Days with Dinko

My eldest brother was posted at Nainpore, a small railway district in the Central Provinces ⁵⁷ . I went to spend a holiday during the summer months with Dada and Bowdi; Kido, my niece, was a toddler. Nainpore town I found was surrounded by heavy jungle. The social life of the officers centered round the club where they played tennis, Bridge and held occasional dances. The subordinates ⁵⁸ had their own railway institutes. Dada loved the life as he was a keen shikari and was quite at home in the jungles. My poor sister–in–law, born and bred in Calcutta, had never lived in a station like Nainpore before, and she disliked the life she was forced to live. She thought Nainpore was a deadly hole. There were no shops, no other amusements for the residents. Bowdi missed the cinema, New Market and other shops, and amenities which were a part of city life. She was an enthusiastic football fan and, when in Calcutta, never missed an opportunity of watching any important match — Mohan Bagan vs. Mohammedan Sporting or Mohan Bagan vs. East Bengal.