The Buckingham Palace, the most prominent edifice highlighting the glory of the British empire, spreads over 8.3 lakh square feet.
The lower-middle class neighbourhood at Beniapukur in central Kolkata, where the family of Badar Azim lives, is probably smaller than the palace where he worked as a footman.
Badar (25), arguably the world’s most recognised palace footman, is reticent about talking to the media, despite journalists waiting outside his modest house for the last few days.
A meeting with the family – father Mohammed Rahim, younger brother Mazhar Karim and an almost imperceptible mother – does not give the picture of despondence. “He did not lose his job as some newspapers have written. His visa expired on July 28, so he had to come back,” said Mazhar (20), who needed to be convinced that the article would not belittle his brother.
The road to Badar’s ancestral house is serpentine until one reaches the mazhar of “Peerbaba.” No one in the neighbourhood had a clue about who rested under the mausoleum. But they knew that it is not only sacred, but also very lucky. In fact, some local women Badar has grown up calling “aunty,” have been offering prayers at the mausoleum regularly.
Mazhar, who have been shielding his elder brother from foreign and Indian reporters ever since the news of Badar’s return spread, said Badar’s high-profile job changed the family’s fortune to a great extent. He has also taken up hospitality management, following in his brother’s footsteps.
Both Mazhar and his father agreed that Badar’s journey from a slum in Kolkata to the Buckingham Palace in London is no less than a fairy tale. For now, Badar is happy to be home.