THE RAILWAY TOWN

When someone retires from their job or business and ages like fine wine, an intriguing transformation occurs in their life. The retiree often finds themselves reminiscing about their early childhood, particularly their school days, filled with joy and nostalgia. Memories that had long been tucked away begin to resurface, often revolving around seemingly trivial events that can unexpectedly lift their spirits. They may recall childhood friends, teachers, and others who were close to them during those formative years, sometimes even more clearly than those they met later in life while working. Occasionally, they might ponder the whereabouts of those individuals and whether they are still around. Thoughts of childhood games frequently come to mind, especially popular ones like football, cricket and hockey. Personally, I find myself reminiscing about a less common game I enjoyed called Tennikoit, where players toss a ring-shaped rubber device back and forth over a net. I now wonder if this game is still played anywhere in our country. ........................ I have fond memories of a quaint little town named Haflong, where I spent a few years during my childhood in the late fifties. Back then, it was a picturesque place with its gentle hills and pleasant climate, although we didn’t have electricity to brighten our homes or streets. Despite this, Haflong was significant as the headquarters of Government Railway Police (GRP), Assam at that time. We used decorative Aladdin lamps indoors and somewhat noisy Pertromax lamps outside for light. Inside our homes, we also relied on hurricane lamps, and most families kept candles on hand just in case. When heading to school in the morning, children preferred to traverse the hills and valleys, steering clear of the main road whenever possible. The thrill of climbing the little hills and racing down the slopes was pure joy. As a railway town, Haflong was home to the only English school, St. Agnes Convent, which primarily catered to the children of railway officials, along with a mix of Indian, English, Irish and Anglo-Indian boarders. In fact, the number of boarders at St. Agnes far exceeded that of day scholars. Although St. Agnes was mainly a girls' school, boys were permitted to attend up to Standard IV. Being a Christian institution, the largely Catholic students were required to take a subject called "Catechism," while others studied "Moral Ethics." There was also a weekly class period dedicated to prayers in the chapel, and it was nice that non-Christian students could join in or pray in the chapel if they chose. Another positive aspect was that boarders were responsible for sweeping and mopping the classroom floors early in the morning before classes, while day scholars dusted the desks and chairs just before the morning assembly. This approach effectively instilled the values of cleanliness and work ethics in the students. ........................ Haflong town once had a makeshift cinema hall, a quaint marketplace filled with various shops offering essential items including a lone watch sale and repair shop run by Mr. Khan, a stout man with a prominent bushy moustache. His wife, a tall and attractive English woman, taught at St. Agnes. My siblings and I were fortunate enough to receive tutoring from Mrs. Khan at our home four days a week for a couple of years. We were always impressed by her extensive knowledge, grace, and her ability to fluently speak English, French, Hindi, and Malayalam. However, we found it puzzling that such a lovely and charming woman was married to a small-time shopkeeper who often dressed poorly and had a reputation for being quite rude to his customers. It was rumoured that when someone brought in a severely damaged or much worn-out watch for repair, he would bluntly tell them to toss it into the deep waters of Haflong Lake. He was also known to be quite harsh with his shop assistant at times. Overall, we viewed Mr. Khan as a rather unpleasant individual. But much later, we realized how mistaken we had been in our judgment. One day, our school friend Francis shared with us that our tutor, Mrs. Khan, had once been married to a high-ranking Railway officer from Kerala, and they had two adorable little daughters together. Unfortunately, the officer left Haflong for good, cutting off all ties with his family to marry another woman and reportedly settling down in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). This left Mrs. Khan and her daughters in a dire situation, struggling to make ends meet and facing eviction from their Railway quarters, leaving them nearly homeless. Thankfully, Mr. Khan, who was familiar with the family, stepped in to help. He not only offered them a place to stay in his home but eventually married Mrs. Khan. The community of Haflong lauded Mr. Khan's generosity, and the couple quickly became popular and active members of the town. For us, this experience taught a valuable lesson about the dangers of making hasty judgments about others, whether it is Mr Khan or someone else. We learned the importance of looking beyond superficial appearances to understand a person's true character and being open to changing any unfounded negative perceptions we might have held.