There was a person from Bihar, named 'Bhola', who used to work for my grandfather. He worked for more than forty years as a servile to my grandfather. During this time, he visited his own home in Bihar only eight times. The maximum number of days he was allowed to spend in Bihar were fifteen, which he availed only once, for his daughter's marriage. Most of the times he was called back from his home before the end of his approved vacation time. I once asked my grandfather that why Bhola is not allowed to spend time with his family at his home. My grandfather answered, 'Naukro ko naukro ki tarah rakhna chahiye. Agar hum ise jayada cchoot de denge to yeh bhag jayega.' [Servants should be treated like servants. If we'll loosen him he'll run away]. I felt like my grandfather was not talking about a person, instead he was talking about some domestic animal, which always should be kept in chains.
Bhola was never respected. He was always at the recieving end of scolding. I have always seen him busy in some kind of hard work. He was always presented with some work even if that work was useless. He used to redo things too many times just because there was a change in my grandfather's mood.
I never saw Bhola angry. He was always polite, always looking at his feet while talking to anybody (even to me although I was very much younger than him).
My grandfather is no more now and Bhola is a rich man who lives in Bihar with his family couting his last days. I just wish that this kind of work culture should have gone along with my grandfather.
The caricature which I am posting this time is that of 'Lal-tain baba'. He was a special character in the play which we played once in our college. It was an instant hit. I still feel proud that I was a major part of that play. Lal-tain baba, played by Sushant Kaul was an interlude, but I still remember that people were laughing most when he was on stage. The great entertainer. God bless him!
