'Whatever. It is not an ordinary place. We believe it is the birthplace of our lord.
We said, "Give us that site, and we will move the mosque respectfully next door."
But you can't even do that. And we, the majority, can't have that one little request
fulfilled. Parekh-ji is right, what hope does a Hindu have in this country?'
'Oh, so it is Parekh-ji. He taught you all this?' Ali's dad almost smirked.
'He didn't teach us. Our cause is labelled communal, it is not Cool to talk
about it. But because Hindus don't talk, you think they don't feel anything? Why
do you think people listen to Parekh-ji? because somewhere deep down, he
strikes a chord. A common chord of resentment is brewing Mr Naseer, even if it is
not talked about'
A lot of Hindus vote for us, you should know,' Ali's father said.
'But slowly they will see the truth.'
'Son, India is a free country. You have a right to your views. My only advice is
Hinduism is a great religion, but don't get extreme.'
'Hah, don't tell me about being extreme. We know which religion is extreme.'
I wasn't sure if Omi really believed in what he said, or if he was revising lessons
given by Parekh-ji. He never spoke about this to Ish and me, but, somewhere
deep down, did he also feel like Bittoo Mama? If Ish's passion was cricket and my
passion was business, was Omi's passion religion? Or maybe, like most people,
he was confused and trying to find his passion. And unlike us who never took
him seriously, perhaps Parekh-ji gave him a sense of purpose and importance.
'Can we please make a pact to not discuss politics?' Ish pleaded as he signalled
a timeout.
'You still fine with sending your son?' I asked Ali's dad, wondering if he had
changed his mind after Omi's outbursts.
'Don't be silly. We are communicating our differences. That is what is missing
in this country. It's ok, I trust you with my son.' |
We stood up to leave and reached the door, lsh confirmed the practice time - 7
a.m.
'Come, I will walk you boys to the main road. I like to take a walk after dinner,'
Ali's dad said.
We walked out of Ali's house. Omi held his head down, probably feeling
ashamed at having raised his voice. Ali's dad spoke again. 'I am not particularly
fond of my own party'
'Really?' I said when no one said anything.
'Yes, because at one level, they too, like all political parties, spend more time
playing politics than working for the country. Creating differences, taking sides,
causing divides - they know this too well.'
All of us nodded to say goodnight. But Ali's dad was not finished. 'It is like two
customers go to a restaurant and the manager gives them only one plate of food.
And if you want to eat, you must fight the other guy. The two guys get busy
fighting, and some people tell them to make amends and eat half plate each. In
all this, they forget the real issue - why didn't the manager provide-two plates of
food?'
I noticed Ali's dad's face. Behind the beard and the moustache, there was a
wise man somewhere.
'Good point, the fight is created. That is why I am never big on religion or
politics,' I said.
avery
(avery)
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