A slice of history in a box : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

A slice of history in a box

Last week I was working on something that required historical referencing.

A slice of history in a box


Raaja Bhasin

Last week I was working on something that required historical referencing. My tiny workspace is crammed with books and papers, many passed on by family and friends, and friends of family as well as family of friends. This extended chain of well-wishers included the late Felix ‘Buster’ Manley. The Manleys were friends of my parents and Mr Manley was the son-in-law of C Ram Chandra, an ICS officer. An Englishman married to an Indian, Buster Manley had served in the British Indian police, and after Independence, had chosen to stay on in India. One of his trying postings was as SP in both Lahore and Shimla during the height of the riots in 1947. 

At some point, he left the police and joined the Lawrence School, Sanawar, as its bursar, where he served for several years. Subsequently, he settled in Shimla along with his wife at her parents’ residence. The double-storey bungalow was along the old ‘lovers’ lane’, the Forest Hill Road of Shimla that leads from the Ridge in the direction of St Bede’s College. Expectedly, the house was named ‘Forest Hill’. 

In the late 1980s, the venerable Ram Chandra passed away and the Manleys decided to move to Britain. In those years, I had a little more time on my hands and both limb and muscle were more acquiescent to orders. Mr Manley asked my father if I could give a hand in winding up the house. Over the next few weekends, I assisted in sorting furniture, pictures and even crockery and cutlery. While it must have been emotionally demanding for the family, it was a clinical process for me — keep, throw or sell.

Then came the turn of some huge wooden chests of books that had not been opened since the time they arrived from Lahore after the Partition. Once the boxes revealed their contents, I could not break away from them. Packed with scatterings of raw tobacco to keep the silver fish and other enemies of the paper away, there was the fairly standard collection of classics and novels that one would find in several collections of the 20th century. There was a fairly valuable early edition of the complete set of works of Charles Dickens and some other leather-bound volumes with gilt trimmings. 

For me, the real treasure was the somewhat arcane booklets of government responses to various events across the country and transcripts of assorted speeches. There were books like the printed text of the Disorders Inquiry Committee, better known as the Hunter Commission, established after the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919. Lining the chests were newspaper sheets of 1947, and one had a rather forceful argument of why Delhi should be the capital of Pakistan.     

Years have passed. The old bungalow is now the premises of Radha Soami Satsang. One wonders how many people that pass that way know that the crossroad outside the house was named after Ram Chandra. Some of those booklets are a treasured part of my library, and in a box, I still have those newspaper sheets of 1947.

Top News

India summons Canadian diplomat over raising of pro-Khalistan slogans at event attended by PM Justin Trudeau

India summons Canadian deputy envoy over pro-Khalistan slogans at event attended by PM Justin Trudeau

Ministry of External Affairs describes the raising of slogan...

Uttarakhand suspends licences of 14 products made by Ramdev's pharmaceutical companies

Uttarakhand suspends licences of 14 products made by Ramdev's pharmaceutical companies

The list of 14 products whose licences were suspended includ...

Supreme Court recalls order for termination of 30-week pregnancy of 14-year-old rape survivor

Supreme Court recalls order for termination of 30-week pregnancy of 14-year-old rape survivor

Bench led by CJI Chandrachud withdraws its April 22 order af...

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy summoned by Delhi Police to join probe in Amit Shah’s doctored video case

Amit Shah's 'doctored' video: Delhi Police summon Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, one arrested in Assam

Revanth Reddy says he will not be afraid about notice over p...

Supreme Court stays CBI probe into West Bengal government officials' role in teacher recruitment scam

Supreme Court stays CBI probe into West Bengal Government officials' role in teacher recruitment scam

Top court, however, refuses to stay High Court order cancell...


Cities

View All