Man pledges memorabilia to fund children's studies

 A jobless diploma engineer in a Himachal Pradesh village has pledged his handwritten British and American constitutions to a businessman to raise money to educate his children.

“I mortgaged my handwritten British and American constitutions to a businessman to fund the education of my two children,” says A B Raajbansh, 52.

He says a handwritten replica of the Bhagavad Gita was also pledged to raise Rs 71,000 in all.

These miniatures were listed in the Limca Book of Records, 2005, for being the smallest booklets. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth had also appreciated his artistic feat.

“For many years I kept the memorabilia close to my heart. Finally, I decided to part with them, and it’s really painful for me,” says Raajbansh, whose village is on the outskirts of Kangra town.

According to the Limca Book of Records, the 111-page booklet, which is 2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, is the replica of the British constitution, it is 0.6 cm thick and weighs 1.78 gm. It was penned over 44 days — starting October 21, 2004.

The 2-cm-long and 1.5-cm-wide 124-page replica of the US constitution is 0.9 cm thick and weighs 2.17 gm. It was written in 70 days starting February 12, 2004.

The Bhagavad Gita, which was written over 100 days in 2003, has 169 pages of 2.2 cm length and 1.7 cm width. It has a thickness of 1.3 cm.

Raajbansh, a part-time employee and the family’s sole breadwinner, says before writing the British constitution he had secured permission from the British authorities.

After writing it, he sent a copy to Queen Elizabeth. A communication from Buckingham Palace to Raajbansh on February 14, 2005 says, “Her Majesty was pleased to learn that you have completed your project and has asked me to thank you.”

Raajbansh, whose eldest daughter is a law student in HP University, is pinning hopes on his children. “When they start earning, I will be in a position to repay the loan and get back my prized creations,” he says.

After failing to get a government job, his temperament helped him pick this talent. “My failures finally turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I got time to develop my unusual innate ability,” he says.

“I modified my fountain pen for writing minutely with comfort,” he adds. “My diploma in mechanical engineering helped me devise the unique pen.”