*An interesting Middies in Tribune Chandigarh* * *
*Handkerchief and ‘Hema Malini’ by Justice S.D. Anand* *T*HE only time our father, also a Judicial Officer at that point of time, visited us was when me and my sister were posted at Gurgaon. We were a trio, the third incumbent of the residence being one of our younger sisters, then a student of B.A. Part II. After visiting certain relations at New Delhi and scanning the market at Ajmal Khan Road, we landed at a tri-junction which had a “by request” stop for buses bound for Gurgaon. Though the bus service between Delhi and Gurgaon was fairly quick, the wait on that day grew longer. Of course, our father being around and in wait was also weighing on our mind. The waiting crowd, in the meantime, increased manifold. Ultimately, the bus to ferry us to our destination came over. We pushed ourselves into it and, in an endeavour to ensure that all of us got seats, placed a handkerchief on one of the seats. We had done nothing novel because that was an acknowledged conventional method of “occupation” of a seat. However, an unmanageably fat man would not accept that methodology. He removed that handkerchief and occupied the seat. When reminded that the practice adopted by him was unfair, he retorted by saying: *“Ab tum Hema Malini par rumaal rakh doge to kya woh tumhari ho zayegi”*(If you were to place your handkerchief upon Hema Malini, will she be yours). We did not relish his ‘rejection’ of the practice existing since hoary past. However, we ‘swallowed’ the act and remained incognito. My only satisfaction was that at least my father and both sisters were comfortably seated. After about a month, I was at the fag end of day’s cause list. It was the last working day of the month. The non-appearance of the plaintiff in an exparte case was holding up my departure for the residence. The orderly, charged with the duty of calling out cases, was a harried lot. He informed the Reader, in an apparently concealing tone, that the plaintiff to that case was present outside the court but was ‘reluctant’ to enter the court. It was his counsel who ultimately brought him in and got his statement recorded. After decreeing that exparte suit for recovery, I just called upon the plaintiff to tell me if the practice of ‘occupation’ of a bus seat by placing a handkerchief thereon had undergone a change. He was obviously the gentleman who had authored the above quoted dialogue in the bus. He gave a sheepish smile and ‘evaporated’, much to the amusement of all those present in the court. *The writer is a Judge of the Punjab & Haryana High Court.*
