The Tree

What I mean by tree is not the green plantation but a 'family tree' to which I was recently introduced by my younger brother still living in our ancestral place - the village, the street, the mohalla and the house. Before that I used to think about my ancestors, my forefathers, about their identities, the names, and their actual relation to me.

When introduced, I visited the site, I was amazed to know about my great grandfathers, grandfathers, uncles and their kith and kins, though remotely I knew they belong to our clan - Rastogi. Its such an amazing experience to know about your ancestors.

Recently I happened to attend the last rites of my deceased aunt at the place. I happened to visit the place after a period of two and a half decades. The memories of my last sojourn along with my father flushed back to me. The house was newly built, a two storey house, extravagantly done in stone and marbles on a grand scale, appropriate to the status of our ancestors at the hands of my dear younger brother who commanded great respect in the area I witnessed on the day of 'shok sabha' attended by saints, religious men and masses known to my deceased aunt, the uncle and now the younger brother.

I held in awe the scene I witnessed that evening and was greatly impressed. We all, near and dear, close relatives and like felt the glory returned to the family which perhaps our grand father commanded then in the beginning of the 20th century, almost a century back. Though the rebuilt houses in the street, our mohalla spoke in volumes about the increasing prosperity and expanding family businesses despite repatriation of a large number of 2nd and 3rd generation people from the place.

Prior to introduction to the family tree, I was wondering as to how our ancestors lived and how prosperous or powerful they were. From the tid bits told by our parents, we could never visualise the vastness and greatness of the family tree. We gathered from the family tree that many a great business houses belong to our family tree i.e from the family of our 2nd grandfather in Delhi and elsewhere.

I am immensely in debt and gratitude to my younger brother for doing a marvelous service to the family by including up to the three generations downwards including the 3 generations upward in the family and I am happy to improve and expand the family tree as best as I can.