Amazon Best Selling Novel “Malabar A Flame” in Lima World Library
25.Mirages
Alihaji was smoking hookah in his private chamber when
cops rang the door bell.
He was blowing out smoke from the pipe like Peter
muthalali. After the demise of his bapa, in order to perpetuate
his memory, he brought his hookah from Kashmir. While his
bapa used to fill the pipe with pukayila (tobacco), Ali mixed
it with ganja (poppy leaves). Inhaling the mix will induce
him to sleep. His kith and kill used to smuggle in ganja when
return from Kashmir on vacation. He also used to share the
ganja leaves with some rich Arabs in London or those on
visit from the Persian Gulf. They used to mix it with some
popular drink like kava
Ali wondered whether the cops came about the same
issue of ganja being found in the vicinity of the moque. A
man had been arrested with it a few weeks back.
Is not the Imam of the mosque? The police might have
come to enquire about some mosque- related issues, thought
Danny.
“Aslamu alaikkum”, Alihaji greeted the cops with a bow.
The policemen were perplexed,. “What did you just say? Is it
an Indian way of greeting?”
“No it is Arabic form of welcoming guests”. “What would you like us to say in reply”, one cop
persisted.
“Va alaikkumaslam” is the response” said Alihaji. The
policemen looked impressed and tried to practice their new
found addition to their vocabulary in a country of many
tongues, mostly from their colonial past.
Two cops looked at each other. They were simply amazed
at how the Imam had changed since meeting him last time at
the mosque when he hurled a torrent of abuses at them for
infidels invading a holy place of prayer and worship.
“What a transformation!” the cops told themselves.
Danny and his father entered the courtyard and stood behind
the Imam without letting him know that they had come.
Ali is no stranger to the police. Quite often they came to
enquire about the fugitives from law harbored in the mosque.
There were also culprits who abandon their wives, residents
with expired visas, assailants of wife and children, ganja
smugglers, etc who take refuge in such places.
Being an Imam, Alihaji’s onus increased. He has to attend
to a host of issues including immigration, abuse at home and
also criminal acts of violation. He intervened effectively.
His services were free but at times he will ask the refugees to
pay up heavy fees which he told them to be spent on bribing
the high officials including police to settle complex issues.
“Don’t tell any one about this. It is God’s will that we grease
the palm of the corrupt people to wrest justice and peace,”
he used to tell his the supplicants. The sum needed to host
parties for te big guns will be intimated to the concerned by
his cronies.He will help the jobless to get jobs in factories, illiterates
to start some business. Alihaji is beloved to all. They believe
that he is blessed by Allah. He kept his ganja-filled hookah
and occasional consumption of alcohol close to his heart.
Alihaji has answer for everything that he does. Am I not a
human? Frail man. Being an Imam, does not make him an
arch angel.
While praying he is deeply engrossed in that. There he
extols the goodness of the soul and the frailties of mankind.
Some touch his feet to adorn him. He blesses them by the
touch of his palm on their forehead. “I won’t long for a floral
offering. I may not be a medium to erode the glory of that
flower. I am satisfied if my touch instill some confidence
and courage in the minds of those who seek them. For some
a mere touch turns into a miracle. Let it be a miracle if it
soothes them,” is Alihaji’s philosophy.
Could doctors heal all ills? Humans cannot be master of
all. It is not easy to sort out devil and God. All rough terrains.
Human born in sunlight die in moonlight. His sorrows and
difficulties end with that. Who came nearby him, blink.
Whom the police are searching for? The cops observe
the surroundings keenly. One picked a small diary from the
pocket. Stroking his long beard Ali asked humbly:
“Whom do you search. Akbar, Omar? They have not
arrived here yet”. Both are the accused in many cases. The
police have been searching for them in Manchester. But they
went underground. Now they want Ali to help finding them.
How many wives Alihaji has? Who all stay in the house?
Without wife and children, who else live here?Questions after questions.
The police intercepted Ali’s urge to reply. More than
one complaints against you. Questions and answers after
reaching the station. Please come with us. Onlookers stared
at police. They are amazed. Four or five joined together. The
conversation was Greek to them. They have only that much
knowledge in English. But Danny and his father grasped all.
Though Alihaji appeared distraught, he was actually
upset. He has never gone to the police station as a culprit till
date. He has been there on occasions previously to loose and
tie the knots in some other cases. Now the noose has caught
him unawares. He cursed himself and thought about who
might have tipped him off. He has only one enemy—his own
son Abu born of Aiysha has sworn to wreck vengeance on
him.
“Uncle, what ‘s all this?”, someone hurled a question to
him He turned back
Suddenly there was a glow on his face.
“Danny, when did you come? Tell your appan it is the net
laid by Abu”.
“Uncle, just now I shall inform appan. He was waiting in
the car just outside”.
Danny returned to tell him.
Ali went in to meet his wife Nabeesa and told her what
happened. “I am going to the police station. Will come back
soon,”.
Onlookers watched as Ali boarded the police vehicle andwas driven away. There were a handful of people who had
come to sort out some problems. They were disappointed
for the time being. But they all thought he was going with the
police to sort out some problem. May be some of their kind
had been arrested. He is going to get them released.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
Dusk fell. Darkness was crawling in.
Hardly had Ali left, Nabeesa called Jamal over phone. A
solid bright youngster, son of Alihaji’s first wife. All these
years Nabeesa was waiting for an opportunity to wreck
vengeance on Ali who had deceived her and trampled on
her dreams. She was brought o London with the promise of
getting admitted to some university for higher studies.. But
help came in other ways. One day he raped her and promised
to redeem it by marrying her. The girl never cried in life, but
wailed desperately. But that day Ali told her, “Don’t worry I’ll
make you my wife”.
The same month he divorced Jamal’s umma (mother) and
took Nabeesa as wife. Although Jamal was Ali’s former wife’s
son, he had befriended Nabeesa as a damsel in distress. The
frequency of their meetings increased and both felt comfort
and peace of mind in each other’s company Like Abu. Jamal
wanted avenge his mother’s ordeal and Nabeesa joined
forces with them in right earnest.
Nabeesa has often debated whether her affair with her
husband’s son was legitimate. Stricken by conscience, she
would take a vow not to encourage e Jamal any more. But
she failed to keep that pace. Whenever she met Jamal, she
was in another world of protection and security from thewanton vandalism of Alihaji. Jamal is not my son. He is only
one of the sons of Ali’s many wives he throe to the dogs.
Perhaps this is how it should be done, she thought. After all,
why should I waste my life on an old scoundrel like Ali. I am
young and I also have desires! She mused.
At last the police station, the cops informed him the real
purpose of taking him in. Ali has been charged with fraud
by marrying different, divorcing them, driving them to
apply for public accommodation and still keeping conjugal
relations with his ‘former wives’ by visiting them regularly
and sleeping with them..
“We have collected evidence of your presence in
those homes. This is in violation rules rules for getting
accommodation from the City Council for divorced
women,” the police told him. We can’t do anything. We will
produce you before the court and charge you with fraud and
abuse. If you want to contest, get a lawyer,” They told him to
argue in the court then.
Danny told Antony what was happening. Antony
promptly got in touch with a lawyer who put up the papers to
bail Alihaji out.
Ali was released on bail.
Taking him to his residence, Antony told him to engage a
good lawyer of his choice to argue the case.”Meanwhile don’t
tell anyone, not to speak of your followers in the mosque
about this”. Being in the car Antony pacified him.
Antony dropped him at his gate.
He rang the bell. Jamal and Nabeesa jerked up. Who?
