Our make shift habitat at Kota: At the time of retirement of our father from the services of Bundi in July 1940, I was a student of Intermediate at Herbert Intermediate College at Kota. My younger brothers, Jai Narain, Krishan and Hari and sister Uma were all school going. Our father was keen to ensure, that, after we left Bundi, the education of all of us kept going normally, without any dislocation or disruption. Kota was close to Bundi and at that time, it was one of the fast developing cities of Rajasthan. Herbert Intermediate College was the highest educational institution of Kota, as also of the whole of Haroti region, including Bundi, Kota and Jhalawar. River Chambal had transformed the lives of the people of Kota. It had helped in providing watersupply and electricity to the town. Kota Junction was an important railway station on Delhi-Bombay main line of BB&CIR ( Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway) and consequently, Kota had convenient rail connections with Delhi, Meerut and other places through fast trains. Kota was a walled city and it was neatly laid out. Bhatapara was a small locality within the walled city of Kota. The area was open, neat and clean, overlooking the banks of river Chambal in the background. A two storeyed house with spacious rooms and a big courtyard was picked up by our father at Bhatapara, for temporary accommodation of the family at Kota for a period of one year. We shared the accommodation with the family of the owner, with whom all of us gradually developed very cordial relations. I moved from Raghunath Hostel of Herbert Intermediate College Kota and joined the family at Bhatapara. Jai Narain was admitted to class VII of Herbert Intermediate College. Krishan was admitted to class V and Hari to class III of Hitkari School. Uma was able to get admission in a girls school. After a satisfying week at Kota, father left for Meerut, entrusting the whole show at Bhatapara, in the loving care of our mother.
Meerut in the year 1940: Meerut was a prosperous town in 1940 and was the hub of western districts of UP. Meerut was close to Delhi and was on the highway running from Delhi to Haridwar, Dehradun and Mussorie. Second World War was heating up due to German blitz. British forces were under tremendous pressure and were retreating on all fronts. All colonies of the British Empire had been harnessed for providing supplies of goods and manpower for the war effort. V for Victory signs had propped up on all hoardings at all public places and were stamped on all official papers and documents of the government for boosting up the sagging morale of the people. There was an unending demand for transport drivers and all types of technicians and trained manpower on the war fronts. It was a common scene to see convoys of old and worn out cars, busses and trucks passing through the thoroughfares of the city, driven by learner drivers. A large number of offices, directly or indirectly connected with the war effort had sprung up throughout the city and naturally, there were long queues of people seeking employment and or some sort of business or work. A sleepy town had suddenly started buzzing with life. There was tremendous shortage of almost all items of daily consumption. All available accommodation in the city had been requisitioned and was controlled for activities connected with the war effort. That was the time, when our father landed at Meerut and got into touch with some people, who were planning to get involved in business for supplies and other works related to MES (Military Engineering Services) and were looking for a working partner with relevant experience and expertise. Consequently, our father got involved into contract business with a partner, where he was responsible for the construction of temporary buildings for troops and prisoners of war and the supply of furniture and other pre-fabricated items required by the military engineering services during the war.
Jawahar Quarters: Begum Bridge, popularly known as Pul Begum was a popular landmark of the town on Meerut Delhi Road. Jawahar Quarters was a major housing complex developed by Rai Bahadur Mathuradas and Jawahar Lal on the north-east side of Begum Bridge along Abu Nala. The complex occupied about 100 acres of land and had about 200 residential houses, including sprawling bunglows, rows of three to four room residential houses and modest accommodation for people from low income group. It was almost like a mini-city with self-contained essential services. That was the only housing complex of its type in the city at that time. After finalizing the deed for partnership for contract business, our father settled down in one of the houses at Jawahar Quarters in 1940, alongwith the family of his business partner. The house that they had occupied was a two storied spacious house with sufficient open space in front and an open courtyard in the rear. After spending a year at Kota, we joined our father at Jawahar Quarters in Meerut during the summer of 1941. I joined Meerut College in July 1941 and completed B.A. with Maths and Economics in May 1943. My younger brothers joined Nanak Chand High School in July 1941 and completed their early studies at Meerut. Our sister Uma joined a local girls school. We stayed at Jawahar Quarters for about a year and then moved to another house on the western side of Abu Nala in the cantonment area, close to Bombay Bazar. Finally, we moved to Thatherwara, where the younger sister of our mother had sufficient accommodation for the family in her newly built house. Most of our close relatives were living at Meerut for decades. We had an opportunity to meet them during festivals and family functions. Some of those bonds provided a sense of belonging and homeliness during our stay at Meerut.
Business of our father: Business partner of our father was Ved Prakash son of Hari Krishna. The business firm was titled as Ved Prakash Brijbhushan Lal. Hari Krishna was a Zamindar of Jansath, a tehsil town of Muzaffarnagar district. During 1940, the house at Jawahar Quarters was utilised by our father, family of Hari Krishna and the business office of Ved Prakash Brijbhushan Lal. Initially, the area of operation of the firm Ved Prakash Brijbhushan Lal was Meerut, involving supplies of materials, goods and services to MES and construction of temporary buildings at Meerut. Later on, the work expanded, with the flow of prisoners of war at Dehradun and their settlement at Clement Town on the outskirts of Dehradun and consequently, the business focus of our father shifted to Clement Town. The work involved construction of temporary buildings and supply of furniture and other pre-fabricated items and goods and services to the MES. Since the office of Northern Command of MES was at Agra, our father was shuttling most of the time between, Meerut, Dehradun and Agra. Later on, with the demand for the supply of furniture from other parts, our father set up a workshop for the fabrication of furniture at Sagar in Madhya Pradesh and started living there for most of the time. After the end of the war in 1945, the business operations of the firm Ved Prakash Brijbhushan Lal were gradually wound up.
Education of children: By the time, the business operations of the firm Ved Prakash Brijbhushan Lal were wound up sometimes in late 1946, I had completed Civil Engineering from Thomason College of Civil Engineering Roorkee. Jai Narain had completed intermediate from Meerut College and Krishan had completed High School and Hari had completed class VIII from Nanak Chand School. Uma had also progressed well in her studies. In spite of his hectic engagements in business operations from 1940 to 1945, father was all the time conscious about the studies of the children and provided material and emotional support to children through frequent visits to Meerut and Roorkee. In the mean time, I had been posted as an Assistant Engineer in Rohilkhand Canals Division at Bareilly in July 1946. Subsequently, after my marriage in December 1946, the whole family was united, when our father moved to Bareilly and started living with us.