When God walked the earth chapter-5
From Delhi God goes to strife torn valley of Kashmir

The entire journey was spent in heated discussion about terrorists and terrorism and soon the train reached Delhi .From here they proceeded to Shimla, a queenly city which rested in the bosom of the mighty Himalayas.God spent a full day admiring the magnificent city,He also gorged on the delicious red fruits which were known as strawberries.Harry showed God how to enjoy their delicious flavor when he mixed them with sugar and cream,from there they proceeded to Kashmir their ultimate destination
God was completely fascinated with the land of Kashmir.It was like He had gone back to heaven,it was a land of lotus lakes,floating gardens,canopied house boats,multi-coloured flower strewn pastures all encircled by Himalayan mountains
Their approach to Srinagar was through an avenue of tall welcoming trees and then to Dal lake. Here Harry’s father Inayatullaha ran a house boat which was more like a flat, floating in water. The boat was shaded with a beautiful embroidered red canopy ,half the boat was given on rent to tourists,and the other half was used as their living quarters.The boat was surrounded by numerous floating gardens crudely improvised with logs and earth in which grew an amazing of fruits,vegetables and flowers.The peasants who were the owners of these gardens toed these small plots of land to a new location whenever they felt like going to a new place in the network of canals in the lake
God was amazed to see the ingenuity of men who grew his food in the bosom of the lake and the way they were guarded like beautiful maidens by the stern surveillance of the Himalayas .Kashmir to God was an epitome of earthly beauty, soon God was introduced to Harry’s family by Harry who gave Him a very warm welcome .After they freshened up all sat together and his mother served them salt tea-a specialty of Kashmir and some local snacks.They were all eager to know about Harry’s sojourn abroad, he gave them a graphic detail about all that had happened to him-his being locked up in jail because his face resembled a well known terrorist-his meeting with God-his escape from jail-his coming to Bombay-his brush with death and his journey home
By the time he had finished his narration, it was twilight and time to light the kitchen fires. As his mother was getting up to leave Harry said” ami my friend here is a staunch vegetarian he will not touch anything which is non-vegetarian”.
“don’t worry my child, none of us will eat meat till He is our guest”.After dinner God and Harry sat on the deck feasting their eyes on the endless reaches of snow capped mountains against the starlit blue sky.The land was crowned by mountains and garlanded by lakes with dazzling flower beds as far as eyes could see,to God it was the worlds most scenic spots.God was immersed in admiring the scenic beauty when Harry said softly”Innayatullaha is not my real father.I am born a hindu,I lost my parents one after another to a mysterious fever which killed them when I was just knee high.Abba was our neighbour and he adopted this orphan ,both abba and ami treat me like their own children and they have given me everything they have given their own sons Rahil and Hamid,my brothers too love me equally,I don’t think my real parents or my siblings would have given me as much love as they have bestowed upon me”
“you are lucky to be with them”,said God.
“I have received so much from them but I don’t know how to help them in their hour of trouble, I don’t know how to do my duty towards them as their eldest son ”,Harry said in a sad voice
“why what’s wrong? ,questioned God
“Rahil the eldest son of Abba and Ami was kidnapped by the terrorists some months ago , the terrorist are like ghosts they are present all around but still you cannot see them. They enter houses at the dead of night with scarves wrapped around their faces and they take youngsters with them at the point of guns and then they leave with the poor young ones. They take them forcibly across the border and put them through a rigorous training that is harder then given to the soldiers in the army, they are made to run kilometers after kilometers with thirty kilo sacks on their backs.The emphasis on running is because during carrying out their criminal activities they should not be caught,they should make a quick gateaway Rahil did not want to be known as desh drohi because he was desh premi,in captivity he was raging with the fire of inadequacy which was killing him slowly and therefore he was always looking out for opportunities to make an escape. And one day when the terrorists were busy celebrating their victory of successfully planting a bomb in a five star hotel,he found the opportunity to make good his escape and then with great difficulty he found his way back home and since then the whole family is living in a shadow of fear,any moment the terrorists might come back and then God save Rahil”,said Harry
“trust me no harm will befall Rahil, ”God said with conviction
Late that night the terrorists attacked their neighbors and dragged away their only son, when his father and mother tried to save him, they were severely beaten up .A few hours later his bullet ridden body with tell-tale signs of torture was found on the banks of the lake.”this is a daily happening”, Inayutullaha told God the next day when the news of the death reached them.”Kashmir was known as heaven on earth ,the moghul emperor Jahangir described it as paradise on earth.like him thousands of beauty lovers from all over the world have been raining praises on this enchanting valley,but now this heavenly spot has turned into a living hell,hindus and muslims have lived in peace and brotherhood since times immemorial we both have many points of resemblance in dress,social customs and religious ceremonies The sacred shrines of both of us are situated together and it is frequent for both the communities to celebrate fairs at these shrines simultaneously,besides in all social functions both communities take equal part,but the terrorists want to drive away our hindu brothers and make this place a muslim nation,since you are here,you should visit a refugee camp to know the tragedies that have struck Kahmiri’s.The hydra-headed serrpant of terror keeps on striking with venom both the hindus and muslims with high frequency.The modus operandi of the terrorists is to send a warning to the families before striking them to create a fear phychosis and soon the family who has received the threat would vacate their houses leaving every thing behind and go in search of safer haunts.But some times some people are gunned down without any warning,the bitter truth is that there are no simple and safe antidotes to this kind of mindless terror.To make matters worst the horror and the repugnance such incidents create are used by the mischevious elements to whip up hatred against pre-selected targets”,said Harry.
“where are the people who have been displaced?” ,asked God
“most of them are now living in pathetic conditions in the refuge camps, these camps are like ghettoes where people are herded together like cattle, separated from each other by only a thin piece of cloth ,the cloth robs a person of his privacy and he stands naked before the discerning eyes of all and sundry, who dissect him at every given moment. Naked children with streaming noses and distended bellies are found loitering about without any aim, many of the children as small as five years are addicted to inhaling paint thinners ,eraser inks and glue to forget the cruelties which their young eyes had seen and suffered at the hands of the terrorists, it is difficult to live with such terrible memories, the intoxication helps them to cope with depression and negative thinking, although they are dangerous which can make them blind for life but without them it will be impossible for them to live.”,said Harry on the way to the camp .God was amazed to see the conditions in the camp ,they were much worst then what he had created in hell ,this camp was worst then hell .Nullaha’s full of muck and grime were flowing within the camp,where mosquitoes,mice ,cockroaches and flies were doing a death dance”how can any living being survive in these conditions asked God of Harry.
“they have no other place to go therefore they stay here,families live here on hands to mouth existence .Many of them who cannot adjust to their circumstances find themselves on the verge of a break down,but some like two sisters Shanu and Ranu have risen above their circumstances and have become fighters.They lived like princesses with just a round of parties,fun and frolic,but their parents were gunned down in cold blood and so they left taking not a penny with themselves except the clothes on their back and in the camp together they earn a few hundred rupees but they try to make them worth a thousand rupees .Nazia their friend in the camp who is not a very learned woman has a job as a cleaner in a private firm. All live very frugally and on very especial occasions they spend a little .Rehana who lost her industrialist husband to the terrorists and back home she had a battery of servants at her beck and call now makes Artificial jewellary for a jewellar at a princely sum of fifty rupees per day,when she started her work she would cry and cry on returning to the camp because she had to work in very dirty and unhealthy surroundings.There was no water and electricity and mosquitoes and flies made her life miserable,but now she has got used to it because she knows without money survival was impossible.Rama is young and beautiful but over the years she has been forced to change her jobs many times because her looks are more appreciated then her work.After her husband was killed Mrs Manvati shifted to this camp along with her son who is afflicted with polio and she landed a job of a packer,from her work she walks daily to the camp to pick up her son,takes him to a charitable dispensary,brings him back to the camp ,feeds him and walks back to work all within an hour she gets for the lunch break
Rehana who lost her whole family in the mindless violence works in an office as a sorter she has also to double up as a toilet cleaner,before her family was killed she was a principal of a prestigious college in the valley,but Narayani who was a senior professor in the same college is not as lucky,she has to look after her parents and siblings,daily she rummages through the garbage in dustbins lining the valley and she recycles the waste selling it to the raddiwala’s,no body in the camp knows about her job because before returning to the camp,she shells five rupees to the public toilet to have a proper bath.
Ageing Sheela leaves the camp with the first rays of the sun to work as a maid in homes,her husband accompanies her with a broom to sweep the apartment blocks,before they were displaced both of them were successfully running a business venture;I can go on and on with such cases there are countless horrific stories about orphaned children,widowed women whose male relatives have either been killed,maimed or wounded,but nobody cares a damn,everyone is busy in his own life,when the terrorists strike,everyone sits up and takes notice and after making some noises they forget every thing and then once again the hydra-headed serpent of terror strikes with venom and this keeps on happening day after day”, narrated Harry in a bitter voice
“aren’t your leaders doing anything to prevent this outrage? ,questioned God
“when ever the prime minster tries to find a solution,terrorists try to sabotage every possibility of a dialogue bringing both the nations to a war footing,our country does not want a war ,we want to find a peaceful solution because war brings devastation in its wake .Ask the mothers and daughters, fathers and sons who have experienced war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran Vietnam and other places ,who have lost their every thing these people do not have even the will to live”, was Harrys reply
“if they are not interested in a peaceful solution to the problem, then are you going to allow them to destroy you completely so that you are wiped off from the face of this earth?,said God angrily”you have to take up your weapons and fight back like Pandavas did in the Mahabharata war.Terrorists will never listen to reason,you have to destroy them if you want to survive.in this world only people who are fit can survive,here people only understand the law of the jungle,lion is known as the king of the jungle because he knows to survive by fighting back his enemies,I donot know how these poor people are surviving but I feel very sorry for them”God said in a sad voice
“ in the dark clouds which has engulfed these refugees there are tiny islands of silver linings which gives them strength to carry on inspite of all the odds against them.They are putting up a big fight fot survival and rise like phoenix from the ashes of despondency and despair and to quote an oft repaeated phrase,they have coverted the lifes lemons into invigorating and refreshing lemon elixir”said Harry, ”come I will show you how the blazing sun \has lightened their darkest days and see for yourself how this magic of survival has worked wonders for them’.
And holding God’s hand Harry Led him into the interior of the camp,the whole atmosphere was agog with excitement the reason being the celebration of Aslam’s marraige with Gauri. Aslam’s family was shot down in cold blood along with some Kashmiri pandits since he had nowhere to go, the pandits took him along with them, he lived with them and became one of them,the common thread which bound them together was the hatred towards terrorists and terrorism.Aslam celebrated all the joys of the pandits and shared their sorrows and the pandits reciprocated.The pandits also built a small mosque for him near their temple,Harry approached the bridegroom Aslam who was sitting on a charpoy,sipping tea and savouring some hot gossip”so you are getting married to Gauri?”,Harry asked,Aslam nodded his head
“Gauri is a hindu, how did the pandits agree to this alliance?,Harry questioned again
“we all agreed” ,said an elderly man standing besides Aslam, ”this boy is like one of us,he believes in Nand Rishi who was originally a muslim sufi saint and to whom both hindus and muslims pray,our culture and traditions are same,only we belong to different communities
”what do you do for a living my boy?”,God asked Aslam
“I work for a cattle trader ,sir I take cattle for grazing” ,replied Aslam
Who is going to bear the expenses of your marriage, questioned Harry
“I don’t have much money ”,answered Aslam” but the whole camp has pooled their resources together for my marriage”
“we are going to have a proper wazvan and both of you are invited”,said one of Aslam’s close friend
“what is a wazvan?”,asked God
“it is a wedding feast,”replied Aslam,”we slaughter young lambs and we prepare a number of delicious dishes from the mutton,today we will prepare Gustafa which was a great favourite of our first prime minster pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,we will also prepare many other kashmiri delicacies
“God here is a vegetarian”,said Harry
“please,please do come “,said Aslam”we will prepare a especiall vegetarian feast for you and we will use separate utensils and it will be cooked by a Brahmin”.
“please God happiness has visited this camp dispelling the dark clouds hovering over it , if you join them today their happiness will increase thousand folds” ,pleaded Harry
“do join us” ,said Aslam with folded hands,”I have a feeling that if I and Gauri will take your blessings on this most important day of our lives,then nothing can go wrong with us throughout our sojourn on this earth”.Before God could give a reply,a woman handed Him and Harry a steaming cup of hot tea”this is a especiality of Kashmir”,announced the woman”in the valley it is considered sheer discourtesy on the part of the host if he sends away a visitor without serving him this tea”After finishing the tea and giving a solemn promise to Aslam that He would attend his wedding,Harry took God to meet Gauri,she was being anointed with a paste of sandlewood and turmeric ,and her hands and feet were being adorned with ornamental mehandi patterns.In the background,women were singing especial wedding songs and playing the dholak.The songs were highly boisterous and worded for the occasion.
The men folk were busy watching a cricket match on the hired television set unmindful of the sweat pouring down in rivulets from their bodies.After what seemed like ages,they had collected the money to hire a TV set,this was sheer bliss to them,with their faces bright red in the sun, they sat glued to the TV.
On the wedding day , most of the inmates were awake before sunrise because the bride and the groom had to reach the marriage registrar’s office by ten in the morning. One of Aslam’s best friend who worked in a laundry, borrowed a lovely red saree and a suit for the bridegroom ,the bride wore the saree and she draped her head and shoulders with a sequiened dupatta.She wore necklace,ear rings,bangles,ring and nose ring and although the jewellary cost just a few hundreds,it lent a resplendence to her young, innocent and beautiful face’
After signing the marriage register at the registarar’s office ,they exchanged garlands and distributed sweets to all those present.On returning to the camp,they were welcomed at the gate with much hugging and embracing and a band which played popular filmy tunes.They were led to a decorated dias accompanied by men and women young and old who were dancing with gay abandon keeping in step with the filmy tunes,seeing their happy faces,nobody could dream that they were living in such miserable conditions,
The lunch was then served which was a real treat to both the eyes and the palate.God was made the guest of honour and served with a delicious vegetarian spread which God enjoyed eating,soon it was time for the bride and the groom to leave for a small hotel in the vicinity where a room was booked for them to celebrate their honeymoon.Seeing their happy faces,God felt very sorry for these people who inspite of a hard life were trying to find a small ray of happiness in the darkness which had thoroughly engulfed their lives,refugee camps were a blot on humanity,they should be wiped off the face of the earth,everyone of his creation had a right to the bounty He had provided for them
”,what are you thinking?,asked Goddess laxshmi suddenely appearing before God
“I feel very sorry for these folks devi”,replied God”these people have gone through a trauma which surpasses any nightmare you may have seen.Can you gauge the mind of these people who have seen their loved ones being killed and maimed before their eyes? But they are trying to overcome their misfortune because they have a burning desire to live and fight with life,they are like this stump of the tree you see here,it has been chopped up for fuel to feed their home fires,but this dead tree did not give in,it has once again fathered new shoots and very soon will stand up as tall as he was before,the same spirit I see in these people ,I wish I could be of some help to them”,said God’ in a sad voice
“you can not help them my lord because this is their destiny ,and you have rightly said that they will overcome their difficulties with the same spirit as this tree” ,said Goddess Laxshmi.”you can help them only by destroying the terrorists so that no one again becomes a refugee in his own country.Terrorists are like demons which appear from time to time and disrupt life on earth since the beginning of time there was Ravana whom you destroyed in your Avtaar of Rama ,there was another terrorist by the name of Kansa who you killed in your Avtaar of Krishna and there are many,many more demons you have killed to bring peace on this earth,you can once again kill them-these terrorists who are demons reborn”
“you are right devi,I have to destroy these terrorists to bring peace to the valley”,said God