Camel Ride at Pushkar

Our two day trip to Ajmer packed a lot of things in short time. First day, we went to Ajmer Sharif Dargah, then to Sarwar Sharif, which is 75 kms from Ajmer city. It was one n half hour non stop ride on a straight, clear road. Sarwar Sharif houses the dargah of 'Khwaja Fakhruddin Chisty', a companion and 'peer' brother of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisty (Khwaja Garib Nawaaz). We halted for an hour and returned back to Ajmer in same time.

Next day we went to Pushkar and covered a few places in Ajmer itself like 'Soniji ki Nasiya' (it has a wonderful huge gold model of the Jain concept of Universe, you need to see it to believe it), Akbar Fort cum Museum and Ana Sagar Lake. I felt that the Museum charges of Rs 5 per person (Indian) and Rs 10 (for foreign tourist) was very less for of the place.

Pushkar houses the Pushkar lake, which is considered sacred to Hindus. It is usually crowded during the Pushkar Fair. We found a lot of partiality towards European tourists there. 40 feet from lake footwear is not allowed. But, we saw 3 pretty European girls venture close to the lake with their footwear on, without objection. When we near the same point where the girls were (away from the marble side from where people actually take a dip), we heard someone shouting from far, 'chappal upar, chappal upar'. But the girls continued to flaut the discipline laid down there.

The small town around the lake, was kinda sweet and peaceful. There were beautiful traditional artifacts. The market mostly caters to the European tourists, hence has many clothes and designs to suit their tastes. Though I was warned that Pushkar can be very expensive, I found it quite reasonable, wherever I checked. The highlight of our Pushkar trip was the 'Camel ride'. Though the camel owners were insisting for Rs 200 for a 2 hour ride, we wanted to have a short ride just for fun and experience, so we bargained at a lesser rate for half hour journey. I was skeptical how the camel ride would be. Then I thought to myself - 'This is the ride of our dear Prophet Muhammed SAS' and suddenly I was keen on sitting. The owner guided us saying that we should keep our body balance backwards as the camel gets up. With those instructions I managed the ride and the bumps while climbing uneven land. I had this feeling that I was way back in time in the land of Arabia and riding through the land there. Thoroughly enjoyed the ride and the small halts the camels used to take to relish the 'greens' on the ground.

The two days at Ajmer-Pushkar were memorable, Alhamdulillah.

Lost and.... found ?

I'd gone to Ajmer for a couple of days. We (me and my brothers) went by 9.40 pm Aravalli Express from Borivali on Saturday (31st July). This train reaches Ajmer at 4.40 pm next day. On our return journey, we came by the super-fast Jaipur Bandra Express, which leaves Ajmer at 8.30 pm and is supposed to reach Mumbai at 1.30 pm next day. Of course, the 'supposed to' remained a supposition only as next day early morning, we were told by the chai-wala who got in at some station at 7.30 am, that the train was running an hour late.

As our seats were confirmed at the last moment, they were scattered. I was to occupy the side seat (bottom berth) diagonally opposite to the compartment where my brothers were. They were allotted upper and middle berths opposite to each other in the one compartment. Our bags were pushed beneath the seats as we occupied our positions in the train. This train has two major halts, from where people were to board the trains at later stations at a later time. A major halt was at 1.30 am in the night too!

As majority of the travellers slept and even switched off the lights and drew the privacy curtains, the people coming in later, were clueless where to sleep and were pulling the curtains to check the seat numbers. People were adding more luggage, adjusting their own, while the earlier commuters slept. One passenger was to board our compartment too at 1.30 am, and we saw him in the morning!

Several people got down at Surat at 11.15 am next day, including two (mother-son) from our compartment, where our luggage was neatly tucked beneath the seat. The man who boarded the train at 1.30 am had two big baggages tucked beneath the seats where our luggage was! His family was in some other compartment. After he brushed his teeth, he moved in with his family. When the Surat duo got off with a lot of luggage, which included severals bags beneath one entire seat, a big box between two seats and a few bags here and there, I had a slight doubt where my bag was! I told my brother. He though I was joking, and shrugged it off in true brother-sister tuff style! And anyways, in a First Class AC compartment, one rarely comes across people with malafide intentions. As most people got off, we had also moved into one compartment and sat together. Because of non-stop rain from Rajasthan and dull and dark weather, we were bored major part of the journey.

The train was to reach Borivali at 2.30 pm (4th Aug). At around 1.50 pm , we started assembling our bags and preparing to get off at Borivali. It is then that I realised that my black trolley bag was missing! Again my older brother pacified me saying it might be behind the luggage of the man who got in past mid night! My younger checked behind that too and finally confirmed that the bag was missing ! My heart sank. It had my clothes, and some traditional stuff I'd picked from Ajmer and Pushkar for friends and family. It also had some personal things and cosmetics. Plus it had tucked between a 'janamaaz' (again picked from Ajmer Sharif), a special Arabic to English pocket sized Quran gifted to me by a colleague. Now this is a special possession, as I checked and found out that it is rare and a Saudi Arabia publication, not easily found locally.

I was angry at my brother for not taking my words earlier in the day seriously. We re-checked all the places including the top berths again. Again, same result - 'bag not found'! I called my Dad to inform him. He told us to check the surrounding compartments in the same coach. We did that. No result. In fact, when we started asking people around, some even got defensive. I called my brother-in-law for his advice. He told us to look out for TC or railway police and inform them of the theft first. Meanwhile both my brothers were checking under other seats in the coach. The man of husband-wife-baby family sitting on the side seat of our compartment, told us that only one group had vacated the compartment since morning. The mother-son at Surat. But hearing that I gave up hope that the bag would ever be found. He suggested that we take the PNR number and names of them and later trace their numbers through railway and check if they'd picked my bag by mistake. Knowing how little time one had once back to Mumbai routine life, I had little hope. Also, following up with people of Surat only on a hunch, was useless. My Dad suggested that even if we don't find the bag, it was better to inform authorities at Borivali station of such occurences so that if these are frequent on the route it could be highlighted (and action taken).

In life, I've learnt to mentally calm myself as I've learnt to cope with losses and shattered dreams. Only this time it was material, so I thought, what's the big deal anyways. Only I didn't want the Quran and another religious book inside the bag to be disrespected by anyone. Also, a few things taken for others, meant something to me. Losing 'my' things meant they could be replaced. Thinking of all these things, I prepared to get off at Borivali which was only a few mins away. Even the PNR number of the Surat duo was collected. The TC remarked that such instances were unheard of in upper class compartments. When I reflected back, the Surat duo had also taken their luggage in front of my eyes. I would have noticed my bag being taken away, if at all. But I couldn't recollect anything. I was irrirated at the person, who'd tucked his bags over our luggage and was nicely sitting 4 compartments away with his family. We'd questioned him also in the beginning and checked through their bags, but he said he hadn't moved any bags! In fact, there was a mini chaos in the entire coach as people came to know of the incident. Most of the people were going to get off at Bandra (the final destination of train). I also wondered if in the night as the train halted at places, some outsider might have pulled the bag away, seeing people in deep sleep.

Finally, Borivali came and we prepared to get off. Again as we passed the 'bohra' family (the ones who'd got in at 1.30 am), my older brother asked them to contact us in case anything was found anywhere. Now the man really took offense, thinking we were doubting him. We got off at Borivali station with the remaining baggage and waited. My brother went back in the train to give his mobile number to the passengers going further so that they could contact him in case they found anything. Though no such luck seemed possible, as we had checked most places. After a 10 min halt, the train started to move. And my brother was seen coming back..... with my black bag! It was like magic. Almost as in the movies, when the hero finally emerges through a foggy background..... I asked him how and where he found it. He said as he got in the train to give his contact details, the man from the Bohra family pointed to a bag lying in a corner, almost near the last compartment near the door (4 away from where we were seated!), and asked him, 'Is that bag yours?' When my brother saw it, he realised, it was !

I immediately called my Dad. I told him that my bag was found. His words began to fumble, his voice was trembling and he was almost in tears as I could sense from his voice! I asked him why he was crying. He said, "Your Mom just said that since we were returning from the house of Khwaja Gareeb Nawaz, such a thing can never happen! And no sooner did she complete the sentence, you called to say that your bag was found!" This entire realisation, also made me emotional. Such miracles I'd heard of, but experienced for the first time. We said, 'Shukran Allah, Alhamdullilah' and proceeded towards home....

Case of the Missing Cushion

Last Saturday, on my way back home from office, I noticed one entire seat in Ladies First Class compartment empty. I wondered why, as I got in. And when I did, I got the answer. The cushions were missing. The seat had been cut open with a sharp object from the middle and the cushion had been pulled out. The ripped open rexine was then covered over it from both sides. As it was raining outside and some seats were messy with rain water, this seat was totally avoided as water had collected in the folded parts of the rexine. Later on as the crowd started pouring in, someone suggested cleaning the seat and making place to sit. A few ladies, who were already wet, decided to forget hygiene, and preferred to sit through the long journey!

In Mumbai, it is not uncommon to see parts of public infrastructure being robbed / flicked for making fast bucks. Earlier the swanky dustbins, introduced a few years back on Mumbai roads, were robbed. Later on they were anyways discontinued after the train blasts and the Taj Hotel sabotage, for safety reasons. Then, when the ticket punching machines were introduced, we had street urchins to beggers to drug addicts, feeding the machine with papers and cards just to have it punched with 'something'. This something was of course the ticket validating time and station codes. When genuine people punched their tickets, the ink was barely visible, cutting a sorry picture in front of ticket checkers!

One of my previous posts, had pictures and stories of two missing seats from Ladies First Class compartment alongwith with cushion and rexine and the supporting plank below. Long back I've seen a couple of autorickshaw seats with railway logos while travelling in an auto. I wonder whether only the rexine part of the seat was ripped apart for it or the entire seat was flicked to make a luxurious seat for the autorickshaw !

Now as we slowly intent to convert Mumbai into a Shanghai-like city and have the Metro soon to be launched, I wonder how many more such luxury items (for which the working class is heavily taxed at source) will go missing ! God bless Mumbai and its citizens. Especially the train travellers!

What is Righteousness ?

Many people wonder what is righteousness and come up with their own conceptions. But why should we live on conceptions when Quran clearly defines what is expected of a true Muslim ?

We all have become very mean people in this world. We have forgotten the teachings of Quran and Hadeeth. We try to twist religion to suit us. In fact, when you actually start reading the Quran with meaning, every little doubt is cleared with ease. Nothing in the Quran is not followable in today's world. The message is universal and for all times. But we follow what suits us and what we are already following. And we discard which does not suit us. In fact, at all times, our endeavour should be to learn, grow and correct where were wrong till now.

Coming back to point and main question - What is Righteousness ?

According to Surah Al- Baqarah (Verse No 177) :
''Righteousness is not that you turn your faces towards the east or the west, but (true) righteousness is (in) one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask (for help), and for freeing slaves ; (and who) establishes prayer and gives zakat; (those who) fulfill their promise when they promise; and (those who) are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.''

This is word to word from Quran. In this short verse Allah says everything that HE expects from humans in conduct.

May Allah guide us all on the right path.

Maula Ya Salli Wa Sallim

Mashallah ! Needs no comments..... I love this naat.

Shab-e-Baraat (The night of Accountability / Salvation)

Hadith :
From Hazrat Ala ibne Haris (R), Hazrat Ayesha Rad says, “Once Rasulullah SallallahuAlaiyhiwa Sallam stood for Salat at night and he stayed in Sajdah for such a long time that I thought he had passed away. I then woke up and shook his thumb. His thumb shook. He got up from Sajdah and completed his Salat and told me,“O `A’ishah (or O Humaira [as he would call her]), have you thought that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not give you your right?” I said, “No, by Allah, Allah’s Messenger. But when you stayed prostrating so long, I thought you had passed away.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then said, “Do you know what night this is?” I said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “This is the 15th night of Sha`ban. Almighty Allah turns towards His servants on the 15th of Sha`ban and forgives those who ask for His forgiveness, grants mercy to those who ask for it, and delays (punishing or bringing to account) the evil people.”
Shuabul Iman, Baihaqi 3/382 – 368

Another Hadith :

Mu-az Ibne Jabal (RA) quot es Rasulullah SallallahuAlaiyhiwaSallam: “Allah Ta’la looks on to His creation at the half of Shaban, and without ‘mushrik’ (who make partners wit h Allah Taala and jealous people – He forgives all.” (Shahih Ibne Hibban)

Ibn Majah also reported with a weak chain of reporters on the authority of `Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
''After sunset on the night of Middle of Sha`ban, Allah in His great mercy and kindness turns towards His creation and asks, "Is there anyone who would seek My forgiveness and I forgive him (or her)? Is there anyone who is in need to ask Me and I provide for his (or her) needs. Is there anyone who is in pain and seeks My help and I help him (or her)? Is there…? Is there…?” until the time of Dawn."

Shab-e- Baraat is observed on the night of 15th of Shabaan (15 days prior to Ramzan). As Muslims worldwide, calculate the beginning of a new day from sunset, Shab-e-Baraat this year is on the night of 27th July, 2010.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is said to have recommended prayers during this night and fasting during the following day.

It reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit the Muslim cemetery on this evening and he used to pray for the deceased Muslims.

It is also believed that the all the events, deaths, 'rizq' for the coming year (till next Shab e baraat) is accorded on this night.

To avail full benefit of the night, one has to offer Nifil namaaz throughout the night, recite the Quran, ask for forgiveness, offer supplication (dua). Some formats of Nifil namaaz are circulated these days. Though the formats do not appear in Quran / Hadeeth, they are recommended as they include duas and verses from Quran, which will be beneficial for all of us.

May Allah guide us and show us the right path

Note : The attached video was made in previous Shabaan, hence the timings and venue mentioned towards the end may be ignored

Tere Bin Laden

Seen a movie after a long long time. Last one I saw in Feb 2010 with my family - 'My Name is Khan'. After that none interested me enough to go and watch. Sunday I was totally down -with stress, hectic life and dull health. Since all were at home for the weekend, my sister suggested we watch 'Tere Bin Laden' as the reviews were good. Though I wasn't keen, she suggested it would cheer me up as from the recent stress of my life. I'd seen some funny promos and it was a short movie after all and at a cinema hall 10 mins walk from our house. Also, offbeat cinema by new film-makers are good food for thought, so the deal seemed fair enough. I said 'yes' and decided to be part of the gang.

I didn't regret the decision to watch the movie. The entire movie was interesting as the name. We laughed right from the first frame to the last. It was one helluva crazy movie! My sister put Archana Puran Singh to shame with her non-stop laughter. The film storyline is set in Pakistan, though the shooting took place in India only. It is about a young Pakistani journalist, Ali Zafar (the good looking singer from Pak) who dreams of going to America (USA). And the amount of tricks he does to get there. The first frame begins with a cover story on the first flight going to USA from Pakistan after the 9/11. There is only one Pakistani (Ali) in the all American passenger list (including the cabin crew). Everyone gives him a strange n suspicious look. To make matters worse, the air hostess drops a butter knife and apna Ali gets up in hero-style to return it back to her! Holding up the butter knife, he moves behind the air hostess telling her that she dropped something down and flashes the butter knife! That's it ! The air hostess yells and all hell breaks loose! Ali is taken into custody and questioned and news is twisted and flashed everywhere..... That's how the film opens!

Like the first scene, every scene is crazy but with a lot of message. The Bin Laden in the movie is a fake Osama look-alike set up for earning big bucks, to go to America! The casting, accent, scenes, everything is done with a lot of care to create a Pakistani feel. And all this with an all Indian cast and locations. Only Ali Zafar is the Pakistani actor in the movie. The film is funny as well as satirical. It speaks volumes of US policies, the reality behind the actual 'breaking' news we see on television and has lot of anti-Bush'ism' ! The character of Osama lookalike, played by Pradhuman Singh is too good. A simple village guy, who runs a poultry farm and is crazy about his 'kukkads' and 'kukdis' unwillingly becomes a man-on-the-run after he becomes wanted by the US Army! All characters appear realistic. And though the movie is shot in Hyderabad, you feel you are in Pakistan ! A truly well-made movie with no dull moment and no lecture baazi. Everything is said joking, but hits where it should !

A clean masterpiece by debutante writer-director Abhishek Sharma, the film is recommended for young and old !

Shab-e-Mehraj : The night of Ascent

Many non Muslims wonder what Shab-e-Mehraj is. 'Shab' here means 'night' and 'Mehraj' was Prophet Mohammed SAS's ascent to the seven heavens on this particular night. This was a indeed a miracle of Allah. Though a lot of things happened there and Muhammed SAS met many too, the earthly time taken for the entire episode was merely a few minutes. It is reported that his bed was still warm when he returned back from his journey. The video details the entire episode very beautifully. Though the language is Arabic, the subtitles are English. With the subtitles, I need not add more descriptions about Shab-e-Mehraj in my post as it is self explanatory. I like this particular video because of the beautiful rhythm and tune.

For those who do not know, music is prohibited in Islam. The only permissible instrument is the 'Daf' (flat and round- similar to a drum, but with only one side). The entire rhythm is only on 'daf'' and the beautiful rendition of the words / lyrics. Though music is prohibited, beautiful recitation of Quran is part of Islamic culture. It is called the 'Qiraat'. When you hear a 'Qiraat' of some Hafiz (one who knows the entire Quran by heart)- the octaves, balancing of low and high pitch and controlling of breath, the best of best singers appear nothing. It is that amazing ! And when a Qiraat or Nasheed (religious song) is accompanied by a beautiful voice, then the entire effect is breath-taking ! And no music (not even a Daf) is required as the words flow with such musical perfection.... Subhanallah!

5th July - Holiday or Bandh or just fun ?

It's a holiday in US today due to their Independence Day yesterday. In US, the holidays falling on a Saturday/ Sunday are moved to a Monday. So the Dollar market (which forms major part of our forex) is closed today.

In some suburban areas of Mumbai, markets are closed on Mondays instead of Sundays. Mira Road is always closed on Mondays, except for 'Monday Markets' selling low cost wares on the road during evenings.

So, today's bandh by opposition doesn't affect some people. To me it looks like we're celebrating American Independence with USA! But this is with a difference. The celebration or fun is being had by the Opposition. Whereas the people are being inconvenienced. Here, we're pelting stones at the public, stopping trains where people are travelling and causing inconveniece to the 'junta', whereas this Bandh is supposed to be aimed at the Government !

To me, the entire bandh/ strike concept (which has almost become neglible in Mumbai in the recent past) looks like a big picnic for the party workers who're involved in it. Just like before a picnic or some major event, volunteers gather early morning with food supplies. Then they go out and have fun... puncturing tyres, pelting stones, troubling people. The fun of some is troublesome for many. Who doesn't like to bully others? It's often the target who suffers! Many people who stay away from home (like my youngest brother at Pune!) and depend on outside food are sitting sans a breakfast now. Lunch is again another big question !!! People wanting to go out for emergency work, will be stranded. Sick people will suffer. India will suffer financial losses in crores! Maybe this will further add to prices! So, who will benefit anyways?

Most people are at home due to fear. Some just want a holiday and are glad this is some excuse to stay home. June-July have no Bank Holidays anyways! Over a period of time, I've noticed that strikes and bandhs are called during months when there are no holidays! Interesting, ain't it ?

At such times, people in the service industry are in the most odd situations! Banks, Hotels (not restaurants) and other service providers, on whom public depend cannot just close the shutters and vanish! We just do not know what is to be done. All such organisations make their own action plan. That also differs from department to department, depending on what needs they are catering to! Due to one such decision of giving ladies the benefit of not coming, I am at home! :-) Some organisations have called their staff at 6 / 7 am so that they can work while the commotion, if any, goes on outside. And most such agitations get over by 5 / 6 pm, which is by when offices also shut. And service providers work till much later! Maybe, customers/ clients might not come and might have to eventually go back home. But you cannot predict such things in advance. Clearing/ RTGS / CMS sections of banks depends on RBI to take a call in such cases. If RBI itself is closed due to low attendence, then banks can relax....

Just got a call from my office too. My team and others from South Mumbai (no incidents reported from that side as yet!) who'd braved their way to office are now going back home on boss's instructions...... No customers, forex closed, more untoward incidents in suburbs........ now its more an ego war between parties, all of whom are trying to prove who has more power and say!

For me, it's an extended weekend ! Hmm....

Broken marriage promise pushed her to suicide...

'Broken marriage promise pushed her to suicide'- These were the headlines in 'Mumbai Mirror' on Sunday, June 27. The person who committed suicide was Viveka Babaji, a known model. This is the most talked about news at the moment and makes one wonder! There were several related articles too on the subject. On dreams, hollow life and quest for love... which is all very sad.

Life in a city gets too embroiled in too many expectations from life and self. First - studies ; then work - and it's a competitive world out there! And if you take all of it sincerely, you realise you forgot to live. And when you want to live, you realise things have changed. And for a woman, who is biologically made for some functions by nature, when you do not fulfill them, an emptiness sets in! Also, if due to reasons beyond your control, you are unable to marry, family and society puts a lot of pressure, often blaming the girl herself ! And if all this is accompanied by broken promises and shattering of related dreams, it can totally break a woman, sometimes even a strong one! Because naturally, a woman needs security and a man's presence in her life to feel complete. That's how God has made them.

There was a similar incident in Bhayander several months back. A girl of 37 years, who was unmarried, got frustrated with the pressures and ridicule of society and finally decided to end her life. An unmarried girl (without her own fault) is often looked at with questionable eyes! Also, our society has so many customs and traditions, where only 'married' women are allowed to participate. This is further insulting and demeaning to unmarried women and widows! In our society woman is blamed for almost everything -breaking of an engagement/ rishta; early and untimely death of her husband; not being able to bear children; also not being able to have a male child. Such societal behaviour can drive a person to insanity after a while... You might have a good job, a decent salary and lifestyle, but sans 'happiness', everything still boils to nothing !

Life can surely be strange and unfair to some!

Some great one-liners I came across!

''I've learnt to give, not because I have too much, but because I know the feeling of not having !''

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Written on a board in a graveyard -

"Manzil toh meri yahi thi,

bas zindagi guzar gayi meri...

yahaan tak aate aate..."

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Perfect definition of Trust :

"Trusting a person is giving someone the ability to destroy you completely, but you still believe they won't!"

My name is Shaikh and I am an Indian

Last Saturday (12th June 2010), I was coming back home after a hectic day with two meetings at office. As I stepped out of office, the emptiness and tensions of my life took over. Together it left a severe headache to bog me down still further... Then the traffic at Haji Ali... Finally I reached Mumbai Central station and got a Virar train. I was late for a Saturday (it was almost 6 pm). On Saturdays (after 4-5pm) and on Sundays, the First Class Ladies compartment is not very crowded as you don't find the office crowd then. But alternatively, the crowd in the Second Class compartment increases as it is filled with lot of non-regular commuters, who are holidaying and visiting relatives!

I sat down and closed my eyes, hoping to catch a little nap to relax my mind from the stress of the past 1-2 months. A few mins has passed since the train had moved as we could hear two ladies fighting with each other. In the new type trains, as Mumbaikars are aware, the first and second class ladies compartment are divided by a few steel rods between them and you can clearly see the other side. The fight was a usual one, where people unburden their anger and frustration of getting into and travelling in a crowded train by blaming each other. 'You stamped my foot', 'Dikhai nahi deta?', 'Chadne nahin aata kya?', 'Seedhe khade raho', 'Andar jao', 'Udhar khisko'...... blah blah.... it doesn't end. All these are common phrases and you get used to it. The sober and mature people just stand quietly ignoring everything as if nothing's happening around them. Some look at each other and give a knowing smile. So also when the fight started people hardly looked to see what's happening. But after a while it got real nasty. It started with one lady telling the other to get in properly. The other retaliated as she got inside the compartment and continued to do so. Then they both got into a brawl over who's right, till the lady who'd moved in started screaming her lungs out and insulting and demeaning the first lady. 'Tu pata nahin kahaan se aayi hai', 'Tere muh se S.....s ki baas aa rahi hai (your mouth smells of shit)', and many more abuses.... People was shocked at the words. Some as usual were giggling over it all. The second class compartment was behind from where I was sitting. I turned to see who these Ladies were. This is what I saw - The first lady was in 'Naqaab' (Burqa) and standing with her back against the metallic partition near the aisle / door. The second lady was dressed in a shocking pink saree with a big round red 'teeka' on her forehead, was screaming and hurling character abuses. This was a usual fight, with both people making a fool of themselves. People usually intervene and stop it. But from there the incident took a different turn....

A few educated (?) working Ladies in a group in the second class compartment decided something and together they screamt at the lady at the door- 'Mumbai amchi aahe. Tu zaa Pakistan la'. (Mumbai belongs to Marathis, you go back to Pakistan). And burst out into laughter, as if they said something very nice. When the words, 'Mumbai amchi aahe...' were mid-way, I was expecting some words on 'bhayyas' as the general impression among non-muslims is that burqa-clad Muslims are from North India, plus this was the MNS slogan too. But here the remarks were outrightly communal ! I wondered for a moment what do some Marathi people actually want for Mumbai ? Throwing out people of other states as well as throwing out the Muslims (even if their motherland was Maharashtra?) !!! Surprising all the other Marathi women started laughing and supporting the group, though not that vocally. Slowly there was a huge commotion in the Second Class. The fight was on and others were parallely adding communal fuel to it. People were talking in hushed tones even in the First Class compartment, while some seemed pleased with the comments of the Ladies group. This only showed how many people thought similarly. Not one did object or even say that the comments were wrong! There was one woman in the First Class compartment (a Marathi lady herself) who dared to scream back at the group of ladies who had passed those communal comments! She seemed sober but when you have to deal with a bunch of people who scream, act violent and seem beyond reasoning, you have to raise your voice too! The lady screamt and said in Marathi, 'What nonsense are you ladies talking ? Can't you see that the other lady is very much a Hindu and equally wrong? Where does Pakistan come into all this? Why are you guys giving a communal tone to it? It is because of you people that communal tensions take place in India'. Of course, the ladies group couldn't keep quiet and another parallel fight started between them and her! They started asking her whether she got her food and ration from Pakistan. The Lady said that she was very much a Marathi but not uneducated like them! The Ladies group got more nasty stating that she was a shame to Marathi people. And a lot of blah blah.... Nasty words flew from both sides. The Ladies group got a few silent supporters. They were screaming (till the veins on their neck swelled up!) and threatening the other Lady to get down and come into Second Class to prove she was brave to face them!

The original fight died down in the commotion. People were commenting on even bringing Pakistani artists to India.... it went non-stop. Some ladies in First Class who were earlier giggling in support, changed their stand when they realised that this was getting communal and were shocked at the language used by the Ladies group! Some of the group were glancing towards people in First Class for support. But except a few, majority chose to be quiet. What was in their minds, God knows! After several lectures, the daring Lady from First Class kept quiet as the message was conveyed, but the group on the other side kept on going blah, blah, blah... A few ladies from Second Class compartment, who earlier showed pleasure on comments of branding the Lady in Naqaab as Pakistani, tried to cover up the entire episode to look like a Class Divide. Hushed tones were heard from the other side stating that people who travel in the First Class think no end of themselves and consider people travelling in Second Class as lower citizens, hence the comments. Here, the question was not at all about a Class Divide. But a smooth cover-up for the communal tension which brewed and boiled and overflowed for a full 1/2 hour to 45 mins of the journey! I took care to mention First class and second class in the entire narration to bring out its prominence which was higlighted in the end!

The Lady in the First Class got down at Mira Road and so did I. After that I could hear a few ladies who'd got down from Second Class passing comments on the Lady and more comments on Class factor.... What a smooth cover-up on the main issue! Just like any other Politician in our country would have done ...... !!!

This taste with bitterness in the train brought me glimpses of 'My Name is Khan' (the last movie I saw way back in Feb 2010). It showed the struggles of an Indian Muslim living in America post the 9/11 and the flak he faces while practicing his religion and living amidst hatred for Muslims! The dialogue 'My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist' is still fresh in my mind. I wanted to keep a similar title, but chose to use Indian, as the purpose was to highlight that I am not a Pakistani as some people would like to brand Indian Muslims!

Courtesy : Image taken from http://www.whiteindianhousewife.com/

Poison!

I witnessed a shocking event in the Ladies Class compartment on Saturday evening, on my way home from office. It reflects how our society is slowly getting poisoned ! There is a lot of venom filled inside people, but the outwardly projections are totally different. We are all becoming a bunch of hyprocrites! I'll write about it soon.... Keep watching this space for 'My name is Shaikh, and I am ............... !'

Feel insecure from Allah’s Devising

In our day to day lives we humans keep devising/ scheming against one another for various reasons. What will we do when Allah, the Almighty Himself devises against us ?

We should all feel insecure from Allah's devising because Allah can change human's hearts faster than a wind. The difference between the change of heart between good to bad, from agreement to disagreement, willingness to unwillingness is as short a distance between our two fingers.

We may wonder why Allah would devise against his own people/ creations ? That's because He puts us through trial to test our faith when we least expect it. And a moment's change of heart towards Satan/ Allah's faith can change our lives. It can make a good person bad, a bad person good, a favoured person of Allah amongst His despised !

When we are enjoying the mercies Allah has blessed us with, He might suddenly take away all of it and see the course of action we take. Or Allah might lure us with something wrong and test how far we get lured. When Allah can devise against his own favourite Angel - Iblis, then what are we? One change of heart through Allah's devising made Iblis from an Angel to a Devil (Shaytaan) and most hated by Allah !

And finally what we do in the end will account for our actions in the afterworld. A person who has done good for his entire life, might land in Hell with one action of his. Or a person who has done nothing but bad things might become Allah's favoured by his actions or change of heart towards the end of his Life.

Hence, Pray to Allah to save us from HIS Devising !

Some excerpts from an article by Imam Dhahabi with Quranic and Hadeeth references on Beliefs & Practices, Major Sins

Allah, Most High says,

{Until, in the midst of their enjoyment of our gifts, on a sudden We called then to account, when lot They were plunged in despair!} (Al-An’am: 44)

This means that the punishment occurs suddenly while they are heedless. Al-Hasan said, whoever is blessed but unaware of Allah’s decision he is heedless, and whoever is afflicted but unaware of Allah’s trials is also heedless. Then he read the above Ayah and said, these people are put into devising as they got all what they need and then taken suddenly.

‘Uqbah Ibn Amir (may Allah please him) related that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,
{Whenever a sinful servant attains whatever he wants you should realize that he is drawn on little by little.” Then he reads, “But when they forgot the warning they had received, We opened to them the gates of all (good) things, until in the midst of their enjoyment of our gifts, on a sudden We called them to account, when lot They were plunged in despair.} (Al-An’am 44) (Ahmad and Al-Baihaqi)

It is narrated that,

“When Iblis (Satan) who was an angel -was devised, Gabriel and Mika’il burst weeping and Allah asked them, why did you weep? They answered, O Lord we cannot feel secure from Your devising. Hence, Allah said, “keep on feeling in secure from My Devising.”

`Aishah related that the Prophet used to regularly say,

“O changer of hearts! Make our hearts firm in Thy faith. He was asked, O Messenger of Allah! Do you fear (that we may convert) He said, people’s hearts are between two fingers of Allah’s who changes it whenever He likes.” (Ibn Majah, AI-Hakim, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban)

“Verily one of you behaves like the people of Paradise until there is but an arm’s length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he behaves like the people of the Hell-Fire and thus he enters it.”( Bukhari)

“Verily one of you behaves like the people of Hell-fire until there is but an arm’s length between him and it, and that which has been written overtakes him and so he behaves like the people of Paradise and thus he enters it. Works are only judged by the end.”( Bukhari, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and Ahmad)

Salim Ibn Abdullah related that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would frequently swear by saying,
“No, by the changer of the hearts.”( Muslim, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and Ahmad)

This means that Allah changes one’s heart faster than the wind but in different way! Agreement, disagreement, willingness and hatred etc.

Allah says,
{And know that Allah cometh in between a man and his heart, and that it is He to whom ye shall (all) be gathered} (Al-Anfal: 24)

Mujahid comments that Allah comes in between one’s mind and his own hand as stated in Allah’s saying,
{Verily in this is a message for any that has a heart and understanding or who gives ear and is a witness.} (Qaf: 37)
i.e. he who has mind.

`Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) related that the Prophet (pbuh) would always say,
“O Changer of hearts! Make my heart firm in thy faith. I asked, O Messenger of Allah, I think that you make this supplication much! Do you fear? He said, how could I be secure while the people’s hearts are between the two fingers of Allah, Who changes it whenever He likes. Thus, if He wants to change one’s heart, He does.”

Therefore, you should not be deluded by your own faith, prayer, fasting or whatever you do of acts of worship. This is because all of these works refer to Allah’s will and his plentiful bounties and He can strip you of such blessings.

Down memory lane

I went to Landmark @Phoenix Mills yesterday with my friend Charmaine. I got nostalgic there, thinking of the lovely life I had as a grew up. The dreams, the aspirations, the hobbies.... which got buried in the depth of my work life and struggles and turmoils. The last 10-12 years of my life have only been a struggle. Sometimes a severe and tough one! And all this while, my dreams took a backseat. Why did a place in a mall bring back old memories. Because after ages I let myself be lost in the imported chocolates I saw there, the books which were once a craze with me. The poster colours, fabric paints... everything which was once a part of me were all there. I saw the Enid Blytons, the Agatha Christies, which were part of my school days. There were the Archies Digests, the Tintin comics, which we freaked on even after college. Picked two Archies Comics Digest (just for the fun of it), a religious book and some imported chocolates. Everything I'd held back hoping to enjoy later when things settle down in my life were all there (but neither life settled down, nor did I get to enjoy it!). To top it all, even saw Mandira Bedi. But time was short as I had to rush back home as Dad was alone (other family members were not in Mumbai for various reasons).

I used to read a lot, write a lot. Always wanted to be a well known writer and wanted to get into journalism. Somehow, that did not happen and I got into banking. After that, the struggle got more severe in operations, and I worked till quite late making personal life a complete mess. During the same time, we moved from South Mumbai to Mira Road. This added to problems with long and difficult commuting hours! And I moved to a centralised processing unit, so work hours also became longer.

Slowly, friends faded in the background. I become a loner with only my family around me. I stopped going out and enjoying life. The days were spent in office, from where we could not even see the daylight. When we finished work and got out, the day had already set. Years passed by, years got added to age. Bank holidays didn't translate into holidays for us, as some or the other branch was working in Northern / Eastern or Western India. And we had to report to work. But on those days, we got to leave little earlier. I still remember, how much seeing even a little daylight brought a feeling of satisfaction for me. It warmed my heart as it does when you see something you adore (seeing kittens brings the same feelings in me!). On Sundays, I used to stare at the open window looking at the bright day. I never let the curtains be drawn being afraid to miss out seeing the daylight.

Days went by. I stopped even meeting relatives or going for marriages. Because people started wondering why I wasn't married. I hated the exclamatory stares of known people as I attended marriages of younger people. Neither did I get the time to attend functions. But even Sundays, I preferred to be by myself. And moreover, I needed the rest to gather strength to fight through the coming week. Work got more hectic as many people quit in frustration. While I faced the problems bravely. The people in the neighbouring area probably thought I worked in a Call centre and not in a bank. Because people are generally used to seeing retail branches, which close earlier. Processing units and corporate operations are areas which are not visible to the normal public.

To the existing problems, marriage problems started getting added. I was already late. As I hardly got time to socialise, I was not seen or known much. When proposals came, I was not available at home. Time went by. The pressure started building from all sides. Family, friends, relatives. Finally, came a time that I myself started feeling the pressure and lot of insecurities started cropping up in my mind. Then even the little free time i got, now had to be put in finding a soulmate. Ads were put in newspapers, my name was registered by my parents in marriage bureaus. Then there was a lady in Andheri, who was supposed to fix marriages, whom I hated on sight! Everywhere it was just a question of money. No one really bothered after that. Going to all these places, used to bring tears to my eyes. I hated every part of it. I felt like a commodity. Nothing worked. It only brought funny and sad results. And disappointment. Then we decided to try the matrimonial sites. More disappointments. Then finally gave up with a lot of frustration. Confidence slowly starting going down with problems in work and life.

Hobbies and things I liked to do went further in the background. 2-3 good friends remained. But there was no time to even meet them. Just a few calls here and there once in a month or two. Or sometimes, not even that. Parents health started taking a toll. Dad's health, especially. It was bad when he had to come to the station with chest pain to pick me from the station when I used to be late from work. Finally I could take it no longer and decided to quit, no matter what. I tried one last time to ask for a transfer to a corporate branch, where timings would be much better. It finally worked (had been trying since a couple of years)!

I moved to a branch after several long years in what I call 'Kaale paani ki sazah'. As I think of those days, I can sing -'' Summer of 2009, those were the worst days of my life''! Because the location was also very far from Andheri station apart from having long work hours. 10 months back I moved to Worli office. Life was definately better than earlier. Timings were better. Comparatively, I felt better. I could see the daylight from the glass windows and go out and have lunch too. And at branch, could actually get the bank holidays after so many years. This period gave me time to concentrate on my Dad's health, coax him for checkups, and talk him into getting operated. I gave up on thinking of marriage after all the tensions. Then for almost three months I was assigned the task of setting up a trade desk at Borivali branch. This was almost after Dad's operation. Being near home helped. And post surgery, we were to give him injections day and night. My bro, who had work timings later did the task in the morning. One injection to be given before dinner became my duty as I came earlier than ever! I was scared initially, but finally became a good nurse. And believe me, those were the best months of my life in the entire span of 10 years in the bank. I was near my home. Could leave home at convenient time in the morning. Could finish work at 7 -7 pm and still be home by 8 pm or earlier. Could pay attention to myself. I saw several movies in this short span of time, which I'd not seen in ages. Found a nice, kind man and my marriage got finalised within a month of moving to Borivali. Everything was finally falling in place. I thought God has finally heard my prayers. I was happy to be happy finally. But suddenly, things started going backwards. The period did not last for more than 3 months! I was put back in Worli as in-charge of a Unit. According to management, they have given me a good profile and increase in pay, but for me it only meant long distance from home and longer hours. For me, now only peace of mind and happiness matters. Work now is better than old times. But why should I settle for only better after all these years of struggle?! The marriage which got finalised, is again stuck for various reasons. And my Life has again come to a standstill. Everyone I know is asking me about the marriage date, which I myself do not know. I don't even know what's going to happen finally. But keep praying and hoping for the best.

I don't want to go into reverse gear and experience all the problems all over again. I want to be happy. Truly happy. Settle down. Have my own kids. I want my family to be happy because of me. I want to do things that I like. Like painting, sketching - I wonder when I did that last! I keep smiling inspite odds. I fight back the tears. But sometimes u cannot stop them. But have to control for family's sake. In office, I have to joke and smile and boost the morale of my reportees who work hard. But sometimes people envy outward projections of happiness, not knowing what's deep within. And you lose more of what you never had anyways!

I don't know what prompted me to write what I would never share generally with anyone except at home.

I am going to work on realising my dreams. And I need lots of prayers and my own determination for that. I thank my friend Charmaine who's been a moral and emotional support ever since I've known her for the past few months. I thank God for her. I shall overcome one day, Inshallah.