Secretary Sahib – Late Udai Singh Rawat of Dehra Dun
There may still be some citizens whose attachment with Doon date back to the 1950s, or even earlier. I was five years when we moved into Jayal Flats as tenants in 1952 till we settled permanently at Race Course in 1955. Even at that young age, some personalities created an indelible image in my impressionable mind. One was an Anglo-Indian police officer. He was tall & wiry, dressed in immaculate Khaki bush-shirt, shorts, stockings, garter flashes & boots. His impressive look was topped with a Solar Toupee. He looked straight ahead while riding a cycle & in retrospect, it seemed as though he was a Jailor or was stationed at the Kutchery. Under his arm, even while he cycled, he carried a short cane. The other was an aged lady who moved in with her family of at least two daughters & three sons from the newly formed Pakistan. She was a Sikh widow who efficiently tended her buffalo & grown up children. Her eldest son went to JSW, eldest daughter became a Doctor, Jangi went on to own Doon Fancy Store in Paltan Bazaar, while one son owns “Impressions” on Subhash Road. All this was under the care of their mother who walked daily to deliver lunch to her children in tiffins neatly wrapped in white cloth. The grand old lady had a glowing rosy complexion that went well with her white salwar kameez.
There was yet another personality whose challenges in life, dress & glowing complexion complemented that of the two personalities mentioned earlier. He was Secretary Sahib – so he was called by all, young & old. Though we ought to have referred to him Mamaji or Tauji, since Uncleji had not yet come into fashion then, we all referred to Shri Udai Singh Rawat as Secretary Sahib. Precisely why he was called thus, & what was he Secretary of, one did not know. But, the way he was seen & respected all over Doon, one surmised that he was indeed a very important functionary of Dehra Doon. It was quite evident that he had acquired exceptionally superior genes & values from his parents. Only, perhaps Thakur Kishan Singh, who was an Advocate & an MP, who claimed his lineage to the royal family of Tehri, could match the health & eternal youth that Secretary Sahib possessed. I saw the former, i.e. Thakur Kishan Singh in his twilight years. His youth had taken leave of him. However, Secretary Sahib, till his last day had an impeccable complexion & aura that many in the present times, in the business of modeling for facial lotions & creams would envy. With the changing weather of Doon in which its residents also bloom & wilt, Secretary Sahib was evergreen fresh in his looks.
Like the Anglo Indian police officer, Secretary Sahib to wore a Solar Toupee during the summers. He sported a thick mop of white hair. His appearance was always neat no matter what time of the day it was. As I grew up, & for a short while roamed all over Doon with nothing to do, like all young boys do, I was often surprised to see him at the most unexpected places. I always feared that he didn’t carry a good impression of me on this account because, as expected, I rarely found any convincing reason to be where I was. Nevertheless he spoke to me with great affection whenever we met. Secretary Sahib was business-like in his dealings. He had little time for idle gossip or for carousing over a cup of tea. He always came with a mission &, after having conveyed what he had to, left for the next task in hand. He was an indispensable person on all important occasions. Everyone seemed to know him & expressed high regard for him. I never saw him imbibing spirits. That’s strange indeed. I wonder if he ever did. If he did, like his other hilly compatriots, his children would not have been what they are today. Not only did he have to perform the role of a bread earner, as a father, but he had to also perform the role of a mother too – a daunting role indeed with eight energetic & growing children. Yet, all were well fed though some appeared a bit too overfed! All studied in St. Thomas’ High School & went on to earn fame & manifest the values of their industrious father. Once in while he was seen in his antique jalopy that was a petrol-guzzler, emerging out the Chukkhu Mohalla Road into Rajpur Road. Cars were rare on Doon roads those days. The only other cars seen were carrying red name plates of the states of Jind, Nalagarh, Nahan, Patiala, Sirmoor etc. Secretary Sahib’s jalopy was a vintage compared to other cars. With its top cruising speed, the tonga wallas were quite delighted & comfortable with Secretary Sahib’s car. The only problem for the pedestrians was the horn that was not very different from the hand blown horn of the tongas! On one occasion his eldest son tried to race this car to its limit of maneuverability & in the process keeled over upside down. He, the son, being a physically strong lad, pushed it upright, started the ignition & drove off! I wonder if he ever confessed this commission. Anyway, kudos to the car that neither suffered any visible damage, nor inflicted any on the driver. What was the secret of his good health? I knew little about his early morning, late evening routine or even his dietary habits. What I did notice was his fondness for construction work. During the peak of Doon summer season, I who once again had no valid reason to be loitering in Curzon Road, Dalanwala, saw Secretary Sahib standing on the berm of the narrow road, umbrella in hand. He was supervising the construction of a culvert & wouldn’t trust anyone else to do what seems to be a rudimentary job! This was a small example of what he did & enjoyed. I also know that he would hear no nonsense from his elder son, who was himself holding a fairly exalted military rank, & undertook the construction of his son’s house in the manner Secretary Sahib deemed fit. Likewise, I am told, he supervised the construction of almost all his children’ houses. Apparently, he thoroughly enjoyed this vocation as a hobby, or was this a motivating force to keep fit & going on & on till all his fledglings were safely ensconced in nests of their own? Perhaps the latter is true.
With Secretary Sahib’s passing away, yet another prominent & revered citizen of Doon & a devoted father entered the haloed portals of Doon’s beloved personalities of yesteryears.