Allah’s Ram – Short Story on Social Issue
Short Story on Social Issue – Allah’s Ram
Photo credit: cohdra from morguefile.com
Up in the western part of Uttar Pradesh lies a small village inhabiting near about 40 families. As other villages of India, this too had the usual ambiance. The atmosphere in the village was serene, a river flowed on the outside borders of the village. Beside the river shore there were orchards of mangoes, guavas and an open field where children usually played kabaddi and cricket. Life in the village has been running on the very normal pace since decades.
The climates of Northern-India are at their extremes and sun casts scorching summer for 8 months. Summers are blistering and winters shiver teeth of north-Indians.
The mixed population of village has drawn diverse sketches on its geography. The village has one mosque, an Eid gaah, a big temple, cemetery and a crematorium on the bank of the flowing river. People here are very candid to each other, they love each other and get along well among themselves. The day begins at 4:30 in the morning when the muezzin Abdullah sahib calls for the namaz from the mosque. Abdullah sahib a septuagenarian who lives behind the mosque has been calling the azaan from past five decades. Post azaan the pandit a.k.a Pandit ji whistles the shank and rings the bell in front of the idols of Sri Ram, Sita and Lakshman.
Being a very small village but having its boundaries very close to a city, the village enjoyed the privileges that other villages are deprived of. The electricity supply is good , hygienic roads with street lamps planted alternatively on either side of the main road. In this small segment of population there also existed class discrimination. Though it was never revealed openly but such kind of feeling existed in the minds. The backward class of sweepers lived alongside of crematorium. Among those sweepers one named Ram Sewak lived, who is very kind and genial towards everyone. Having his roots in such class he was not ignorant. He was educated till High school, knew much about other religions as well. His duty was to sweep the streets of two areas from mosque to the nadi lane. Ram Sewak popularly called as Ram never shirked his duty. He started his sweeping work at 5 every morning from the main gate of the mosque sweeping every lane till the nadi (river). Starting the work with the names of Sri Ram and Shankar always bowed and kissed the threshold of the mosque and never entered it. Not because he never wanted but was prohibited from entering the mosque as per the Muslim custom. The Muslim law forbids the entry of non-namazies into any mosque.
In spite of knowing this law, he always kept his faith in Allah and every morning he bowed and kissed the threshold of the mosque. This customary aspect of life has never changed from last some decades. Summers were going off, continuous rains and the overcast climate cooled off the summers. The chilled air started blowing. Evenings were now chiller, oldies has to wear warm attires to rescue their feeble skeletons against chilling breezes. Climate changes the face of the village, mornings of winters are much more beautiful than any other mornings. The green fields sprayed with the contrast of white fog over, dew drops resting on the blades of grass.
Change in climate effects everything and much effect is on old people. Abdullah sahib got caught by high temperature and due to ill health weakness captured him. After calling the evening azaan Abdullah sahib laid on bed and was unable to move out of bed. Next chilly dawn Abdullah sahib could not turn-up at the mosque for the morning azaan. Ram Sewak as usual went out for his work,as he reached the mosque he found it closed from the main gate and no lights switched on inside. There resided gloominess and isolation in the mosque at that hour when the day starts to fade the darkness of the night. Ram Sewak wondered and enquired a passer by about Abdullah sahib. Passer enlightened him about Abdullah sahib and his weak condition. Worried Ram waited outside the mosque for any person who may call for the azaan but his expectations failed and no one turned up.
Ram knew the fact very well about the azaan in mosque should be called compulsorily every day separately for each different time. After puzzling his mind for a while Ram decided to call the azaan by himself. He hurried to the hand pump planted on other side of the path for the ablution. He could not recite the holy verses that are said while ablution as he has seen many Muslim friends doing ablution he knew the procedure very well. Ram returned to the gate of the mosque and called for the azaan standing on the threshold of the mosque. His heart was pounding in his throat with fear of god that is he doing the right thing? While calling the azaan his voice trembled and words stammered due to the friction of his tongue due to lack of confidence.
The different tone of azaan entered the ears of different people giving them different mixed thoughts. Some moved out from their homes to explore the different voice, on finding Ram Sewak standing on the threshold of mosque ignited their temperament. He was pulled down from the threshold and battered. With the sound of abuses and fists other people also joined the spectacle. Till now only muslims were angry as an untouchable has entered the mosque although he did not but issue was raised to fire. After such high pandemonium Hindus came to know about the episode that raised flints of fire in them. Now they also participated into the brawl against Ram. They stood with the view that azaan has Kalma content in it, whosoever recites kalma becomes a Muslim. Both the communities stood against Ram. He was compelled to leave the village with the immediate effect. This small courteous act of Ram disturbed the harmony of the village which fired up the feeling of religious biasness inside the village forever.
Poor Ram left his ancestral village because others wanted him to. He paid the price for saving the sacredness of god’s place and was forced to become a hermit.
__END__
