Lakhi Ram Kalra Ji – Jagat Chacha Ji
Just stopped for a while coming back from Verka Dairy with Lakhi Ram Kalra Ji – he is not only a news vendor since 1947 but known as 'Jagat Chacha Ji' since my childhood. He must have paddled thousands of miles by distributing newspapers early in the morning even in chilled days. My ears still rings with his peculiar, sweet long voice – Akhbar-e – an indication that newspaper has been thrown under the door of the main gate. Now his sons are looking after the distribution work and he sits at the stand. He -being a old timer Urdu reader and vendor himself – is not getting the Urdu newspaper -Hind Samachar copy which I too used to get a copy sometime at the weekend to enjoy the headlines in Urdu as I can read the printed Urdu matter- a language of rich literature which I learned after attending the Language Department evening classes in 90s from R.N.Chopra Ji who is still a dedicated Urdu teacher and taking the classes in the evening.
I was offered a cup of tea while having glance over the headlines on the newspapers which don't come to my place. He was happy to see me paddling which practice the people -both young and old-have started adopting perhaps due to severe arthritis problem people are now facing and replacement of knees is a routine surgery now. No doubt, with the revival of cycling, the medical profession will be in great loss but people of the city will be more health and fit besides contributing for pollution free environment.
