Patriot

 Patriot

It was 22 March 1942, a bright evening,  my great granddad was just coming out of the parliament.  His driver, Araman Singh, said,“The telegraph master has sent a his messenger who ,told me that you, sir ji, have gotten a telegram from Gandhiji and passed it to me.”

Harsh said, “pass it to me, or do want to read out.”  The driver passed him the telegram, in the telegram, it said the following “Hello Mr. Darbari, as you know that tomorrow is  A BIG DAY as your wife is pregnant, and you want an foreigner out our land. Tomorrow you have to work harder and not quit the parliament.” Signed by Mahatma Gandhi. He thought after reading it few times he knew tomorrow he will quit his as tomorrow will the Quit India Movement, but if quit he would be sent to jail...

On 23 march 1942, he quit his post in the parliament and the British knew about  the telegram that was sent to all the Indians parliament Members. all the parliament’s indian members had quit and been sent to jail. His wife was pregnant, his family were begging the British to let him go. But he sent them a telegram, saying, “Do not be weak in front of the British, I will come back one day and it will be the day my son is born”. So his brother and my great grandma’s brother’s family come to take care of my great grandma when she is in the hospital.  

When he was in jail, he got many, derailed teens back on track. One of the people, whose name was Banta Singh, Banta Singh was framed for a robbery which he didn’t do. But the simple minded teen was sent to jail, and that changed his way of looking at life. He always tried to kill himself, but mid-way he always stopped thinking about his family, his siblings and most of all his mother. The day my great granddad walked into the jail, he looked at Banta and thought: HE looks so helpless, his face doesn’t look like a grim sly thief but more like a simple minded teen. That day he was put into the jail with Banta, He approached him and told Banta,’From the look of your face, I can tell you that you hate life and love death. But you are the future of the Swaraj and you can help too!”

The GLOW that was missing since the day he was framed of robbery, had come tears were coming out, the day he was waiting to be reformed to what he was. So for one month, Ram taught Banta, the what have the Indians done to get independence, since Gandhiji and way before him. He asked, “How do you know so much about the independence struggle than me and other normal people?” Harsh replied, “Well the reason is because I am a part of the struggle, trying to get Swaraj from the foreigners.”

Everyday after a month since Harsh came in the jail. He and Banta would write pamphlets and sent to his friends (who are mostly Shop owners), who will pass it around to their customers or others. But one unfortunate day, the 25th of November 1942, his son was born. He couldn't fulfill the wish of his wife to be there with her when she was in labour. That made him very grief stricken, but still he clung on his dream to make get independence from the British. His wife was really weak after the birth of my grandfather and named him Ram. So his brother and brother in law’s family stayed. Taking care of children, daily chores and feeding the children were big task which were done by the family. After 10 months, on the 25th September 1943, He first saw his new born baby, who was 10 months old.