Formative years of an introvert (3):My father’s posting at Buthidaung-Maungdaw (before WW II)

My father married my mother, the sister of a close friend of university days, on 18 December, 1939 at Pyinmana, mother’s home town, which is now part of the new capital of Myanmar. (Later on, this friend married a cousin of my father, which caused other friends to joke that the two exchanged sisters). My father was at the time in his post at Buthidaung-Maungdaw Township, and he went over to Pyinmana to marry my mother. After the traditional marriage ceremony, he took his bride to his posted township of Buthidaung-Maungdaw. As my father and mother related to me much later on, even though the area was British Burma territory, there were many people whom both of them and the indigenous Rakhines of the area called “khaw-taws”(Chittagonians). My mother being a devout traditional Buddhist, was not used to, and very sensitive to seeing any animal, chicken and ducks included, slaughtered, let alone cattle. My father had to try very hard not to let her see such sights on certain days, as was the custom among the “Khaw-taws” to sacrifice cattle on the occasion.

One of the close relatives of my mother was U Pu, whom my mother called Bagyi Pu. In 1939, he became Prime Minister of the country under British colonial rule. My mother was by then have had enough of the sights and sounds (and smells too, I suppose) of Buthidaung-Maungdaw. She traveled to Rangoon (now Yangon) and went up to her Bagyi Pu and requested him to have her husband transferred back to “Burma Proper” as she called central Myanmar. But to her surprise, her Bagyi Pu replied that although he was Prime minister it would not be proper, and didn’t want to interfere in the postings and transfers of the civil service. So my poor mother had to endure it till her husband was transferred again in due course of time. The refusal of Bagyi Pu showed the to-be-commended mindset of those holding public office in those days.