MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA MAY 04 , 2012 01.55 A.M.
After Orchha visit on February 29 , 2012 , I returned to Dabra in the evening . Next day on March 01 , 2012 , it was party on the occasion of House – warming of Shri Ashok Tiwari .
As I had nothing to do any thing particular , I started roaming in the city and started thinking about my numerous Dabra visits . Dabra is a non – decrepit town in Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh . It is not a historical place of repute . It has no significance in history of even Madhya Pradesh either . Dabra is just the ancestral town of my wife . This town is situated in between Gwalior and Datia / Jhansi . My wife’s grand – father , in search of greener pastures , went there in his younger days , bought huge tracts of land there and became permanent resident of Dabra , leaving his native place Ghortap in Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh .
My wife spent most of her childhood there in the house , which her grand – father built . P
hotos of the house given below is the slightly altered version of the original house .
The facade and exterior of the house is changed . Photo , which I have posted above , shows the interiors of the old house . As I have stated in my earlier blog and if I am remembering correctly , I visited Dabra for the first time in 1977 / 78 . My wife’s grand – father was ill and I went to see him . Since then I had gone to Dabra many times .
As time passed and as family grew in numbers , every nuclear family of my in – laws started leaving old house and moved to the newly constructed mansions . Three swanky and huge mansions now stand in their farm land .
I don’t have photos of my wife’s grand – parents and her mother . But I do have few photos of some of her family members and I am posting them here .
All these photos were clicked on various occasions . As I have stated earlier Dabra is a small , dusty and sleepy town . In a way , it resembles my own native place Deoria . I am posting few photographs of Dabra town here . I am starting with the Kanya Vidyalaya , where my wife studied .
With the passage of time many things have changed in Dabra . The metamorphosis are striking . Town is now bigger . Roads are better . Swanky buildings and bungalows have sprung up in every nook and corner of Dabra .
There are changes in my wife’s family also . My wife’s grand – parents are long gone . My wife’s mother is also dead . Her eldest bhabhi too , died few years back on April 26 , 2010 . Whenever I visit Dabra and I see old Dabra house , I remember her . For me Dabra town and Dabra house came to be associated with her only . Due to huge age difference , I couldn’t talk much to my wife’s grand – parents . But her bhabhi was different . She was jovial , humane , very affectionate and was always there for us with smiling face . Whenever I used to visit Dabra , either alone or with my wife , she always stood at the main gate to welcome us . I can , even today , visualize her standing there with eyes wide open with joy and a pleasant smile on her face . After few day’s stay , when we prepared to leave Dabra for our journey back home , she always came to the Dabra railway station to say us goodbye . As our train started chugging out of the station , I can visualize and do remember her frail figure standing on the platform . I still remember her tear – filled eyes glued to our face , as if saying us to come soon and expecting us to return again . For me , she was not only my sister – in – law but in every aspect , she was my mother – in – law . With her demise , and that too at quite young age , significance of Dabra , for me , changed completely . It will never be same again for me . I associate Dabra with her existence and for me this equation is not going to change ever . I have her picture and I am posting it here .
Old house of my in – laws will soon be demolished . With its demolition several old memories will also be gone forever . Some old workers and family – helpers will also cease to exist or have already faded away . I specially remember an old maid , Mathuro . She has already faded away with time .I don’t know whether I would be again visiting Dabra or not . Whether it will be too soon or it would be many years away . Times have changed . Dabra is changed . Younger generation has taken control and they are firmly in saddle . Older generation is slowly fading away . A girl – child’s affection for her ancestral home does not ebb with time . So for my wife’s sake , I have to accompany her to Dabra , whenever there is some occasion / function . But this will happen only if I outlive her . But if I die before her , I don’t know whether my sons will take her there or not .
So now onwards , every visit of Dabra is perhaps , the last visit .
Remembering these lines of Agyeya , I ended my Dabra visit , took afternoon flight from Gwalior and reached Mumbai on March 02 , 2012 .
पार्श्व गिरि का नम्र चीड़ों में , डगर चढ़ती उमंगों सी ;
VIDUR
MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA
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