A picture of Shri Prem Narayan Awasthi from Family Album
On 08 Aug 13, received a sad news that Chhote Guru was no more... The news of demise of "Guru Chachcha" as many of us used to fondly call him, seemed to take away something very close to my memories..
I have always seen Sri Prem Narayan Awasthi (Chhotte Guru) associated with our family, from my childhood till now when I am about 40, and to me, memories of Kanchausi always appeared incomplete without at least a reference to Chhote Guru. My childhood is filled with memories where I played with and learnt many lessons of life from him.
If I recall correctly the stories told by grandfather, Guru Chachcha joined our family at a very young age, may be he was just 15 years or so when great grandfather used to run a business from Kanchausi. Chhote Guru used to help in all sort of odd jobs and that made him so valuable for our family. On the other hand, his father found it a useful association as it would keep him away from other destructive activities and gave him an opportunity to learn and earn. It was a marriage of convenience of sorts.
However, Guru Chachcha made himself increasingly valuable for our family by taking over greater responsibilities from driving a bullock-cart to fetching drinking water, from visiting the Paddy fields to checking the incoming mail at local post office, from keeping track of the train time to helping guests board the train and so on. I do not recollect a day when we could do without his assistance irrespective of the fact wheather it was a business transaction or the domestic work. Grandfather and the ladies of the house found him equally helpful in discharge of their chores and he obliged most of the times. The tasks assigned to him, of course, were befitting his status of a neighbour and a Brahmin by caste.To my mind, he has been a symbol of loyalty and service to our family, so rare to find even for a fortune these days. He was indeed, the most trusted lieutenant of grandfather.
My personal association with him, mostly as a child, was of a person who was always available to talk to and also a person who would praise me for my small stupidities. I could catch him any time and share my childhood imaginations. I found him coming to my help at every stage when I would need someone to extend a helping hand to me - from helping me to learn riding a bicycle or taking us to Mela at Jamauli or bringing us back from school, my memories are full of his images. Even when grandfather took me to Agra for sightseeing (my first visit for sightseeing), Gugu Chachcha was with us sharing the pleasures and the difficulties of the trip.
I do not recollect any family celebration, be it a Marriage or Winter Camp or House Warming, complete without him. He was always there somewhere in background extending his help to the event. I am sure most of us, except fourth generation children, would remember his presence in our marriages (Pandit Balram and Chhote Guru - two inseparable people in all celebrations).
With so much of involvement in our lives, he had become more like a family member than an outsider who was associated just for some remuneration. While all of us treated him with respect and like a member of the family, on his part, Guru Chachcha, very gracefully handled the delicate points in the relationship with us.
Though the association of his wife with our family was restricted to social occasions, his three children (Ramu, Guddi and Anju) played with us and we grew up together.
As he was not keeping well lately, a day before I received the news, I was actually thinking of asking Papa as to how was Chhotey Guru and was thinking of meeting him when I visited Kanchausi next. But meeting him one last time was not my destiny.
I would always remember him as person who was very closely associated with our family almost as one of us and especially for his time and energy that he devoted to me in my childhood days. He would be in my prayers to God for granting him eternal peace....
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