AKHTAR KHAN THE HERBAL MEDICINE SELLER OF BADIYAAR BALA

Before I take you  from Dewankhaan to the lighter side  of men and matters in and around Badiyaar Bala , I need to mention that those who came to our Dewankhaan  were also Guests and friends of My uncle late Omkar Nath Raina a well known Sitar Maestro of our state .

Opposite to our House  on the road leading to Nai sarak , we had a shopping row that had many Traders .A Photography  shop owned by J N saproo ,A Tailoring shop and a shop of a Pathan . He looked Funny as he was of a  man of short  stature and would dress up after mid day . He would put on an Afghan Dress , a Kabuli  sandal and a typical Pathaan Headgear, surma in his eyes  and a  short waistcoat.  All this made him  look  like a man from Afghanistan. He must have been just 35 or 40 kgs in weight and for his reason we were  always led to believe that he was not a real Pathan.

A shop on Ground floor and a residence on first floor through a narrow staircase is all that we used to know about him.
And then on occasions , he would   spread  a large Plastic sheet  and open his shop on road with a Huge scenery in the background . The scenery had Hills , Jungle , a loin, A bear , and  some men hunting . The sheet would be decorated with Plastic Bottles that had some mysterious Herbs , A stove , a frying pan and a small tin of Jammu Khalas Ghee .

We knew him as Akhtar Khan  seller of Secret medicines for Youth , Vigor and Vitality . A stick in hand and with loud voice he would  shout ;
“  Idhar hai Maajoon e shabaab . Idhar ki dawaa kaamyaab . Idhar yunaan ka Tibb. Aa Khonche .  Aa Biraadar . Aa Beewi  wala . Aa  Bache waala .”
A brigade of young boys and idlers would collect around the road side stand created by Akhtar khan .
And then he would place the frying Pan on the stove . Put herbs from all the bottles into the pan and then move around. Holding pulse of some boy in the crowd  , he would say
“ Tum Teen beemari mein Mubtila hai . Ye Jawaani ka galat kaam hai . Hum Ilaaj karega. Bache hum tum ko theek karega “
He would openly speak about the three diseases afflicting the particular boy  and send the crowd into  guffaws.  I may not go beyond this for obvious reasons . Then he would target some old man and repeat the same story  .
After that he would mix all the herbs in the frying Pan and add jammu Khalas ghee to it and fry all this stuff mixing it with a  small ladle . Thereafter , he would give a small quantity to some persons and Ask them to taste it .

“ Ye Yukk Chamach Khud Khaao . Beewi Ko Devo. .Baap ko Devo. Taakat Jawwani ka dawaa hai. Illaj hai . Pahaad se laaya . shikar kar ke laaya. Jungle se laaya . Minister khaaya . Leader log Khaaya . O Pheran wala Biraadar le ja. Kashmir me aaya . kabul se laaya . Kishmish ki Dawaa . Shifa Shifa “
Every person in the crowd would open his Palm to receive the fresh sample from Khan but he would pass it on to selected few . These selected few would momentarily  make a face to convey that hey had cherished the sample.
Akhtar Khan was  somewhat  Kinky in his demeanor .He  had a family and quite often I would see his children playing on the road . He was friendly with all the shopkeepers .

 My uncle tells me ;

“ One day Janki Nath Saproo, who had a photography shop at Badiyar Bala  came to Akhtar Khan’s shop  in A Burka at evening time   to play a kinky Prank  and  asked for his herbal Preparation  for  some  Female  ailment . Akhtar Khan  was more than happy to find a woman coming to him and took the guest inside his shop for treatment . He then took out some Bottle from his Almirah and asked the guest to swallow the herbs with water for immediate and on the spot relief. He also started   putting  some unpleasant  questions to the guest and also making some odd gestures . . At this point , Janki Nath  saproo threw aside the Burka . Janki Nath ji suffered from acute diarrhea for some days as  Khan had actually  passed on some herb for Diarrhea.”

 Akhtar Khan would visit Gutli Bagh in Ganderbal on Sundays where some of his relations stayed . He also  supplied  Unani medicines to government  of jammu and kashmir  and  would show these orders  to the crowd.

Next time on some other  person from Badiyar Bala .

( Sudesh Raina )