Two Religious Men

This morning while waiting for my train on a cold bench at Amroha railway station, I observed something strange. A man wearing a white kurta-payjama, having well trimmed clean beard and a skull cap was running towards another man. The other man was sporting a big red tilak on his forehead and a beard. He was walking in front of me towards the other end of the platform wearing knee length saffron dhoti. By their looks it was clear that the first man was a Muslim and the second was a Hindu.

When the Muslim man came closer, I observed he was having a few coins in his hand. The other man wasn't begging but he looked poor, he was probably a saint. He gave a blank expression when the Muslim man stopped him. The Muslim man smiled and offered him the coins. He accepted them and smiled back. I was watching them curiously. Later, both of them moved on to their business.

I felt good after observing this inspirational gesture by a human for another human. I also felt that this is the idea of a true secular country, a Muslim helping a Hindu, and vice versa. I regretted that I couldn't capture that moment on camera.

I also tried to analyze why such a small and normal incident stirred me so much. I realized its because of the communal tension we are facing in India now a days.

Chaiwala And His Curiosity

Few days ago a guy came to my place for delivering tea and parathas on my roommate's order. This thin guy who was about 18 years, got very curious about computers and we discussed several things.

"Bhai jab bhi me aaya hun yahan sab computer chalate rehte hain. Main sochta hun ise chalane se hota kya hai?".

I tried to explain with an example, "Dost, jab plane aasmaan me hota hai wahan raasta pata nahi chalta. Use computer se hi control kartey hain".

He got more confused. I tried one more time. "Mobile me jo game khelte hain vo computer per hi to banate hain".

"Achcha samajh gya". He continued with excitement, "Vo jo mobile me game khelte hain?". I nodded.

He added with  disappointment "Mere paas touch wala phone hota to main aapse game dalwa leta. Vaisa wala mobile haina usme chalega nahi".

I asked, "School jaate ho?".
He replied, "Bhai school to nahi jaata. Tuition padhta tha. Mere paas ek Bengali rehta hai. Vo tuition padhata hai. Bhut mushkil padhai hai uske paas. Jo bhi usse padh leta hai kaamyaab hai."

"Tum kyu nahi padhte?", I asked.

"Bhai time hi nahi milta. Yahan raat me 11 baje tak parathey banata hoon. Uske baad jaake so jaata hun. Kuch dinon me doosri jagah kaam shuru karuga. Phir padhai shuru karunga."

Few days later he again arrived to deliver tea. I had no idea what should I ask him. I do not wanted to make him feel low or disappointed.

While I was still thinking, he asked, "Bhai ye angrezi gaana baj rha hai kya?".

My recent favorite, Adele's "Someone like You" was getting played, so I replied, "Yes".

He looked at the monitor and asked, "Isme video nahi aata?".

I replied, "Aata hai", and played a hindi video song for him. 

Meanwhile, I found the common thing I could discuss with him. I asked, "Namaz padhte ho".

By this question he was not ashamed but he looked guilty. 

He replied, "Nahi aajkal to nahi padhta. Shaytaan bilkul peeche pad gya hai. Jab ghar se aaya tha to roz jaata tha. Ab InshahAllah ghar se aaunga to padhta rahunga".

When he was leaving I told him, "Dost 5 minute lagte hain padh liya karo. Aur humare liye bhi dua kar dia karo". 
He nodded in agreement and left.

The song which was playing:

I live in Jamia Nagar and I am not a terrorist

Its not very often that you read about your locality in a national newspaper unless you live near 10 Janpath. It wasn't about a minister's well publicized visit or an advertisement about a new Mughlai restaurant. Not even just any negative news about petty crimes. What attracted me today was a statement from a veteran leader belonging to a national party, claiming our locality is a terrorist's hub. "Jamia Nagar is a safe house for terrorists", he claimed.

This election season all politicians in India have made all sort of allegations against each other. But Mr Malhotra went a step ahead and blamed a whole community for terrorist activities. Such irresponsible and baseless statement in order to polarize voters on communal lines will only harm his party.

I was shocked to read that such a senior leader thinks like that. Claiming someone to be a terrorist is not a small allegation. This is complete "Identity Crisis" for us, in our own country. Such inflammatory remarks can create social unrest. A criminal case should be registered against him.

This Election season, for most people, it is so simple to choose anybody considering the issues like Development. It is we who also have to face and prove many other things.

Now, you can imagine what made me write this sher in my Ghazal:

Naujavaan hun mujhko behka do, ya dehshatgard keh ke phansa do.
Ilzaam koi sangeen lagao, be-gunaahi ke saboot bhi mita do.

Meri kamzooriyan maloom karo, aur unhi pe mujhko aazma lo.
Sitam se sar na jhukega mera, Zillat se mujhko hara do.

References:

• http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Jamia-Nagar-Batla-House-terrorist-hub-V-K-Malhotra/articleshow/32685459.cms
• http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/congress-aap-slam-malhotra-remarks/

Unpardonable Sins

Photo Credit : mr_bmonroe

Is it reflection of my past,
My unpardonable sins.

Result of what I have done,
Or the deeds of my ancestors.

My mistakes are too many,
Why am I eligible for  big rewards?

What I already have is no less than blessing.
Maybe, I can only think like a human.

Suffering is not the only type of test,
A reward can be a test too.

My creator has his own ways,
Intentional ignorance may lead to punishment.

He don't seek revenge,
Even if we fail to ask for forgiveness after failure.

Why this achievement is not enough?
That he considered me one of those who are testable.

I Want More Social Pressure

Today I am not surprised to realize that I am living my life in a particular way which is very common. This is the way life have to be in my world. This is how everyone lives here in my society. My problem is that I think I am different and I should not live like this. The most obvious and immediate questions are:

• What is wrong living this way?
• What is my way of living, if there is any?

Answers:

1.

Good grades in school. Respecting parents and other elders. A Bachelor’s degree from a well known institution. A well paying job. These are the social expectations till early twenties. Your neighbors and relatives create lot of pressure on children for good grades. They destroy your teenage life by constantly asking about your percentage, admission and later placement.  After you achieve all this. Later they want you to marry a girl of your parents choice. Then you are supposed to keep earning  good amount of money and keep your family happy. Even a slight deviation from this path may attract severe criticism. I am fine till here. But what doesn't matter now a days is how you are bringing that “good amount of money” home. These ideal social characteristics can be relaxed to any extent if you are rich. Is all the pressure I faced since childhood was only for money?  There is no emphasis on being a good human. Everybody even pretends to be religious. Though no religion teaches you to be only rich. No one is ready to sacrifice. All great people were selfless and some even sacrificed their life to teach us. Today even donation is for the sake of showing off.

2.

I haven't developed any new way of living. But I just want to live like what I have read in books since childhood. Our society is full of double standards. I was made to learn so many chapters of moral,social and environmental sciences for scoring good grades. But now when its time to implement those concepts. I can easily follow the opposite path. I don’t feel any social pressure. I am not a superhero nor I am a saint. I still need those relatives and neighbors who should stop me from doing anything wrong and push me for doing good work.

Some more Questions:

• Why some people have to be poor and their life full of problems in society?
• Why not these poor and rich settle among themselves and let middle class people like me live in peace?
• I am not doing anything so why can’t I become a little more selfish and stop even thinking all this?

No Place to Die Peacefully

Death sounds like the end of everything. All thoughts, aspirations, feelings everything. But there is one thing you should not expect even after death. Peace. Especially if you have spent all your life in the middle of chaos in a modern Indian city and you die there.

You must have struggled whole life to find a decent place to live. But you will also need a place to get buried. Some space in a nearby graveyard. And if you think you will get that space easily and will sleep there till the Day of Judgement, you are wrong. Even after death you are not supposed to sleep.

If you live in one of many overpopulated localities in Delhi like Jamia Nagar. Let me tell you that there is just one graveyard which is already full. Whenever a new grave is dug now a days, its found to be already occupied by someone else's bones. So people try at some other place and even there they find bones. Then after repeating several times they find a place with no bones or maybe a place with only few bones which they hide in a corner.

Modern expectations after death:

• So even if you find a place near the boundary of the graveyard. Please expect children, from the locality next to the boundary, playing on your grave. And don't think you can scare them by making strange sounds and pretending to be a ghost from inside your grave. Now a days nobody is scared of ghosts. 

• Please expect loud music because humans are also living nearby. And if you want you can go and dance in their functions too. You can easily mix up with ladies with excessive makeup. Just make sure to take a deep bath in mud(to look similar) if you are lying in grave for more than a decade.

• Please do not mind if people dig your grave every few months and hit your old decaying bones with a hoe or shovel. Actually they are just trying to adjust one more person in the graveyard.

• And please do not get annoyed if people slowly acquire the graveyard land illegally and build their house on the top of your grave. And even I expect you to repair their sewer pipes if they pass through your grave or they are nearby. Come on! You were human once.