Free A World Within by Minakshi Chaudhry Page B

for help and whispers, ‘He really believes in all this nonsense?’ I pinch him hard. Rohit hears him and laughs aloud. Dadoo has a friend now, no one can stop him. He ignores me totally and says, ‘Do you know he is a dhongi [fake],’ I pinch him harder, terrified now.
    Pita-ji is in a shock, he doesn’t know what to say and Dadoo goes on. ‘You should not believe in these babas,’ he explains patiently. After a few seconds of shock Pita-ji retorts back, ‘Baba is not like that, all the other babas are dhongis. I tell my wife not to believe them.’
    ‘How can you say that?’ Dadoo asks innocently.
    Pita-ji snaps angrily, ‘Of course, I know. They are all dhongis but our baba is not one of them.’
    Dadoo says, ‘If I say that others are all true and this baba is dhongi.’
    I am definitely alarmed I pinch him hard and hiss, ‘ Chup ho jao , chup ho jao [please keep quiet].’
    He laughs and looks at Rohit for support who, of course, gives him with a smiling face, ‘It is all in the head because you believe in him so you think he is true, the others believe in the other babas so they think they are true. You cannot say which one is a dhongi and which one is not and I must tell you, all of them are dhongis.’
    I can feel Pita-ji’s anger vibrating loud and clear, no one has the guts to speak in front of him like this and then Dadoo goes on further, ‘I am surprised at you.’
    I am so alarmed now that I loudly say, ‘Dadoo, chup ho jao, bahut ho gaya [keep quiet. Enough is enough]! ’
    ‘What? What?’ he says innocently. ‘It is an open discussion or do I have to keep quiet because yeh tere sasurji hai [he is your father-in-law]?’ He says laughingly, ‘He is also my friend and colleague of years.’ He looks smilingly at Pita-ji who glares back at him.
    This frightens me and thankfully makes Dadoo quiet. No one speaks for the rest of the journey. We reach the airport; and realize there are about hundred people there already. Dadoo doesn’t like our quiet company and leaves to mingle with the devotees. He is having a good time conversing with them, while Pita-ji is standing aloof.
    About two hours have passed and the baba has still not come, probably Dadoo gets bored because he picks a fight with about four-five volunteers; Dadoo is shouting at them and they are all shouting at him.
    ‘What is wrong?’ I intervene anxiously.
    Dadoo is angry, ‘I am telling them that there are so many old people here, old women and men, who have come to have darshan and they should be given priority to stand in front. Look at all these children and young ladies and the seva dal people, they are taking the best positions. The old people are being brushed aside. Do they believe less than these people in front? Isn’t it our duty to take care of the elderly who have been standing for hours.’ He is spitting fire, I try to pacify him.
    The seva dal members are angry too. I look around. Dadoo is right: youngsters between the age group of ten and twenty-five are lined on one side in the front queue. It is clear that all of them are children of the volunteers, on the other side are middle-aged men in scarves – the volunteers themselves. The elderly people, about fifteen to twenty, including Pita-ji are somewhere at the back, not visible.
    Dadoo again starts shouting, ‘Old people can’t see properly, they have weak eye sight, with so much of difficulty they have come here, is it not right to allow them to stand in front?’
    I pacify him with great difficulty and bring him to where Pita-ji is standing, worried why Dadoo is fighting with people. Thankfully after about fifteen minutes baba’s plane lands and his car crosses us. All three of us, Dadoo, Rohit and I could see him closely, the people gathered around are pushing and pulling each other. After baba left I ask Pita-ji, ‘Did you see baba, Pita-ji?’ He shakes his head, ‘There was too much rush, I could not see him,’ he says with sadness.
    I feel bad for