The Hindu : Gesture to the grandold man

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 20, 2003

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Other States - Rajasthan

Gesture to the grandold man

By Mohammed Iqbal

JAIPUR JUNE 19. The longstanding wish of Habib Mian alias Rahim Khan — who is probably the oldest man in the country — to go for Haj will soon be fulfilled with a British businessman of Indian origin financing his journey to the holy city of Mecca along with his two grandsons.

Habib Mian, who recently celebrated his 133rd birthday, is a living legend of an era stretching well beyond one-and-a-quarter century. He was a clarinet player in the royal band of the erstwhile ruler of Jaipur, Sawai Madho Singh, and retired from the Man Guard platoon in 1938 during the reign of Sawai Man Singh II.

The grandold man still gets pension for his service in the erstwhile Jaipur state, as the Rajasthan Government continued his retirement pay after Independence through State Bank of India. However, his financial condition is poor and he lives with his grandchildren and great grandchildren in a small house in a resettlement colony on the outskirts of Jaipur.

Habib Mian had expressed his desire to go for Haj saying it was the will of God that he was surviving in this age to live with his children of third generation.

A young businessman of Indian origin in Britain, Aijaz Ahmed, has now come forward to help him and sent Rs. 2.7 lakhs to his bank account here to finance the pilgrimage of three persons.

Habib Mian is almost blind and will be needing the help of his two grandchildren during the strenuous journey. His family sources said he was overwhelmed by the gesture of the British businessman and would pray for God's blessings for the young man during the Haj.

The family has started preparations and is applying for Habib Mian's pilgrimage through the State Haj Committee. He is likely to leave for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by one of the special Haj flights from New Delhi next December.

Except for his eyesight, Habib Mian maintains a good health and walks without support. He recounts that when he was 10 years old, Nawab Faiyaz Ali of Aligarh, who had come to Jaipur on the king's invitation, had died. His grave bears the year 1300 of Hijri calendar. The current Hijri year is 1424, which makes him one of the oldest men alive in the world.

Habib Mian's father was a water-carrier in the royal court.

He could not get formal education in a `madrassa' due to poverty, but was taught reading the Quran by a maulvi. It was his ability to play the clarinet which got him a job in the royal band during the rule of Sawai Madho Singh.

An official of the State Bank of India had brought the fact about Habib Mian's age to the notice of mediapersons here a couple of years ago after detecting the year of his retirement in his pension certificates. As a mark of respect for his age, the bank now delivers his pension at his residence every month.

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Gesture to the grandold man