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The sun was relentless in shining down on the largely dried up farm of Faridkot. The kids used it as their cricket ground during summers. The rains were scarce last year and that had affected the entire village, electricity was a blessed on the villagers for a couple of hours during the evening. During those hours the villagers assembled near Salim bhai’s house. He had once gone to Dubai for a few months, bought a T.V for the village. Ajju’s family stayed just besides Salim bhai’s house. Ajju used to play with Salim bhai’s kids, Zaheer and Irfan.
Zaheer and Irfan were more like brothers to him. Ajju’s father; Mohammad Hanif, was unemployed for most of the year. He worked on Salim bhai’s farms after the rains, and that was all he earned during the entire year. Salim bhai was generous enough to make sure that Hanif bhai and family had two meals to eat. Salim bhai had once gifted Ajju a cricket bat; it was Ajju’s favorite bat. Ajju hit his first six with it; he still remembers how he lofted Irfan bhai’s bowl outside the maidan. Every one clapped for him, Ajju felt his heart skip a beat. He liked that feeling.
Ajju and his friends were playing their daily game of cricket. Irfan was always too fast for Ajju but over the years as Ajju grew up he learned to play him, he would hit Irfan for six every now and then, for that special feeling.
“Ajju we don’t need to hit, aaram se khelna” Zaheer shouted to Ajju from the other end of the pitch. Ajju nodded but everybody knew that Ajju will try and hit it, it came naturally to him. Irfan ran in to bowl, Ajju stepped down the pitch and lofted. The ball touched the sun before flying outside the maidan.
Ajju’s eyes were fixed on the trajectory. He wished he could fly like the ball, something told him that one day he would.
Irfan ran in to bowl even faster this time; Ajju lofted him outside the maidan again. The fair Irfan was now red because of the heat and anger. A fielder threw the ball to him. He had now decided what he was going to bowl to Ajju. He ran in and bounced Ajju. The ball hit Ajju on his head, Irfan smirked, and Zaheer threw his bat down and ran towards Ajju who had now collapsed. Zaheer carried him in his arms and ran to the Hakim. He applied a malham to stop the bleeding.
********
“What do you expect me to do?”Hanif bhai shouted at his wife
“I hope you know that all we have to eat is what Salim bhai gives us” he continued
There was a knock at the door. It was Salim bhai’s wife. She had a covered plate in her hand
“I have bought some gosh for Ajju. It will help him feel better” she smiled and walked towards Ajju’s mother. She handed her the plate and walked with her in the kitchen
“I am sorry about what happened, these things happen when children play”
*********
Ajju started working along with his father, it would add to the income of the household. Moreover he had nothing else to do. He couldn’t play cricket. At first he would sit near the maidan and watch other kids play but that was nothing like playing it. So if he had to stop playing it, then he would have to stop watching it.
He would carry the water from the canal to Salim bhai’s farm and water the crops. The canal was also drying up because of the lack of rains, but there was no other source of water. Ajju had once heard that Salim Bhai might stop farming during the summers when the water was scarce. He said he hardly made any money, but he had to feed three extra stomachs instead. Ajju knew this wasn’t a good thing.
*********
At the madrasa, the maulvi told the kids a story
“There was once this poor family, it consisted of a single mother and her kids. She did not earn any money, but she had to feed her children. She did not have the courage to tell her children that there was no food, so what she did was in a huge bowl, she poured in a lot of water. She kept stirring it. Her kids asked her when the food would be ready and she would answer that it would be ready soon She hoped that her kids would sleep soon, till then she would continue stirring the water. Our Khalifa Umar Bin Al Khatab saw this; he went back to his house and bought a huge bag of rice. She cooked the rice and her children did not sleep empty stomach. So the lesson from this story is to have faith in ALLAH. He tests us but will help us in the test. The lady was being tested but she was helped by Allah. It was Allah’s wish that Umar (R.A) help them and he did. So kids have faith in ALLAH, he does everything for our good.”
Ajju knew that this was a test, but he couldn’t see where Allah’s help was coming from. His maulvi had also told him that we must keep praying to Allah and tell him what we want. So Ajju raised his hands towards the heavens after his prayer, and cried. He cried to Allah for help. He did not know why Allah was testing his family, but they needed help. He cried for that help.
*********
Ramadan is a month of blessings. Ajju never understood the meaning of blessing, but his father told him is that Allah sends gifts to everyone from his house.
“Where does Allah stay?”
“He stays above the heavens”
“Are they higher than the sky?”
“Much higher”
Ajju’s mother woke him up early in the morning for sehri. The sehri is the early morning meal Muslims eat just before they start observing their fast. Ajju’s sehri was the leftovers from last night’s iftar.
After their meal Ajju and Hanif bhai did their wadhu (ablution) and left for the mosque. On their way Ajju tapped on Hanif bhai’s hand
“Abbu, I want to drink water”
“Now?” Hanif Bhai asked. Ajju nodded.
“Ok, go rush to our house and drink water before you hear the Azan”
Ajju ran back to his house and had his glass of water. On his way back, he looked high in the sky. There was some kind of noise, a star was moving in the sky. It kept changing it color from red to white. It looked like the blessing his father had told him about. He ran to the mosque shouting
“Allah ki rehmat”
*******
The Faridkot mosque had a visitor during the zuhur (noon) prayer. Maulana Mohammad Tahir was a prominent persona in this region. He had madrasa’s running all over the country. He would listen to kids recite Quran for a few minutes. If he liked it then he would take them to the madrasa and turn them into a Hafiz (A person who remembers the entire Quran by heart). The entire village had assembled outside the mosque to meet him. He loved talking at length about the fazilat (blessings) of Allah. He stayed in the mosque for the two days he was there.
The kids would come to the mosque after the magrib (dusk) prayer. They would carry their Quran and sit in a line, Maulana sahab would call them one and by one and ask them to recite a few verses. He would close his eyes and listen with full attention.
Ajju was also sitting in the mosque. He had seen a few of the Faridkot kids go to the madrasa. They would come once in a month to Faridkot. They carried a lot of gifts for their family. Ajju also wanted to bring gifts for his Abbu and Ammi.
“Ajju, it’s your turn” maulvi sahab announced
Ajju held his Quran close to his heart, and praised the almighty in every step he took towards Maulana Mohammad Tahir. Maulana Mohammad Tahir was sitting in one of the corners of the mosque; a fan was placed in his vicinity to make him feel comfortable. His eyes were closed; he had worn a white turban which went along with his white dishasha (traditional Arabic dress). The Bisht adorning his dishasha was black in colour with golden embroidery. His beard was dyed black and he sported no moustache.
“Tahir sahab, this is Ajju, Hanif Bhai’s son”
Maulana Tahir opened his eyes and greeted the tiny Ajju with a warm smile and a pat on his back
“Ajju, since when have you started the tilawat of the Holy Quran?”
Ajju was nervous, his throat was going dry
“I was small” is all he managed
Maulana Tahir smiled again
“Recite the Holy Quran, I am listening” he said and rested against the corner wall of the mosque. He closed his eyes, ready to absorb and scrutinize every word recited by Ajju from the Quran.
Ajju fumbled with his recitation. He was too scared and nervous to recite properly. There were kids who had better pronunciation, a sweeter voice and recited the Quran better than what Ajju did. He was rejected. *******
Maulana Tahir had arranged for a bus for all the selected kids. A bus was arranged for them to be taken to the madrasa where they would be turned into pious Muslims. Ajju sat on the porch of the mosque staring at the bus. He wanted to be one of those special kids who would go to the magical land away from Faridkot. Maulana Tahir’s madrasa was Ajju’s escape from the dry canals of Faridkot, the bullies in the maidan. It was a step closer to “Allah ki rehmat”.
Ajju did not take his eyes off the bus door. The lure of the magical land was too good to resist for Ajju and he slid under the back seat of the bus after the Fajar (morning) prayer. The dark below did not scare Ajju anymore; after all he was on his way to meet his destiny.
Ajju is still unsure what his life would have been had he not boarded the bus, had he not met the man he fondly calls “Sheikh”.
*******
“Sir, we have arranged for a car of your choice” Avinash said wearing his customary smile
“And will you be able to set up my office here by evening?” Sameer asked
“It will be ready sir”
Sameer nodded approvingly
“Anything else I can do for you Mr. Marathe?”
“No, that will be all”
“Very well then...”
“Oh I have one more thing to ask” Sameer interrupted “I would like to have a traditional meal tonight”
“Will be done sir” Avinash
Sameer smiled approvingly and Avinash left for his office. Sameer Marathe was one of the important guests in the hotel and Avinash always makes sure to take special care of the guests.
Sameer made his way towards the exit. Every morning is a moment of realization for Sameer. He knows he has come a long way. From a small farmer family to a political player who people want on their side, yes he has come a long way.
What made Sameer different was the fact that on his way he never picked up unnecessary superstitions or beliefs. He looked like a person with a lot of self belief, someone who doesn’t rely on pleasing the supernatural to get his work done. Sameer’s belief in the almighty had thus over a period of time started bordering on the lines of atheism.
The black Maybach was waiting for him at the exit of the hotel. Even before he put his foot on the last step of the descending stair case, the chauffer had opened the door for Sameer. Sameer made his way into the Maybach and they were good to go.
Sameer had come to the city for an “arm twist”. The state was plagued by a lot of political parties and coalition politics was the need of the state. In coalition politics it was important for every small player to make sure that he made his existence known. That is what Sameer Marathe was here for.
The leading party headquarters were at an hour’s drive from the hotel. Sameer always enjoyed these drives. He loved the hustle and bustle of the city unlike his town which loved to move in its own pace. The people were different here. Their lives are so compact that they do not have time to express themselves. Their moment of introspection was always at the two minute signal on their way to work, school or college. If an old man was thinking about the neglect he faces at home every day, the teenage girl was thinking about the boy who sits ahead of her in the class. If the young lady was finding everything about her new marriage beautiful, the nursery going boy was crying because his mother was not around. There was no such thing as private space in the big cities, the city people could never focus on one thing and that is why Sameer was here, where he is today. Sameer would always be focused on the small issues of his town while his counterparts in the city had so much on their hands that they eventually forget what issues won them the elections. They had to take a lot of credit from the bank of favours on the other hand Sameer’s account in the same bank was in surplus. He hardly had much to worry about.
*******
It was sheikh’s order and Ajju had learned to obey it. A big car is not difficult to miss, even if it is in a rich city. Ajmal’s trained eyes would not let the black car out of his sight.
“He loves the black colour” Ajju was told. The colour considered being the colour of class by the rich, but in his world it was the colour for stealth. Something told him that the man in the black car was a bit of both.
Security would have been stronger had they heard noises, but Ajju doesn’t make noises. He listens; he obeys and returns to his master, his Sheikh
*******
Sameer’s phone beeped. It was his secretary who was waiting for him at the headquarters.
“Marathe sahab, where are you? People are waiting for you here”
“I wanted just that” he replied with a smile.
“If you make them wait any longer, Mr Sharma will leave the office”
“Then tell him that he has a lunch planned with me this afternoon”
“But there isn’t!”
“I am sure there is”
*******
Sameer Marathe’s car was waiting outside the party headquarters. Shri Ram Manohar Sharma saw the car and knew that it was his. Sameer Marathe would always play with his own set of rules, and would never change them.
He made his way to Sameer Marathe’s car, leaving his body guards behind. The conversation is always discreet, that’s the way this side of the world works. Sharma opened the door and made his way inside the car.
“So where are we heading for lunch?” Sameer asked
“No where I have another party meeting to attend”
Sameer smiled “I know and I figure you want to be there in a hurry otherwise you might miss the chance with the new actress”
“What in the earth does that mean?”
“I am sure you know more about that than I do”
“Listen I don’t have time for this non sense, tell me why you are here?”
Sameer poured a glass of whisky for Ram Manohar.
“You know very well why I am here. I want the land”
Ram Manohar was exasperated
“You know why I can’t give you the land”
“Because some adhivasis think that the land is sacred? I don’t buy that”
“Well you will have to because even I believe in the holiness of the land”
Sameer poured another one for himself
“I guess then you will have to part with your holy land”
“Don’t you have any morals?”
Sameer continued sipping his whisky
“Aren’t you scared of god?”
The smile returned to his face “I don’t believe in god”
*******
Ajju knew that the right time was approaching, as soon as the person who just entered the car would leave the man in the car wouldn’t have anything else to do and that was the right time. His bag had the ammunition he needed. It was only a matter of time.
*******
Sameer had twisted the right arms. The city people had come to an agreement with him. The land wouldn’t be transferred on his name but in the name of a company. All it needed was an office and a name and Sameer would know how to cover up the roots which trace back to him. It was part of his business.
Sameer started making his way back to the hotel. Tonight he would celebrate before leaving for his town.
His car stopped at the red light. The right door opened and a man jumped in. Sameer tried to reach for his gun but the man held his arm behind his back and placed a piece of cloth on his mouth. It was hazy initially and then darkness settled in.
*******
Sameer was woken up with a splash of water on his face. He slowly opened his eyes, he was unsure where he was, was he even alive? He was tied to a chair with his hands on his back. The room was dark and old. The floor was layered in soil and mud. The walls had taken a lot of beating over the years, the holes in the walls told a story of their own. Behind him was a small table which had rusted over the years. An idol of lord ganesha was placed on it.
He heard footsteps approaching the door. The door opened and the man walked in
“Who are you?” Sameer shouted
The man did not respond. He made his way to the other side of the room, towards the wall Sameer was facing. There was a window; he slowly wiped out the mud from the window panes. The room now had more light.
“I think now we can talk” Ajju said as he walked towards Sameer
“Who are you? What do you want?”
Ajju sat in front of Sameer, on the muddy floor.
“Why don’t you talk? What do you want?”
“I think I need some silence to gather my thoughts, and you are not giving me that. I would appreciate your silence”
Ajju slowly took a cigarette out of his pocket. He placed in between his lips and tried to light it.
“I don’t know how to smoke, I am sure you know how to, do you?”
Sameer did not reply
“I don’t think this conversation is going anywhere if you don’t answer my question”
Sameer nodded.
“So you know how to smoke” Ajju pushed himself towards Sameer and stood on his knees. He pushed the cigarette in Sameer’s mouth and drew the lighter towards him. Sameer took a few drags of the cigarette to light it. Ajju pulled it outside his mouth.
“So this is how you light it?” and took a drag. Ajju started coughing.
He got up and pulled Sameer’s hair
“Why do you people smoke? Tell me why do you people smoke” he said shouting even more louder
“I don’t know” Sameer started crying “I don’t know why people smoke, I don’t know who you are and I don’t know why you are doing this, I don’t know”
“Then let me tell you” Ajju pushed Sameer. Sameer fell of the chair on his back. Ajju threw the cigarette on the floor and stepped on it, crushing it and put it off.
“I am here to do this”
“Why?” Sameer was even more scared “What did I ever do to you?”
“The decision to smoke was mine and to put off the cigarette was also mine. So is this.”
Ajju took a gun outside his pocket and aimed it at Sameer. He shot the rope which held Sameer’s hands together. Sameer’s hands were free. He got up facing the table behind him; he stumbled and could only grab the ganesha on the table. The second bullet hit Sameer; his eyes were fixed on Ganesha.
He prayed.
*******
The bus reminded him of his first journey. The journey began many years ago. He thought it would take him to a magical world but instead what he saw was the real world. Hatred and Power ruled the real world.
After the rude shock he realized what he was here for. His sheikh told him that everyone on the earth comes with a purpose. Ajju’s purpose was difficult and trying but he will have to fulfil it.
“You will have to wear many masks, sometimes the mask of an angel and at times the mask of a devil”
“O sheikh, you told me that everything in this world can be won by the good. Then why wear the mask of a devil.”
Sheikh had expected Ajju to ask the question
“Ajmal, you are still very young. That is why you ask these questions. Sometimes it is necessary to reach the destination and not think about the road. It will be these roads you will tread wearing the mask of the devil”
“How different is acting evil from being evil?”
“Like that of salt and sugar. They might look the same but are they?”
The sound of the brakes stopped Ajju from thinking. A small kid entered the bus with the newspapers while the bus was at a halt. He paid the kid for the newspaper and started reading it but his mind wandered back to many years ago.
“Why should I use violence as my weapon?”
“My son, everything is a weapon in this world. It depends on you, use it judiciously. You are the man of god and your job is to show others the way”
A newspaper report caught his eye.
“My son Ajmal, you show them the path to the almighty, you give them the gift of faith”
The headline said “The story of Sameer Marathe: His return to Faith”
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Footnotes:
I think this will be one of the longer posts of Blog-a-ton. Now that you are reading this I assume that you have read it ( Phew!!)...do let me know what you think about it.
There was no response from Nida for a while. 
