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| At 150, this man desires Indo-Pak amity for lasting peace | | Half family settled in Pak but takes pride in being Indian | | Kunal Shrivatsa
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Oct 20: He is not a politician nor enjoys any official status to comment on Indo-Pak relations. Haji Jumma Khan, a centurion person, who is witness to several historical events in the region, cherishes this desire that both these countries should shun their enmity for the lasting peace in sub-continent.
Hailing from Surankote in border district of Rajouri, Khan, who claims to be aged about 150 years, like millions of others, has borne the brunt of partition of India as some of his family members are now settled in Pakistan.
However, the pain of separation from his sons and daughter has not withered his love and affection for the motherland India as he emphatically says that Hindustan dunia mein sabse achcha hai (India is the best country in the world).
Jumma has the proud privilege of having own progeny of around 225 persons in his clan on either side of the Line of Control (LoC).
Speaking in chaste Punjabi, Jumma proudly said, "Main Ik Sadi Panjaan Varyaan Da Han (I am hundred and fifty years old)."
From his two marriages, Jumma has twelve children including nine sons and three daughters. Six sons and two daughters from his second wife living here in village Potha of Surankot tehsil in Poonch district while three sons and one daughter are living in Pakistan from his first marriage with a lady named Nasiba. Nasiba died way back in 1946.
One of his sons settled in Pakistan lives in Mangla area while other two sons and a daughter are putting up at Alipur Chatha area of Gujrawalan district.
Jumma's claims that he is around 150-years old appears somewhat real as his eldest son Mohammad Zaman Khan is about 95 years old.
- Hide quoted text -
His eldest child here is a daughter, who is about sixty years old. Existing with his fourth generation now, Jumma's great granddaughter in Pakistan has got married while one of his great grandsons studying in a school in Surankot is aged about 15.
Jumma may be getting older day by day but physically he is absolutely fit and fine.
"My father still leads a normal life as most of us do….. He has a balanced diet, his eyesight is okay though he wears spectacles, his hearing power is perfect, can walk upto three kilometers, can climb small hillocks without any difficulty, has very sharp memory, even he has still good growth of tresses, except for front portion his side teeth are intact, he can travel in a car or any other vehicle for any length of time." said Jumma's son Haji Mohammad Taj Khan pointing towards his father.
"He is still very agile and could kill a snake without any fuss…. He is even master of Gatka playing." added Taj, a businessman settled in Belgium.
Taj further informed that his father entered into wedlock second time at the age of 80, which is quite unbelievable as majority of old age persons live a reclusive life at this late stage.
"My father has never taken a medicine….. Never fell sick except for once in 1966 during his stay in Pakistan where he was caught with the disease of jaundice. Even my oldest brother Zaman in Pakistan has poor eye sight due to old age but my father still has a very good vision."
"I can still eat 1 Kg of fish, a chunk of meat and can drink quantity of milk besides could eat half Kg of Desi Ghee." said Jumma Khan.
Going down memory lane, Jumma said that he along with his two brothers and two other persons also went to Delhi for an army recruitment rally to join Indian forces in World War-II.
"I don't exactly remember the year but I can still visualize that after our selection we were taken to a place on a ship… I joined the army to earn some money as during that time my village was experiencing famine." informed Jumma
Jumma's alertness and agility could be gauged from the fact that he himself takes care of minute details while dealing with purchasers of grass and fruits grown in his farm at his village.
"Earlier my father was not used to pay much attention to the business dealings as he is not literate but of late he keeps a close tab on everything and behaves like a graduate person." said his son Taj
Jumma's forefathers were Pathans from Afghanistan and one of his ancestors Ahmad Kahn was a minister in the court of the King of Poonch.
"My great grand father and grand father were born in Kabul…. My forefathers descended here from Afghanistan." said Jumma, the centurion.
When asked about the secret of his long life, Jumma maintained, "Malik Jaane (God knows). |
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