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To many it may look funny! The great Kashmiri dwarf who made every one laugh but died a tragic death!

MAJOR KULBIR SINGH. Dated: 7/20/2017 11:04:52 AM

Major Kulbir Singh
Jammu, July 19
This is a story from seventies 1972 to be precise. His name was Rajesh Razdaan. He was a schoolmate of mine in CMS Tyndale Biscoe. We were in Class ten Section A. The assortment of teachers was a splendid one.
It was a great brotherhood between all Muslims, Pandits and others from different caste and creed. It was Wednesday and in Biscoe the day was Regetta. A completion between four houses as far as boating went. The houses were after the names of four peaks in Kashmir, traditionally called as Harmukh, Mahadev, Tattakoti and Kolhai. This dwarf Rajesh was the cheer leader and was in Harmukh house. That day he made each one of us laugh. He cracked jokes and he said Harmukh would win today’s piece. He was true, Harmukh had the weakest team but the House won that week. He was from a very good family and he told at Nehru Park he would give a treat to all Harmukh boys. That day we were twenty of us. We had lovely Lavas rolls. Rajesh paid off the man selling them. We got out of Nehru Park. My Dad had send a vehicle. I had to go to Khrew where my Dad was posted. The dwarf said ‘I will come along’. Another friend Sohail said ‘I too will’, the third one Aslam said that he too will and the journey began. From Woodlands two more joined us since they had to go in the same vehicle. I try to remain calm and suddenly Reena said ‘she was hungry’. The Dwarf climbed on with a lovely couplet, ‘If you are hungry the you should have told, Now we will up the hunger, ‘I behold’. There was another girl with us ‘Tabassum’ I too am hungry’. The dwarf was up and at his best wit a couplet, which went, ‘You would have told me before hunger choked you’ but I did not know since your home as arrived and I was the man who I awaked, ‘sister you’
It was Panthachoke and the weather was cloudy. Tabassum had her grub, I never spoke at all but I did tell that in evening we will have a ball. ‘By the way not ball dancing’. We reached Khrew. A football match was on between two Gurkha regiments. Gurkhas are great at foot ball. That day my asked me to get into the field. Show off boating. A numb boy was becoming a soldier. I banged in three, The Dwarf was joking ‘I knew Harmukh would win’.
Well this is a story and I am relating it because in Kashmir we had great talent. I also know that dwarfs do not live for long. Kashmiris are no dwarfs. They are intelligent people but the problem is they can be misguided! And they have been! I have made a cut out collage of my friend Rajesh Razdaan. In short he was a lovely man. He died because the hearts some times fail and when they do there is no one who can revive it! At times even God’s fail! We all know that!