5 Mar 2011

Change

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton Season 2 edition 18; the eighteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.


Change, they say is always for good. But what if the thing you fear the most is the change itself? I always thought that my path is set clear in front of me. But, some contingencies, I forgot to account for. Now, I had two options, either to keep treading the same path or change the path itself. But how could I overcome the fear of change?

*

My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist. No points for guessing that I am a huge fan of Shahrukh bhai. And my life is as filmy as his movies. However, I didn’t come to Mumbai, like many other fans of his, to see him. I was here to create a spectacle for the world to see.

I come from a village, some miles north of Peshawar. I was happy rearing my father’s cattle and my world was limited to that village and the vast grazing terrain around it. How was I to know, that my horizon will soon be broadened and I’ll become a carrier of Allah’s message. Or that’s what they claimed. They, to whom my father sold me to buy some more cattle.

I was sent to a training camp in Azad Kashmir along with two other boys from my village and about a dozen from neighboring ones. It was literally, a crash course to manhood. From there, we were sent to another training camp in Punjab, a more sophisticated one. Finally, after an intensive training of one year, a team of fifteen was formed. Our mission was to reach the shores of Mumbai and recreate the horrors of 2008. However, this time, we were to wait, live amongst the people for some time and carry out the assigned task when called for. In short, we were to form a sleeper cell.

We reached Mumbai safely. It seemed the Indians had learnt nothing from the previous catastrophe. I along with couple of others moved to a kholi in Dharavi where we were to be harbored during our stay here. And within no time, thanks to the training we had obtained, we melted within this subaltern melting pot of Mumbai.

So now, you must be wondering, when are we planning the next 26/11? You’ll get your answers soon. Picture abhi baki hai mere dost!!!


*

I wasn’t a Khan anymore, I became Raj. I had a tough time making a choice between Rahul and Raj but DDLJ made all the difference.

While, I was busy waiting for the final orders, I had no idea that here in India, I’ll also meet my Simran, my P…P…P…Pooja. And, yes that is the contingency that I had never accounted for.

I didn’t meet her on a train or a local, as they call it here, with my hand extended at the door as she came running on the platform. My life is filmy as I said, but not that filmy too. We crossed each other’s path for the first time while I was rushing to join the line outside the public lavatory one early morning. Not an ideal setting for the love at first sight but still kuchh kuchh hota hai… tum nahin samjhoge.

I can’t claim that she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my life. On the contrary, her virtue was her simplicity, the indefinable thing about her that made her look so familiar. It felt as if I had known her all along. I bet, even you must have felt like this about someone at some point of time in your life. If not, then you have missed upon a feeling which has no match.

Pooja stayed just a couple of lanes across and we started meeting in the evenings when I returned from the shop where I worked.

They had told us during our training that if we kept following His path, one day we will experience completeness – the completeness of conviction and purpose. With Pooja around, I could experience the same. It seemed as if she was the missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle of my life.

I used to wonder at nights that how could the passion for Jihad be more essential than this passion of souls? If it was so insignificant, then why did Allah allow such thoughts to enter our mind? Or was it the devil playing games on me? Should I leave her as she is the source behind all this inquisitiveness? How can I be with her when she is a kafir? But how could she be a kafir? Both of us seemed so alike. And what harm had she done to anyone?

Such jihad within my mind kept me awakened for hours.

To ward off these thoughts, I started recollecting the verses from the Holy Book which were incessantly recited to us day and night during those days of training. The things started becoming clearer as such contemplating nights passed.

They used to say that He loves the one who does good, the pure, the righteous, the patient and persevering and also the one who takes up arms to fight in His cause.

But that made me wonder, where is the love for those who have sinned and erred? Where is the love for those who are not like us and don’t share our beliefs? Is their path not righteous just because they choose to follow a different path?

We humans too tend to love those who demonstrate good qualities and are obedient to us. Then what is the difference between Him and us, the mere mortals, if his love is also based on conditions.

I had achieved the Jihad. As Shahrukh bhai would have said, "Pyaar zindagi ki tarah hota hai, Jiska har morr aasan nahi hota, Har raste per khushi nahi milti, Par jab hum zindagi ka saath nahin chorte, To hum pyaar karna kyon chorein!" Other things were of no consequence to me.

They wanted me to become a carrier of Allah’s message. And I decided to become one. So this morning, I gathered my belongings and left the kholi discreetly. I wanted to meet Pooja first but decided against it. I went straight to the police station to surrender and become the whistle blower. As it is, whistle blowing is the new fad.

In my voice, Allah won’t speak of Jihad-e-Asghar, the 'Lesser Jihad' of purifying the world with war and crusade. He shall speak only of Jihad-e-Akbar, the 'Greater Jihad' of cleansing ones soul with love and compassion. Nasrun Minallahi Wa Fathun Qareeb!

*

Sitting here in this cell tonight and thinking about what all has transpired in all these days, I realize that wasn’t it a change itself that made me change my path? Yes, the change of heart nourished by someone’s love. And wasn’t it this change that changed the very message I set out to convey to the world? And wasn’t it this change which gave me the strength to ward off the fears of the eventuality of such a decision?

Change, my friends, is indeed always for good.

***

Reflections for Reference
  • My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist is the defining dialogue of Shahrukh Khan’s (SRK) My name is Khan (2010)
  • Picture abhi baki hai mere dost is the famous line from SRK’s Om Shanti Om (2007) and it means, ‘The movie is still not over, my friend’.
  • Raj is the name of the character played by SRK in DDLJ, the abbreviation for Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayeinge (1995) and Simran is his love interest.
  • Rahul is the name of the character played by SRK in Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai (1998).
  • P…P…P…Pooja is a reference to SRK’s stuttering K..K..K.. Kiran in Darr (1993).
  • Kuchh kuchh hota hai… tum nahin samjhoge is the romantic line from SRK’s Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai (1998) and colloquially it means, 'Something transpires in the heart... You won't understand'.
  • 'Pyaar zindagi ki tarah hota hai...' is SRK’s famous dialogue from Mohabbatein (2000) which means, 'Love is like life, whose every turn isn’t easy, there isn’t happiness on every path, but when we don’t let go of life, then how can we let go of love!'
  • Nasrun Minallahi Wa Fathun Qareeb is an Arabic phrase meaning ‘With the help from Allah, the success is near’ which was rendered by SRK in his movie Chak De India (2007).


In the Image:
An edited poster of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayeinge (1995)

Image Courtesy:
http://wallpapers-desktop-studio.blogspot.com/ (edited)

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19 comments:

Vikas Khair said...

Marshall Bhai .. Vipul Bhai .. Its good to be back and thanks for making sure that the BAT continues.. Very Good post Vipul as expected out of you. May love prevail and all the terrorist and terrorism mix with us leaving path of terror behind.

All the Best for BAT.

Vikas Khair - Change

Blasphemous Aesthete said...

Oh how I wish that every one of them could find his P-P-Pooja or Simran or any other damsel for that matter who would transform them from the wrong to the right, the true path of the Lord. Beautiful post Vipul.

Cheers,
Blasphemous Aesthete

aativas said...

Hope such change happens again and again!

Geeta Singh said...

wonderful post..in favour of change ..good 1!!

Meher said...

For change that is barely heard of, a nice post.

T F Carthick said...

Nice story, Vipul, though honestly not up to your usual standard. Interesting theme chosen amd I like the way you have paid attention to details of islamic words.

And thanks for bringing BAT back. Helped me also come out of the bloggers' block I got into since October. Other similar sites do not inspire me to write like this one.

Rajlakshmi said...

I totally loved the filmy touch... if only such change of heart can be seen in real.
wonderful narration.

MuddassirShah said...

Nice post Marshal,
loved it :)

Aashish Sood said...

A very nice post but at times I felt that there was so much happening at the same time that smtime it became a little bit difficult to follow... liked the corollary with SRK a lot; even though it made it a slightly MNIK style :D

Someone is Special said...

Marshal nice post for change, Sharukh, his movies, the points you made are good.. Smiles, mine is little different but what most people feel in their heart, Change

Someone is Special

the critics said...

nice thought.....lets hope everybody takes on a jihad pf real cause..

BK Chowla, said...

I wish I could say that I was SRK fan.
I haven't any movie of his nor will I ever see one.
But, it was good to read your post again

Lost in thoughts said...

"Dil Se" mixed with "Once upon a Time in Mumbai"....and mixed pretty well.

Siddhesh Kabe said...

bhai kya post mara hai... amazing... i mean seriously amazing...:D

Amropali said...

Any self-respecting Bollywood movie lover would love this post!

=)

(p.s: although are a few song and action sequences missing)

Vipul Grover said...

Hey friends, a biiiiiiiiig sorry for such a late response (and I am sure, no one is gonna retrn to see this apology now but what has to be done, has to be done)

@Vikas.. Yeah buddy, BAT will continue as long as it have dedicated members like you.. Well, this post is filmy, no doubt but indeed the theme is not unrealistic.. Lets hope sch things happen too often

@Blasphemous Aesthete.. Indeed.. and new award should be instituted on par with Ashoka Chakra, for girls who can bring them back on track :p

@Savita.. Amen :)

@Geeta.. Yup, for the motion.. thnx for dropping by :)

@Meher.. This particular change is just symbolic.. the theme is victory of love over hatred.. this love can be in any form :)

@The Fool.. Aah first of all, speaking about BAT, thnx a lot for all the love u keep showering on it :)

And as for the post, I agree too.. a lame filmy theme but then change (or variety) is spice of life.. Actually, it was just a message I wanted to give about jihad-e-akbari that made me write all the other crap to fit it in ;)

Vipul Grover said...

@Rajlakshmi.. I am sure sch change of heart is taking place somewhere at this very moment.. bt then no one is thr to tell tht story :)

@Muddassir.. thnx a lot buddy :)

@Aashish.. Well, tht SRK touch was just to add some new dimension to the otherwise monotonous narration.. Might have made it cluttered.. will keep it in mind in future.. thnx for a genuine feedback :)

@Someone is Special.. Nice post for change??? So you mean to say, otherwise my posts aren't nice :p
Just pulling ur leg, thnx for appreciating :)

@The Critics.. Amen :)
Welcome to this blog and keep critically evaluating my posts ;)

@Chowlaji.. Evn um not a great fan.. the character in the story is :)
Thnx for dropping by and encouraging as always..

@Lost in Thoughts.. haha, all films are mixed up versions of old films :p

@Sid.. I can visualise u gaping in amazement :p

@Amropali.. Haha.. tht comment made my day.. I have lot of songs in my kitty.. if someone picks up this one for making a movie, I'll give the songs too ;)

Unknown said...

Absolutely Loved it!!!!

Vipul Grover said...

Thnx Mohur.. welcome 2 this blog and keep reflecting :)