I AND MY WORDS

“Have we reached India Maa?” asked Moyna, who looked really tired after walking for so long. They had not eaten anything today, as it was dangerous to prod out casually near the border, especially with soldiers of the Pakistan Army moving bout. “Not yet chotomaa, not yet,” said Charu, as she looked at her tired eight year old daughter’s face, even as her six month old son slept on her shoulders. She herself felt exhausted, but the thought of all that had transpired in the last three weeks would re-energize her again. After all, it was what had happened three weeks, rather a month ago, that had led to her hiding in the tall grass bushes today. The day, and all that had led up to it, was very well etched in Charu’s mind, with the hands of time having slowly etched it into her stone-like mind. There was a lot of panic amongst the Hindus in her village in Mymensingh, as notices had been put up at the behest of the local Maulvi, with the help of the local Muslim League goons, which decreed ...

Shoaib was all alone, but for the classes at the madrsa that he attended. Nobody was his friend-neither brothers, nor his parents, nor his grandparents. His only friends were his ‘teachers’ at the madras, who taught him the true meaning of the Holy Quran, and how not to let yourself be deluded by the evils that surround us all-the televisions, the radios, the movies, the music-and to defend yourself and other brothers of the faith from the torment and the Satan that tried hard to surround them all around. “You must learn the true meaning of the Quran-e-Sharif, and save the world. You must try hard to make the entire world Dar-ul-Islam. Hell be to the infidels; the kafirs have to be removed from the face of the earth. That is the only true way to save the faith, which is under attack from the kafirs today everywhere. There is only one true faith, and that is the path that the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) has chosen, which only a select few like us are destined to use.” This was what he belie...