"The Soil of Samana"

“The Soil of Samana”

By

J.L. Gupta

Samana, my ancestral home town, is a small place in Punjab. It is about 16 miles from Patiala. Sometime back, I had discovered that Janab Qateel Shifai, the famous Urdu poet is from Samana. Also Justice Munir, a known name in the field of Law. He  had risen to be the Chief Justice of Pakistan. Then Justice Jameel Hussain Rizvi. There are others too. Who?  Justice Iqbal Hussain Rizvi son of Justice Jameel Hussain Rizvi. Justice Syed Shakir Hussain Rizvi. All distinguished judges and known names in the field of law. They all belonged to Samana. They had migrated to  Pakistan on partition.  And I discovered this connection of eminent men only a few days back. How?

Justices Rizvi, K.S.Garewal and the host J.S.Narang

On the morning of March 18, 2014, Justice J.S. Narang and I were waiting at the Chandigarh Golf Course for our turn to tee off. Suddenly, Mr. Kuldip Singh Chadha introduced us to Justice Shakir Hussain Rizvi from Pakistan.  It was a pleasant surprise. We exchanged a few pleasantries, promised to get together and even have a round of golf. And then continued with our game. But the promise was kept. On the morning of March 20, we were together on the golf course. And in the evening at Justice Narang’s house for dinner. 

The ambience was excellent.The talk was free, frank and friendly. The drinks looked heady. The snacks, in particular the kababs were just delicious. Melting in the mouth.And then Pinky, the gracious hostess, had as usual prepared  an excellent spread of vegetarian & non-veg. varieties. It looked a gastronomical delight. By all standards, it turned out to be an excellent evening.  

Jeeti Narang with the guests.

The meeting was nostalgic. As a child, I had seen Justice Jameel Hussain Rizvi at our house. I remember my father telling me that he belonged to Samana and that he visited the place every year to pay obescience at the graves of his ancestors.  This had continued even in the later years when we had shifted to Chandigarh. I have a vivid recollection of an immaculately dressed, tall & handsome man who looked decent and dignified every inch. So, meeting Justice Shakir Hussain Rizvi, a person from my generation and from my native place was an emotional event. A fulfillment of an old desire. Imagine, we were born as one people. We had grown up together. Probably, played together in the streets of Samana. The bonds of birth were suddenly snapped by a purely political decision to partition India imposed by the British rulers while leaving the country. Even though we were all united in our fight for freedom from the English. We were divided when we had achieved our goal and attained independence.  Ironic. Truly tragic.

Pinky Narang with the guests.

“Do you know Justice Jameel Hussain?, I asked Justice Shakir Rizvi. “Woh mere mammu the,”(He was my maternal uncle) was the response. And then, he had mentioned the names of various other persons from Samana who had been elevated as Judges in Pakistan. 

The hosts had invited a few other friends too. They and the presence of ladies, lent charm to the evening. We talked of all good things of life. The  small innocent pleasures. Everything seemed so similar. In fact, familiar &identical. We wear similar clothes. We eat & enjoy the same kind of Food. We speak the same Language. And yet, we are separated by the man-made borders. And have even fought three wars. Yet, we are united by old bonds. There is a heartfelt feeling of admiration and affection.The happiness in the hearts of all was apparent to everyone. Why can't we who were together as one people bound by love and friendship get united again?  Hopefully, some day, we might. However, for the present a question that comes to my mind repeatedly is - How is it that a small town like Samana with virtually no facilities for education has produced so many distinguished men not only in law but in other fields too? I feel there is a divine blessing. There is something in the soil of Samana! It seems sacred. May God bless it and make it a place for pilgrimage! Then, more people might visit Samana and renew the old associations.