Meerut posting in Tube well Division and marriage in 1969 onwards

One day as I was sitting in my office as this was my life after marriage one of my contractor came and offered commission and I had learnt that to accept the bribe was a crime I immediately refused the commission and it was advised by my wife that if I would accept commission in that case our children would not be brought up as a good citizen and the money which was earned by means of illegal means would always bring bad luck .I agreed to my wife 's suggestion and never dared to repeat that folly.Second incident took place was a very much shocking and as I remember that incidence I still start shivering .Once my E E Sh B P Hajeley informed me that Tube well Director was due to visit certain Tube wells in Sardhana tehsil and I was ordered to put all the tube wells in order.I started from Meerut along with my JES and ziledar and some mistries .We were heading to Sardhana and as bad luck would have it the tyre of the jeep got punctured on the way .the jeep took much time and we reached the Tube wells on the main canal very late it was about 2 am .I stepped down and went inside the sump of the tube well to inspect the horizontal tube well .A loud voice of my peon came from the top that I should come up .No sooner I came up I saw a huge gathering of villagers who were carrying all sorts of weapons, lathies .spears ,daggers .On seeing all this I was shocked and I was told by the villagers that we the tube well staff were robbers and came to steal the motor of the tube well and they would not spare us.I pleaded that that I was the SDO of tube well sub division Meerut . But now body was ready to listen .I told them that we had got no arms and we just wanted to repair the tube well.some of the villagers in the crowd were believing but the others started saying that the persons who looked innocent by appearance were sometimes were dangerous.I started shouting at JES and ziledar and other staff that they did inspect the tube wells and ziledar whose duty was to do partal of the fields where the water reached the Fields .Ziledar was saying to me that please save him as he had so many children's to support.To this I replied to him that I was just married and what would happen if the villagers harmed us.In the mean while I inquired from the villagers where was the Tube well operator or Tube well munshi.To this the villagers told us that we were being taken to the village and the Panchayat would decide our fate.and also they had called the tube well munshi.So our jeep along with hundred s of villagers were being taken to village as the hostages.Thank God The tubewell munshi appeared on the site and he was carrying a lantern ( a kersene Lamp)and he just recognised me as his pay was used to be dispersed by me.He just rebuked the villagers in his own language and all the villagers just bowed their heads like sheeps and spared us.I then requested the tube well munshi to accompany us up to Meerut and that he would be sent back by jeep in the morning.Next day I reported the whole story to my E E .It so happened that the programme of Director Tube well was cancelled and E E again requested me but this time I told him to accompany .In future we stopped to inspect tube wells in the night due to security reasons.We only did inspections in the day time. The same day I was told that one of the labour who was repairing the car shed fell down and got hurt and my wife had to help him and arranged medical aid for him.
In another incidence once we were staying at Sardhana inspection house and for got to bring Tawa for for preparing roties (chapatis) a difficult situation had been faced and my wife had to prepare the roties by rolling them on the thali instead of tawa.After taking dinner we were strolling on the service road and some times sitting on the bank of the canal with our feet in the water.But all of a sudden a jeep halted near us I found that SDO hydel came to us advised us not stroll in night on the canal road as it was some times dangerous.So we had to return in the inspection house and slept a sound sleep.In the irrigation department we used to maintain a separate iron box where all types of kitchen item used to be there so that we could cook our own food when on inspection.this was necessary that we could not find any restaurant or hotel in jungles .I remember that there was a neighbour whose name was Sh RB Thaplyal SDO and he was a tall fellow and he was very punctual in his duties.Whenever I was slack my wife used to give example of him and said that I was slow and that Sh Thaplyal was very much active in his duties. After my transfer one day I got the news that Sh. Thaplyal met with an accident and expired .I was sad and shocked and I pray to God that his family might had got the courage to bear that irreparable loss.I pay my sharandajli to the departed noble soul.
A sad incidence also took place that my hernia slipped and I was paining since 4 0 clock in the morning but could not get relief .So I went to the E E and begged that a medical leave be sanctioned so that I could get myself operated upon for hernia.But alas the then E E refused me any leave and that I took my car and rushed to Delhi via Daha inspection house and Baghpat to Delhi. On the way I just a few moments at Daha inspection house.Strange was the grudge of the then E E that he followed me and returned back after noticing that I had gone for operation.I was operated upon for Hernia the same day and I sent a telegram me to the effect that I was operated upon and that I required 15days leave for complete recovery etc.I was ordered to hand over which I did at once and later on I was transferred to Lucknow In this way I was harassed for no fault of mine as I think .But as we see from the eye of boss it might be a right decision .? I pay my respects to late Sh Jia Lal Jain who is no more in this world.