Salman

Salman was a very happy go lucky guy. He was much pampered kid and he was the only son of Aamir and Sajida Begum. 

Aamir runs one of the oldest and very popular eatery in Lucknow. He had many other businesses as well. He was well respected in his community. Sajida Begum was a very actively helping in getting justice to women of her community.

Both had put a lot of effort to bring up Salman with lot of value system. They thought he is not learning the hardship of life as he is being provided with whatever he wants.  One or the other member of the family will provide Salman with whatever he asks for. Being in a joint family, everyone else was reluctant to send Salman for his engineering to Bangalore. He, being the only son in the joint family, it was difficult decision for Sajida but she held her ground. She wanted him to learn and see different groups of people and understand how to stay with limited resources.

Salman was put in a college which was quite far from the main city and to top it, hostel mess only served vegetarian food. Sajida had made it clear to Salman that he will have a fixed pocket money and he has to survive with same for a month. He enjoyed his first week of college and made new friends. He was happy to go out to nearby restaurants and eat his favorite food every day. He had never had vegetarian meals ever in his home, so how could he have it in hostel?

He finished his pocket money within 10 days and called up his dad for more money. His mother was sitting there. She snatched the phone from his father and spoke to Salman in a stern voice.

She said, “Beta Salman, the pocket money was for a month, then why are you asking for more money now? I had clearly informed you that no extra money for the month will be given thereafter. You should manage with the given amount whether it is your toiletries or going out for food or travel back home. You have to manage with the money given to you…”

Salman was not used to manage money.

He said, “Ammi, okay but allow me to come back home for now and when this month is over I will get back to college.” 

“Fine, if you want to come home, you can, but buy your tickets all by yourself and come.”

Salman was confused, angered and was not sure why her mom is talking like that.

“Ammi, I will use the credit card and buy the flight tickets.”

“Bache, we have already deactivated that card…” His mother had smilingly replied. 

Salman was not sure what to do.

“Ammi, I will borrow from my friend here in hostel, I am sure you will not like that.” 

“Go ahead and return back when you get your pocket money for next month.” She said immediately.

He angrily disconnected the call… Aamir said, “Let’s give him some money or he will face a lot of trouble in hostel. But Sajida was stern with her decision. She said, “Let him learn things first, deposit some amount after a week. Tell him that you are giving without my consent and also ask him to manage money better from next month onwards.”

Salman struggled for eating vegetarian food a week. He was sure his parents are not going to bail him out and was so angry with them that he stopped calling them. 

After a week, Aamir transferred a small amount to him and called him to inform and said, “Beta, it is not that we cannot afford to give you money, we actually want you to learn to value money. In a few years, you have to take care of your life and family.” 

Salman was not convinced, “Abba, I feel you guys don’t like me anymore and so you send me this far to study and not even providing me enough money to eat properly.”

Aamir tried explaining, “Salman Beta, not always you will get the comfort of your house everywhere. When you go out for work what will happen, when you start earning won’t you have to manage by that….?”

“Abba, The money you have given me is not even enough to pay my two-time meals in the restaurant; I know you don’t like me that’s why you are doing this” Salman interrupted and disconnected the call.”

In a few minutes, he received a SMS and Salman couldn’t believe when he saw the amount credited to his account. The amount credited was more than that of his four years college fees put together. He was shocked…immediately called his father and informed, “Abba, I think you forwarded by mistake some money to my account.”

“Beta, The amount credited now is the money for you. We can give you more if you need. Bache, It’s not that we don’t love you, it’s important you learn valued lessons in your life early. Now the money is your responsibility, we won’t ask what you do with that money.

Salman felt something wrong with his approach towards the whole money matter. He started thinking the situation from his parents’ perspective… After hours of thinking, he could understand what his parents wanted him to learn. He was feeling uneasy.

Next day, he transferred the money back to his dad and wrote a SMS “I will manage until I get my next month’s pocket money”. It was difficult for him but he surely wanted to know and learn.

He was considered to be a bright and very good student in college; he used to participate in all cultural programs. When there was a discussion going in the entire country on “Vande Mataram” song to be made mandatory and his community was opposing for the same. Most of his friends started avoiding him. The students, his very close friends, with whom he had shared the room for the last three and half years, everyone started treating him like an outsider, a traitor…

Lots of his friends unfriend him on Facebook and other social media. He was very hurt; he spoke to his mother and started telling his anguish. She listened to her son patiently and said, “It is a passing phase, if you have done nothing wrong, they will surely understand and let me tell you there is nothing wrong in respecting anyone or anything…You can’t see god but it is there in the person who is with you. If god has created us, every creation of HIS is also god. Be humble and respect their feeling, surely they will understand you one day; you don’t have to prove them.”

He put across all his feeling and also gave his perspective towards his belief on Facebook. The post became viral and his friends felt very bad. They were shameful of their behavior to a person who neither said anything against them or the nation.

He was invited in a talk show of a TV channel and was being corned by the TV host and the people of his community for writing a post with his feeling. For some time he didn’t understand what was actually happening around him. He was feeling as if he was traitor and he felt his own community was targeting him instead of supporting him… Without saying anything he suddenly stood up, everybody in the studio got confused.  The host whispered, “What are you doing, you are live on national television.” He retorted, “So what, you are making your own assumptions and you have not allowed me to speak. If you were not keen in listening to my views that I wrote, why have you called me? Thanks for inviting me I am happy in my college and my space.”

His classmates were all happy on the way he reacted…They were waiting eagerly to know what would happen next.

Anchor said, “OK, tell us what you have to say.” Salman conditioned, “If you guys interrupt I will leave, I need only 3 minutes to put my view across. Is it okay with you guys?” Everybody nodded.

“First of all I didn’t ask you guys to read my post. I have written my feelings for my friends, asking not to politicize religion and patriotic issues between friends.”

“Secondly I have been staying in the same room and with same roommates for the past 3 and half years. They never found anything wrong with me. Now that some political party members for his political interest said something does not become my opinion as well.”

“Lots of people have responded, which you can see in the comment section, asked me to leave my country… I humbly would like to ask them, “to where?” I am born as you people did in this country and I am a citizen, following the constitution of this country.  Now let’s take an example of my friend who studied with me at school. His forefathers moved from Chennai to Lucknow and he was born and brought up here, most of his relatives were also settled in nearby places. They had no connection in Chennai anymore. Now please let me know if the so called locals asked them to move back to Chennai where he has no connection anymore, is it justified?”

“So please note that it is not just religious differences. We have, South/North Divide…One caste doesn’t like the other, and we don’t get married within other caste. Forget about religion, some also do honor killing and let me tell you lots of us don’t even get married in sub-caste as well… we have comments/ridicule on each other language. 

We are always on a run for proving that ours is better than yours and the funniest part is within a state itself we have differences. We have formed opinion that people of a certain region are better than the other….and many more can be said.”

With so many differences in our country and still being one is the greatness so let us not bring the differences in public instead come together to build a great country. And finally I just want to tell that let us not generalize. Good and bad are there in every family, caste, religion, state and country… I would want you all to judge me as an individual, not because of the hereditary religious tag but for the character acquired by me. Thank you.” 

There was a lot of discussion on his comments. It was just madness on TV. He was quite for the rest of the show. He went back to his hostel. Without speaking to anyone, he just went to bed. His parents were obviously worried. They wanted him to come back home but he insisted on staying back in hostel and complete his course. It was close to 4 months for the course to over.

A lot of students believed with his thoughts and a lot disagreed. As the issues moved away from National Television, most of them forgot the issue but surely there was underlying current…

After that incident, he was not the same. He became quiet and calm. He would mind his own business and never very cheerful...

In the hostel mess, all his friends were having dinner when Rajesh, his close friend and roommate of four years invited everyone to his sister’s wedding. The venue was just 150 km away and everyone happily agreed.

However Salman was quiet so Parvathi asked, “Salman!! Aren’t u coming?”

“His sister’s wedding and why won’t Salman come, after all he is family to them.” Srinivas interfered.

Salman quizzingly looked at Rajesh.

“Please ask your parents if they are okay of my presence because I don’t want any trouble in my sister’s marriage…I love you and your family more than the community feeling.”

The group which was buzzing with joyous laughter suddenly went blank…into absolute silence.

“How can you even have such thoughts?” Rajesh couldn’t hold his emotions and burst out on Salman.

Highly upset Rajesh dialed his dad’s number almost immediately and complained about Salman. His father instructed Rajesh to put the mobile on speaker so that everybody could hear….

“If my son Salman,  is unable to be present for this auspicious occasion of his sister’s wedding, I don’t want ANY of you to attend. By “Any” I mean Rajesh as well.”...