The border dispute

Jagmohan Chadha April 23, 2003

Tales of Yore

My grandfather’s fields abutted on the fields of one Allahditta. He was a nasty man and hard to live next to. He had two sons who were in the British Indian army. The older one Mollahbuksh was a subedar. A subedar or a subedar/major was the highest rank which an Indian recruit could

href="/tag/hope">hope to obtain and it there fore commaded a lot of respect in the villages. Allahditta glowed in the reflected glory of his son and felt that he owned the world. He felt he could get away with anything and did not miss any opportunity to throw his weight around.

The fields in the villages do not have any marked boundary, except a low mud ridge called ‘bunna’ and usually the jamidars honor the bunna and stay within their boundary when plowing the fields. However Allah Buksh, would cut down the bunna every time he plowed his fields, thus increasing his field by a foot or so. My grand father had words with him a few time but Allahditta would not stop his aggressive plowing. The next time he did this, and was contronted by my grand father, he became abusive and told him,

‘ PrahaN ho khanzira, kar leh jo karna eh’.
[ Get lost you pork meat, what are you going to do]

Hot blooded, that my grand father was, he wasn’t going to take this insult. They came to blows and the net result was that Allahditta had to be carried from the fields on a manji (cot). More than the physical hurt, Allahditta’s pride was hurt and he let it be known to any body who would listen that as soon as his sons came home they will take care of Gulab Singh.

When he cooled down a bit my grand father became a bit worried. Both of Allahditta’s sons were well built young men. Although he himself was no push over, and may have taken each one of them individually, the two of them together could do him serious harm if it came to physical fight. He had no brothers and his sons were still too young to back him up.

Time seemed to fly and very soon he heard that Allahditta’s sons were back in the village on chutti (vacation) from their units. The word in the village was that, they were looking for Gulab Singh to settle the score. Couple of days went by and grandpa tried to avoid going any place where he could be cornered. However this could not go on, and after much thought he decided to face the music. After finishing the morning chores he went upto Allahditta’s house and knocked on the door. The subedar himself opened the door and was somewhat taken aback to see his query walk into his den. He came out of the house and they talked on the street.

‘SuNye tuN menu lab riha weh subedara? Said my Granpa.
[ I heard you are looking for me subedar.]

‘HaN, maiN wi te wekhaN kis ma da dudh pe ke tuh mere abu te hath chukya weh’, replied Mollahbuksh.
[Yes I want to see how dare you lay hands on my father]

‘Wekh Baksheya, pehlaN meri gal suN. Tere abu ne meri bunn katti te maiN ohnu kutiya, hun tusi doveN a gaye ho te tusi sare mil ke phaweN menu kut loh, per eh yad rakhiN ke tusaN te kal nai te parso wapus tur jaRaN eh, te tohada abu te ithe he eh. Tusan menu kutya te maiN tohade abu nu kutsaN. Phir ya te abu nu nal fauj che le jaso, nai te chutti leh ke doven phra wari wari us di rakhi bethso’. Reasoned my grandfather.

[See Mollabuksh, first listen to me. Your father was plowing into my fields and there fore I hit him. Now that both of you brothers are home and all of you may be able to beat me, but remember this. You boys will have to go back to your units tomorrow or day after, but your father will be here. You beat me and I will beat him when you are gone. Now you can either take him with you to the army or take time off from the army and protect him. ]

Mollahbaksh was surprised to hear about the back ground to the original fight. Apparently his father did not share the details with him.

‘Tu sach kehna weh ke abu ne teri bunn katti si? He asked.
[ Are you telling the truth, that my father plowed into your fields]

‘Menu chhoR, tu pind wich kise hor nu wih puchh leh, usne horraN diaN bunna wi kattiaN neh’ replied grandpa.
[Forget me, ask any body in the village, he has plowed into others fields as well]

‘changa menu abu naal gal kar laiN de, phir tere na gal karsaN’, said Mollahbaksh.
[All right, let me talk to my father and then I will talk to you]

Much relieved granpa walked home. A week passed by and he heard that MollahbBaksh and his brother had returned to their units. Allahditta kept his plow inside his boundary and there was peace in the village.

The story is one of the many I heard from my parents. grand parents and other relatives. I have no idea of the time line, when the events took place, but I would presume it would be early twenties.

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