in the first half of 1968 he was confident that he would stage a comeback and so was my mother with enduring faith reposed in God. 

His march to adulthood was amidst an environment where with limited means they had to content with something mirrored in the breakfast comprising Chura (beaten rice) and Dahi (curd) with the latter out and out bitter. But none of the four brothers would complain as they were in the know of the things that their parents had spared no effort to ensure their children were in comfort zone. He would often observe that how his father Jaideo Rajhans would have raised four children as the resources he had at his disposal were depleting with each passing day. My father would often recall how his father would observe that his body's resistance was not keeping pace with his body and he was not keeping well. In the last surviving days my father had body pain something akin to my grandfather.

He lost his father at 68 and that was an immense loss to the entire family. Thanks to the Lord he was at his usual self soon and back to the day to day grind in Delhi. 

In the early part of '80s I was operated for appendicitis and my father who was all by himself ran from pillar to post to see everything went smoothly. The entire expense was borne by him keeping Dr Mohan in the know that entire expense would be reimbursed something that was not to be. In the '70s and early part of '80s his younger brother Karuna Shankar Rajhans and his family would visit us during Christmas/New Year and this august gathering was a force to reckon with. In the same period at quick intervals we would visit Badkhal Lake in Faridabad with T C Goyal Family. Goyal Uncle used to take me along with his family members to Safdarjung Enclave Club whenever there used to be screening of Hindi movies. When my father was an MP the tap water that was coming was dirty and Goyal Uncle observed that my father should raise this issue in Parliament. My father used to take us to Ramleela organised under the aegis of Shreeram Bhartiya Kala Kendra near Delhi Gate and those in occasional attendance were Karuna Shankar Uncle's family members and Mishra family members. In 1980 0r 1981 we were all set to embark on a journey to Kashmir but at the last moment this plan was shelved as Sobha Mausi and K K Jha Mausa came to stay at our residence. My papa went to Kashmir alone and the sojourn is mirrored in a novel named "Salma". During those days Gulzar came to his office expressing his intent to make a movie based on "Salma" but he couldn't meet my father as he was away attending to office responsibilities. 

Some of the other novels penned by my father included "Abhisapt", "Aana Ek VIP Ka", Ujali Rekhaiya", "Videshiya", "Pretatma Bikau Hai", "Tum Phir Aana", "Practice Politics Ki". He excelled in Hindi Satire as well and this was reflected in "Practice Politics Ki". 

During his days as Member of Parliament he would visit his Parliamentary Constituency Jhanjharpur in Bihar every month and his associate Durga Babu was quite handy. His visits to Jhanjharpur were with the intent that he could address the grievances of his constituency people as well as see to it there was a representative of them in Delhi who would take up their cause as and when the need arose. He would respond to every letter from his constituency something that kept them in good humour.  His umpteen trips to AIIMS to get his constituency people treated is still etched in my memory. 

In the latter half of '90s I had severe acidity and the private hospital in our neighbourhood advised I be admitted but my father did not relent as he was well aware of pitfalls of hospitalisation. The next day with medication taken at home I recovered and here my papa's stand was correct.

His conversations with Cambodian leader Norodom Sihanouk in the '90s and at the same time with his son Norodom Ranariddh when he was India's Ambassador to Cambodia was one of the high points of his diplomatic assignment days. In Laos and Cambodia then then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and my father used to exchange letters quite often. He would exchange letters with the then Opposition Leader of that time Atal Bihari Vajpayee and my father sent him a congratulatory note for being conferred the Best Opposition Leader Award. He shared good equations with L K Advani as well. He shared good equations with President Ram Nath Kovind as well.

As learned Congress leader P Chidambaram used to often observe during his meeting with my father "Once An Ambassador, Always An Ambassador". My father shared bonhomie with political leaders cutting across party lines. With Division Number 406 his seating arrangement in Lok Sabha in Parliament was with Mamta Banerjee and Shantaram Naik. Then then Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar my father shared good equations. Even the present Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla used to often send letters to my father. Previous to Om Birla Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and my father shared good equations. 

My father wrote for different publications like Dainik Jagran, Ranchi Express, Sanmarg, Purvanchal Prehri, Aaj Varanasi, Jalte Deep Jodhpur, Dainik Navjyoti Jaipur, Lokmat Samachar, Navbharat Bhopal, Prabhat Khabar, Rajasthan Patrika, Haribhumi and others and he could do so only with the efforts of his associate Arjun Singh and Arjun Singh alone who used to take dictation. These articles in Hindi published in different publications were circulated by his younger brother Gyan Shankar Rajhans based in Canada. My father and his elder brother Shiv Shankar Rajhans quite often used to recall the days spent in Sultanganj with their parents during their telephonic conversations.