A Life Unchained
Written by Nawika Sharma
Vehicular bridge across the Koel River
In our lives, we encounter a few individuals whose stories are truly extraordinary and leave a lasting impression and in my life Kuhi Ramji, an illiterate man from Jharkhand is one of them. At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about his appearance—skinny, short, half of his teeth missing and weathered . But beneath his unassuming exterior lay a man with a unique zest for life.
Kuhi Ramji served as the cook at the campus where I conducted my training. His distinguishing feature was his brisk walking pace, which made him instantly recognizable from a distance. His usual attire consisted of a cloth draped around his shoulders, vest and a lungi, except on one special occasion.
One day I casually mentioned that I wanted to take his picture to send to Amitabh Bachchan, his beloved actor. To my surprise, Kuhi Ramji the next day appeared in a neatly dressed shirt and lungi, with his hair oiled and combed. He had made an extra effort for his beloved actor.
I indeed sent the photo to Mr. Bachchan's Twitter account mentioning that he was his die-hard fan from a remote village.
He lived on the outskirts of the campus and would arrive early in the morning. Through out the day he would not eat anything but he greatly enjoyed drinking tea. It was only in the afternoon, after cooking lunch, that he would return home to eat after bathing and praying. In the evening, he would come back to prepare snacks and dinner before finally leaving late at night.
During our interactions, Kuhi Ramji shared tales from his youth, and I was enthralled by the life he had led. With his culinary skills as his ticket, he embarked on a journey across the country. Travelling without a ticket, he hopped on trains heading to various destinations, cleverly evading ticket collectors and finding work in different cities. Generally he found work at the Halwai shops, most of the times the food and accommodation were provided for and the pay was decent. He only needed money for two things Tobacco and his first love Hindi movies. Every Friday he took an off from work to indulge in back to back cinema shows. From Lucknow to Delhi, to Benaras to Kolkata, he drifted from one place to another, but one thing remained constant his love for cinema.
I discovered that Kuhi Ramji possessed a melodious voice when I heard him singing while he cooked. In one conversation, he shared an interesting incident with me. He told me he had the opportunity to travel to Bombay (now Mumbai) with a local band. However, as he walked onto the stage and saw the crowd, he suddenly felt overwhelmed with fear and ran away.
He had led a transient life so I was intrigued to know why he was at the campus. When I asked him about it, he explained that he had become tied down after getting married, a decision he never truly desired but was swayed by his family's influence. Despite this he had a beloved daughter whom he cared deeply for, and he worried about her future prospects. He often told me that once his daughter was married, he would leave everything behind and go back to the life he led.
What fascinated me was the fact that he simply went to the railway station, boarded whichever train was available, never giving it a thought of how he would survive and carved out his own path in life.
I was in awe of his sense of freedom, belief in his own self, survival instinct and independence. This illiterate man possessed a confidence in his own abilities and approached life with a carefree attitude, blending it with hard work and street smarts. It made me question our own lives, how many of us can claim the same level of confidence and abandon that he embraced?