The Wrist Watch!!
After a week there was another post card. This brought more news. She had joined for the course and classes had started. The need of the third hand was to check the pulse of patients which was to be taught at a later stage when the curriculum came to that point. As such for the time being the two hands will do! All of us had a sigh of relief. Then only we understood the importance of the addition of a third hand to the existing two hands! Father and the elder brothers arranged some money and wrote to sister that she does not have to worry. When she came next time she can have the new watch. And at last the watch with the third hand was in sight. It was a Bifora watch which Sister brought when she came home. She said she could buy the watch with her monthly stipend plus a small help (it was really a huge help) by her immediate class mate, another girl, like my sister. It was one of the great watches of the time. All of us liked its golden case and wonderful white dial with radium on the digits which shown at night! The hands including the second hand (which is the third hand I was mentioning) had radium on them and they also shown in darkness. Sister was jubilant. We all felt jubilant at the happy and successful ending of that adventure cum accompletion of the mission!
When sister left for her classes, we all started watching the sun and its shade to decide the time of the day!
The matter is very urgent. We needed a wrist watch! In those days when something was needed, it was needed by the whole family and all the members felt for it. At such times even if a school bag or utensil at home was needed every body felt for it. And at such a time, a need in our house arose, for a wrist watch. It had become the past-time for well to do people to wear wrist watches in the sixties.
We in our house, never had the need for it as we used to gauge the time by the sun. That was very convenient for us, as our house faced east. The morning sun rays will come first to the court yard and then slowly it will climb up to the steps and then to the verandah. Upto the verandah, in the morning, it was good time to move around and make arrangements and leave. After that, the sun rays will climb on the wall, then we had to hurry either to school or to wherever we had to for the days business. My father did not need a watch as he left at the crack of dawn.
The strange situation arose when our sister got selected for Nursing Sister's course at the Government Hospital. A letter came saying that she should report at some particular time with a number of things. There was a list of items with a wrist watch listed at the top! And this was a real problem for all of us in the house. We only thought of getting a wrist watch. Buying was unthinkable. Our two brothers were living a few kilometres away as they were married and had small children. They used to do small jobs which fended for the families. Me and my brother who were at school were fanned out from the house to check with our elder brothers. I reached my eldest brother and narrated the requirement necessitated by the recent Government letter which has been received in the house. The brother heard the story with rapt attention. He pursed his lips and was lost in thought for a while. Then he cocked his head from right to left and looked at me sharply and said. "This is not a problem. I shall give my watch" I was astonished at such sudden luck! I was moved by his generosity too! He removed the watch from his hand, slowly unclipping its chain, wiped it clean in his dhothi and gave it to me.
I bid him good bye and rushed home to announce the arrival of the watch! Once home everybody surrounded me for the news. I announced the solution to the problem by producing the watch from my pocket. Everybody's face lit up and all looked at the watch with awe, even though it was old watch, but ticking strong. It exchanged hands and critical inspection by most of us and reached my sister who was to carry it. Once she took it in her hands and looked at it, a frown crept on her face which we read as something wrong with the watch. Our assumption was correct. She told us with great magnanimity: This is a good watch, but may not suffice. This does not have a second hand. I retorted that it had two hands when I brought it. She said, yes it does, but the second hand is a third hand!! Oh...my.. I was now feeling uneasy. Now, what can we do. How to get a second hand which can be a third hand!
Since she can't use it, she said it may be returned to our brother. I flew with the watch back to my brother. He patiently heard me and said: "Tell her to carry it with the two hands. As soon as we can have a new watch with the third hand that shall be sent to her or she can collect it when she came for holidays" I flew back with the message. In those days, my role was that of 'Hanuman'. I really enjoyed those flights, but at times they were tedious.
At last, my sister left with that watch with the two hands, but without the second hand, which was actually a third hand as I told you earlier! My father and mother told her to write to us by post for all the news once she reached by bus and joined the Nursing School in the Government Hospital.
She reached quickly and posted her first post-card! We all were happy to note that she reached and joined the School safe and sound but there was no mention about the watch!
We anxiously waited for the next letter to know the story of the watch!!
The strange situation arose when our sister got selected for Nursing Sister's course at the Government Hospital. A letter came saying that she should report at some particular time with a number of things. There was a list of items with a wrist watch listed at the top! And this was a real problem for all of us in the house. We only thought of getting a wrist watch. Buying was unthinkable. Our two brothers were living a few kilometres away as they were married and had small children. They used to do small jobs which fended for the families. Me and my brother who were at school were fanned out from the house to check with our elder brothers. I reached my eldest brother and narrated the requirement necessitated by the recent Government letter which has been received in the house. The brother heard the story with rapt attention. He pursed his lips and was lost in thought for a while. Then he cocked his head from right to left and looked at me sharply and said. "This is not a problem. I shall give my watch" I was astonished at such sudden luck! I was moved by his generosity too! He removed the watch from his hand, slowly unclipping its chain, wiped it clean in his dhothi and gave it to me.
I bid him good bye and rushed home to announce the arrival of the watch! Once home everybody surrounded me for the news. I announced the solution to the problem by producing the watch from my pocket. Everybody's face lit up and all looked at the watch with awe, even though it was old watch, but ticking strong. It exchanged hands and critical inspection by most of us and reached my sister who was to carry it. Once she took it in her hands and looked at it, a frown crept on her face which we read as something wrong with the watch. Our assumption was correct. She told us with great magnanimity: This is a good watch, but may not suffice. This does not have a second hand. I retorted that it had two hands when I brought it. She said, yes it does, but the second hand is a third hand!! Oh...my.. I was now feeling uneasy. Now, what can we do. How to get a second hand which can be a third hand!
Since she can't use it, she said it may be returned to our brother. I flew with the watch back to my brother. He patiently heard me and said: "Tell her to carry it with the two hands. As soon as we can have a new watch with the third hand that shall be sent to her or she can collect it when she came for holidays" I flew back with the message. In those days, my role was that of 'Hanuman'. I really enjoyed those flights, but at times they were tedious.
At last, my sister left with that watch with the two hands, but without the second hand, which was actually a third hand as I told you earlier! My father and mother told her to write to us by post for all the news once she reached by bus and joined the Nursing School in the Government Hospital.
She reached quickly and posted her first post-card! We all were happy to note that she reached and joined the School safe and sound but there was no mention about the watch!
We anxiously waited for the next letter to know the story of the watch!!
After a week there was another post card. This brought more news. She had joined for the course and classes had started. The need of the third hand was to check the pulse of patients which was to be taught at a later stage when the curriculum came to that point. As such for the time being the two hands will do! All of us had a sigh of relief. Then only we understood the importance of the addition of a third hand to the existing two hands! Father and the elder brothers arranged some money and wrote to sister that she does not have to worry. When she came next time she can have the new watch. And at last the watch with the third hand was in sight. It was a Bifora watch which Sister brought when she came home. She said she could buy the watch with her monthly stipend plus a small help (it was really a huge help) by her immediate class mate, another girl, like my sister. It was one of the great watches of the time. All of us liked its golden case and wonderful white dial with radium on the digits which shown at night! The hands including the second hand (which is the third hand I was mentioning) had radium on them and they also shown in darkness. Sister was jubilant. We all felt jubilant at the happy and successful ending of that adventure cum accompletion of the mission!
When sister left for her classes, we all started watching the sun and its shade to decide the time of the day!
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