DEWAN KHAN

There are so many people, so many memories which
are associated with Dewan Khan at
Badiyar Bala that I wish to shift
your attention to it for the time being.
Some had gained eminence and
fame , some could not( but worth a
mention ) and some achieved it later
in their lives. One such person who
comes to my mind and whom some
of you may be knowing is;

Pushkar Raina who was my uncles, Jawahar's and Tej's friend . They are
in the same age group. I am much
younger to them but as a grown up
boy at that time , my memories are
vivid.
Whenever I would pass through Mr.
Pushkar's house at Ganpatyar ,I would listen the song which he used
to sing almost daily on his harmonium.The song,I remember is,
" Ik Shehanshah ne banva ke hasin
Tajmahal, saari duniya ko mohabbat
kee nishanee dee hai ....". Perhaps
this might have been his favourite
song.
Pushkar sang, danced, did painting,
and acted whenever and where ever
he got a chance to show his talent.
To me he tried to beJack Of All Trades. Some years later I was in
Jammu. We lived in Panjtirthi and I
would go to Sabzi Mandi at Moti
Bazar for buying vegetables and
groceries .

Just outside Sabzi Mandi on Moti
Bazar there was a photo shop by the
name of " Regal Photo Flash " where
I saw his shop full of Pushkar ji's
photographs in different moods and
styles. He had put huge life size cut
outs in and outside his shop. I was
seeing him after a gap of decades.

To me he looked a better version of
The thespian actor, Dilip Kumar !
I thought, Chalo jack of all trades
finally acting kaa master banegaa
aur Badiyar kaa naam roshan karega.

All this time finally he had decided to
become an actor and had gone to
Bombay to try his luck. He looked
like Dilip Kumar Sahab and was fair
complexioned with light brown hair.

After sometime he visited Srinagar
and also met my uncle Tej Krishan.
Incidentally at that time I was with
Tej ji.Pushkar ji looked exhaustedand
slightly dejected. 
When my uncle during their chit chat
enquired about his Bombay experience and his forthcoming
movies, he said, 

" Yaar you should have a God father
to succeed in the film industry. It is
a culture of sycophancy and lobbying
All the time you have to do " Papa ji
Papa ji " and " Paree pe Paree pe " to
the people who matter .Now to gel
well with them I have bought a second hand jeep, I keep the upper
buttons of my shirt open and a pack
of India Kings cigarettes in the upper
pocket.

Yes, I am doing some films. In fact I
have just completed one Kashmiri
Language film also. The problem is
my short stature and poor diction in
Hindi language. I am working on it.
In this Kashmiri language film I am
wearing a Salwar Kameez out fit and
a cap which my role demands but
while shootind a song sequence I felt
that my personality is subdued due to my short height and cap. So on
my own I would take off my cap and
keep it in my hand while singing. At
least yaar let me show my stylish
hair style............"

Time passed by but I did not see any
Pushkar ji's movie .He perhaps could
not make it because of his short
height and poor diction in Hindi
Language.Otherwise he is very hand
some and charismatic. In fact the
same diction problem proved a speed breaker in otherwise talented
actors like Sh. OmkaAima( Sh.Mohan
Aima's brother ).He was hero in first
Kashmiri language talkie made by
Sh.Pran Kishore in 1962( Maenz Raat).Ramanand Sagar gave him so
many opportunities but he could not
come out of his typical Kashmiri
diction. There are others having same issues like Sh.M.K.Raina who
headed N.S.D by virtue of his talent.
A.k.Raina improved his shortcoming
to some extent over a period of time.

After long time I heard that Pushkar
Raina is working as Captain in some
Hotel in Bombay. Later some one
told me that he retired from Hoechst
( Pronounced as Hext ) a pharma Co.
as Area Manager ,Mumbai. I am also
told that he had an affair which didn't
last long and he has married a sindhi
girl with whom he is well settled in
his LokhandWala( Andheri ) flat in
Mumbai. Presenly he deals in gems
and precious/semi precious stones
which he recommends to his clients
as per their Raashi ( zodiac sign ) .

Mr.Pushkar Raina's stint in Bombay
Film Industry reminds me of these
lines by poet , Jan Nissar Akhter,
" Sharam Aati Hai Ki Iss Shehar Mein
Hum Hain Ki Jahaan,
Na Milay Beekh To Laakhon Ka Guzaara He Na Ho "
Jan Nissar had himself been a sufferer in Hindi Cinema World.

I wish Mr. Pushkar good health and
success in whatever he does in his
life. Till next, stay blessed !!

( Sudesh Raina )