1) The author recalls an incident from his school days in 1977 where he hit a cricket ball that injured his friend Akshay's mouth, knocking out some of his teeth. 2) Akshay's brother was associated with a local criminal named "Pushi-Ustad" and the author was afraid of retaliation. It took him five days to build up the courage to visit Akshay. 3) A week later at cricket, "Pushi-Ustad" attacked the author at the field but he escaped unharmed. The author then confronted "Pushi-Ustad" directly, who dismissed them but did not pursue the matter further. 4) Forty years later, the

1. Ravi Speaks:
Around 44 years back when I was in matriculation standard- this episode on the playground
happened. Sometimes certain things get engraved so deep into your psyche that much as
you would like to forget them-you still remember them with some sort of hidden guilt in you
even after ages have passed by. This story is very simple but leaves that intensity in you.
“The School Time’s Unforgettable
Incidence”.
June 22, 2020-NOW UPDATED AGAIN ON 08.07.2022.
My thought goes back to the year 1977, when I had to appear in my Matriculation
Examination on Boards. We, the students of the Tenth class, had made a team of around
fifteen boys who were interested in playing cricket. We used to meet daily in the evening at
around 5.00 PM at the city’s Parade Ground-which was very famous in those days for
games like cricket and football and was in the city's heart area.

2. Parade Ground-Jammu.
We used to contribute especially for the purchase of all the playing materials like the bat,
ball, wickets, etc. Every day we used to play for at least two hours and then after winding up
we used to go to the nearby Tea Stall and drink water and occasionally take tea as well.

3. Jagriti Niketan School-Kachi Chhavni-Jammu.
I would not forget that evening when I was batting, and I hit the ball very high in the sky. My
friend Akshay was fielding at the third man and tried to catch this ball. He was facing the
west where the sun was going down and while catching, the direct sun rays were disturbing
him so much that the ball hit his mouth and he started bleeding profusely. Although we did
not realize it later, we came to know that he was immediately removed to the SMHS hospital
and three of his teeth were also removed since they had already been uprooted within his
mouth. He had stitches also on the mouth. Everyone told him as well as me that during the
playing since it had happened and there was no intention of hitting anybody, so let the matter
be nipped in the bud there and then. I was terrified and had a feeling of guilt in me since this
all had happened because of my shot while playing.

4. Parade Ground Jammu-Cricket Ground.
Akshay was very affectionate but, his elder brother was having a friendship with the
notorious person named “Pushi-Ustad” of Purani-Mandi Jammu. He kept the small knife
always with him and had already quite a few stabbings to his credit. He had many times
gone to Police custody as well. My other friends, who were also playing with me were trying
to scare me even more by giving his brother’s reference. That evening when this all
happened, I came back to my home very tense and my mother asked me the reason for my
being very serious. I told her the entire story, and she too got disturbed. The next day I was
so scared that I did not go to school thinking that these guys might come there and attack
me. Actually, the damage to the face was so much there that he was advised to have forced
bed rest and his face was fully bandaged except for the eyes.

5. Parade Ground Jammu-Cricket Ground.
Much as I wanted to go to his home since he was staying hardly around a kilometer away
from my place, I could not go immediately. My mother was too stressed about my going to
his home, but because of the very scary idea of his brother’s attack, it would always keep me
away from taking such a step. I knew that once I went there and met him in person-things
would ease off to a greater extent and if he had any ill feelings against me, that too would
get wiped off. Still, it took around five days for me to finally decide and gather courage. I
went to his home with my friend Pawan and I still remember that he was lying on the bed
with his face fully covered with the bandage and he could not be recognized easily. His
mother was sitting beside him. The moment I entered, he did not look directly at me but he
started signaling with his hand to my friend Pawan to sit on the nearby chair. It was his
mother who told me to sit down on the next chair around the bed. She brought water for us
and we drank the whole stuff, not realizing that we apologized for the whole thing which had
happened. I finally gathered courage and told his mother that I was the person because of
whom this whole unfortunate thing occurred. She for a minute thought something and told
me that he has been in terrible shape for the last five-six days and the doctor says that he
may have to come regularly to the hospital for a long treatment. I apologized for all this and
she said nothing. Sanjay was not looking at me at all. He could not talk, since his entire face
was wrapped up. We remained there for almost fifteen minutes and finally came out. I could
not even say a word to him, realizing that he was very much angry and my speaking would
have acted as fuel to the fire.

6. The ball hit on a Face-Injured player on the field.
It exactly after a week we resumed our cricket again without Akshay, who was still in bed.
Towards the close of the game when I was doing the wicket-keeping, suddenly Sunil started
shouting- "runaway" "runaway"- pointing towards me. My back was that time towards the
entrance of the stadium. I did not understand what exactly he wanted to convey. I saw all the
boys on the ground, whether batting or fielding or bowling, start running towards the western
side of the stadium. I also ran with them. While running, I realized a wicket was thrown
toward me and it hit me on the left foot's bottom side. But I continued running with the rest of
the boys and came out of the stadium without realizing that my left foot had got injured
during the process. The injury was not that much but a simple bruise because of the edge of
the wicket hitting me.
Somehow I reached my home with the help of my friends who came with me and dropped
me at my place. They did not leave me alone, thinking that I might again be attacked. Later I
came to know that it was that “Pushi-Ustaad”-who had come with his men to attack me in
particular. As luck would have it-I got back to my home safely, but the lingering question in
my mind was that this man would again come and attack since he could not do it effectively
this time. I had another couple of friends who realized that it would be very difficult for them
also to continue playing since these notorious people would come again to the Parade
ground. So, they came along with me to this “Pushi-Ustaad” which was a shop in
Purani-Mandi Jammu. They assured me that nothing would happen and we must go and tell
him the exact story that nobody was responsible and it was during the play that all this had
happened. I also realized that we must settle this once and for all otherwise it would cause
an unending agony in our minds.
Finally, we were three people and went to his shop where he was present there and we
introduced ourselves to him. He showed as if he was not knowing us. I immediately
apologized again and my friend told him the whole story. He said nothing but told us to go
back. We went back half-heartedly thinking that this move did not go well.

7. I went on with the normal routine to school and even to the parade ground for playing
afterward. One thing which had given me confidence was that I had met him
[“Pushi-Ustaad”] face to face and had a feeling that he would not come again.
The same thing occurred and nothing untoward happened later. After around a month,
Akshay joined the school, and it was very painful to see his face slightly cut with stitches and
his inner teeth missing. He still could not talk fluently and while talking, his mouth used to
throw away saliva water drops. People around said that he would not have his original face
back and after matriculation, I did not see him again till, after almost forty years, I met him at
his shop in Jain Bazar Jammu very recently.
Friends meeting after decades.
This time, after forty years, when he saw me, he hugged me and we started talking lovingly
with each other. His face was looking fully fine and his mustaches were covering his mouth
so beautifully that it was adding more grace to his looks. I asked him how things went
through these four decades and he gave me the details where he had even become a
grandfather and was running the Gold-smith shop which was being run by his father earlier
and later; he took over after the demise of his father. He was very well settled and was
curious to know about me and my developments.
I reminded him of that school time incident, but he simply laughed it off and smilingly offered
me a cup of tea at his shop. One thing he said was that he was wearing a denture since that
time-which came as a big surprise to me since he did not look that way at all. He took my
number and address and told me to be in touch. “Time”, they say is a great healer but here
the “time” has also been a great facilitator-where, two school-time friends who had gone
apart in envy, met again reunited as friends, may it be because of decades of maturity filling
the gap.