Bhai ka farz
By Justice Katju
Today, 19th August, is rakshabandhan. I received many rakhis today.
But the most treasured one was from a lady, Naseem Zohra, who regards me as her brother.
When I was a lawyer in Allahabad High Court among my close friends was Afsar Ali, advocate in the High Court. He was elder to me by a few years. He had married Naseem Zohra late in life, and had 4 small children ( 3 daughters and a son ).
Every year on Eid Afsar Ali would invite a group of 4 or 5 friends to his house in Daryabad for dinner. He was a conservative Muslim, and we never saw his wife’s face as long as he was alive, as she was in purdah. But she used to prepare delicious non vegetarian dishes for us.
I became a Judge of the High Court in 1991, and in 1992 Afsar Ali died of a heart attack. Naseem Zohra sent me a message that she wanted to meet me, and I requested her to come to my residence. There she told me that she was in a very difficult financial condition, with no source of income. Her brothers in Rampur had asked her to come there with her children, and live with them.
I told her that she should not shift to Rampur, as after some time she would not be welcome there. There is a proverb ” A fish and a guest start smelling after 3 days ”. I said that she had her home in Allahabad, and she should remain here, and I would get her a job in the Allahabad High Court, so that she may be able to have an income to feed her children. However, I told her that she must give up her purdah now, as she would have to fight it out in the outside world, from which she had been till then largely isolated.
Accordingly I spoke to the then Chief Justice of the High Court, and got her appointed on a class 3 ( clerical ) post. I told the Registrar General to post her in the High Court library, where the work was lighter, and she could go home early to look after her children. This enabled her to support her family, which she did. She also opened a nursery for neighbourhood children to supplement her income.
I also advised her to get more qualified, since in 1992 she was only Inter passed. Accordingly she did her B.A. Ll. B, M.A. and B.Lib ( Bachelor in Library Science )
All this happened about 30 years ago, but every year since then on rakshabandhan day she has been regularly sending me rakhi, and also coming personally to tie it on my hands whenever she could. She could not come personally when I was Chief Justice of Madras High Court in 2004-2005 as Chennai was too far away, but after I became a Judge of the Supreme Court in 2006 she would come every year from Allahabad to Delhi to tie a rakhi on my hand.
While tying the rakhi she always said ” Aapne bhai ka farz nibhaya ”. She also said that if I had not helped her in 1992 she would have been washing utensils in some household
Now all her 4 children are grown up and well settled. She has several grandchildren. One of her daughters lives with her husband ( who is an IT engineer with good job in an IT corporate ) and children in Noida, where I also live, and she stays with them when she comes to tie rakhi on my hand on rakshabandhan day
She was promoted as a bench secretary in the High Court, earning over Rs. 50, 000 p.m.
She has now retired as a bench secretary in the High Court, and gets Rs. 25, 000 p.m. as pension, apart from her providend fund.
This year instead of coming personally to tie rakhi she sent me this whatsapp message :
” Salaam Valekum bhai. Aap kaise hain ?
Raksha bandhan aapko bahut bahut mubarak ho.
Meri tabiyat bahut kharaab thi, isliye Noida nahi aa paayi. PGI Lucknow mein admit hun.
Bhabhi kaisi hain ? Unko mera salaam kahiyega ”
I replied ” Valekum salaam. Sorry to know u r unwell. Get well soon.
I had a prostrate operation and some other ailments., but am recovering ”
