Recreations Continues...

Father was very fond of ham pickles. He used to say that if a wild boar was shot by a Muslim, it was passed on to him whole but if it had been killed by a Rajput, the Rajput would first consume the best part of it! A Muslim chowkidar of Bakshi Sohan Lal once killed a she-buffalo belonging to one of my uncles, mistaking it for a boar. There was a great uproar over it, and eventually, though he had nothing to do with it, my father paid his elder brother Rs. 200 to buy peace!

I came to be very friendly with Sardar Abdul Rehman Khan, a scion of the Kabul ruling family, living in exile in Dharamsala. He lived in Hari Kothi with his mother and wife with a big entourage of Pathan servants. The family spoke only Persian. I could speak the language as I had studied Persian to good purpose at college. They used to send us dry fruit and other Kabul articles as presents and we would give them good rice and the fruits of our orchards. I have seldom met a more affectionate and hospitable family than that of Sardar Abdul Rehaman’s. He was of the same age as myself.




9
AT THE LAHORE HIGH COURT


THE year 1918 opened a new chapter in my career. In October, 1918. I took up my residence on the first and second floors of Bhalla Boot House. Anarkali, Lahore, In this flat, both office and residence were combined. I engaged an additional clerk, Shiv Nath, on a modest salary of Rs. 20 per mensem. He was well-up in all procedural matters connected with the legal practice at the Chief Court.

At the outset of my career at Lahore, I was very strongly supported by the Bars of the Districts of Gurdaspur and Kangra. I could pick and choose my briefs from cases that came from these district to the Chief Court. Most of the lawyers from these districts sent their briefs to me.

to be continued....