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The rest of the Christian families were quietly watching and meeting these visitors. When Bhapaji took leave from everyone and met brother Nihal Masih, he was surprised to hear his reply. He was saying that he would also go with him but Bhapaji explained to him and Wadve that Nihal Masih the situation is very dangerous, we will also have to face many dangers. We do not even know where to go and whether we will reach or not. We keep hearing very bad news every day. Why are you risking your life? You can be killed as a Hindu and you can be killed as a Muslim….
Bhapa ji gave him every reason not to go with him and advised him to stay there, but Bhapa ji also advised the people of the village not to go with him, but Nihal Masih had tears in his eyes and he had only one way to answer, 'How can this happen, we cannot give any gift to the number one, thousands of times he has helped us, thousands of times he has saved us, today when you are in trouble, I should leave you, if we die while walking with you, we will consider it a robbery, I will not let you go alone.' He sat in the front of the cart with the animal and Bhapa ji and Wadhwa sat behind the cart.
On the way, when 8-10 people from the village joined the rest of the caravan, Bhapa ji separated them and tried to persuade them to go back. He kept telling them again and again that in this condition even relatives do not recognize each other, why are you putting yourself in trouble, go peacefully and stay with your brothers, but Nihal Masih was always present.
On the way, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims were meeting each other by hugging each other. No one was able to understand the atmosphere. There were tears in their eyes, but everyone was hopeful that soon everything would be fine and they would come back and those who had left would return to their homes. At least each of them had this hope that they would easily meet each other while leaving, look back at the roofs of their houses and then move on. In this hope, Bhai Ji stayed here in our new house for three-four months and during this time he could have easily gone back, but then he started coming and going on permit. But even this was not difficult and then Bhai Ji started saying to Bhai Nihal Masih, “Bhai Ji there also you will have to work with your hands and here also, if your heart allows you can stay here… And Bhai Ji built him a house by giving him one kanal of land, debris and money from the houses allotted to him and he started living there permanently. Wadhwa got married, Bhai ji had grandchildren, but then he started missing his home and brothers. He would try to get a passport made, sometimes the date of birth would be wrong, sometimes a mistake would be made and then he would stop. In those days passports were also made from Delhi, then he would forget, but after four months someone would say, I saw my father in a dream, he would say that the graves of 96 are waiting for you, why not with your brothers?” Go, go and rest in the graves with your brothers. Then after a few days he would forget, then he would forget everything, after a while the desire to meet would arise again, he would start making a passport, but would give up trying half-heartedly, and eventually he would leave. In this way he gave up the desire to meet the family, yes if there was any, it was only in his heart, he had never told anyone about such a desire nor had anyone asked him about it.
In December 1971, Bhaiya suffered a brain hemorrhage, his bed lay outside in the sun in the courtyard. That day I did not do any other work. The doctor came but gave an answer and left. Bhaiya Ji kept staring at everyone but could not speak. He did not even try to speak. When Nihal Masih came to know, he left all the work and started pinching Bhaiya Ji's feet. Bhaiya Ji was also staring at him. I saw tears in Bhaiya Ji's eyes. I saw tears in Bhaiya Ji's eyes for the first time in my life. He never accepted defeat in life, he came out smiling even from big problems. 10 plots of land to build, a house with 100 majis in the verandah, mansions, horses, servants and at a time when tractors had not started, 11 ploughs, farming. Blessed Masih was strangling him. At night he took the bed inside. Around 10 o'clock Bhai Nihal Masih came again, he had a Bible in his hand, which was wrapped in a very beautiful cloth. He would frequently put the Bible on his head and say something in his mouth, perhaps he was praying. I knew that Bhai Ji could not read, but he would sit with his legs down and eyes closed and sometimes say something in his mouth. Bhapa Ji tried hard to make him sit on the bed or on a chair but he did not agree. Bhaiyya died at night. Nihal Masih did not eat anything even on the second day of his funeral.
Till then he was sitting near his brother's bed.
By 1995, when Nihal Masih died, he was almost 100 years old. He always remembered Bhaiya Ji. Now he had stopped trying to meet his brothers and nephews. If someone asked him, he would say that he did not know if any of them were alive or not, whether they would meet him now, no letter had come for many years. If they are alive then be happy, now I cannot even recognize them.
Recently, when I had a programme to visit Pakistan, I went to meet Uchecha Bhapaji in his village so that I could get the names and addresses of the people of my previous village and meet them.
I highly recommend details. Write the names of his uncles and their sons in his diary. Wadhwa also urged me to visit his uncles and their sons and inquire about their well-being.
In my previous village Chak No. 96, when I told the names of other people at the village square and then asked about Nihal Masih's brothers and nephews, I came to know that Nihal Masih's brothers are no longer in this world, but he has nephews and a nephew. The man went to pick them up. Among them Aziz Masih, who was about 70 years old, first asked about his uncle and about Wadhwa Masih as soon as he came. It was constantly being said that we have been hearing about you and Tae from our father and uncles. Abba ji used to say, the family with whom he has gone will keep him like flowers.
When I told him about his uncle's death, he himself said that when he left from here, he was more than 60 years old, but he was a very courageous person. His courage and bravery was talked about in the entire village. Due to this courage and bravery, he was able to build his own house.
He left and went here. The whole village used to remember Tae and discuss why he went there, he did not meet his family all his life. There are 70-80 people of his family here
He is alive, the decision to come here was his own and he protected that decision throughout his life.
I came to his house with Aziz. The women and children of his house were surprised to see me. But when Aziz told them that they had come from Tai village, the whole family gathered around me. This house was also a simple mud-brick house like the Wadhave's house. They wanted to ask me a lot of things. Everyone was very eagerly asking first about brother Nihal Masih and then about Wadhave, about his children, the women also asked a lot. When I told that even though he is separated from you, now his family has grown to 70-80 members, even his relatives are married.
They had many questions and I was the one to answer them, they wanted to ask about 60 years old things. I thought that few of them were educated and most were dependent on physical labour. Then Aziz came from inside with two plates and two glasses and showed the name of Bhai Nihal Masih written on those utensils in Urdu. I was surprised that they have kept these vessels for the last 60 years. They were telling that Taya has left everything here, house, bed, cot, utensils everything, her brothers were waiting for Taya to come for a long time. Everyday they used to say, Tai's dream has come. They used to talk about Taya. But what kind of division was this. Coming and going in life, never meeting again is so difficult. I told Aziz to give me these utensils and I will show them to Wadwe.
His wife brought a beautiful basket made of flowers from inside and she kept the utensils in it. Now Aziz was silent, if I asked Aziz anything, it seemed as if his attention was somewhere else. People from the neighboring houses had also come to their courtyard. Some people were sitting on the benches. Aziz's wife was telling them, Sardarji has come from Tai's village… and finally Farooq warned me that the bus for Multan was leaving at one o'clock and it would not be possible to go to Multan after that. I was forced to reach Multan that day itself because I had to meet other members of the delegation. I was seeing that Aziz was completely silent.
Finally I took leave and walked towards the door with the bag in my hand. Aziz was holding my hand, I came near the door and hugged him again, but I saw that he started shedding tears from his eyes and pressed my hand and said to me, “Sardar ji, give me this pot, it is a symbol of Tae, seeing them we remember Tae.” And then he could not say anything and I also did not say anything. •