My earliest memories of a Sardar is the fierce, mustachioed, bearded watchman in our colony we grew up in. He scared me to death. Especially when he twirled his mustache on purpose to terrify us.
One day, on seeing us kids playing outside the open air theater, he got off his bicycle, muttering, 'Chalaaaa' (chalo) so loudly, we got so frightened, we fled from the scene like an arrow shot from a bow. The boys led from the front, my brave brother included. I felt like my feet were going nowhere, like while running in a dream. In perfect slow motion.
Next was the turbaned, young dentist Mom took me to for the first time ever. He was nice and friendly.
'Always massage your gums at least twice after brushing teeth..for healthy gums and teeth,' his valuable parting shot, something I followed quite religiously till date.
The long haired man opposite our house could be seen drying his hair in his balcony after his bath every day. His wife would soon join him. Tough to make out which one was him!
I watched awestruck as he went back in and reappeared with turban tied perfectly few moments later. Truly a record breaking feat!
Soon anti sikh riots broke out in 1984 and some one told me he chopped off his hair in a terrible hurry to save himself that day.
I remember my Sardarni friend's dad, who came to inform me one afternoon that I and his daughter had been selected for the job we had been interviewed for earlier. She became my closest pal at work. She actually laughed at all my sardarji jokes and prodded me to tell her more.
I realized this is a forbearing community. Imagine the jokes aimed unnecessarily at them!
They also are very generous people, what with their langars..feeding and giving alms to the poor.
Then there was the Sardar in Delhi, who spoke in shuddh Malayalam to my hubby. Believe it or not. It turned out, he spent some time in kerala, where he'd picked up the lingo with ease.
Hubby took some time to get over the shock!
Lastly, I've seen immaculately dressed Sidhuji, with matching turban, laughing at the drop of a hat in all his comedy shows. His laughter's so contagious that sometimes I simply laugh because he's laughing. It's a kind of cute, childlike, guileless laughter, that sends ripples all over the room and encourages the performer to act funnier in his next scene.
Sadly, the person sitting besides Sidhu usually looks so grim. Especially if he happens to be Shekhar Sumanji!
A perfect foil indeed!
