Page 11 - Seniors Today Jan20 Issue
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Kirpa Ram & Brothers was one of the leading business houses of Peshawar
driving from the airport I could recall almost hearing this, and I ran out. I went to the hotel
everything. My father was in Gordon College and asked the watchman there, who confirmed
and after Gordon College was the area we lived that it used to be the “sheeshon waali kothi”. This
in. There was a huge ochre-coloured bungalow left me even more upset. The watchman insisted
which I recognised at once. It belonged to Kirpa that I should see the hotel and have a cup of tea.
Ram Sawhney, whose name was written in Urdu To that I responded rudely: “you may serve the
and in English. My house had been next to it and others but I don’t want”. He insisted many times
we went up and down the road a few times but but I stuck to my stand. In the end he said: “the
I could not find my house. We went to the Kirpa land is still yours why don’t you walk on your
Ram Sawhney house to ask them. land at least”, my response was still no.
We entered and the housekeeper recognised we In the evening, the conference people asked me
were visiting from India. She said her madam if I had seen our house and I was really upset
was a doctor and she had gone to the hospital. with the incident and didn’t want to be bothered.
I asked her which hospital and she said Holy A gentleman, Mr Lutfulla, who was part of the
Family Hospital – that is where we were all born. conference, approached me by asking “I heard
The lady served us tea and dry fruits, and when that you are from Pindi?” I said “yes, I lived in
I mentioned that I used to live in the next house. the house next to Kirpa Ram & Brothers”. To my
Instantly she said “woh rangeen sheeshon waali surprise he said he had actually lived in Kirpa
kothi?” My grandfather had got stained glass Ram Sawhney’s house, and had gone abroad for
windows from Europe installed in the house. She 25 years. Although his niece, who was a doctor,
said the house had been demolished and there lived there. It turned out that his niece was the
was a big hotel in its place. I was very upset at doctor who lived in the house I had visited.
11 SENIORS TODAY | Issue #7 | January 15, 2020
