Doctor Sab passed in his intermediate exam but his marks sheet did not qualify him to join the medical college in Mysore city. He continued and cleared his B.Sc. and became a graduate after two more years.
My father wanted him to try and settle down in government service which he did not like as he wanted to join the medical college which was now possible. The argument continued for sometime when finally our cousin Vakil Sahib (with whom we had gone to Aligarh) prevailed upon my father and Doctor Sab joined the medical college in Mysore which was the only medical college in the State.
Bangarapet was a small town and this became the talk of the town for sometime. In those days studying in Medical or Engineering colleges especially for Muslims was considered to be unusual as it was quite expensive. Every person known to our family rushed to congratulate my father who started counting days for my elder brother to become a doctor. He seemed to be very proud as he saw his dream coming true. He did not speak much about me as my course was only for a diploma not a degree.
I recall whenever a visitor came to our house as a guest he used to mention with pride that his eldest son would soon become a doctor and take care of all the ailing persons in the family besides working in a big hospital.
When someone mentioned about the prospect of his marriage, my father used to smile and declare that it would be a day to remember as it would be better and more glamorous than the day when our sister was married to Mr. Rashid Khan, your grandpa.
He looked very keen to establish a link in a fairly well to do and a noble family to match ours. He brushed aside some suggestions and asked for patience until my brother's education was complete.
Alas! he did not remember a famous saying that: A man proposes and God disposes.
What exactly happened was that while he was in the third or fourth year of his Medical College my brother was introduced to a family who lived in Mysore. The lady of the family was the cousin sister (from the mother's side) of Vakil Sab. He used to be treated like a VIP and was fed with homemade super dishes which he enjoyed compared to the meals he used to have in the hostel.
The family consisted of two sons and a daughter besides the parents themselves. The daughter was young, fair and had attractive features. My brother was cleverly allowed access to meet the girl and become friendly with her. As a result of which the visits became more frequent and his interest toward the girl also increased.
Finally after a couple of months the marriage between the two was arranged in consultation with the girl's grand parents and uncles. No attempt was made to involve Doctor Sab's parents or near relatives, which gave room for a sizable scandal and naturally it spread to all concerned including our parents.
At that time I was working in the Railway and posted in, Lanovla (between Bombay and Poona). One can imagine how deep my father was hurt when he learnt about this accomplished affair, while he was looking forward to a grand marriage celebration with a relationship comparable in status to ours and to match the education standard of Doctor Sab. In those days doctors or engineers among Muslims were a rare commodity and they were much in demand. Comparable I said because the father of the girl did not have much education and was not independent being a Home son-in-law (Ghar damad).
When the news was first broken to my father, I believe through sudden impulse he vowed never to forgive Doctor Sab as he considered it to be a slap on his face for what he had done for him and what he expected. Later as the time passed he seemed to reconcile to the fact when someone reminded him that What is to happen will happen.
Doctor Sab and his wife were allowed to come to our house in Bangarapet when incidentally I also visited on my half yearly routine holiday from work. My mother of course never felt disturbed over this affair from the beginning. I tell you again Akbar, mothers are made of a different metal full of nothing but love towards their children. They accept any action by their sons even if they are rogues.
One good point in this whole affair is that our late Bi Bhawaj adjusted herself well in our family and served Doctor Sab as a dutiful wife until she expired.
A few morals of a selfish decision:
1. Doctor Sab carried a notion that in marriages there should be no consideration of status or wealth. He considered a huge sum of Mehar as un-Islamic. The Mehar in his case was very little and he paid it instantly.
2. It is not right to hurt anyone's feelings, but to hurt the feelings of a parent may amount to a sin. Of course the parents will forgive any misdeeds of their children, but the wounds do not heal quickly or in some cases they never heal.
3. When a sensitive person realizes that he hurt someone by taking a hasty decision he will repent for a long time. But in case of Doctor Sab he made amends for his mistake by performing some noble deeds.