________________
PARUL AS SEEN BY HER INMATES : SISTER (3)
Kum. Bhavita P. Toliya M.A.
It was an auspicious day of Jain Samvatsari. Parul, with our younger sister Falguni and a sales girl, was looking after our Vardhaman Bharati Chickpet Office.
All of a sudden a group of some seven-eight rowdie-looking youths entered the office with sticks in their hands. They scared them by saying, they should leave the office, since it belonged to them, they claimed. Parul without getting shocked or confused or frightened, could quickly judge the situation and fearlessly, forcefully and resolutely asked the ill-motived entrants to go out and return only when our father was present. The youths did leave the office, but stayed out in the verandah confidentially planning their next course of action. It was Parul's presence of mind that should be admired. Parul took timely decision, immediately locked the office with three usual locks and left for home to trunk call our father who was out of station on his Lecture Tour, and as well as to inform the Police. The waiting youths, taken aback by this quick, unexpected and fearless act of the girls, started joking at the passing girls, but failed in their calculated and planned motive for the time being. Later in the growing darkness and loneliness of the building premises, when all others were absorbed in the yearly contemplation of Samvatsarik Pratikramana in the nearby Jain Temple Upashraya, these so called "Jain“ (?) youths engaged themselves in a great and unique 'contemplation" of breaking open our Office Locks and criminally trespassing. They ransacked the whole Office, looted the goods by taking them away in carts and tempoes till late night and even distorted and teared off the Lord's photoes, paintings and meditative cut-outs !
Parul and all of us came to know about this next morning and lodged a Police Complaint. Our father soon returned, approa
55