Never Hurt Any Living Being Ever

The story relates to my childhood and is based in the prepartitioned days of our country.

I faintly remember my Primary School building on the outskirts of our village Jaura, in the district of Gujrawala in now what is known as West Pakistan. Adjoining to the school building, if I remember correctly, was a huge Park with majestic dense tall trees all around.

One fine morning I found myself in that Park where many folks had assembled with a young boy named Anwar, who was holding a gun in his hands. He was aiming the gun on a pair of pigeons sitting on the top of a tree basking in the morning Sun.

There was an elderly clergyman in the crowd. When he saw Anwar aiming the gun on the pigeons, he came and advised Anwar not to shoot at the pair. Curse will befall on him if one of them is killed.

Anwar belonged to an affluent family of the village. But he was a spoiled brat and was very arrogant. Without heeding to the advice, he shot at the birds. And lo and behold one of the pigeons came falling down on the ground, succumbed to his injuries and got killed.

A couple of weeks later I heard that Anwar had died. I never knew the reason, but the prophecy of the clergyman had come true.

The incident left a deep mark on my conscience, and I pledged never to hurt any living being ever.