PROLOGUE

Suresh came home at night and saw that many of his relatives have arrived. As soon as he entered, Rakesh Uncle called ‘And Patrakaar Sahab…how is it going?”. Suresh replied “Yes…everything is fine…today the coverage was in a far place”. Rakesh uncle said, “Oh…then get fresh and take rest, will meet you at the table”. After 15-20 minutes, when Suresh was about to come out, he overheard a conversation with Rakes uncle shouting “After 2024, we won’t be having any Hindu prime minister ever”  “All these Muslims have just one aim in their lives, establishing ‘Gazva-e-Hind’ ”  “I wish Patel would have been the first prime minister and we would have been a Hindu Nation”. As Suresh enters, they all start eating. After five minutes Suresh gets a call on his phone and he picks it up, while others give gestures of not liking his colleagues disturbing him while eating.

The Announcement

Suresh says “Yes Firoz…I will leave in 15 minutes and then I will pick you up from Tintin Nagar”. As soon as he cuts the call, he is surrounded by questions from all directions “You work with Muslims?”, “Why did he call you?”, “Are you okay”? Suresh made an awkward face and said, “why what happened…he is my colleague…we go for coverage together”. His family continued shouting and persuading him from all directions. Suresh angrily replied, “I am a journalist and I live in a secular country, so please don’t disturb me with these communal tantrums”. He was getting late and he hurriedly finished his food and ran, leaving his family in distress. At the end, you will just wish he had lived by his ideal statements.

Twist in the Tale

Just like another day, Suresh went in his car and also picked Firoz as they had planned. They went to the site, did reporting and then returned back. While, on the return trip, Suresh saw that the battery of his phone is dying. He shouted, “Hey…Firoz…do you have a power bank…hurry”. Firoz started searching in his bag but was not able to find it, so he put his bag upside down and everything from his bag came out, including the power bank. While Suresh picked up the power bank, but then suddenly his eyes fell on a book that also came out of the bag. The book title read ‘Gazva-e-Hind’. Suresh felt scared as hell and everything that his family and relatives were talking about early morning started coming to his mind. Suresh didn’t say a word, just glanced Firoz through the mirror and continued driving with sweat all over his body. His mind filled with two flashbacks…..

Firoz…before Pakistan v Australia semifinal…” I want Pakistan to win this”….

Suresh saw Firoz is not in the office jeep…He saw he is behind the bushes…on a call was swearing “Ohh…this bloody Indian Army”!!!…

Emergence of Distance

Suresh dropped Firoz who thanked him saying “Allah Hafiz”. Though Suresh used to hear this word daily from him, today suddenly this word sounded a little sour to him. He continued driving and reached home. His family came worryingly towards him and felt relieved after seeing him okay. But Suresh was completely lost in his thoughts, he didn’t eat and went to bed early. The next day he got ready to go but decided that from today onwards, he won’t take Firoz along. While having breakfast, he received a call from Firoz, but he didn’t pick it up. He started driving and went through a different route so that he doesn’t have to encounter Firoz. He reached his office, neither did he want to and nor did he see Firoz entering the office.

And…that’s it

He started working and after an hour or so, Shilpi came running and shouted “Hey you all…Firoz is dead…he died in an accident”. The whole office went through an emotional storm. Suresh was just not able to believe this and bewilderingly asked “HOW???” Shilpi said, today he was coming from auto and the auto lost its balance and came under a truck, he is the only deceased among the four inside the auto. Suresh felt as if someone has pierced a knife onto his heart. Suddenly, Mukesh asked, “But…Suresh, didn’t Firoz used to come with you daily?” Suresh said in a broken and trembling voice “Ya…actually…he…he said…he’ll come a little late…he had some work…maybe”.

Sympathies Exposed

Suresh kept on wondering, what exactly had gone wrong? Then, Rahul came to him and said “Hey…Suresh, you take over this project of Firoz from now on, he was working on ‘Gazva-e-Hind’, actually, he was also reading a book on that, why don’t you make a visit to his house on the behalf of the whole office”. Suresh had come to know how the whole link is connected. He immediately rushed to Firoz’s house. Firoz’s broken parents told him “He always used to tell about you…he said Suresh is a very good guy…he will never betray me”. They further said “First Ahmed, then Sajjad and now Firoz”. Suresh curiously asked “Ahmed and Sajjad?”

Firoz’s mother replies “You must have heard that two innocents were killed in cross-firing in Kashmir. He was Ahmed, Firoz’s cousin”. “Sajjad had some heart problems and passed away too soon. He was from Pakistan…actually many of our relatives are still there, in our ancestral house”. Suresh had suddenly got the answer of why he swore on the Indian Army and why he had a soft corner for Pakistan in cricket. Suresh took his leave after an hour.

He went up to his home and straightaway shouted “Rakesh Uncle…please pack your bags and vacate this house along with your family once and forever”. Rakesh uncle made faces during the whole episode but soon left. Suresh thought that he will use his career as a tool to end this hate-mongering.

EPILOGUE

2 DAYS LATER

Suresh was reporting from the ground.

“I am standing where the so-called ‘Dharam Sansad’ took place and genocide and rape calls were made”.

“As we can see people have been asked to only purchase goods from Hindus. Hindus are marking their shops by tying an orange cloth in their stalls. While the Muslim sellers have gone from here as there was no sale of their goods”.

“People are thinking about what status doesn’t Muslim hold in our country now…as 2 people were lynched down by a radical mob”.

THE END