Eid Mubarak ! Have a blast !!!

The last day of Ramadan and the last Iftar at six - we sat quietly at a Syrian Shwrama shop breaking our fast. We had a flight to catch in a few hours time to go back to Dubai and I was already missing Cairo.

The buzzing traffic a few moments ago had disappeared altogether at Iftar time. It was kind of strange to find Cairo so quiet all of sudden – like a city after holocaust. Every day for the last one month of Ramadan, it has been like this at six in the evening. A pall would set in before the City crawled back to action at night.

But the last iftar was different from other days. Days of penance were to end in grand feast and merry making. Cairo was waiting in hushed anticipation for that burst of life – The city would soon be dazzling like a beautiful girl with the famous Cairo nightlife cranked up several notches in a feverish frenzy to celebrate the gift of life at Eid.

Mohammed like all young boys of his age is waiting for the big bang. “Tonight no one will sleep in Cairo. We will have a blast.” Literally so! There will barely be any walking space in Cairo in a few hours time. Mohammed and his friends have hired a vehicle to go around the city, blasting away as they inch forward through the crowd. “That’s the fun…there will be honking vehicles everywhere and loud blaring music. The police will not say anything to anyone tonight.” Did they ever? I wondered.

I was reminded of the Pujas in Kolkata and its unruly chaotic crowd – jostling, screaming, and screeching. I can picture what Cairo would be tonight - bursting at its seams with its jubilant, jocund, freaking population. Beeping, hooting, tooting cars will move at the speed of a donkey cart, dotting the roads. Most of the passengers (other than the sweaty driver) would walk along trying to clear the road blocks but actually, need I say, adding to the consternation - howling, screaming, yelling, bawling, bellowing, shouting, shrieking, screeching, yelping and yapping…

My PC ran out of synonyms or I would go and on trying to create the Puja fever at Kolkata. There will light eveywhere. Smell of food would wafting from the roadside shanty stalls. Revelry would carry on all night till people are too groggy to push their cars back home. Bleary eyed they will return however, blasting away only to keep themselves awake in the wee hours of morning.

Hmmm I know what I am going to miss. I will miss the pandemonium, my crazy Cairo capers but most of all I will miss you lovely people.

Eid Mubarak dear ones! Yes have a blast! Make it a few extra hoots from my side!

Eid Mubarak – JAI HIND!

“The Mumbai attack was an attack on the Nation and we condemn it” said Imam Mohammed Yaqub - and the Namaaz-e-Janannza ( mourning prayers) was offered for all those who lost their lives in Mumbai on the 26th. The Hadith was quoted at some places – “Even during war, a Muslim must not kill children, women or innocent people”. “We are against all terrorism,” was the refrain heard during the celebrations of Eid this time. Muslims wore black arms bands and shunned the regular festivity this year, which was a heartening gesture.

I don’t need to thank my Muslim brothers for taking such a stand. This country is as much as theirs to safeguard and love… They must continue to have themselves heard hereon. They must come on the streets in throngs and express their displeasure and cry out from the roof tops of their houses and say “Allah doesn’t want this meaningless killing.” Time to sit and read and understand what the Quran really says - Time to take a strong stand against all conscious misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the same.

Pakistan had sent 30 million people, mostly Hindus, to India in 1970. There were several thousands more who came subsequently – I had the good fortune to be reporting the plight of these people, who flee persecution in Pak and lived in the outskirts of Rajasthan. Hindu Singh Sodha, the convenor of the Pak Visthapith Sangh who spearheaded an entire movement to ensure that these people get Indian citizenship and a good life did a commendable job. I remember how he would often say “Will India ever consider sending back the 130 million Muslims that live as Indians today who keep pouring through the porous borders in the east?” NO! We don’t need to. Though we could if we wanted to. We have taken back the 3 million Tamils that went to Sri Lanka and we have also absorbed the expelled Indians from Uganda, Kenya, Burma….But India need not live in any form of insecurity or in fear. It has an amazing absorption capacity even though the diversity is so stark attimes. It is unfortunate that it has seen a rise in militant behaviour in the recent times, for whatever compulsions/reasons – but Indians are as such not militant by nature or choice (the basic Indian philosophy being steeped in our earliest Vedic roots)

It is time to take some decisions. And we have to take these decisions as Indians – not as Hindus or Muslims. It is important to face certain facts before we do so-
“There is a drive of Hindus is taking place wherever Muslim population crosses 50%. Some examples are Kashmir, Assam, Tripura, Eastern borders of West Bengal, Malegaon, Achalpur, Dhule, Bhiwandi, Konkan Belt, etc” says Chanchal in iVarta. If this is true then like the Australiam PM we have to ensure

• There will be no Muslim Personal Law – what is good for one will have to be good for others – We have to be Indians first.


• The Muslim population must re-evaluate the concept of “Kafir” and put it to backburner, as teach only those parts of Quran that promote peace and happiness for all, as Indians.
• All sorts of religious conversion has to stop and secularism promoted.
• Population control norms should be followed by all Indians - we simply can't see this country burst beyond its seams for economic reasons.
• All prayer meets must end with a National Anthem or atleast a Jai Hind.
  BE AN INDIAN FIRST AND ALWAYS

My Eids prayer was that song from Colonial Cousin
"Religion is the reason, The world is breaking up into pieces -Colour of the people, Keeps us locked in hate. Please release us. So come down and help us, save all the little ones They need a teacher, and you are the only one -We can't rely on, to build a better world -A world that's for children, a world that's for everyone.
So come back as Jesus, Come back and save the world- Bless all the future of every boy and girl - Come back as Rama, Forgive us for what we've done - Come back as Allah, Come back as anyone" Jai Hind!