Celebrations in Bhopal
My mother, who always observed purdah, give it up for that one day, and became Amma to all the youngsters of Bhopal.
She prayed in thankfulness, and wept for having kept a promise to her husband.
The Autobiography of Aslam Sher Khan
By Matin Khan, Allied Publishers, 1982
| Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 |
|
Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 |
Celebrations in Bhopal |
On the day of the World Cup final, as soon as the radio
commentary ended, my house was swarmed with people and filled with sweets.
My mother, who always observed purdah, give it up for that one day, and became Amma to all the youngsters of Bhopal. She prayed in thankfulness, and wept for having kept a promise to her husband. |
|||||
| Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12 | |
even as we were descending into Delhi from Madras, chief minister Prakash Chand
Sethi of Madhya Pradesh had rung me up to say, "Bhopal is proud of
you."
On the day of the World Cup final, as soon as the radio commentary ended, my house was swarmed with people and filled with sweets. My mother, who always observed purdah, give it up for that one day, and became Amma to all the youngsters of Bhopal. She prayed in thankfulness, and wept for having kept a promise to her husband.
Amma had taken a train to Delhi along with uncle Saadat, to greet me at the airport. Amma had needed a pass to get past the airport security. Even before the security official could arrange that, hockey fans had surrounded Amma, or Mataji as they called her, and escorted her into the room.
A little later, Ashok Kumar's mother also arrived. It was a historic moment for two women, whose husbands Dhyan Chand and Ahmed Sher Khan had won the Olympic gold, and whose sons were now bringing home the World Cup.
After the receptions in Delhi, we took the Grand Trunk Express to return home. Bhopal railway station was overflowing with people. I was taken around Bhopal in a procession. In the evening, there was a public reception which led to other receptions.
I was taken around Bhopal by Shafiq Pathan, a Bhopal hockey coach, who was also considered a 'Dada', which is the equivalent of an underworld boss. Shafiq Pathan would later be murdered.
Mobbed at Bhopal's railway station