Daily Times

Jinder, whose official name is Hajinder Paul is son of Chanan Ram, born in Ladhran, a small village in Tehsil Nakodar, District Jalandhar in India on February 2, 1954.

His educational career can be termed briefly as Higher Secondary from Arya School Nakodar in 1972, BA from DAV College, Nakodar in 1975 and Masters from DAV College Jalandhar in 1977. Jinder’s childhood was spent in extreme poverty. Both his parents worked hard to bring food for the family. He did not remember taking tea with sugar. His mother used to use ‘Gur’ as sweetener. His father started work as a goldsmith. He was believer in Hindu Goddess Chintpurni Waali Maata. His mother was a member of religious gathering Radha Swami. The training to children was to work hard and help the poor. Jinder’s father used to go on bicycle to Noormahal for work and return the same day. Jinder worked 22 hours a day while as proof reader in Jalandhar.

From his job career one can decipher that his main interest was in story writing and the jobs he did in his life were just to earn him two meals a day. He maintained auction recorded for three times in Market Committee, Nakodar. He was clerk in Aggarwal Firm for one and a half years. He was proof reader in MBD Press Jalandhar from June 1984 to August 1988. On August 17, 1988 he became auditor in Punjab Government’s Transport Department. He retired on February 29, 2012 from State Transport, Chandigarh.

Jinder finds peace in his village which he did not get in the city. After his retirement he studies books and enjoy the company of his grandson Samar Kanda. He has read books on Bhagwat Geeta by Dr. Radhakrishnan, Parmindher Sodhi and others. His favourite book is Mahabharat, a Classical Epic, He likes Jagjit Singh, Ghulam Ali, Sai Zahoor, Hadiqa Kitayani, Surinder Kaur, Mukesh & Lata Mangeshkar, as best singers. He likes tragic and sad songs. Shiv Kumar, Waris Shah and Bulle Shah are closed to him, in every movement of life. He found heavenly peace after visiting Waris Shah, Bulle Shah and Ajmer Sharif shrine.

His best teacher was his mother.

Two sons, eldest Shiv is a citizen of Australia and youngest Saiffy is living with him.

He is editor of quarterly literary magazine Shabad since 1998.

Two collections of short stories titled ‘Main Kahani Tei O’ and ‘Tuseen Nahi Samajh Sakde’ was published in 1996, 1999, 2004 and 2012. The latter is available in Shahmukhi script published by Suchet Publications, Lahore and is a representative collection of short stories by Jinder.

The first story ‘Qatal’ is narrated by the son of a technician who had worked all his life in a workshop. At home he listens to his favourite songs on his stereo and is fed to food and tea by his wife till a day when he gets bed ridden. On the third day of his ailment, the old wife shows signs of being getting fed up. Her son is not too sure whether his Bapu died of natural causes or by strangling by his mother. Translation of this story by Madhuri Chawla is very interesting. I shall reproduce the opening Paragraph and the concluding one. “That night I was alone in the room. Bapu’s existence was there as good as his not being there. An arm or leg stayed put where ever it was lifted or put, lifelessly. All through the afternoon it seemed that he would not survive the evening. He continually gasped for breath. Whenever a rattle like sound emanated from his throat, Bibi would pour spoonful of water into his mouth from the tumbler lying on the bedside table. The water would remain in his mouth for a long time and only when he gasped for breath would the water trickle down his throat. Bibi could not sit for long. She would just walk in the room, gaze at his face, check his pajamas and lost in her thoughts leave the room murmuring ‘Waheguru, Waheguru’ under her breath.

The story is well knit with other household characters but the climax is “When I reached the courtyard holding tumbler of tea in each hand, Bibi stood bending over Bapu. Her hands were close to his neck. I slowly inched towards the window. I thought Bibi was nervous. She was repeatedly adjusting her shawl and spreading it out as if she did not want anyone to see what she was doing. Not even once she glanced towards the door. Bibi’s fingers were still near Bapu’s neck. ‘Now she shall throttle him’ the thought shot through my mind. All his life Bapu had not cared two hoots for her, always lorded over her. Perhaps this was a chance for her to take revenge, to vent her suppressed anger! Could there be a better chance than this? All my life I had been conscious of the fact that Bibi had just existed merely for the sake of struggling through life, nothing more! When her knuckles stood out I was delighted. I myself wanted Bapu to die. He should have died fifteen years ago. Why was he still alive! Now Bibi’s hands were near Bapu’s nostrils. Perhaps she had been unable to throttle him. So, she wanted to choke him to death….”

Jinder finds peace in his village which he did not get in the city. After his retirement he studies books and enjoy the company of his grandson Samar Kanda. He has read books on Bhagwat Geeta by Dr Radhakrishnan, Parmindher Sodhi and others

This short story leaves the end posing questions whether all was in the mind of the boy who had seen her father’s maltreatment to his mother and wanted her mother to kill him or did he die that murder took place or did he die natural death? Such a plot coming from a man, the writer Jinder, who himself struggled all his life, was self-taught as far as his observation of way of life in a struggling household, is amazing.

Jinder has published 7 short stories collections, 2 travelogues and an autobiography in two parts. He has also edited 18 collections of short stories; he has translated 2 books from Hindi to Punjabi. Jinder has also translated Ramdarash Mishra’s Chonvian Kahanian from Hindi to Punjabi and has been an award winning experience for successful translation of imagery and symbols.

Jinder’s two short story books mentioned above were published in Hindi in 1997 and in Shahmukhi in Pakistan in 1998. His collections ‘Nahin Main Nahin’ was published in 2000 and 2004, ‘Bina Wajah Taan Nahin’ in the years 2004, 2013 and Zakham in 2010, 2013 and 2014. The latter book was also published in Marathi language in 2013. His book ‘Zakham, Dard Aur Paap’ was published in 2011 and collection of all stories ‘Tehzeeb’ in 2012. Jinder’s selection of stories was published in 2014 ‘Awazaan’, and ‘Siyasat Khed Siyasat’ in 2020.

His book named ‘Toh Samajh Na Sakde’ 2016 published in Sindhi in Pakistan.

His pen sketch books are Kawasi Roti, Je Eh Sach Hai Taan and Rodu Raja Uraf Fazaldeen.

Jinder’s two travelogues are titled ‘657 Meel’ and ‘Chal Jinder Islamabad Chaliye’ in 2016. The latter is a well-read travelogue and is available in Shahmukhi script. One portion of the travelogue is about Jinder’s experience of attending a cultural evening in PNCA Hall in Islamabad.

Jinder was escorted by Lahore Security Police and was replaced by Punjab Police in a Jeep after crossing river Ravi/Sagian Bridge. Jinder was being driven by a representative of hosts, Bilawal in a car. Both started conversation on the songs popular in both sides of Punjab. Jinder appreciated songs of Sain Zahoor; illiterate but sang from his soul. From Khanpur canal, the car turned towards Cheechoki Malian, passing by girl’s school, primary school, Station and house of Zaildar. Jinder’s friend Harbhans Singh Dhiman wanted to see their ancestor house. At Zaildar’s office, they found an old man. They asked him if he knew Thekedar Santokh Singh’s house, he informed that there is a well there now. Jinder got the answer, so the caravan turned back towards Lahore.

Jinder recalled 2007 when he had searched for his maternal village Chak 54, Jaranwala. Iqbal Qaiser had lent him his car. Actually his maternal village was Bilga. During the partition he fell ill contracting cholera and died near Balloki. His maternal grandmother came to know of her husband’s demise on her way.

Jinder’s car now turned from National Highway to Ali Haider. He remembered the train in old days to pass by Nakodar. Sadhuan, Noormahal, Gumtali and Bilga, but now their passage was through Bhai Phairoo, More Khunda, Bacheki and Jaranwala. They crossed the bridge and turned left to reach Chak 54. Now the million dollar question arose as to how to locate his ancestral house. Search started for an old man. Somebody told an old man Shah Din Malik could help. A young man came to their rescue. Shah Din Malik came walking with a stick. Jinder touched his feet and introduced him as grandson of Kirpa Ram. Malik remembered Jinder grandfather and mother. He remembered Jinder as a young lad. The lady in the house also welcomed Jinder and said that he should treat her as his Maami!

Jinder wrote to me on August 25, 2020 that his mother’s birth place Chak Number 54 near Jandawali. The achievement of his life was to see this village in 2007. He had seen his Nanaji’s house and talked to his mother at that time that was in Jalandhar at that time. His Nanaji had died due to cholera during partition days.

Dr. Minakhshi Rathore wrote a column of Jinders’ book ‘Chandigarh Waha Nawansheher’ on November 2016. She declared that Jinder is well known story writer now known internationally. In his 23 years, 6 months and 13 days job, he has been a witness of many happenings around him. He cannot forget the bitter expressions of Babu Dev Raj Sharma when he went to give him his joining letter and was told sarcastically ‘Tenu Kahdi Kahli Payi Aa? Meri Table Tei Kinni Daak Pai Aa! Chuk Kei Aa Gaya Aein Payo Waala Letter!’ He was given the duty of record keeper and he did not get a chair to sit on. A colleague said loudly that a great writer had joined office and nobody bothered to welcome him. Harjinder is observant starting from writing on the office politics to his travel from Chandigarh to Jalandhar by bus and knits his stories on both youth and old people. Stay in Chandigarh opened up the official and personal lives of officers and lower set-up in which Harjinder lives with dignity!

Some critics said that his stories titled Qatal, Zakham, Jit, Haveli, Dard, Sorry, Mithu Zindabad are high level stories.

Harjinder has been translated in almost all the local languages and is a frequent traveller abroad.

The writer is the recipient of the prestigious Pride of Performance award. He can be reached at doc_amjad@hotmail.com