James and Colly

(You may appreciate this post - if you may have read John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men")

Main NY main tha. Residency ke chakkar main aik hospital main observership ker raha tha. Hospital, 90's ke Bronx ke aik 'dangerous neighborhood' main tha. Andhera hote hi hum apartments ke andar rehte the. Hamare paRos main do bhai rehte the - James aur Collins. Woh rural Texas ke rehne wale the.... Maalum nahi kaun chota tha kaun bara.

James se pehli mulaqat bhi ajeeb alam se hui...... Aik roz hum hospital se wapas aaye to hamare apartment main neighborhood ke kuch larkoN ne ghus ke qabza ker liya tha. Hume kuch samjh na aaya. Hum police ke chakkar main nahi parna chahte the. Hospital wapas gaye. Wahan woh 'cardiothoracic surgeon' nazar aaye, jin ke saath hum 'observership' ker rahe the. Hume phir hospital main dekha to bare hairan huwe. James usi hospital main janitor tha. Woh James se khub waqif the. Kehne lage, James se keh do. James ko dekhte hi woh sab larke rafu chakkar ho gaye...........James ka qad 6'2'' hoga. jism kisi pehlwan (wrestler) ki tarah muscular tha. Aik dafa apartment ki aik tenant ne mujh se kaha tha: "Main aurat hun, magar agar, mard hoti to bhi james se piyar ker leti"! James ka dimag bhi bohat garam tha. Aate hi us ne neighborhood ke 2/4 'gang members' ki khub pitaaii ker di thi aur apni dhaak bitha di thi. Texas se aaya tha, is liye 'guns' ka bhi bara collection saath laya tha.........Usse darne ki yahi wajah bohat thi...

Collins - barkhilaf dimagi aur jismani tor pe kamzor tha. aur majzoobi batain kerta rehta. James uska bohat khayal rakhta. Hum use 'Colly' kehte the.

Colly mujh se bara 'attach' ho gaya. Usi ki wajah se kai shamaiN unke apartment pe guzri.....Ye 1993 ki baat hai. Jab Colly ko main ne pehli baar bataya ke main Pakistan se aaya hun to us ne kaha: "Main tumhare mulk pe american jahaz uRte dekhta hun, aur unse dhamake hote hain... boom boom.." (Aaj bhi jab drone ki khabrain parta hun to Colly yaad aata hai). Aik din main ne use Pakistan ka naqsa dikhaya to, us ne 'Skardu' pe ungli rakh ke kaha: "yahan jahaz utare ga" (? !).............Colly dhol ki thaap (Drum beats) sun ker pagal ho jata tha.....Aik din hum use upstate NY, kisi Arab festival main le gaye. Keffiyeh sir pe bandh ke dhol ki thap pe khub nacha...baar baar mujhe se kehta: "I Muslim, I Muslim"!

Aur phir aik din Colly bohat bimar ho gaya. Shadeed pneumonia tha!. ICU main ventilator pe chala gaya. James bara pareshan rehne laga.... Udhar Colly ki oxygen requirement barhti jaati, idhar James ki nabz doobti jaati.. Unhi dinoN aik sham James ne mere pehlu pe sir rakha aur bachhoN ki tarah bilak bilak ke rone laga.. Kehne laga: "Apna koi jub itna bimar ho to zindagi main har cheez bulke khud zindagi be-mani ho jaati hai". Woh itna roya ke main dar gaya ke kahiN ise kuch na ho jaaye.

Aur phir aahista aahista Colly theek ho gaya. James NY ki sardioN se dilbardashta ho ker phir rural Texas chala gaya. Suna ke, agle baras Colly ko phir pneumonia huwa - aur woh mar gaya.  Khuda hi jaanta hai James pe kiya beeti ho gi.

Aaj bhi jab hospital main pnemonia se koi maut hoti hai to apne pehlu main James ka sir mehsoos hota hai - aur thori der ke liye zindagi be-maani si ho jaati hai... 

Allah jane! bagair Colly ke ab James kesa hoga?


Note: Yesterday I wrote this post and today went to see masala bollywood flick with my kids, 'Dhoom 3'. They had little bit similar concept. Also, reminded me of great Hollywood work 'Rain Man' (here)

A Quote (agree?)

I am not sure to agree or not? too liberal?

 'Only education worth giving to a child is, teach them how to read, rest is all brain washing'. 

A POUND OF BUTTER

There was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to the baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting a pound and he found that he was not. This angered him and he took the farmer to court. The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure. The farmer replied, amour Honor, I am primitive. I don't have a proper measure, but I do have a scale." The judge asked, "Then how do you weigh the butter?" The farmer replied "Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker." 

 Moral of the story? We get back in life what we give to others.

On 'Philosophy'

"The purpose of Philosophy is to teach us how to die" - Pluto

Ibne-Maryam

"YasU Maseeh ke aage mera sir is liye kham nahi hai - kiun ke woh khuda ka nabi tha, ya koi maujiza tha ya maujize kerta tha - bulke isliye hai ke - woh shaks zameen pe basne wale dusre insaanoN ke liye - us daur ke khudaoN ke haaton - Suli char gaya tha! - Main ye nahi ker sakta".

(My head is bowed in front of Jesus - not because - he was a God's prophet or he was a born miracle or he did miracles - but it is because - he went to Cross - on hands of ruthless rulers of time - for the sake of other common people who walked on land - And I can't do that!)

Merry Christmas!

Wife's dying wish - A Double Rainbow story

(An interesting story on CNN)

"When Jayne and David began dating, she asked David the story behind a rainbow photograph in his youngest son Max's room. 

"Brenda and Max's song was 'Over The Rainbow.' They sang it together all the time. The day Brenda died, she passed away at 7:07 a.m. We hadn't had rain for five weeks straight -- and out of the blue, a double rainbow, as bright as can be, stretched across the sky for miles. The local meteorologist said the rainbow was an anomaly since we hadn't had any rain. I knew it was Brenda." David recounts."

Read full story at http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/22/us/iowa-wife-dying-wish/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

3 Priorities

"The Best Man Holiday" (Trailer here) is a regular 'Saturday Date Night' type movie. But there was one interesting scene, where all the boys were talking and asking each other 3 top priorities in their life.

As one character put "Faith, Family and Football", his friend ask back: "Is this in line of order?" He hesitates for a second and replies: "I don't know".

Do you ever think of 3 top priorities in your life? Mine are "Honesty, Children and Career" - and they are in line! 

The Book Thief

Book Thief is an interesting movie and a must see for 2013 list. It is a story narrated by (angel of) death!

Story revolves around a pre-teen girl who goes through extreme hardship in Germany during World War 2. As she loses one after another of her loved ones, she questions the meaning of hope, life, help, promise, words, books and love. As angel of death says in the end - that - people think death haunts the life but in actuality its life which haunts the death that how hard and incredible to live through the process of life.

Movie has been done remarkably well with pace, photography, filming war and bombing, and showing era of 1940s. Trailer here

= Movie Homefront is a typical Sylvester stallone "All American One Man Hero" type movie. You will not regret $10 and will not get bored. Trailer here

Nelson Mandela - 2

Ye mid 1990s ki baat hai, jab Nelson Mandela South Africa ke President bane! 
Koi reporter unka Interview ker raha tha. 

Reporter: "Kiya aap ko itne baras jail main reh ker tanhai se ghabra ker kabhi kisi aurat ki qurbat ki zaroorat mehsoos hui?"

NM: "Aik dafa jail main, aik khubsurat Indian larki mera interview kerne aai thi - mera us se qurbat haasil kerne ka ji chaha tha"

Reporter (Kuredte huwe): "Aap ne kuch kiya?"

NM (Unke lehje main 27 baras ki riyazat kaatne wale shaks ka sufiana sukoon tha): "Nahi! aesa kuch nahi huwa magar main ne apne us khayal ko jhatkne nahi diya"!

Reporter: "Ye to bari ajeeb si baat hai ke aap us khayal se lage rahe. Aap kiya soch rahe the?"

NM: "Main soch raha tha - aakhir aesi kiya baat hui ke mere dil main is qadar darauwna khayal aaya"

Reporter: "Phir?"

NM: "Phir - mujeh mere hi sawal se mera jawab mil gaya - ke - jis lamhe insaan ki hissiyat pe uski jibli khawishain haawi hona shuru ho jain, wahin se uske dar ka safar shuru ho jaata hai!"

Naam se Wabasta

"Main bohat choti si thi, tab se mujeh aik khawab aata tha!

Aik  takhti hai, us pe aik naam 'afzal' likha hai. Phir woh naam mit jaata hai aur koi 'anwar' likh deta hai. 

Phir meri shadi 'Afzal' naam ke shaks se ho gai. Afzal bohat achha insaan tha magar mujhe usse kabhi mohabbat na hui. ...Aur ye khawab bhi band na huwa! Phir meri zindagi main 'Anwar" naam ka shaks aaya. Main us ki muhabbat main aesi giraftar hui ke apna sab kuch chor char ker ghar se bhag gai. Anwar koi bohat achha insaan nahi nikla. Sharab bhi peeta hai. Juwa bhi khelta hai. AurtoN ka bhi shoq rakhta hai. Ji main aaye to mujhe marta peetta bhi hai. Magar Khuda jhoot na bulwaye - agar mauj main aaye to toot ker piyar bhi kerta hai, jo maango hazir ker deta hai. Main 'Anwar' ke sahar se kabhi na nikal saki. Bus lagta hai meri zaat ke saare zarre isi aik naam se wabasta hain.

Sach sach batao, kiya tumhari zindagi main aesa koi naam nahi hai jis se tum khud ko wabista samjhte ho?"

(Main ne dil main kaha): "Hai to! magar mujh main tum jitna hosla nahi hai"

RIP Nelson Mandela

From Faiz' - Nisar main teri galiyon ke aye watan (here in Zia Mohiuddin legendary voice)

Wajah

Koi to wajah rahi hogi - ke woh shaks apna sab kuch chor ker - yunhi ghar se nikal gaya!