Life in Ghaziabad-1969

Life in Ghaziabad

In Ghaziabad, I lived with my youngest maternal uncle Mr.K.K.Subramanian. My uncle was Production Manager for M/s. Unichem Labs – a pharmaceutical company situated at Mohan Nagar. Later this factory was shifted to Industrail Area on the Meerut Road.

After my uncle got married in 1970,(24th of August, to be precise) I shifted to Old Raj Nager – close to my factory, and lived with 5 other fellow staff in a rented flat.

The rent was only Rs.140.00 per month, and had two rooms besides a bathroom and open terrace above the roof. The flat was very spacious and we had no trouble in living there. In reality, we never met together due to our working hours. We prepared food at night on rotation basis and ate at our convenience- as each one was on his own schedule.

Our highest grocery bill was Rs.600.00 per month. Vegetable cost was very marginal – as we procured seasonal vegetables only- just to site an example, green peas was procured at 00.15 paisa per kilo, Potao was delivered at door step in a measure called DHADI, for Rs.10.00 per sack.

The cost of other vegetables was also in this range and so was the pricing of fruits. Raw wheat was sold at 15 paisa per kilo- imported from USA under PL480 scheme. We procured 10 kg at a time, washed and dried it and made flour at 10 paisa for grinding 10 Kg wheat. The only trouble was removing the chaff from the flour, and this was done on rotation again.

Before started living in Raj Nagar, I was living with my uncle in Gandhi Nagar. On days, when my uncle was staying back at Delhi on week ends; I invited friends – 2 max.-for snack or tea. On one occasion, I was asked to make some Urad dal Vada.

In good faith, I made urad dal paste and added some pepper seeds for taste.My friends came as scheduled. I boiled oil and started making a round sized urad dal paste, to be dipped into the oil. But, the circular paste did not hold, and slipped into the oil bath.
I managed to push in 4 or 5 vadas. But not one was round, and each one was of different in shape and size. I realized the defect – too much water in the paste. Though this product was delicious, the oil was gone in no time. We squeezed oil out of the odd shaped vada’s and only ate the cooked vada paste.
In the subsequent years, I perfected the art of making vada and made a lot, while living in Old Rajnagar.

During this period, my friends were staying in the village named Sehani. I made visits to see the life of my friends in this U.P village.
One fine morning, I went there by cycle. It was hot summer day though dry. I saw my friend washing his terline pants with VIM powder. I was shocked, that he was using VIM powder instead of a suitable detergent.

When I clarified, he told me his friends in the village had told him to do so, as VIM cleans everything. He could not do anything more except soak it in clean water and dry it.

After an hour or so, we saw this piece of clothe has become a rag without any shine at all. He nearly cried as the most expensive pants were no more.
I explained to him that, VIM is suitable for cleaning vessels / utensils which are used in cooking food. The tragedy was the person who told him to use it for washing the linen was also ignorant in this matter.

My uncle took me to the weekly market once in a while. He taught me how to count money in Hindi to deal with the vendors. The literature Hindi as it is, could not help me in the streets. He purchased a brand new Hercules Cycle for my regular movements within the city besides attending to work. The cost of this cycle at that time (1970) was Rs.260.00 only.

I used this cycle – I called it my TWO WHEELER – to the maximum advantage to me. This cycle, carried my wife, and daughter on its back and front respectively to hospitals and to neighbors places. It was stolen by my neighbor when living in Old Raj nagar. I knew the culprit but did not want to create hell for him. This fellow was also making illicit liquor and was caught red handed and was thrashed and sent to jail. I thought that he got what he deserved.

I purchased another cycle, but it never replaced my first one.

In Gandhi Nagar, the land lord retained all the news paper paid by my uncle. I started taking over from the time I started living there. Shamelessly, he asked me to leave it with him and take it after he finished reading it. But, I refused and took the paper directly from the vendor in the early hours of the day- everyday. I also fetched milk, from the neighborhood vendor who brought his buffalos twice a day.
While staying in Gandhi Nagar, I familiarized with most South Indian friends who were all some sort of Executives working for companies like Tata Oil Co, Hindustan lever, and some banks.

One day, I met one grocery shop keeper – Mr.Banarsi Lal Gupta- , who had just opened a small shop. He offered, South Indian items – like chips, pickles, coffee powder, etc; for which one has to go to Delhi in those days. He requested me to take him to all the south Indian families living there, for him to make a request to buy grocery from his shop.

I took him to all these people. They were very happy to avail his service as it saved them a trip to Delhi and the time involved. Gupta, became a house hold name and became a very well known vndor in Gandhi Nagar.

He always helped all of us in getting the scarcest item on any day. For example, he got us Kerosene during the war times around 70-72. Now his shop is the biggest one, in that area, and besides he had developed many more. Mr.Gupta is not around any more. His son Pappu is looking after the business – as I learned recently, from other friends living there.