This is an old story which came to mind on seeing an old spanner. I was cleaning up the house and the 'Sathrah number ke Goti' came out! A 'Satrah number ke Goti' is a spanner with number 17 on one side. A Spanner with number 17 on one side has number 14 on the other side, as all normal spanners have two sides and they both are used for different size nuts. The spanner number Seventeen side is used to loosen and tighten when the fan belt of the old model Fiat Car are either to be adjusted or re-fixed. My car was a 1961 model with its front doors opening from the front. Olden times of sixties and seventies they were the beauties on the road, without doubt!
Now I shall relate how the whole episode happened. From one of the old stuffed away boxes came out a number of spanners, all too bright, and an old old spanner which was brown with colour and that was the spanner 17. This happened on a journey adventure we under took as a small little family. Me, my wife, and two children of tender ages, my son aged 6 and daughter aged 8. We had set up a trip to Kerala and from Delhi we made a tour programme which said Depart Delhi by car in the early morning hours, say, 4 am and reach Agra by 8 am. Those were the days of the nineties and traffic in the morning hours were slack. I got my old Fiat rechecked with my trusted old mechanic and told him of the predicament the day before and he checked up the whole thing, raved it up a couple of times, drove it a furlong and came back and certified clearance. I had great faith and reverence to the Sardarji gentleman in Sujan Singh Park and we drove off in the morning in the Fiat. All were jubilant and had kept our music up and within half an hour out of home we came to a place called Nehru Nagar passing Moolchand Hospital on the way. The Moolchand Flyover etc. and the Metros were not there in those days. After Moolchand Hospital the car started getting heated up and by Nehru Nagar it was so hot to make driving imbearable.
There was not a human being on the road and the first day light was breaking in the eastern horizen. I made my children sit on top of the car and sing a devotional which we were all used to at home starting with "Yesu nallavan' Jesus is good, Jesus is Great etc...the song went by. I could see one or two morning walkers here and there but no body else for the time being. There were people who came out and walked with a piece of neem branch in their mouths as a matter of brushing in the morning.
One of the brushing gentleman came close and asked whether we are ok and if he could help in any manner if there is something he could do. This was a matter of tremendous generosity and I knew he was shocked to see the family and the little children on the top of the car singing in the so early morning which is unusual. I told the situation and he said "Oh..car problem. Open the hood, we will see, hopefully we can fix it too".
That was a lot of relief in such a solitary time from an unknown friend. Once opened he said, "Oh..it is the fan belt, as I presumed. Otherwise a car can't heat up so much". I agreed. He thought for a while and said "Now to get a new belt is not difficult. The shop owner, I know, but he may not have got up. Anyway, since it is a problem with a family, I shall call him up and see if he can help".
He walked away and returned in a while with two other people one holding two fan belts and another with a spanner. He told me he had no problem in calling up the shop owner, who was his friend, and he in turn has called and brought along the mechanic who works near his shop along with two fan belts and the Spanner for the fixing. The mechanic gentleman showed me how the fan belt is to be replaced in the Fiat car and said never go on the road without a spare fan belt and the "Sathrah Number ke Got"! He held up the spanner in his hand and said: "This Goti I will give you as a present as you are a long route traveller and that too with a family! You may have to pay only for the two fan belts. One extra belt is for you to keep in case the one I put gives way en route"!
That was it! Thanking them profusely and paying for their service and the fan belts we continued on our way saying and believing there are the Angels sent by God in such an early morning! We did our journey up and down Kerala with so many other stories which came up on the way. But the 'Sathrah number ke Goti' or the Spanner No.17 stayed with us! The additional fan belt which we never had to use were given to the guy who bought our little Fiat after an year!
Now I shall relate how the whole episode happened. From one of the old stuffed away boxes came out a number of spanners, all too bright, and an old old spanner which was brown with colour and that was the spanner 17. This happened on a journey adventure we under took as a small little family. Me, my wife, and two children of tender ages, my son aged 6 and daughter aged 8. We had set up a trip to Kerala and from Delhi we made a tour programme which said Depart Delhi by car in the early morning hours, say, 4 am and reach Agra by 8 am. Those were the days of the nineties and traffic in the morning hours were slack. I got my old Fiat rechecked with my trusted old mechanic and told him of the predicament the day before and he checked up the whole thing, raved it up a couple of times, drove it a furlong and came back and certified clearance. I had great faith and reverence to the Sardarji gentleman in Sujan Singh Park and we drove off in the morning in the Fiat. All were jubilant and had kept our music up and within half an hour out of home we came to a place called Nehru Nagar passing Moolchand Hospital on the way. The Moolchand Flyover etc. and the Metros were not there in those days. After Moolchand Hospital the car started getting heated up and by Nehru Nagar it was so hot to make driving imbearable.
There was not a human being on the road and the first day light was breaking in the eastern horizen. I made my children sit on top of the car and sing a devotional which we were all used to at home starting with "Yesu nallavan' Jesus is good, Jesus is Great etc...the song went by. I could see one or two morning walkers here and there but no body else for the time being. There were people who came out and walked with a piece of neem branch in their mouths as a matter of brushing in the morning.
One of the brushing gentleman came close and asked whether we are ok and if he could help in any manner if there is something he could do. This was a matter of tremendous generosity and I knew he was shocked to see the family and the little children on the top of the car singing in the so early morning which is unusual. I told the situation and he said "Oh..car problem. Open the hood, we will see, hopefully we can fix it too".
That was a lot of relief in such a solitary time from an unknown friend. Once opened he said, "Oh..it is the fan belt, as I presumed. Otherwise a car can't heat up so much". I agreed. He thought for a while and said "Now to get a new belt is not difficult. The shop owner, I know, but he may not have got up. Anyway, since it is a problem with a family, I shall call him up and see if he can help".
He walked away and returned in a while with two other people one holding two fan belts and another with a spanner. He told me he had no problem in calling up the shop owner, who was his friend, and he in turn has called and brought along the mechanic who works near his shop along with two fan belts and the Spanner for the fixing. The mechanic gentleman showed me how the fan belt is to be replaced in the Fiat car and said never go on the road without a spare fan belt and the "Sathrah Number ke Got"! He held up the spanner in his hand and said: "This Goti I will give you as a present as you are a long route traveller and that too with a family! You may have to pay only for the two fan belts. One extra belt is for you to keep in case the one I put gives way en route"!
That was it! Thanking them profusely and paying for their service and the fan belts we continued on our way saying and believing there are the Angels sent by God in such an early morning! We did our journey up and down Kerala with so many other stories which came up on the way. But the 'Sathrah number ke Goti' or the Spanner No.17 stayed with us! The additional fan belt which we never had to use were given to the guy who bought our little Fiat after an year!
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