Those beautiful expressions

He was having his dinner with his eyes fixed at the Television. He was as engrossed in the IPL matches between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils. He was as excited as any other youngster today. This was our Jagdish Da, still looking active enough though nearing 70 years.

The moment he saw me, he welcomed me with his characterstic style- 'Aao, aao. Tukdon mein Kahani. Prem Kahani.' After a pause, he pointed his finger towards the book on the shelf- 'Dekho maine tumhari pustak samne hi rakhi hai taaki aram se padh sakoon.' His memory seemed to be as sharp as before.

I remembered his way of boosting the students- 'aao, main tumhari peeth thok doon.' He then used to pat the back of students literally. I was expecting somewhat similar this time as well. What follwed was not pat on the back literally, but nothing less than that.

I asked for his feedback on my book and stated that all my batchmates are anxious to know his reaction. The reaction was more than what I expected. (Another journalist, Hari Mohan Sharma who also reviews book said to me that the book is good enough for him to review and so he handed the book to the Vice-Chancellor of Mithila Univeristy for the same. Though this is the best compliment yet, but I hold the reaction of Jagdish Da more dear to me for whatever reason.) He uttered- 'Main maun hoon.' After a brief pause, he said- 'Now-a-days, the type of literature we are getting is utter trash. They do not have any substance is them. In fact, if one does not know how to write, one should not attempt writing.' He further said- 'Tumne bahut hi saras aur badhiya bhasha ka prayog kiya hai. Tumhari rachna wakai bahut hi achchhi hai. Main doosron ke samne jyada prashansa nahi karoonga, kyonki tum mere vidhyarthi rahe ho. Par tumhari pustak aaj ke kai sahityakaron ki rachnaon se behtar hai.'

The topic then shifted to national security and he was pained at the situation in the country. He expressed his dismay at innocent being killed throughout the country.

Later, when I sought his permission, he said-' likhte raho.' Finally, I was on my way home and he was once again glued to the IPL match.