Bhagat and Puran

Champa’s younger brother arrived from their village in Solan.  He was small built and had a thick head of hair.  He couldn’t speak a word of English.  When he was asked a question he would just click his tongue and shake his head.  Chandra and Champa had asked him to come and help them with Rebecca.  When we first met him,  Tony asked him his name.  When he replied, “May Bhaghat huu,” Tony heard, “Bhaktu.”  As far as the community was concerned, that was his name.  It wasn’t until years later that we discovered it was Bhagat.  He was too shy to tell Tony that he hadn’t heard correctly. 

“My name is Bhagat Pun.  I was born in India, of Nepali descent. I was born in a Hindu family and grew up on a farm.  I did not like waking up early in the mornings and having to go into the fields to water the crops. We were a poor family of eight people. When I was eight-years-old, my brother Amar and I left home and decided to earn our own living.  It was the only way we could buy our school uniforms, pay for tuition and schoolbooks.  We got a job in a bakery and the owner was really good to us.  In payment for our work, he took care of our education.  My parents liked the idea at the time, thinking that it would only be a temporary arrangement. Little did they know, that I would never return to live in the village.  I liked being in the city. My mother would always regret that decision.” 

(Please see Post 102 – Meanwhile, in a Remote Village)

Bhagat was full of smiles and wanted to learn everything he could.  He was naturally gifted in music and it wasn’t long before he was playing the guitar and leading worship with the trainees.  Tony would spend hours with him.  He became like a son to us.  Service was no problem for him.  He knew there was destiny on his life so he didn’t have a problem doing the most menial of tasks.  That destiny was obvious to us all.  He was delightful to have around. 

Champa’s brothers all reminded us of King David.  Each sibling we met had such a heart after God.  They were all multi-gifted and all loved to worship through music.  As they came, one after the other, we were more and more impressed. 

Amar arrived a few months later.  He was energetic and outgoing.  There wasn’t a bit of shyness in him.  He also picked up the guitar like it was a long lost friend. He was playing it in no time.  Him and Bhagat always worshipped like there was no tomorrow.  They learnt English really quickly and were amazing at translating songs into Hindi. 

Bhagat (standing) and Amar

Having these two young boys and others like them in our lives,  energized Tony.  He knew that a big part of his calling was to give everything he had to them.  It wasn’t long before they started to look like Tony replicas in the way they passionately played guitar, sang and led worship.  It was his dream come true.