Love Jihad.
Bengaluru
was at its climatic best in November. The pleasant climate was just the right
time to go around romancing for the twosome.
Syed and Gayatri.
Syed was a Muslim migrant from Kashmir
Valley, who had settled down in Bengaluru, since he was 10 years of age. His
parents chose the place as it had good climate and living conditions. They had
a family business of carving wooden furniture and artifacts. Syed had learnt
the art from his father. He was educated as well with a graduate degree, but he
could not find a good job. So he took to his family business. A staunch Muslim,
he went for his prayers 5 times to the nearby Mosque.
Gayatri was a South Indian Shaivite Hindu
girl, deeply engrossed into the Literature World. She enjoyed the poetic
Sangams her father recited and the Carnatic music her mother played. She was a
graduate with a Major in English Literature. She enjoyed being with friends and
often went out with them. Though she was from a conservative family, she was a
modern, bold and carefree girl.
That day she was waiting for her best
friend at their favorite Café. Café 42, a rooftop café in Indiranagar. It had
been their favorite spot with friends since their college days. She enjoyed the
Poetry Recitations held there. She was anxiously waiting for Renisha, her
closest friend. Sitting there in the ambience of Art and Literature, she went
down memory lane. It had been 5 years since she last visited the place.
She remembered the day when Renisha had
introduced her to Syed, who was Renisha’s friend. Tall, handsome, well
mannered, a personality difficult to resist. As he entered, their eyes
exchanged glances and something clicked. Initially, they had formal introductions
that slowly bloomed into intimacy and love with time. They were serious about
their relationship. They wanted to legalize it with marriage, but the
geographical divide had created a barrier between them. He a North Indian and
she a South Indian.
She remembered the day which was just like
this day, when she was waiting for Sonia.
“Hi Gayatri! Nice to see you.” said Sonia.
“Hi Sonia! I have been waiting
for you since an hour. What kept you so long? How are you? It’s a pleasure to
see you after a long time.” Said Gayatri.
“Oh yes dear. My boss is a rogue.
He took away my one hour. Sorry dear.” Sonia apologized.
They sat together chatting for a
while. Sonia felt some uneasiness in Gayatri’s talk. She asked
straightaway,
“Gayatri, what is the matter? You sound confused and quizzical. Can I
help you in anyway?”
“It’s just that I am unable to
convince my parents about Syed. You know how it is. Our caste, our religions
are poles apart. I do understand my parent’s situation, but still, I cannot
live without Syed. He is my life. I have called him here as well. So that we
can sit and find some solution. That is the reason I called you here.” Gayatri
replied thoughtfully.
Sonia was a practicing lawyer and
also a very practical and down to earth person. She could find solutions to
problems very easily. Gayatri always admired her for it and so she chose to
seek her advice.
Syed and Gayatri didn’t mean to
fall in love. But love happens when you least expect it. It creeps up suddenly.
When someone needs attention, care, conversation, laughter and maybe even
intimacy. Love doesn’t look at logic, or at backgrounds and least of all,
religion.
Gayatri was from a very conservative
South Indian family and went to a temple every Saturday. Syed bought goats for
his family every Eid. That said it all. Their paths would never have crossed if
it hadn’t been for that fateful day. That day when he walked into the coffee
shop. Gayatri wondered if destiny chose our loved ones for us. Did we have any
role to play at all?
She looked at her watch. Syed was
late. They met every Thursday at five pm to catch up. Their conversation lasted
for hours. Sometimes at the café, sometimes in his car, sometimes in places
that she could never tell her friends about. They would never understand. And
yet Syed made her happy.
Suddenly her phone beeped. He had
sent a message. “On my way. Have something important to tell you.”
Gayatri stared at it and realized
she had knots in her stomach. Thoughts flooded her mind. What did he want to
tell her?
Here she was waiting for him to
discuss matters with Sonia and now he had something to tell her. ‘What could it
be?’ She thought. She had till then given Sonia the complete picture of their
relationship, of their parent’s reactions, their decisions, their problems,
everything.
Sonia felt that Gayatri was getting
impatient and insecure about the relationship. The constant social pressure and
her own emotions were playing havoc with her. She could feel her inner turmoil.
She wanted to help her in coming out of the situation. At a certain point
Gayatri broke down. Among deep sobs she said, “Sonia I am feeling so helpless.
I don’t know what to do. One side is my love and on the other side are my
parents. I do not want to hurt or leave either of them. How can I do that? My
parents have made me what I am today and Syed has given me the love and care that
any girl would yearn for but few could find it.
He loves me truly, selflessly. I am unable to find any faults in him
till now. He also respects my parents. Then why this barrier of religion and
caste? He is not even asking me to adopt his religion. Why can’t we live a
secular life? My mother always keeps on saying that they are descendents of the
Aryan race and we are the Dravidians. They eat a lot of meat and wheat as their
staple food and we eat fish, coconut and rice. Now you tell me, is that a reason
to part from the love of your life? So absurd.
I just don’t understand what to do.” Gayatri was getting hysterical.
Sonia replied in a concerned
tone, “It’s Ok Gayatri, control yourself. We will think it out and find a
solution. Let Syed come.” Gayatri went on, “Syed is also facing the same
situation in his family. He is educated, skilled, intelligent, running his
family business successfully, then too he is helpless where his family comes.
We are trying to convince them in whatever way we possibly can, but to no
avail. It’s been four years, we are in a relationship. I am 26 now and he is
28. We are close to the age for marriage, but still we can’t get married. Syed
often goes to Delhi for his business trips. He asks me to join him, but how can
I go for days together when just one weekly meeting with him has become
difficult. I am fed up with this kind of life now. I just can’t carry on like
this. There has to be a solution. Sonia please help me.”
Just then Syed entered the Café.
All smiles. Gayatri was confused and disappointed. What was making him smile
when she was in such a chaotic state of mind? Syed came and sat beside her. He
gave her a quick hug and smiled. Sonia was amused to see him in a good mood.
Gayatri looked at him quizzically, “What is it Syed? Here I am in such a bad
state of mind and you are smiling? What is it?”
Syed took her hand in his and
said looking towards Sonia, “We have found a solution we don’t have to worry
about anything anymore. I have received a very good business proposal to start
my business abroad in Canada. I have convinced my parents for our marriage.
They have agreed to it that we go abroad and settle there. They were against
the marriage due to social constraints. You know how it is in our Muslim
society. Once we are there they won’t have to answer people’s absurd
questions.” He looked at Gayatri lovingly. She was dumbfounded. She could not
believe her ears. Sonia jerked at her hand and said, “Congrats, see!! I told
you. There is always a solution for every problem. Now stop getting jittery and
rejoice.”
Gayatri came to her senses and
felt very happy. Now it was her parents whom she had to convince. She took
Sonia’s help for doing so. After a month they were at the International
Airport, awaiting their flight, with both the families to see them off.
She suddenly realized, it had
been five years to that day. She was back in India for a short visit now. Syed
had stayed back in Canada due to his business engagements. They were well off
and happy. Renisha was her closest friend and she was meeting her that day to
greet her and to celebrate, as both of them had got married on the same date.
She in Canada and Renisha in Bengaluru. They were meeting for the first time
after marriage. Just then Renisha entered the café, with a cute baby in her
arms. Renisha was glad to see Gayatri and her baby boy fast asleep in a cradle
beside her chair.
They enjoyed the entire evening,
talking, laughing, gossiping and exchanging their views of married life.
Renisha’s was an arranged marriage and Gayatri’s a love marriage. So they had
ample to talk about and they did not want to miss out on anything. And they
both agreed at the end of the day that Love had no boundaries, geographical,
political or religious.
Love was only love. Pure, Divine,
unblemished.
Gayatri told Renisha what she had
once heard Syed saying, that Love and Jihad were the two opposite poles. The
word Jihad had lost its real meaning, which was to fight against the evil that
rests within our own self and not outside, towards other human beings. People and
politics had made Jihad a weapon to fight against humanity and against countries
in the name of religion. They enjoyed the evening and bade good bye to each other
as Gayatri was flying back to Canada the next day, with her heart filled with
love and more love for Syed. He had taught her such a good lesson of life. To
understand and love humanity.
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