Page 118 - Musings 2020

reminders of the fact that what he is doing for his brothers will be remembered for ages to
come, kept him going until the final day.

The day arrived; he washed his face as he woke up at 4 AM. His hands shook for the first
time as he read the Namaz. He ate his breakfast silently; his phone was intentionally switched
off. He needed these few moments of contemplation. As he was beginning to delve into his
world of unsolved questions, the doorbell rang and a message in Morse was slipped
underneath. “God will be proud of you. Live long, son.”

His chain of thoughts broke and he started packing the equipment carefully into his backpack.
This was the end. All this will come to an end after today and he can peacefully escape this
life to enter into his new life. He desperately awaited a new beginning. He closed the door of
his small apartment behind him and entered into the busy streets of Varanasi for the last time.

As he placed his bag on the road and was about to unzip it, he noticed Jai’s pharmacy across
the road. His heartbeat grew uncontrollably faster as he saw Jai’s kids come out of the
pharmacy holding his hand. They were grinning, ear to ear as Jai treated them to ice cream.

Jai, his wife, the breakfast at his home, the lane where he got shot, everything came back to
him, all at once. “Why did Jai let him in? Why? He is a Hindu at the end of the day, his life
was at risk the minute he healed his wound that night. As If, stopping his blood flow wasn't
enough, Jai took him, a Muslim in Varanasi, to his home to provide him refuge from the
situation outside.” Imran didn't let his flow of thoughts stop. All the unanswered questions
dawned upon him and he could not leave them unanswered anymore. The contrasting images
of Jai and Ali came before his eyes. “Ali was his brother no? One among the many brothers
he was doing this for. Ali couldn’t risk anything for him, he was indifferent to his wound, his
need for a home, his longing for comfort in this alien city. Why did Jai see it important to
address these needs? Was the definition of brotherhood inculcated so deeply in him, too
narrow-minded to be lived by?” Brotherhood transcended the boundaries of religion, Jai
showed him. He came into his life to give a new direction, Imran felt. If he takes this one step
today, it can uproot the belief in the humanity of people like Jai. This step will reestablish the
existing boundaries and carve more boundaries for the future. Did Imran actually want the
life he had lived to be passed on to his children? “Planting this bomb on this busy street and
destroying these lives is not courage, Imran. Bravery is what Jai did that day”, he spoke to
himself. All distinctions blurred for a moment.

Six...Five...Four...Three...Two...One.
The eager ears, miles away, were longing to hear the news they had been waiting for. It never
came.

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