She Then Asked For A Book

11 September 2022

Recently, a person visited us. He was unknown to me but known to my family, I didn't know him, so I conveyed my “Salaam” to him, walked into the passage and went to my room. An introspection commenced inside my mind about that man “Who he might be” Is he a relative". The introspection didn't last for long, as I was called upon by my mother. 

Oppu...Oppu.. Come here, my Mother commanded'

Oppu! Is my nickname, and my family and even neighbors call me by this name lovingly. I am unable to mention its literal meaning because I do not know what it means. I once tried to tell my mother about my nickname, and you will be amazed to know that my mother too was unable to tell me its meaning. Anyway, as soon as my mother called upon me, I hurried towards the kitchen where my Father, sister, brother and that man were having talks while resting. I had already greeted the guest and I knew the reason I was called upon, and my assumptive thinking was perfectly correct. I knew that I would be commanded to purchase some biscuits and sweets for our guests.

Mother: TAKE some cash and bring sweets, biscuits, and a pack of milk too. I was about to leave the kitchen, the man said

Wait. wait… Here take 50 rupees and bring a packet of Four Square Cigarette! 

It angered me a bit, not because I wasn't willing to go to the shop but because I hate Cigarettes and I hate it even more when someone smokes inside our home. My father is addicted to “Hookah” I think almost every primitive person, Grandfathers, Fathers, and even Grandmothers and mothers smoking tobacco (Hookah) In Kashmir. And honestly, I am not letting my father smoke tobacco or use Hookah inside the home. You may call me a spoiled son for this, but as you know, the causes of smoking. My father will not accept quitting smoking or using Hookah but we known as passive smokers can by advising our Grandfathers or fathers to smoke it outside the home so that others can remain safe and protected.

Ahh, I want to buy Two boxes of Biscuits plus

One packet of milk. I said to the shopkeeper.

Shopkeeper : Here you go, Two boxes of biscuits, one milk and what else do you need?

Me : Nothing more at the movement.

Shopkeeper : Alright, take your items and your total sum is 40 rupees.

I had no change as my mother had given me 100 rupees, so the shopkeeper gave me 60 rupees back, and I happily walked back home. On the way home my eyes glanced at the wrappers of Lays, Chewingums and whatnot. It is not good to mention this, but I had to, our roads are not clean like other countries. Garbage is being dumped at the roadside and even in residential areas! Suddenly, an empty packet of Cigarettes came into my vision, and it left me shocked! I reminisce that I was supposed to purchase Cigarettes too! Without wasting time I hurried towards the shop and purchased it then brought it home. 

Here is your pack of cigarettes, Uncle, I said to the guest.

Guest : Shabaash… What's your name, son? 

Me : My name is Mahfooz Ahmad Bakshi.

Guest : Mahfoooooz…. AH, what a name. May Allah keep you and your family Mahfoooooz always! 

Mahfooz is my name, and it means, preserved or safe in English. It originated from the Arabic language. The word Mahfooz is used in Urdu as well.

Me : Aamin, thank you, uncle

Guest : Are you studying?

Me : Yes, I'm in 12th standard.

Guest : (lit up a Cigarette) Nice. Study hard and………… I interrupted and excused myself.

Indeed, it was rude behavior and I apologize from the bottom of my heart, but I couldn't resist, I couldn't see him smoking near my family members near me! My mother didn't let him feel my behavior, so she laughed a bit and said:

Haha, he doesn't like Cigarettes because he is allergic. That's why he rushed outside. 

Outside in our yard I seated myself and saw my sister who is married entering from the gate, with her, I saw someone who always brings a smile to my face, who always compels me to become a chatterbox, who always eradicates loneliness and alleviates worries or stress. It was her. Yes, my pulchritudinous niece. She is three years old and believes me she is the best storyteller. I would tell her that I got a wound, and she would tell me an everlasting story about it just to give me some relaxation because she knows that her stories even not in a condition to be understood, knew that her stories that she creates in her mind are without head and tail, yet she tells them to me just to make me laugh. Her giggles and way of telling stories make her stories interesting. She saw me and ran towards me and hugged me, I kissed, and I could feel her clothes wet.

 Why are her clothes wet, Di? I asked my sister.

Di : One the way she stumbled in a pothole on the road ruined her clothes, bad girl! I will change her clothes inside. Then she took her inside and changed her clothes. After that, she entered the kitchen where the guest had lit up another Cigarette. My niece too saw him smoking. Besides storytelling, she is a lil observer as well, and she observed the man smoking, the way he smokes she noted everything. 

After a while, I decide to go to the kitchen, assuming that the guest may have finished smoking. I drank tea and ate some chocolate that my sis had brought for me. The guest too left.

  13 September 2022

My sister decided to stay here for some days, I was over the moon. My jubilance had no limits as my niece was going to be with me for some days. In the morning I took a bath and prepared for school, my niece brought my ID card of school and my bag,

Where are you going, she said in an alluring tone.

School! I replied

Niece : Schooooooool!!!! Are you going to school?

Me : Yes, do you want to come?

Niece : Yes, yay, yay yes!

Me : Okay, go and tell mummy to buy a uniform and a bag for you. She quickly went while hopping and told her mother that she needs a bag, my Mother hugged her and said: 

Yele cxe baed gaxekh pate gaxekh school

(You will go to school once you grow up) 

She then came back to me and started gazing at me. I was combing my hair, she copied and started combing hers too. After a minute or two I was about to leave, and I was just titivating. My niece had decided to follow me, she might stumble and get hurt, so I called my sister to take her, then she started weeping. I kissed her and went without looking back at her because if I had looked back, I would have missed her in school all day. I went to school, then came back at exactly 3pm. As expected, she welcomed me with a warm hug filled with joy and excitement. 

Che ktu asouk? She questioned

Where were you?

Me : School! 

I took her home and I began to eat some rice because I was starving. Meanwhile, she tore some pages of my old practice notebook and commenced writing alphabets chewing pages. I let her continue whatever she was doing, barge Chewing the pages because I thought it would create a relationship between her and writing and also studying. I ate rice and changed, then I came back to where she had rolled a piece of paper. She had seated herself exactly where the guest was seated the last day. A rolled piece of paper in her hand, then she took it near to lips and acted as if she was smoking like the guest, we had last day!! It shocked me, it was flabbergasting, disgusting, and it angered me. I yelled at her.

Hey, what are you doing??? Stop it, or I will slap you! 

She turned despondent and started crying. You know it really hurts when the one who loves you, unconditionally, yells at you! And I have myself felt, and I have been in this position. Still, I hated her act and she had adopted the way of smoking, so I had to shout at her. She then ceased talking to me for a minute, then I convinced her. I advised her that whatever she was doing is a wrong act and the one who indulges in such acts are bad, you understand, Bad. Bad girl. She never did it ever again. 

  16 September 2022

It was Friday, the time was 8:30pm when I woke up. On Fridays, I do not go to school, not only me, but most of the students in my school do not go to school on Fridays. So, I woke up late that day. It was a pleasant day and my family had decided to go to Dargah HazratBal to pray. I took a bath and did my daily routine then drank Noon Chai, not healthy though, but it's a tradition here in Kashmir and everyone starts their day with Noon Chai, (Salty tea) after that I saw my niece through the window playing with mud outside and making Tea cup, rice plate according to her but in vision of me and others she had just made a round shaped tiny plates. It has become her daily routine to make things out of mud, and the funny thing is that she breaks everything she makes in the evening or after some time. Here is something to learn, my niece made things with mud then she broke them! Means whatever she created was made up of mud and with mud they mixed after a short period of time, similarly God created us from mud and In the mud we have to get mixed. So, why should we keep pride, why should we feel superior, rich, poor, black, white everyone will be buried under the soil! Anyway, I called my niece and started annoying her. I mean playing with her and I asked her to tell me what were you making, how were you making them, did you serve your guests with tea and rice that you cooked outside? These lines were enough to get her started, she began imagining and telling me the story about the things she made with mud. After some time, she said, 

“let's go to school and I replied I don't have to go to school today, come let's change our clothes because we are going somewhere" 

My brother brought a car, and we left for Dargah Hazratbal. I was on the front with my niece on my lap, I was showing her places and telling her the names of shops, cars, places on which she was questioning a lot. Sometimes strange questions and sometimes best questions, and sporadically she was asking questions that might make anyone angry, but I kept quiet because I would rather not give her a fear of questioning. She has to question. She might ask strange questions today, but Tomorrow she will definitely ask interesting questions. We reached our destination, during prayer, my niece was copying me, prostration etc. After prayer my FAM did some shopping and I too purchased some books namely The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hussain and few more. My niece compelled us to buy her a book, as she was an observer and observed me buying books. She wanted a book too, we knew she was not going to read, she can't read still she was asking for one. So, we purchased a book of alphabet for her. I felt happy and victorious because she was no longer copying the guest, we had some days ago. As soon as we reached home, I took a bath and I was exhausted, so I sat down and started watching videos on my phone, my niece too slept. 

On Saturday, I felt pain in my legs, leg pain has never betrayed me because it always remains with me in my legs even though I hate it, yet it loves me! Because of the pain in my legs, I couldn't go to school, so I had to take a day off. After the daily routine I took a book" A Thousand Splendid Suns” and began reading. Then my niece came into my room and quietly saw me reading and left the room.

One hour later she came again But this time a book in her hands and said to me:

Teach me Aaa Bbbbb

Me : Wow, so you came to school today, but why were you absent last day?

Niece: Aa Bb, teach me A B

Me : Okay read after me A B C ……

This continued along with her questions and answers as well as stories. 

Later on that day. I went for an outing and when I returned I saw her in my room, a book in front of me, she was turning the pages of The Diary Of A Young Girl and was shouting A B C……134….. Etc. 

She adopted, and she learned whatever I did in front of her. She is a child, and children are like clay. You can mold it into any shape. 

At a movement, she copied the guest, and I fortunately didn't let this happen ever again, she loves to draw lines on a notebook, she loves to turn and hold a book in her hands. More than that, she is even in the process of becoming Tomorrow's intellectual. See, parents should speak gently in front of kids, they should be nice and friendly, they should let their children ask questions, and they must not develop fear in kids. Tomorrow's scientists can be your child, and tomorrow's leader can be your child so make sure you talk nicely, you avoid speaking abusive words, you avoid fighting, and you avoid smoking because your children are learning whatever you are doing!