MY HERO
JAB WE MET: MY LOVE, MY LIFE, MY MIRACLE
Arjun Kumar and Rani Jagota soon after their wedding.
By PROF. ARJUN KUMAR JAGOTA
It is often said that miracles happen at the very last moment, when you least expect them, but my miracle happened in the very first moments of meeting.
Fresh from university, I rushed to Delhi in search of a job, even before receiving the results of my Masters and even when there were no notifications that Delhi University was calling for applications.
I went straight to the office of the principal of S.N. Dass Gupta College. “Who told you we have a vacancy?” asked Shri Mani Ram Aggarwal. “We have just let a professor go and are going to release an ad!”
I answered his questions to his satisfaction and was asked to join the next day.
On my first day, I introduced myself and asked the students to introduce themselves by turn.
When it was the turn of the last student in the last row, I asked, “Are you Usha?”
She was startled and asked me, “Sir, how do you know Usha?”
I immediately realized that I had asked because she looked vaguely familiar. But the Usha I was thinking of was my friend’s sister-in-law and resided in Jallandhar.
The young lady smiled and said that she was Champa – Usha was her younger sister. That was the moment she started drawing closer to me on one pretext or the other.
Wasn’t this a miracle in the first moment? Yes, it was! Because it turned into liking, then friendship and into a bond of love and ultimately marriage within a very short period of two months. It set the stage for a lifetime of love and commitment.
All those decades ago it was not frowned upon for a professor to be engaged to a student as long as respect remained the cornerstone.
A small group of six or seven girls requested that I give them some tutorial time immediately after college hours and Champa was part of that group. After the tutorial, the girls joined me on my walk towards my paying-guest accommodation, and spent ten or fifteen minutes at my place before heading home.
On August 15, our Independence Day, after the flag-hoisting, I left the college early to catch the train for Kartarpur to visit my parents, as I hadn’t been home since coming to Delhi. Champa’s eyes were focused on me as I left the gate. On my return, she asked where I had been for three days.
Arjun Kumar and Rani Jagota. One of their last photographs together.
Arjun Kumar Jagota with his three daughters.
That was the first hint that she cared for me. The following Sunday, the entire college, including the principal, staff and all the students were going on a picnic to the Faridabad Lake. All the buses were ready. They were waiting for the principal to arrive and order the buses to leave. I was standing beside the gate looking for someone else. My wait ended when I saw Champa at the door of the last bus, asking me to come sit with her and her friends. She responded to my thanks with a broad smile. I thoroughly enjoyed the special attention of her group of friends – as well as the food brought by them! Her demeanor was curious, happy but possessive about me. That gave me a clear hint about her feelings for me.
The following day, Champa was not to be seen in the college. She was not in class. She was not there in front of the canteen as she used to be with her friends during her free periods.
To my surprise, she was waiting for me at the reception of my PG home. We exchanged smiles and I asked her to come into my living room. I asked her to have lunch with me and she agreed. After lunch the room attendant left and she clasped my hand and proposed! Surprised but happy, I responded positively and gave her a new name, Rani (my queen). I instructed the attendant to welcome her whenever she came.
From then on, while she stopped coming to the college, she would be waiting for me in my PG home on my return from college.
In the meantime, Vijay Khanna, my old classmate and friend from Amritsar came to stay with me. He was very happy to know about our relationship and became Rani’s rakhi brother.
Rani asked if we could have an early marriage. She seemed anxious about her brother’s return from Srinagar during winter recess. Like in many families, there were issues that she wanted to circumvent. We took Vijay into our confidence, and he took upon himself the total responsibility of arrangements. Finally, our marriage was solemnized with Sanatan rituals in the presence of a small group of friends on the first Navratri on September 28, 1966.
Thus began a lifetime of joy. Rani raised our three daughters to be as strong, independent, and feisty as herself. They each have grown into beautiful, strong professionals in coveted, competitive fields, living in North America. Our extended family of children, sons-in-law, and grandchildren, while studying and working in top academic and economic areas, continue to cherish the family values taught throughout their lives by my Rani, a phenomenal woman of substance.
Sadly, Rani was claimed back by God three years ago, an heartbreaking time for all of us. Yet I must hold on to the belief that she continues to watch over us. I live with my middle daughter, a strong and top-rated educator; and I am watched over and fussed over by all my daughters and their families.
Who’s your hero? Desi News invites you to share your (unpublished) story about your family and people in your own circle – who raised you, or mentored you to be the successful person you are today. An individual who helped you thrive and reach the place where you are in today. Your personal hero! Email your story (up to 500 words) to desinews@rogers.com with subject line My Story. We will publish them in an upcoming issue of Desi News (print and online editions).