A Ring from my Nana Ji

A Jeweller has to be most dependable, honest and absolute trustworthy. That is the reason perhaps people always go to a Jeweller on whom his family has been depending upon for ages. Generations after generations we go to same Jeweller as tradition goes. In strict sence, he is a family Jeweller and every family has one even if they may or may not have a family doctor.

When I was born a first grandson to our paternal family, there were limitless rejoicings both in the paternal and maternal sides. My mom was the youngest of six children and was a favorite of her Dad who will get her special toys like Harmonium from Germany, a big doll from London and a live small deer to play with.

My Nana Ji, a World War I & Ii veteran custom ordered a special gold ring from a top Jeweller in the town with my name written in English on top of the ring. Unlike Nani Ji, Nana Ji was very forward looking with good command in English. He refused to go to the family Jeweller Uttam Chand as he could not write my name in English. The gold ring written P MOHAN surrounded by bright patriotic colors is still glittering today even after 70 long years.

Everything got scattered hither and thither after the partition of the country in 1947. When we got settled down in Panipat, our family Jeweller Uttam Chand also happened to live with his small kids in Panipat. 

While we moved from Aghapura Mohalla in Multan, Uttam Chand was from near by paternal village of our Nani Ji. Hence he proudly announced in the small town of Panipat that  he was closely related to my Dad. My Dad was a public dealing Government Official holding a good standing in a small city. My Dad did not like this at all and Uttam Chand knew it well. He would be very diplomatic in expressing his relation in front of my Dad while being extremely sweet mannered with ever sugar coated vocabulary 

Lala Kanwar Bhan Khanna, Cousin Pushpa, Smt Kesar Bai

Uttam Chand carried lot of confidence from my maternal side. My eldest Massi Ji would come all the way from Delhi and camp in Panipat prior to her children weddings. My Nani Ji would also come and get jewelley done through by sitting through out in his shop while he was on their jobs. 

But I always heared Nani Ji abusing Uttam Cand with filthiest of language even on his face. She would remind him time and again that She was the daughter of such & such person and would smash him with a hardest bush if he ever tried to mix more brass in order to pinch her gold. Uttam Chand  could not afford to argue that the gold brought by Nani Ji was fake as it was invariably done by him earlier.

Uttam Chand brought up his kids very well by sending them to colleges for higher education. None of his kids pursued his jewelry business though. His older son was serving as a senior Bank Manager in a Nationalized Bank when I knew of him last.