Eng. Tara Chand

About 50 years ago I started work in Rajasthan State Electricity Board, Jodhpur as Junior Engineer. At that time, when my wife used to visit the village to meet me and my parents, I used to go to a hotel to have dinner. While eating food, there used to be gossip with the owner of the hotel, Agarwal Saheb. Later on, he became a friend of mine and family relations were established. This process continued till his death.

His three sons, three daughters-in-law and grandchildren lived together in a two block house. He taught his children business and gradually the three children started different businesses. In the same house my friend lived with his wife on the ground floor and three sons lived with their family on the rear and first floor respectively. The kitchen in their house was separate for the three sons. The three daughters-in-law would arrange food for my friend Agrawal and his wife month-wise, and in the same month, if a friend or guest would come to meet Aggarwal Saab, the daughter-in-law, whose turn it was, would immediately arrange tea and breakfast. In this way the time of friend and Mrs. was spent comfortably in the room.

In the course of time, the friend’s wife died from illness, then Agarwal alone used to meditate in his room and the daughter-in-law would make arrangements for tea, breakfast and food from time to time according to their turn, the friend would never have any problem of any kind.

One day I went to meet him in his room, he had just come to the room after taking a bath. There was a trouser and a shirt lying on the sofa, which he wanted to wear. Meanwhile, a daughter-in-law (who is a doctor’s daughter) came into the room and started carrying the dress lying on the sofa. My friend said he wore this dress only for two hours yesterday. The daughter-in-law said, Papaji, it looks dirty to me, so I am going to wash it.

Similarly, after a few days I went to meet him and found that two of his daughters-in-law were standing in the room with two new clothes and asking him to get new clothes stitched. My friend said, I have a lot of old clothes. The daughter-in-law said, after mother’s death, instead of wearing the old dress, you will now have to wear the dress of our choice. You give any of your old proper fitting dress, right now, Taylor is going to get the new dress sewn. Similarly, the life journey of about 80 years passed smoothly.

After that, diseases started engulfing him, so the sons took their father to the doctor from time to time. Bringing medicines and getting him admitted to the hospital in need and providing medical treatment. When living in the house, one boy in his room used to sleep alternately at night. During the day, the daughters-in-law did their best to give medicines according to the doctor’s prescription from time to time. After the age of 85, after becoming more ill, he was admitted to the hospital, where a son stayed overnight and during the day the daughters-in-law used to stay in the hospital and serve Papaji diligently.

About five days before his death, one of his sons called me from the hospital saying that his father was unwell and that his father had called to meet me immediately.

I immediately went to the same hospital and consoled the sons. Then Aggarwal, my friend, called me and said, my sons and daughters-in-law have served me a lot and I am completely satisfied. My blessings for sons and daughters-in-laws is that they stay together and progress. I hope your love remains with the kids. God’s blessing is that even after ten years of the death of Agrawal Mitra, his sons and daughters-in-law are still treating me like an uncle. Now you must have been convinced of how much family happiness my Aggarwal friend got in old age.

One day, when I told this incident to my friend, Mr. Kanhaiyalal, he said, “A Jain sahib lives in the house next to me, his three sons and three daughters-in-law and grandsons and granddaughters used to live together.” The door on the side of his house opens in front of the door on the side of my house. Because of which his house activities are visible from our house.

My neighbor Jain sahib passed away three years ago due to illness. The sons and daughters-in-law had served their father with whole heart and wealth. You will be glad to know that the family has been living in our neighborhood for about 10 years, but during this time Jain sahib and his wife, sons and daughters-in-law never saw any quarrel among themselves. There is a kitchen in the house where everyone’s food is cooked. The three sons had divided the responsibility of running their father’s shop among themselves. The daughters-in-law have divided the work of cleaning the house, cooking, washing clothes, giving water in pots, giving medicines to the mother etc. The daughter-in-law treats each other like sisters and treat mother-in-law like her mother. Daughter-in-law and son show mother to doctor at the time of illness, give medicines on time, provide breakfast, food on time and mother-in-law is completely satisfied with their behavior. Companion Kanhaiyalal also told such a reality of his neighbor, I guess you must have felt good while reading this story like me. 

Have you seen how Jain Saheb’s wife is getting family happiness in old age.

Dear Reader! In your family, sons and daughters-in-law have made such arrangements, so congratulations from my side and blessings to your sons and daughters-in-law. If there is no such arrangement in any joint family, then it is not too late, read this article to the sons and daughters-in-law in your joint family and express my wish that they should also create a home environment like the above mentioned Aggarwal and Jain families so that they may all be happy, you and your wife will not face any problem of being sad in old age, nor will you find it difficult to find an old age home. Your home will become heaven. 

-Er. Tarachand

इस लेख को हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहां क्लिक करें:

वृद्धावस्था में परिवार का सुख

The age today of this gentleman is currently 75 to 85 years, he has done government jobs and those who have moved from a rural environment to cities, I consider that generation to be a struggling Generation, whose details are as follows

The father used to do ancestral business in the villages and in spite of very low income enabled the children of this generation to go to the cities for higher education by getting them through primary and high school education. At first, they struggled to live in the cities for studies, to meet the expenses of food, quarters, and college. Some students completed their college education at the expense of their father’s earnings and some took education loans.

At that time college was also limited and students getting college education were also fewer in number. Therefore, according to the qualification they used to get engineering, medical or professional education and after that got a government job.

After starting the job, the exercise of settling down started. In most cases, our parents had done our child marriage. Therefore, after making a cow, the wife also came to the city from Saab. In those days, the junior engineer used to get 200 rupees per month and the teacher got about 100 rupees. From that salary, life started with expenses on house rent, etc. Then there was the burden of raising the children. As the children grew up, their education was arranged accordingly. Provided good education to the children by cutting their own expenses so that they too can go to college, get an education and live a better life on their own.

After that, due to higher education, the children got good jobs and started living in other cities. Due to good jobs, marriage relations were formed with the people of the rich section of society.

The people of this generation retired after the passage of time and started living in the same place where they got their age. But the boy pays more attention to the mother-in-law, keeping his distance from the parents, falling into the trap of the girl of the upper class. Parents i.e. this generation are sad from the inside seeing all this, but they are satisfied while telling the good salary of their son in front of people. Very few cases are found that the children of the struggle with which this generation faced, return to serve the same category.

But let me tell you the story of a familiar priestly family. The boy’s father belonged to the village and in the village, he completed his education till Class 10th. But after that father passed away. Mother saw the son was promising, so she came to Jodhpur with the child.

And got the boy’s medical education (MBBS) by renting the house. The son got a government job. After some years he got married to a village girl as per his mother’s wish. Those who had come from village to city from Jodhpur itself. Then the doctor went to America and started medical practice there. Due to the good package, he settled there and resigned from the government job in Jodhpur. Later, the mother was taken to America with her. After some time Mataji did not feel like being there and shifted to Jodhpur as per her wish. Built a house for the mother in Jodhpur and arranged for her car, driver, and maid in Jodhpur. Whose payment the doctor used to do from America. Took complete care of Mataji and came again and again from America and served Mataji till the end of time. That Mataji continued to bless her wholeheartedly. What a beautiful example my fellow doctor set.

-Er. Tarachand

इस लेख को हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहां क्लिक करें:

संघर्षशील पीढ़ी

Swami Vivekananda went to Khetri (Rajasthan) for the first time. He stayed under a tree in a field and started giving his lectures in the morning and in the evening in front of the crowded public. On the third day, an adult whose clothes were dilapidated came and stood in front of Swamiji with folded hands. Swamiji said in a melodious voice- ‘Speak brother. What do you want to say?”

The old man came near and said – ‘What herb do you have, Swamiji, which keeps you strong.’ Swamiji asked- ‘Brother, which herb are you talking about? The old man said – ‘You have been preaching for three days, but you have not eaten anything. Also talking to people, which herb are you using to get rid of hunger? Hunger and thirst are felt, but I do not go door to door asking for food and no one has asked for food here, your mind is pure and you have understood this.

The middle-aged man said with courage – Swamiji, I am a poor Chamar. Let me bring you the goods, prepare your own food. Swamiji’s eyes were filled with tears of love and said – Brother, there is no distinction between caste and creed for a sannyasi. We see the ashes of God even in animals and birds. You are holy too. Whatever food is there in the house, you bring it, both will eat together. The middle man went to his hut on the side of the field and made dal and rice and came back. Both of them started having food with immense joy. The fame reached the king of Khetri, he himself sent Swamiji to America to participate in the Chicago World Religions Conference by supporting him whole-heartedly and borne all his expenses.

Our ancestors of Jangid Brahmin society, who are said to be descendants of Angira sage, also earned their livelihood by getting proficiency in wood art instead of asking from house to house to fill their stomach, which is a matter of pride for us.

-Er. Tarachand

इस लेख को हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहां क्लिक करें:

सच्चा संन्यासी

While serving in the Rajasthan State Electricity Board, I was posted in many districts and got a chance to meet the heads of different castes and see the social reform work done by them closely. Here are some examples for your reference

(1) Rajpurohit Samaj: This society has now become quite organized on its own strength and there was a lot of contribution from their religious leader, Sant Khetaram Ji Maharaj. Shri Mohan Singh Ji Rajpurohit was the Dean of Bikaner Animal University. During his tenure, he inspired the young students of his society towards veterinary medicine. Because of this, today many veterinary doctors of Rajpurohit society will be found in the Rajasthan government. I had met him in Jaipur in 1981 at a wedding ceremony. He was wearing the costumes of the caste- kurta, dhoti and safa. They had sofa sets and chairs, but he was not sitting on them and talking with the people of the society, while sitting in the jajam with them. Such was his simplicity and respect for the society.

(2) Mathur Samaj: In the office of one Mathur Sahib, there was a peon of his caste, who used to go to the officer’s house in the evening for official work, then the officer would have been found sitting on the chair. And that peon used to sit on the jajam. Later, the girl of that officer got engaged to the engineer boy of that peon. After the engagement, the same peon would go to the same officer’s house for office work, then Mathur sahib would make the peon sit beside him on the sofa. Say, you are a peon in the office, but you are my Samdhi at home.

(3) Chaudhary Samaj: I am a resident of Pali district. I used to see in my childhood that the people of the Choudhary community used to do agricultural work and mostly wore half dhoti, open button on top and a small safa on the head. In festivals like Holi-Diwali or marriage, they used to wear kurta/ankharakhi. Later, their religious teacher motivated them towards business. And the younger generation started working as servants in the shops. 

Let me tell the story of a village. In 1973, I was operating as an assistant engineer in Falna, till then there were all Jain shops in the village market and most of the servants were boys from the Choudhary society. In 1991, when I was again posted as Executive Engineer of Falna, one day I inspected the above village. I saw that the entire market came under the possession of the Choudhary society. When I inquired, I came to know that as the people of the Jain community left the village and went towards Bombay, Pune, Ahmedabad, similarly those shops were given to the servants of Chaudhari Samaj who were honest and loyal. This way, there was an awakening in the society and they became wealthy and today they have the capacity to donate lakhs of rupees for the construction of hostels, dharamshalas etc. of the society.

(4) Jain Samaj: A sethji had two sons in Barmer. Big boy in Congress party and little boy in BJP. In 1980-81, Mrs. Indira Gandhi visited Barmer and there was a program to weigh coins with her on the scales. Seth ji’s eldest son was a pioneer in weighing the scales. Then the government changed. Then after a few months, Shri LK Advani’s program was made to come to Barmer, then on behalf of the BJP workers, a program was going on to weigh him with coins in the scales in a public place. I saw that Sethji’s little boy was the lead worker in that program. One day, Sethji came to me for his electricity problem, so I asked him, how do you reconcile the two sons, one of Congress and the other of BJP ideology, in the house. He told that when there is a Congress government in the state, then the elder boy is sent free from the shop to participate in political activities and similarly when the BJP government is formed, the elder boy sits with me at the shop and the younger one is free from the shop and remains active in the political activities of the BJP. In this way, whether it is Congress government or BJP, their shop runs at the same speed without any hindrance and leaders of both the parties come to the shop to do Ramasama with me.

Jangid society is far from this thinking. The people of our society remain cut off from each other due to political ideology and have a feeling of non-cooperation. Because of this the society cannot be organized. The people of our society are themselves very smart, well versed in technical knowledge, but collectively weak, so political parties do not give tickets for the posts of President and MLA. About 15-20 percent people of the society have become government servants, industrialists, wealthy, good builders. The remaining 80 percent of the members of the society feed themselves and their families by doing daily wages in the villages and in the cities from the ancestral business, as it has been going on for 40-50 years. In this way they are not able to make economic and political progress.

Therefore, I request the leading leaders of the society, industrialists, employees / officers in the job, Bhamashah, educationist to look towards the Rajpurohit, Mathur, Chaudhary and Jain society mentioned above and organize the society like them on every front, bring backward class to forward, only then the development of the society is possible.

-Er. Tarachand

इस लेख को हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहां क्लिक करें:

समाज सुधार के कुछ उदाहरण