Meet Daarji and Bebe Part 2 : A Day at the Farm.

On the Farm  with Daarji and Bebe 

 "Daarji! Daarji!" Where are you'? Called out Bebe with a kind of urgency, as soon as she opened the big front door to enter. 

“Ah! There you are …just where I left you; I hope you are now done with all your News-Papers. Our little friends will be here soon. Do you know, on my way back from the village today, I met some children playing near our old bridge...”, she rambled on non-stop without a  break, not even looking up from her ‘put everything in place routine'. 

"Waheguru Jaane, from where they had heard that you are a great storyteller", she continues to mumble as part of the internal monologue.

 Daarji, on his part, seemed oblivious of her words, though he punctuated interjections periodically, “Achha…. Hmmm’!

Looking up through his half-rimmed glasses, he turned around towards the window as he heard the dogs bark, “Bebe, why are the dogs barking ….. Are we expecting guests”? He mumbled his mind still in his news-papers.

By now Bebe was exasperated, “Perhaps the kids are here”, she replied.

“Kids? Which kids?”  Questioned a very puzzled Daarji.

“Oh! Ho! Daarji. 'tuhaunu dasiya ta si', I just told you that the kids are coming", she admonished him in exasperation  I called them over. Let me get lemonade and cookies ready for them, and you, my dear are now going to have fun and tell stories!” said Bebe excitedly taking his papers away from him.

Daarji and Bebe loved any time spent with children as they very much missed their own grand-kids, who were thousands of miles away.

"Please open the door for them", Bebe coaxed persuasively.

‘Certainly my dear", said Daarji as he ambled out to greet the children. “Good morning children! Sat Sri Akal” he greeted warmly as he stood at the door and introduced himself.

"I am Bebe’s husband, Brig Ajeet Singh. Good heavens! Sometimes, even I forget that I have a name.”

“Everybody, just about everybody, calls me Daarji,  even your Bebe calls me Daarji”, he said with a flicker of a smile.

“Would you like to call me Daar’ji as well?” he asked peering indulgently at them?

“Yes. Yes. Daarji”, responded to the children in unison.

“Come. Come! …Come on in; Bebe is waiting for you”.

Daarji stepped aside to open the large wooden double door and ushered his little guests into the foyer, and as he turned he put his hand on a little girl’s shoulder and lovingly asked.

 “Hello, little angel. What is your name”?

             Bebe                          Baani           Simran       Bunty

‘My name is Baani and this is my twin brother Bunty’, the little 5 yr old quipped back pertly.

‘And, who are these naughty boys with this lovely young lady?’ inquired Daarji of the other three.                        

‘I am Happy Singh, his name is Rajah and she is Simran “. Happy, precocious as ever was pat on with the reply.  

Rajah    and       Happy

“Daarji, are these your pictures”?   “They are awesome,” said Happy pointing at the framed pictures on the wall, some coloured but mostly black and white from another era. ”White water rafting, rock climbing, Para jumping …Wow’!

“Daarji, were you a commando? Are you still in the army”?

Daarji laughingly replied, “No, no my child”.

I am almost Eighty years old… now 80 is a lot of years so you could say at this point I am a retired old man”. 

However, cleared his throat and squared his shoulders to continue, “But, I don't feel old, for mine has been an adventurous life. I have spent a number of exciting and eventful years in the Armed Forces and have travelled far and wide”.

Overhearing the banter from the other room, Bebe smiled quietly to herself and shook her head, as she heard Daarji lead the children out towards the patio in the direction of the orchard.

It was a clear rain-washed day,  with fluffy cotton clouds lazily adrift against the deep aqua blue sky. What a perfect foil for the softly rolling fields that they could see around them as they stepped out. Daarji stopped, took a deep breath, and spread his arms as if to embrace the land that he loved so much, now lush with the bright green fields and yellow mustard flowers.

Daarji continued, "Well, Bebe and I now live here, on this farm in Punjab.  It is very convenient as it is on the outskirts of the village and not very far from town”.

With a glance back to check on Hektor trying to chase squirrels, Daarji took the pathway towards the fruit trees, “Come, children come let’s walk through the orchard '. He turned again, gave a short whistle and called out to the dogs as they wandered on. 

“Hey mutts, want to come as well"? 

'Woof, woof ' was all that could be heard for a few moments as the dogs excitedly jumped around them?

‘Now can you name all the fruit trees that you see here’?

 ‘Lemons, Mangoes, Guavas and we can see some Grape vines too Daarji’, chorused the children altogether.

'And, what about Papaya'. He prompted. 'Papaya has great health benefits. Bebe and I have it almost daily before breakfast '.

‘There’, said Daarji pointing to his right – ‘do you see that fence’?

“Across the fence, you can see the farm animals… cows, hens and ducks... And ‘Big Chief’s stable. 
'A Red-Indian Chief, Daarji'? questioned Bunty, half expecting an Apache brave to step out.

‘Big Chief is my horse Bunty. He is my loyal old friend’.

Soon all the dogs were dancing around them vociferously vying for attention, especially little Zach.

Zach    and   Hektor

This darling bundle of joy is Zach, the red English Cocker Spaniel and the big black guy is Hektor, our prince of Troy ’, explained Daarji, acquainting his fur babies with the kids.

‘Daarji, can I be friends with him, said Baani pointing towards Zach, he has such long silky, golden ears’.

Daarji bent over to ruffle Zach's head, and smilingly said, ‘Yes, of course, Baani. Well, as for the ears, the long ears he does have, but then ….they carry half the garden into the house….bramble, bush and thorns. 

But then, Bebe adores this little guy and that sure has special benefits, so he gets away with all the clutter and all mess he creates for her to clean up ten times a day. After all, he is Bebe’s darling.’

‘Now, if I walk in with muddy shoes?’ commented  Daarji rolling his eyes with a wry grin

’ That, my little friends, is quite another story’!

‘Ah! We are almost at the stables …. Let’s say hello to Big Chief …’
Big Chief's soft neigh was barely audible over the raucous, but Daarji heard and put out his hand...' You know'  ... Horses have a timeless beauty, touched with gentleness, and a spirit that calls our hearts".

‘Big chief was in the Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army. He used to be stabled at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, in the service of the President of India. When the army retired ‘Big Chief’ from the service a  decade or so ago. I bought him and brought him here to the Farm. Now you can see we are a settled team".

‘Chief and I used to go riding every day. But now the two of us are older, so it is only an occasional pleasure for both of us.’

When we bought Chief, I also got hold of a dilapidated buggy, which was falling to pieces, from a retired English Colonel who lived near Shimla. My Son, who lives in London, helped me to restore the Buggy. Look at it today, it is probably even better looking than when it was new.

Now, it is a sight to be seen to see Big Chief proudly riding through the village, head held high, and tail swishing, to a happy trot, centre of all the attention."

‘Just a moment’, stopped Daarji to take out his mobile. ‘Ah! That is Bebe calling. We better get back and you all must be thirsty. It has been a warm sunny day …and knowing your Bebe, her table will be loaded with  her delicious cakes and cookies.’

‘And…perhaps’, he continued gleefully, ‘this old man too will get his cup of coffee and bits and bobs of something to eat.

‘Moreover, I think she promised a story’.

‘Take a break and then we can begin with the Tales……There are so many tales to tell…wonder-filled, exciting tales of our Gurus, our Land and our People’.