My latest facebok status, "April was a beautiful month..I saw lots of new things..something I explored some things explored me.. I lost... I found....suffocating happiness and smiling pain..", drew 11 'likes' and a few queries, some of them claimed to understand what I meant some even gave me a buzz to know what does that status mean. sometime I avoided their questions but sometime I tried to explain my mental state. In fact, the time you compose something and when you explain the very thing the meaning of your own words change! your own mind changes and start interpreting the things differently. Now I am trying to explain the things and hoping that you will read in between the lines and understand the correct state of my mind. Certainly I will not tell everything very clear since I have to give myself an alternate path/emergency exit which will keep me politically correct!
This April I got an opportunity to visit Kuala Lumpur to present a paper in an International Seminar with my colleagues and my supervisor. It was really a wonderful experience except the conference part. 'Serious scholars' might think that why I am excluding the conference part, the answer for them is that almost everyone was interested in his own paper and perhaps preferred not to interfere in other's territory unlike our academic tradition, which of course is litmus test of our academic intelligence! I started my paper which was scheduled at number one in First session with great enthusiasm with my shaky voice. I was talking on "Piety and Endowment before 'welfare state': A Study of waqf in North India", I had tried to make it a topic which was relevant for 'Islamic East' but despite of counting on many controversial aspect, in India, these could have been self-immolating words such as 'welfare state', 'Islam--a driving force for social welfare' and 'waqf and Muslim identity' and yeah conservation of buildings before inception of Archaeological Survey of India etc. etc. I failed to draw a single question! All right let it be. After my paper I and my friends thought of exploring the city (Kuala Lumpur). We were staying at uphills, Persiaran Duta, Taman Duta near Indian High Commission. It was really difficult to go down without a vehicle and for that either call a taxi (taksi, in Malay) or take a lift to go down and since we were five in total so we always needed two taxis. The very first day, we din't have much ringgits (Malaya money) so we decided to get our dollars converted to ringgits. I was sent down with a security personal posted in the campus to hire a taxi so that the rest can come together on the taxi. I tried to find a taxi which was becoming really hard nut to crack. The pre-paid taxi booth started demanding 28 ringgits for to and fro which was too much..! At last I found a taxi on road who was ready to down his meters! When I reached uphills to get my friends after an hour or so there all my friends were under state of panic that I got lost somewhere. Somehow we reached Masjid India, but it was late at night and we could not get our dollars exchanged. Though we purchased a mobile SIM and came back home. Next morning we called taxi at our place and we divided ourselves into two groups and then reached SOGO mall. In my hurry of getting off the taxi to stop his fast moving meter (which kept moving every 20 second even if the car is not moving), I left my camera in the taxi. I was sad. We came back in the evening losing all hopes to find the camera. Only Priyank kept consoling me that the taxi driver can return my camera. Her sympathetic statement had in fact consoled me completely. A wonder was waiting for me! We had reached the venue of our formal dinner. One Mr. Osman from Nigeria said something into Professor Jafri's ear, he, in turn, called me and asked me to go out and meet someone. To my surprise I saw the taxi driver who was holding my camera in his hand and as soon as I reached near him he showed me my pictures and told me that he recognized me seeing my pictures in the camera and came back to the venue to inquire about me. I took out a 50 ringgit note from my purse (it was too much for me..almost INR 900) and tried to tip him, as we Indians think proper but soon he told me, 'I din't take your camera because things which are not earned by me are haram (forbidden in Islam)' and this money is haram as well', I was really very happy to find my camera again ! the happiness was not only for getting back what I had lost it was the way the driver returned it.. I could have never imagined this in India..I hugged him and congratulated him and said that "It is you, who have made this country Truly Asia" I can never forget this!
This lost and found experience was about learning and having believe in Asian morality, one might say that it is a 'constructed morality', may be he is right! but what is the harm if we build such a beautiful morality which can be an identity with difference!!? In my 'Incredible India' this is beyond any one's imagination!
We returned back on 23rd night. Till 24th everything was alright. The day 25th was very auspicious for marriages three of my friends got married on the very day! I attended none of the marriages. Now I have become almost friendless... :(
0 comments:
Post a Comment