Allahabad :
In the present time, when people are fast losing faith on each other and best of friends forgot each other while negotiating with the challenges of fast moving lifestyle, two friends of the city, Honorary Captain Dharma Deo Singh and Haveldar Paras Rai, are living together, along with their respective families, for the past 50 years, sharing ups and downs of life under the same roof and same kitchen.
If one listens to the story of their friendship, it sounds like a perfect script for a hit film. They belong to different caste, Singh being a Thakur and Rai a Bhumihar. They met in 1960 when Singh arrived at Deoria for getting admitted in class XI. “I met him outside a cinema hall and it was a spontaneous chemistry between us. The same strong bond is also among our children and grandchildren,” said Dharma Deo Singh.
Singh joined Indian Army in 1962. Rai followed his friend after around a decade and that too after Singh persuaded him.
After retiring in July 91, Deo wanted to settle down in his native village but when his elder brother and other relatives showed no interest to support him or his family. It was Paras who supported him and floated the idea of constructing their own a house with a common roof.
The house has a common boundary wall, common entrance and the common inner courtyard. The two half’s of the house are mirror images of every minute things, be it the tiles of kitchen or toilet, utensils, windows, water taps, electric fittings etc. Everything is located exactly at the same location and point as in the other portion of the house.
When a visitor comes, he or is often perplexed on identifying the real parents. “The children respond with the word ‘papa’ or ‘mummy’ irrespective of who had called them,” said Chanda, daughter of Singh.
These friends were born on July 1, 1944, and got retired from the Indian Army in 1991. It is not only the festivals which are celebrated together in this large family, even the marriage cards have the names of both the parents and members of two families.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / August 03rd, 2014