[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22.5″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.22.5″ custom_margin=”-57px|auto||auto||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.22.5″][et_pb_text text_font_size=”15px” _builder_version=”3.22.5″ text_font=”||||||||”]<\/p>\n
Pigeon shooting in the Bachu (nana) and Kunj Behari (Aaja)\u00a0 families have always been a memorable place for enthusiastic and adventurous tales for earsof younger generations at many family gatherings.\u00a0 In fact, it was on one of my nana\u2019s pigeon hunting trips with his eldest son, Balram Mama, who was a 10 year lad then , that Nana had an accidental death with his own shotgun. The original site\u00a0 of this incident was close to nana\u2019s work area known as Matralevu in Mavua (not to be mistaken for Navua).<\/span><\/p>\n My memory of the site visit, through coincidence, was during \u00a0one of those exciting pigeon shooting trips to the interior of Deuba (Navua) in\u00a0 May of late 1950s when our \u00a0group, comprising of my father (Krishan Chandra), Nandu Mama, Parshu Mama, my brother Kishore, and our trekker\/guide, Tilak Ram (son of Bhaira Mohan of Nakaulevu), when we \u00a0stumbled upon the ruins of a rubber plantation. This\u00a0 site known as Matralevu (Mavua) where our Nana Sardar Bachu was posted to supervise the plantation. The partly cleared area was close to the forests which showed all the signs of earlier human habitation. The deep\u00a0\u00a0 creek which would have been a river pre 1950s exhibitedovergrown nursery of rubber plants \u00a0\u00a0congested and joined into thick plants. After scouring the area , Nandu Mama agreed that this was the place his father was posted. Unfortunately, Parshu Mama could not recall anything but he did mention that he sensed something in him was attached to this place. At this time it should be noted that Nani was pregnant with Parshu Mama and he was born after Nana\u2019s death.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.22.5″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.22.5″][et_pb_text text_font_size=”15px” _builder_version=”3.22.5″ text_font=”||||||||”]<\/p>\n To reach this particular spot, the group had to trek from the Queens Road at the present Pacific Harbour site through\u00a0 Lotan Sardar\u2019s property and also B.D. Lakshman\u2019s property. We had to cross high fences, knee-deep swampy marshland (<\/span>jheel<\/i>), heavy growth of\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>sekho<\/i>\u00a0plantations, dangerous make-shift bridges of fallen trees, etc. We had to start on foot at 4 am as the trekker said we would then be at the shooting spot around seven when sun comes up! The fresh early morning energy was there but the struggle to walk for almost 2 hours in almost dark was a gruelling adventure. Worst was returning being extremely tired and rushing to the road before darkness fell. Then the fear, if we had more pigeons than the quota per gun, we could be \u00a0stopped by the Police if not in Navua then it was sure to be \u00a0at Delainavesi Police post near Lami. Efforts were always made to avoid such inspections and fortunately we normally got away.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.22.5″][et_pb_text text_font_size=”15px” _builder_version=”3.22.5″ text_font=”||||||||”]<\/p>\n So, whilst most or all of us now surviving have not had any personal contact with our Nana\/aaja, this particular memory I had experienced as a 12 year young is very fresh\u00a0 and felt needed to be shared with relatives and friends. On the other hand, most of my generation will vividly remember our close attachments and togetherness with Nani\/Aaji \u00a0specially during our childhood era\u00a0 with her religious stories, accompanying her to the Ram-lila, experiencing the first ever earthquake (1953), having her at our homes and then \u201cher bed is calling for her\u201d meaning she cannot stay overnight but her home. She always dressed elegantly in her white attire (long-sleeved blouse, petticoat (lehenga<\/i>) and veil (odhini<\/i>) with of course silver jewelleries.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.22.5″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.22.5″][et_pb_testimonial author=”Kiran Krishan Chandra” portrait_url=”https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Kiran_MemoirsPic.jpg” _builder_version=”3.22.5″ job_title=”28 February 2008″]<\/p>\n On this auspicious occasion,\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>a special tribute to the only surviving Bachu Sardar and Sardarin child, Parshu Mama<\/b>,\u00a0<\/span>the last of the Mohicans<\/b>\u00a0– \u00a0we wish him and other senior members of the Bachu clan many more years of good health,\u00a0 fun, laughter and \u00a0lasting relationship in our midst.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Pigeon shooting in the Bachu (nana) and Kunj Behari (Aaja)\u00a0 families have always been a memorable place for enthusiastic and adventurous tales for earsof younger generations at many family gatherings.\u00a0 In fact, it was on one of my nana\u2019s pigeon hunting trips with his eldest son, Balram Mama, who was a 10 year lad then […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-memoirs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3446"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3446"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3446\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3474,"href":"https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3446\/revisions\/3474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bachusardar.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}