9
Friends Indeed
“Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity,” so said Kahlil Gibran.
Ramesh and Sadiq lived in a small village of Botini in Fiji and grew together as neighbours. They played together, ate together, sang together and went to school together. This togetherness developed a very special relationship for them.
The kind of upbringing that they had enabled them to conduct themselves as more human beings than divided social or cultural entity. Ramesh was a Hindu and Sadiq hailed from Islamic society but they were true friends.
A true friend cares for a friend like a mother, scolds like a father, teases like a sister, irritates like a brother and loves the friend more than self. These were the attributes of these two friends.
As time went by they kept blending well with the social and cultural structures of different families and relatives around them. Eventually they got married and raised a few of their own children who also grew in this friendly atmosphere as great friends.
Whenever Ramesh and Sadiq met each other after work and their respective busy farming and family life they had the opportunity to relax and reminisce their childhood days and events. This was not only because a lot of their love and understanding of their respective societies but because they had multiple fond memories of their growing up process in the Sabeto Valley where the sleeping giant lives.
They missed their childhood and also missed the way they took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled around them. They knew that they could not control the world they were growing in, could not walk away from things or people or moments and events that hurt them, but they took joy in the things that made them happy.
One day while sitting in the verandah of the village shop where older people were enjoying their usual evening discussing the good, bad and the ugly sides of their life, Ramesh paused a question to Sadiq, “ Do you remember when one day at school you had rung the bell before the school day was to end and all the children ran home?”
“Yes, I do Ramesh and I also remember the punishment that I was given by the teacher on duty for my mischief,” said Sadiq.
“That day I loved you being belted by the teacher,” laughed Ramesh.
Real friends do not get offended when you insult them but they usually smile and call you something more offensive.
So Sadiq took his friend’s remarks with a pinch of salt and reminded him of his folly as well.
“Ramesh, my friend, have you forgotten your foolishness when you had eaten the food from your teacher’s container and put a toad inside it?” retaliated Sadiq.
“Oh yes, my dear friend. How can I forget the stupidity of my childhood?” agreed Ramesh.
“And you know what Ramesh, when at lunch time the teacher found a toad in his food container then he punished you by making you stand like a rooster for ten minutes. I must admit that I really enjoyed the way you were sweating and shaking with pain,” teased Sadiq.
In country schools, one punishment that was very dehumanizing and very common too in those days was when the victim was asked to hold his ears through his legs. They called it MURGA BANANA. The standing murga punishment is similar to remain sitting in the air without a chair. The punished person must remain as long as in sitting position looping the arms behind the knees and firmly holding the ears. In standing murga, the recipient of the punishment is required to position the buttocks as high as possible.
This is the most intense and severe punishment, as it requires constantly working against gravity to keep the bottom raised, and therefore becomes extremely painful within a matter of minutes. For an average person, muscle fatigue starts to set in within a couple of minutes of getting into the standing rooster or murga position. Holding on even for a total of two minutes becomes very painful. As the punishment continues, it gets unbearable and legs start to tremble. It is nearly impossible to hold this position for 3 minutes or longer. That said, it is possible for a person to improve their ability to do this longer by practicing regularly.
“Yes my dear friend,” began Ramesh, “those days of absolute innocence was so true and entertaining that we now feel a little odd to remember them. But I still have very fond memory of the special attire that your father, my uncle or my kaka, who used to sew for me to wear on Diwali Day.”
“You are so right Ramesh Bhai I also have great love for your mother, my aunt (chaachi), who used to construct a special hat or topi for me to wear for Eid celebration. The joy that I had to wear that hat cannot be compared with the best hat of the modern market.” responded Sadiq.
Unfortunately neither Sadiq’s father is alive to prepare such appropriate and fitting clothes for Ramesh during Diwali celebrations nor is the mother of Ramesh around to construct such special hats for Sadiq to do his prayers during Eid. But even today on Diwali day both the children of Ramesh wear new and colourful clothes that still come from the home of Sadiq and for the celebration of Eid, the two children of Sadiq get their appropriate attire from the family of Ramesh.
However, the ideas of modernization and urbanization began to bring a lot of changes to the village which had now increased in population, infrastructure and complexity which had great impact on the social organization of the people and the society. The social revolution had at last come to Botini where new people had arrived with new ideas and complex views.
Therefore the simple village began to feel the poisonous impact of globalization and modernization. Various religious preachers, sects of people, politically indoctrinated leaders and a variety of new thinkers began to influence the total social structure of this village and its people.
One bright Sunday morning when Ramesh met Sadiq on the crossroad of the village he enquired, “You seem to be in some hurry. Where are you going Sadiq?
“A new Moulvi or priest has come from the city and I am going to the Maszid to hear him preach and since you are also in your religious attire you must also be on a special mission, Ramesh,” said Sadiq.
“I am off to the Mandir to hear a new Pandit who has come from abroad.” After this both friends, Ramesh and Sadiq parted ways to reach their respective destinations of enlightenment.
Both the Moulvi and the Pandit in their preaching and sermon began asking their congregations to safeguard the further pollution of their society and religion and asked the people to be careful about the destructive forces that are spoiling their religion. These lectures were more preaching and presentation of divisive ideas than maintaining and keeping the unity of all human beings.
Similar meetings were regularly organized by politicians and new businessmen from the nearby cities to change the thinking of the people of the village.
On all these occasions of the so called enlightenment lectures, Ramesh and Sadiq used to meet regularly to discuss the impact and after effects of these presentations. Whenever they began their discourse they felt disappointed and extremely frustrated with the division that was being promulgated and promoted among and between the various religious and business groups. The farmers were suffering because their land was freely bought by business people to open up new factories and develop residential apartments.
When Ramesh and Sadiq passed away their children who formed the new generation of the village became part of the modernization and developmental processes.
The village is now a township with all the farms gone, all the people divided in their thinking and ideas, young people enjoying their time in clubs and pubs but the greatest destructive element that began to emerge was the rise of all sorts of crime that neither the education system nor the religious or social groups could solve.
The souls of friends like Ramesh and Sadiq are still wondering if the modernization of their village was a good idea. But they are friends indeed in another world. Their souls still meet regularly as love and friendship. Love keeps asking friendship the same question, “Why do you exist when I am already here to assist my people of the village?”
Then the reply of friendship remains constantly the same, “I wish to place some smile where you left a lot of tears for the people.” That is being friends indeed.
