As usual we
started with gossiping about the project and exploitation of employer. We
cherished to slam our employer as every employee does. Though we all are
contractor from other company but we are now on our own and directly work with
client in their den. Job of contractor is always full of horrible shit.
Exploitation is inevitable and revolt means pink slip.
Ram and I are Indians and John is
American working with an Indian owner American company where Ram also works. I
am from a huge multinational company, which gives me lots of job security and
less salary.
We have lots of difference in thoughts,
opinion and way of living. I am aggressive, Ram is depressive and John is
balanced but have immense power of depress people with his aggression. So we
are good team. I traveled from India with a work visa and Ram studied MS and
now waiting for Green Card. But funny side of the attitude is, I dislike the conservative
religion based Indian attitude and Ram doesn't like the American culture at
all. Which sometime end up with a sort of small sweet fight between us. Ram is
from south India and I am from East India, so literally we are Indian but
culturally we are two different species.
Only similarity between all of us is
we are oppressed by the employer and as a team we shit on the lunch table
putting our employer face wide open. That day also we started doing this. John
started slamming his contract employer and asked that they really need to take
care of the employee though they are working with client directly. John eating
a brisket was looking to my “No shave November” face and comment, “Isn't he
look like Iqbal?” Ram stopped in middle and looked to me and said, “Only if he
shaves the moustache”, and laughed.
Iqbal is Ram and John’s company
owner. They sometime crack jokes on him. This time John laugh on that and said,
“You know why they shave moustache and keep beard?” Ram chimed, “Because they don’t
bath and became smelly. And moustache gets smell faster and they are right
below your nose. ” John laughed, “Exactly.” I normally laugh on jokes and for
this also I could laugh but said, “I agreed that moustache get smelly first as
you need to share every food with your moustache. But don’t agree that this is
the reason that Muslims shave the moustache. ”.
Ram responded, “But they don’t bathe
regularly. That’s you agree right. They don’t have that much water in Arab.” I
said, “That’s not correct. They have Mediterrean sea, Red sea , Persian gulf or
Arabian sea even some Arab country have Atlantic sea too. In fact Egypt have
Nile River too, one of the mightiest rivers in the world. ” Ram stopped for a
while but John responded, “They have Sahara too.” And Ram replied, “I am
talking about them only.” I said, “By the way you are talking about Arabs or
Muslims.” With no thinking Ram responded, “Muslims only. They are the root
cause of all problems.”
I get irritated when I hear the fact
that the Muslims are terrorists. I agreed that the Major portion of the
terrorist community unfortunately have this religion. But that doesn’t mean
that all Muslims are terrorists. In my country we have living legends that are
active in growth of India and they are Muslims. I cannot discriminate a person
by their religion. To me it is another coccyx which we are carrying with no
reason. Specifically, I don’t follow a single religion; I follow all teaching
which required. Yes, I love my buddy named “God” and I love Him as they say He
is everywhere and who don’t love a friend who is with you every time , anywhere
and you can blame him for all of your faults and no need to Thank him. I love
him too much and no doubt he is there.
As a result I am alone in my way. Market
runs on Greed and Fear. Everyone praise God for fear of failure of demand of
something without effort. I am fortunately not driven by any of those and
unfortunately I am cornered every time in these discussions. But I fight back.
So
I returned, “Why they are root cause of all the problems?” “Don’t you read news
the killing of ISIS in Iraq? They are beheading innocent people. They are
abducting and selling girls. They are doing all type of inhumanity around the
world.” “I agreed Ram; they are inhuman people but what about the religion? Those
are political killing. They are massacring people which never allowed in Islam.
Even in Jihad, women, old and child need to spare. “John chimed in middle, “But
it is happening with Islam only. If in Christianity this happens then whole
Christian community go against them.” I smiled as I was looking to history
which I read on British India. No need to go to history, “Well! Then what you
can comment about then on Los Zetas?” “Those are criminals and does all of the
beheading as part of their trade.” “Politics is the only trade which is driving
in Iraq or in Arab.” My eyes stopped on Ram and he responded, “Even in the Quran
they allowed to forcefully convert.”
I
paused for a moment. I knew it was coming. This is the most misinterpreted
statement of Quran just like in Communism, “Religion is opium”. I cannot change
what is written but cannot overlook the true meaning of that. I left it for the
reader who needs to read the surah word by word to understand true meaning of
that.
I
didn’t have that handy that time so I cannot discuss that. What I said, “That
means you need to follow what that surah said. Even in our religion we have
Sati, which is as brutal as beheading innocent people. Do we follow that? ” Ram
responded, “But everywhere they are preaching the same. Killing the people on religion
and it is only in Arab and no Muslim protesting this. ” I said, “This is not in
Arab, it is everywhere by every religion. You are blaming such a religion from
which two of the Nobel Peace Prize this year is given. And one is for
protesting Non- Muslim behavior of Taliban by Malala. I read the book. You need
to read those not only browsing internet. ”
That’s
got personal. Ram is always proud on his general knowledge and capability of
aligning his knowledge bank with world news. He suddenly burst out, “Now you
are going to tell me what to read what not to read?” I was furious too, don’t know
the reason, may be it offend me when someone discriminate innocent. I replied, “No,
but you need to know history of Arab spring to understand that this is purely
political and religion is only used as weapon.” He suddenly raised his voice, “Don’t
try to rub your opinion to me.”
It
was going bad and he started slamming me with some objectionable way of talking.
I decided to not fight. I became silent and John started, “They are really selling
kids to prostitution in Arab. They sold in Somalia too.” Ram supported, “No non-Muslim
countries allow this.” Again another
wrong knowledge burst. Again it is not about religion. Even in India we have
abduction and child prostitution problem. Whole world is struggling with this
inhuman money spinning industry. Human trafficking is most hated and most loved
topic in the world. Crossing border open death hole as well as opportunity,
this is all about money again. Why blame religion?
I
was muttering these on my mind which may move my lip without noise. Ram picked
up my gesture and slam, “You may support this with you secular thought process.
But I condemn this act and blame the Muslim community for this. ” His voice was
high. I stopped my spoon and stand up, “I think I should go and stop the
discussion.” In such a aggressive note he said, “You better be.” Even I didn't say
sorry for this.
Next
day, I came to office and find a different behavior in Ram. He was not talking
to me. I used to talk to him about personal matter. He never worked with Indian
colleague in past. So he shares his family life with me, same I do too. We used
to have discussion on different topics and share our thoughts. His Good Morning
was also sounds peculiar. I tried to talk to him about some point; he gave me a
blank look. I was confused. John was not
in that day. At noon as usual I get up from my desk and in the same tone as every
day I asked, “Ram Lunch?” Normally I get a, “Just two minute” response and I
used to make fun of him for doing too much work. But he responded, “You carry on.” Ouch!! I was
about to ask him that if it was a carry forward of the yesterday’s discussion. But
as an optimist I thought he will get well soon.
Men
fights, and that’s very normal animal nature. We fight and forget if we don't have
a conflict of interest. With my other colleague in past we have several violent
discussion on the same issue and we forgot when we need a matchstick to light a
cigarette. I couldn't believe that a man carry this thought and outcast me. Even
in the discussion I declared peace, though I got some real reason to fight back
over the bad mouth. I stayed calm and wait.
Next
three days the situation was not changed. My dad once told me that the wrong
doers are guiltier than the victim. They eventually fall back if you think you
are correct and maintain a good relationship. I did so. I didn't change my
course of day to day action. Every day I started asking him to go for lunch and
he responded the same. It generated anger to me and in a fine day I realized
that he doesn't want to confront me in personal field as he was doing good
conversation regarding professional topics.
I
get depressed when I see John also refusing to go for lunch with me and I was doubting
on that if what I said or think is wrong or not. I shouldn't be expressive like
that. Who am I to say something on behalf of someone? Even that’s not my
religion. Even as a border state in
India we have terrible trouble with the same religion people. I was in Mumbai
when the terrorist attack the Taj. Why should I waste my energy to straight
people’s thinking? Why I put the relation of stake on the ridiculous topic to
fight for? All these questions were disturbing my sleep for the weekend.
With
a red eye and yawning vigorously I explained the situation to my dad over
phone. He was always a fire brigade to me. He first said that I need to find my
way to talk to him as a colleague is like an extended limb. We stay more time
with colleagues than individually with individual family member. I asked that
if I have to do that then I need to head down to him. He said that sometime it
is needed. I asked that if he still not convinced, then. Dad said, “If someone doesn't want to solve a problem if offered help, and then he is a problem, solve it or
ignore it.” Lastly I asked him the most important thing, if I did any mistake
doing that. My dad simply said, “I am not the judge. But I
support your try. Try to stand on a point which not directly effecting you.
People put the sharp end of the life compass on them and draw a circle which is
self-centered and they live in that only. They pass the same attitude to their
next generation too. The big the circle is, the more you can accommodate different
geometric figure in that. That’s the way you can deepen your route and expand
your horizon. People don’t want to do that and don’t have the capability to
doing that. So if you try, most of the time you will fail. But you may able to
pass your baton to someone else if you try continuously. Don’t give up and don’t
look to the people who hate you though they are prominent than the thousands of
other who liked you. And finally, this is the way world balance. You are just a
dot not even a line. ”
I
cheered up and depressed in same time. But yes , I don’t stop.
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