10th

A journey from Titabor to Shillong and back with Varun and Tarun

Varun and Tarun came to visit us at Titabar some time in 1970 when i was posted there as the then Commandant of 3rd Assam Police Battalion. They wished to visit Shillong. I took permission from the then I.G. of Police Assam. We went there by jeep.Then we had no car. It was over 6 hour long journey. On way we had lunch at Gauwahati. By the time we reached Shillong,we were all very tired. We had early dinner and retired to sleep.... Shri Lala B.K.Dey was the I.G.of Police(Then there was no DGP. IGP was Head of Police). He invited us for breakfast. He had a sprawling Piano. He asked Barun and Tarun if they could play the piano. As my father-in-law knew him he was especially taking care of us. We spent the remaining day in sight seeing at Shillong. Next day we left for Titabar...On way we had breakfast at Barapni lakeside in the outskirts of Shillong and lunch at Gauwahati Police guest house. We left Gauwahati at about 4 pm. About 2 hours away from our home, our jeep developed combustion problem. The driver parked the vehicle on the left of AT road. He was trying to rectify the problem. He had switched on headlights as now it was quite dark. His idea was to warn the vehicles coming from the opposite direction so that they did not dash against it leaving the space on the left to drive through. All the opposite side traffic went through smoothly. Then came a State transport bus from the same direction as we had come thinking that our vehicle was on its right side(with headlights on) and tried to pass though our left and as there was no road it plunged into the sidelines with a thump. The driver of the vehicle bought it up dexterously maneuvering it . Tarun was dumbfounded. He simply said,"Jijaji nothing will happen  to you ". Varun too was shaken and was speechless for quite some time.They had reservation to go back to Allahabad by Assam mail next day. 

Quotable Quotes :"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home."Johann Wolfgang von Goethe