Tomorrow is this Ayodhya verdict and everybody is shit scared. I am not too bothered for tomorrow as whatever the decision is, will be challenged in the apex court. But the people who endorse violence will soon regret themselves. Whatever happens tomorrow, no one can change the fact that in India, Hindus and Muslims can not live without each other. Cheek by jowl. I decided to write this blog after I spoke to my mother on phone today.
Last month we had a family trip to North India. We were twenty people mostly women and children. We finished our pilgrimage in Ajmer and arrived to Agra Fort station on 8th August 2010. As soon as we got down from the train a middle aged guy approached us and asked if he could help us in getting a hotel. I understood he was just a thug who wanted to loot us. I told him that I had already booked a nearby hotel. When I mentioned him the name of the hotel he was aghast.
"Saab, ye kya kiya aapne?. The hotel which you have booked is in Hindu area"
"So what?" I asked him back
"Saab, no Muslim ever stays in that hotel. Instead they stay in Taj Gunj, a Muslim area. Also do you know about the Shiv Mela?"
"What’s that?"
"There is a Shiv temple next to this hotel. And today and tomorrow is the Mela. Tens of thousands of devotees gather there chanting and singing with trishuls. It will be so crowded that Auto rickshaws and vehicles are prohibited there. Isn’t it such a risk to take Burkha clad women and children there?" He told as if I had committed a crime.
With some apprehension I called the hotel manager and he agreed that it was all true. He also gave me confidence that nothing untoward should happen but again if I wanted I could cancel the booking. It was already 9 in the night. And since it was a weekend I had doubt if we could get good hotels elsewhere. I called up Bebo. She asked me to cancel the hotel and not take any risk. She also told that my mother (who did her Hujj pilgrimage) wouldn’t like it after a holy pilgrimage in Ajmer.
I had to decide then. I closed my eyes. I could have seen the fear or communal disharmony or a safe exit. Instead I saw two people. Gandhi and Nehru.
"India is democracy. Every Indian has right to stay in any corner of the country as long as he has money" I told my family and decided to shift to the hotel.
Hotel staff did help us in moving our luggage to the hotel and since there was no transportation in the area, we had to walk the 200 meter distance to the hotel. Amidst those many devotees, Sadhus and mostly young boys, with some heartbeats we reached the hotel safely. Sigh.
We still could hear the chants of the devotees outside but rooms were quite comfortable and safe, I thought. My uncle did give me a look saying ‘why the hell we chose this place’. In the morning we checked out and had to walk a kilometer or so to reach the nearby auto rickshaw stand to visit Taj Mahal. Then we caught our train in the evening.
From that day till today I hadn’t asked Mom how she felt about all that. I was bit hesitant thinking what if she reprimands me for taking that risk in Agra.
When I called her today she said she was fed up of non-veg food these days and is longing for vegetarian food. When I asked her when she had her best veg food ever, she thought for a while and said,
"Vo Agra mein hum thehre thhe na hotel mein, I still can’t get over the taste of the simple veg food we had there for the dinner. That dal fry was just amazing. If we happen to go to Agra again, we would stay in the same hotel again beta"
Then there was a big smile on my face. I again closed my eyes. And I again saw two people. Gandhi and Nehru, who gave us this democratic, secular piece of land. Jai Hind !
PS: It's been only serious topics unfortunately. Next blog will be an out and out comedy. I promise.
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