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Oh! I am a Chowkidar (watchman)
On one
occasion Group Captain Bose, driving with his wife and
father-in-law from Ambala to Gauhati in a high powered
car with low clearance was unable to move on the slushy
road near Hariharganj. The entire area was dangerously
flooded by serpentine heavy rains; the road was a lake.
The back wheels of the car sank completely into the mud,
while upfront, one wheel was stuck in a ditch! At that
late hour of 11.30p.m. no help was available, nor would
it have been of much avail since all efforts to free her
only succeeded in making her sink deeper.
The occupants were able to procure shelter in a nearby
school, and slept on bare benches at night, but her
husband was determined to reach Gauhati where he had to
preside over a Court Martial. "Duty is God. Work is
Worship," he quoted Baba.
When dawn broke, no passing car or truck would agree to
help, nor would the small crowd of amused villagers lift
a finger! Their enjoyment of the pitiable spectacle only
fanned the flames of despair. Unfortunately Mr. Bose had
a little bit of ego left in him: he decided to rely on
horse power rather than Sai power! Ropes were procured,
but the car would not move: the engine was restarted,
but she only sank further into the slush. Eventually, an
exhausted Bose flopped to the ground, saying, "The Lotus
Feet of Baba is our only refuge.." Almost immediately a
gentle looking man with a strong physique came towards
them. No one seemed to recognise him, nor could they
guess his whereabouts. Handing his umbrella to Mrs.
Bose, he became master of the situation. Bose was asked
to get into the car and take the wheel . A sweet
fragrance flooded the interior, but before the engine
could be switched on, or the gaping crowd could offer
assistance, Mrs. Bose saw the man put his right hand
under the bumper, and with one lift, he placed the car
forward upon hard ground, all wheels safe out of the
awful mire. Then all the occupants were requested to get
into the car! Puzzled, they tried to thank him to ask
who, and what he was. "Oh, I am a chowkidar."(watchman)
he said, and walked away. Disengaging itself from the
now vociferous crowd, the car moved away, and soon
caught up with the man, walking briskly down the road.
Bose begged the man to accept something but he refused.
Then he spoke one sentence. "Why did you not call for me
last night itself?". The Lotus Feet had indeed come to
them!
Courtesy of Ramchand
Chugani
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saicentreofgordon/
14 Jan 2005 |