Kala Clan

Bala dutt

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Kedar Dutt           Bhavani Dutt    Damodar Prasad

Ganga Prasad              Kalli            Murlidhar

Shambhu Prasad                            Revadhar

Narayan Dutt                                 Bhuvneshwari     

Kali Prasad

Buddhi ram

Swayambar Dutt

Satya Prasad

Vishwa Dutt

Beera Devi

Girja Devi 

                              Ganga Prasa

Hari Prasadi             Urmila               Shusheela

Mamta                    Mikki

Sangeeta                Nikki 

Mohita

Ashutosh

Shanbhu Prasad

Diwakar|Shudhakar|Anandkar|Om Prakash|Pushpa| Lakshmi|Ved Prakash

Diwakar -   Rashmi | Himanshu

Shudhakar

  

Story of Badolgaon House..

Pushpa

I remember her even though I had met her only on one occasion. It was her marriage and I was visiting hills after several lifetimes over……

I spent a couple of years in Badolgaon as a toddler of which I have no memory save a frozen image of a swollen river and me with Bhaskar strapped on a pony’s side trudging along the side of hill. The emotion that picture evokes is not of debilitating fear but discomfort of riding on a pony’s side.

My sister Meenakshi lived with her in Duggada but she was Lakshmi’s age so bonded with Lakshmi,  Pushpa was the mature one and very caring. Like I said it was her marriage so the house was full of relatives. Then there was this usual debate who was elder, her or me so that formality of touching feet is done with. From our side only me and my father had come to attend the marriage from Allahabad.

Before this visit I had no idea of the hills so it was exotic and exhilarating experience. I really cursed the Bus driver for speeding on the road from Kotdwar to Duggada whereas in fact he was just driving normal. A guy travelling on hill roads first time gets the vertigo. The day we arrived, in the evening I (about twenty years old) along with Murli Chacha, Bade Tauji and father went for a walk. It was twilight time we chose the road to Pauri for our walk, soon we were on empty road, gadan on one side and sloping hill on the other. First Murli chahcha said, "एक मिनट में आता हूँ" and went down the hill to gadan then one by one Bade Tauji and my father also left me they all went down to relieve themselves in open country. Left alone I didn’t know what to do so just fooled around breaking twigs and pulling at grass and then suddenly I had this stinging sensation of stung by a scorpion. I was terrified, flailed my arm in air to exorcise the stinging sensation and feared of dying there all alone on that empty road. Luckily Murli Chacha came up and laughed hysterically, “"अरे लाटे तूने कंडाली छुइ". It will be over in a few minutes he consoled. ….    

A House for Badolgaon

I used sketchup to design a house for my village. I am not a professional architect, so this design is just for amusement purpose. It borrows elements of Garhwal houses like short balcony without any railings. Glass is used to keep the house warm.

Have a look here 


or watch video

  

Buddhi Ram Kala (2-5-1919 – 13-7-2014)

Movies often have this sequence in which a window snaps open with some violence, releasing a bunch of impatient pigeon flying away to freedom. Scene metaphorically represents release of soul from a reluctant body. It works well with people who have lived a fulfilled life but at the fag end of it stymied by a failing body.

Buddhi Ram Kala mostly lived a fulfilled life, having lots of successful children and a doting wife and in the end he even presided over as the last patriarch of a dissipating clan, disintegrating not because of internal centrifugal force but pulls of a rapidly changing society transforming from joint family to nuclear families. Endowed with booming voice and mercurial temper, he submitted meekly only to his eldest brother Ganga Prasad Kala none else. Some outstanding characteristics were doggedness about a mission and unflinching conviction in the power of Devi Durga for deliverance. Going through several phases in his life; a soldier in war, an administrator and eventually adviser to a trader, he commanded respect everywhere.

Immaculate in dressing, adherence to cleanliness and punctuality were hallmark of his persona. Mostly honest in his dealings while rough on crooks, he lived life with a sense of detachment. Lost hearing later in life but none of his force of personality. He drifted into loneliness in the end. When end came it must have been a relief as the body had completely broken down

Rest in peace.

Some Old Pictures for Posterity.

                      S D Kale and Sarla Kale

Swayamber Dutt Kala

Late in life S D Kala acquired a dose snobbery and irritability but that can be easily dismissed as a reaction to apathy of close ones in not properly acknowledging his contribution to the clan. For the outsiders it may seem like mild intrusion but think of constant stream of people making their stop at 14/876 Lodhi Colony. A brief sojourn for them but for S D Kala it was a ceaseless stream when one departs another individual intrudes his private space. His one monumental contribution was taking care of his mentally challenged younger brother through the life although his other brother would dismiss as nothing but some kind of quid pro quo arrangement. The question is would they have switched places him? One can’t ignore equal contribution coming from his spouse Sarla Devi. Both were responsible for helping folks when they needed help and that is something.

Swayamber Dutt wasn’t a saint but in my book pretty close to one.  

                     Premlata                 Rekha             Kamlesh           Sarita

                        Well Will someone Provide the names?