*LALAJEE*

The passionate story 'Lalajee' by Jim Corbett is a portrayal of a man noted for his promise and sincerity.

Lieu colonel Jim Corbett was serving as an official for twenty years in Indian railways. Jim Corbett is a well known writer portraying the Indian culture, tradition and especially the Indian forests The present lesson is taken from his book, My India where he portrays a man who kept his promise and sincerity.

Jim Corbett was serving as an ofncial in Indian Railways. only with his clearance the trains leave the station. Usually Corbett waits for the passengers from the steamers to alight the train, in order to help the passengers. One day, a Steamer from Samaria carrying passengers had arrived late. The Passengers hurried up to catch the train, which was detained by Corbett for few minutes. Corbett was watching everyone leaving the steamer. Last to leave the steamer was a thin man, in a tattered condition and with the very look any one can say that he is suffering form some disease, may be affected by Cholera, a dreaded disease. He was too weak to walk. He walked slowly to the edge of the river and spread the blanket on the bank of the river Ganges. He laid himself on it. Corbett cautianed him that he would miss the train. The thin man answered seebly that he had no intention to catch the train.

It was summer season, the hottest time of the year, where Cholera hits always at its worst Corbett understood that the thin man at the foot of the gangway was terribly sick. He took pity on him. He enquired the thin man to know, whether he has any relatives or friends in that place. Since no one was there in Makameh Ghats to help him, Corbett decided to help him and cure his disease. He helped the thin man to get up. He made the thin man to stay in one of his coolie's house, which was empty and away from other quarters and provided him all possible help, inchuding food and medicine.

Cholera hits every year during summer. This worst disease killed tens and thousands of people. But half of them died, not due to Cholera but of fear. Since Corbett had been living in Mokameh Ghats for ten years, he witnessed the dangers of the epidemic disease. Corbett thought that the thin man could be saved only by some crude treatment and fate. And this treatment could always be carried out on the thin man, only if he had the confidence in Corbett. Surprisingly the thin man started showing some signs of Improvement and was responding to the crude treatment. Corbett did everything to the thin man, as other servants belonging to different community refused to come near the thin man. The thin man's condition improved at the end of the week and he was able to give his pathetic story to Corbett.
He was Lalajee, a flourishing grain merchant. Unluckily he had a crooked fellow as his partner. Initially the business flourished with much profit. But one day, when Lala returned home from another town, he found that his partner has taken away all the money and shop was empty. Lalaji understood that he has been cheated by his partner. As a result he became poor all at once and struggled to maintain his family. Then he managed to get a job on seven rupees a month. This was a very difficult job and found it difficult to manage the family with the ordinary salary he received. It was during one of his business trips, Lalaji was taken ill seriously. As his condition got worse, he wanted to die on the banks of the sacred Ganges.

Lalajee stayed with Corbett for about a month. One day, he expressed his desire to go back to Gaya. Corbett asked him what he would do at Gaya, if Lalajee's master had appointed another man in his place. Lalajee replied that he would find some other job. Corbett asked Lalajee to become a merchant again for which he replied that no one would offer security for five hundred rupees, if he had to start the business again. Lalajee got ready to go to Gaya. Corbett gave him the train ticket for Gaya and also five hundred rupees. Lalajee was tongue-tied and putting his head on Corbett's feet, he promised to return the money within a year.

Jim Corbett had given him the greater part of his savings. He thought that he would not see Lalajee again but he was sure that he would not be in a position to keep his promise. But Corbett was wrong in his opinion. Because Lalajee came to see Corbett a few days before the expiry of the time limit. Lalajee explained about his business and the profits out of it. And he returned the five hundred rupees. Also he took a bag containing interest money for the five hundred rupees. Corbett refused to accept the interest, since it was not his custom to accept interest from friends. Lalajee offered his help to Corbett on any occasion. For nearly eleven years, till Corbett left eh Ghat, lajee sent a big basket of the choicest mangoes from his garden, as a mark of gratitude to Corbett and also to prove his continuous success in business.