Skip to main content

Hunger Pangs: When There's No Alternative

My pains that haunt me still today


The pain that still follow me


 I entered boarding school as a child.  Bilot Sharif which is more or less six kilometres away from my village Dhaki.  There was a middle school there and I entered the sixth grade.  Our village is located in the plains at the foot of Rutta
mountains.  There is a canal between our village and the mountain which offers a very beautiful view.  I remember before 1987 it was a small canal called Paharpur canal which looked very big at that time.  It has now been replaced by a large canal called the CRBC.  Maybe it will be replaced by a big canal in the future and our generations will be saying that when we were young, a small canal used to flow here.  In fact, there is nothing big or small.  We call one small or big relative to another. This canal chain  flows from Chashma Barrage at the place of Chashma.  Like every canal, Paharpur canal was no less than a blessing.  Where it irrigated agricultural land, it was also a source of entertainment for us.  This is the canal that cools our summer hot days.  Men and children enjoyed the cool water of the canal in summer.  We children used to take bath naked in it.  At that time it was slowly spreading among the children that they should not bathe naked.  But the elders who were tired of working in the fields would come to the banks of the Paharpur canal.  They used to take off cloths and used to jump  straight into the canal.  It seems that we have begun to deviate from nature at that time, or to put it another way, we have begun to become religious.  The women had set aside Friday for the canal. They used to wash clothes and take a bath. I remember women knew how to swim well. People also used to catch fish from the canal.  Now the canal is big, but there are no fishermen.  Fish slaughter houses have probably been set up and fishes are confined to those slaughter houses.  Anyway, what were the wonderful days?  On the other side of the canal, a beautiful mountain called Koh-i-Rata offers a beautiful view.  This is a dry mountain with only nets and cretaceous trees that you will see somewhere.  If they caught the greenery in the rainy season, they would offer a beautiful view of the mountain from afar.  I remember at one time the government tried to plant trees on the mountain.  But since we consider nature to be our enemy, we destroyed the trees in such a way that even their roots were to used for fire.  There was a dirt road between the canal and our village, which is north-south, which is now double and paved.  Which connects Islamabad to the north and Dera Ismail Khan to the south.  Once upon a time, when we were little, there were cactus trees on both sides of the road, which used to be home to crows, parrots, hoods and a variety of birds.  Witness beehives were often seen on these trees.  Head north from Dhaki and as soon as you reach Mitra abad, Kafar Kot, which is on the top of the hill, is seen.  But it is a pity that in the same way that we are second to none in enmity with nature, the same thing has been done with these historical places.  Kafir Kot will be seen telling the story of the negligence of the Archaeological Department.  No road, no archeology department, no staff, no guide for tourists.  Passing through Mitra Abad, you will see Al-Abbas School and College on both the right and left sides of the canal.  Which is located at the intersection.  The late Abbas Sahib who is the founder of this school is considered as hero of the area.  It was not a school in our childhood when we were studying Bilot Sharif.  Beyond Chora is the Head Blot which leads you to the other side of the canal.  Before the headbloot, both the canal up and the mountains are to your left.  The canal I'm talking about is the CRBC.  The track of the old canal which was called Paharpur was the same up to Head Bilot but different from Head Bilot to Bilot Sharif.  At the time we were studying, the canal and mountains were on the left after the Head Bilot  If you cross the Head Bilot, the Bilot Sharif starts to appear. The reason for for this is that the Bilot Sharif is located on a small hill.  It is said that the river Indus used to flow touching these hill.  This is probably the reason why this city is located on a hill.  Just a little further on, after crossing a bridge over the Paharpur canal, we would reach Blot Sharif in the west.  The city is divided into two parts by a mountain water channel.  We would walk along the right bank of the channel to reach the schools on the west bank of the city.  There was a school with more raw and a few solid rooms.  The hostel also had three rooms and all three were raw.  We didn't even hear the name of the washroom, we just went out of school at night and went for the toilet.  Due to the mountainous terrain, there was a shortage of water.  Hand pumps were dug very deep.  The taps were very heavy and it was very difficult for children to operate the hand pump. 
   If you have never seen a boy taking a bath, you can understand the difficulty of water at that time.  The drinking water was so dirty that even today when I remember this water, the taste in my mouth gets bad.  Because it was a mountainous area, pebbles were scattered all over the places and it was impossible to walk without shoes, especially in winter.  I remember we would go home after a couple of weeks.  There were only two buses, one was Government Transport and the other was Ramzan Transport.  At the time, the two had a base south of the city.  Government transport used to return to Dera Ismail Khan in the morning and then back to Blot Sharif last afternoon.  While Ramadan Transport would leave Dera in the morning for Blot and return in the afternoon.  The journey from Blot to Dera used to take three hours.  The road was rough so the journey was very difficult.  Sometimes on Thursdays, if the bus broke down or missed, we did go walk home on foot.  Let's start with what I made such a long preamble.
 Friends!
 It may seem trivial to you, but the thing that hurt  haunts me today.  Once for some reason a holiday was announced at night.  Now that there were no buses at night, we had to catch the government transport before dawn.  There were severe winter days.  The urge to go home all night did not let me sleep.  At that time we considered ourselves foreigners.  In any case, get ready before dawn and walk to the base.  The base was about half a kilometer away from the school.  My slipper was in a dilapidated condition and were broken.  When I felt difficulty in walking, I took the slipper in my hand.  Now it was cold and I had to walk on pebbles bare footed. 
 Friends!
May you not walk barefoot on pebbles, especially in winter.  But if you go, you can feel my pain.  The pain I felt still haunts me today.  This may seem trivial to you, but even today, when it comes to me in solitude, the clouds of summer come with the thunder of thunder and then it rains a lot.
 Friends!
Don't give pain to anyone. Don't break heart of anyone.  Finally, I pray for you to become comfortable for humanity. May Allah be your supporter and helper.





A tearful event in my life



Well, every human life is full of good and bad events, but some events are so painful that depression does not leave a person for life. I am going to tell you a similar lesson which I took in this incident. Ten to fifteen years ago, my old car out of order, so I reached the mechanic early in the morning on the day off. The mechanic asked me to sit on the chair and went to fix the car. Meanwhile, a child sat down on the floor next to my chair and became interested in me. I was a little upset and then, as usual, I started finding Newton and Einstein in this child. Because many times in my life I saw Newton and Einstein begging on the roads. Anyway, I asked the child why he didn't go to school, and he said it was because of poverty. I asked him would you like to go to school, so he said yes. I asked him to take two pieces of paper and a pen. I wrote to the owner of the bookshop and the other to the owner of the uniform shop and requested them to do the needful. I asked him to come to my school tomorrow morning. When I arrived at the school door in the next morning, the boy was waiting for me at the gate with his uniform and bag. Believe me, I have trouble recognizing him. There was a difference between the boy I met at the mechanic's shop and the one standing in front of me. 

Friends!

Poverty is a cruel thing that makes a beautiful person look ugly.

I took him inside the school and asked him if I should enroll in a class 3. He insisted on sitting in the sixth class. I explained to him that since you have never been to school, you should sit in the class 3, but he had decided according to his height and age and he had also brought books for the sixth class. I thought he might run away, so I surrendered. I enrolled him in the sixth class and also took the promise of hard work. However, time passed and he reached the ninth.

I had never met his father during those years. One day, as I was leaving the hospital car parking, I stopped to give a parking ticket, but the old man on duty refused to take the money. When I asked the reason, he said that he is Rajab Ali's father. I understood on looking at the old man that poverty is really rampant in Rajab Ali's house. Rajab Ali's father was many years younger than me but he seemed to be many years older than me. That day I felt intensely that

Poverty and ignorance brings oldness prematurely

To cut the long story short, I hired an English teacher whom I gave a room inside the school to live. Occasionally I did go to him for gossip in the late afternoon. One day, Rajab Ali also arrived with an envelope. When he wanted to give the envelope to the teacher, I asked what was in it. Rajab Ali told me that my mother had sent eggs for the teacher. That day I found out that Rajab Ali belongs to which religion sect. I was afraid that I am trying to get him out of the darkness and some people pushing him into the darkness.

Friends!

A few days later, when I entered the

school before the assembly in the morning, I saw the same teacher and Rajab Ali standing. When I heard the teacher saying that Rajab Ali

Try to be (here he took the name of a religious person). I went ahead and told the teacher that for God's sake

Let him be Rajab Ali first.

However, many years have passed that

Rajab Ali passed Matric. Later he disappeared. I decided a few years later to find Rajab Ali and his father. I did not know their home so I went to the hospital parking to see his father. Luckily he was present there. After inquiring about his well-being, when I asked about Rajab Ali, he started crying. He was saying that I thought that Rajab Ali would take over the house after matriculation but he destroyed me even more. I asked what happened. He told me that he was caught in terrorism act and for the last two years he is in custody of Security agencies . Anyway, when I left with heavy steps, I called that very teacher and asked him to see me. In the evening he came. I saluted him and said:

I couldn't make him Rajab Ali but you succeeded to make him terrorist. You Succeeded in creating a terrorist. You own and

I accept my defeat.

The world's biggest pain 

Human goes through many pains in life. It will be not wrong if is said that, life and pain is with the price. There are two types of pain go together. There are two types of pain. One is spiritual and another is physical pain. Every person in life goes through these two pains. Behind these pains lies the helplessness of man. Many times a person tries to control the body, thoughts, opinion and tongue of others and every time he gets pain because he is trying impossible. We forget that

Man has not been able to conquer himself till today, but it would be better if I say that

Man is helpless in front of himself and has gone to control others.
The pain of helplessness is for every human being
But        
There are many pains in this world other than  sorrow/helplessness i.e. Head, teeth, abdominal, appendix and heart pain. I also saw adults with heart pain and felt that this pain is the worst pain in the world. But I think the pain of cancer is at the top of the list. The pain of cancer is so severe that the person goes into a coma. In addition to these pains, there is another pain which I think is the most severe.

I asked many people which pain is the most severe in the world. Everyone gave different answers but no one said what was in my mind. When I talk about this pain, people keep quiet. It seems to be supporting my position. Let me tell you which one that pain is? So listen

The pain of hunger is the worst pain in the world


Comments

  1. Believed that was difficult time due to lack of facilities

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

mkhalid@gu.edu.pk

Popular posts from this blog

Unlocking Your Happiness: The Power of Finding Joy in Others

   Unlocking Your Happiness: The Power of Finding Joy in Others Introduction: Happiness is a universal goal that drives our actions and shapes our lives. We often associate happiness with personal achievements, material possessions, and self-gratification. However, a profound truth lies within our grasp: our own happiness is intricately connected to the happiness of others. When we prioritize the well-being and joy of those around us, we create a positive ripple effect that can transform our own lives. In this article, we will explore the concept of interconnected happiness, examining how acts of kindness, compassion, and altruism not only benefit others but also lead to our own lasting fulfillment. Empathy and Connection:  At the core of human happiness lies our ability to connect with others on an emotional level. When we genuinely empathize with the experiences and emotions of those around us, we foster a sense of compassion and understanding. This connection allows us to share in t

Unveiling the Wisdom Within

 Unveiling the Wisdom Within Throughout my life, I have encountered numerous incidents that made me question the complexity of my own identity. This internal duality has often troubled me, leading me to the realization that without truly understanding oneself, the world can appear distorted. Delving into the depths of our subconscious allows us to uncover the multitude of personalities hidden within each individual. It was during my endeavors as a motivational speaker and advisor that I began to hear the echoes of my own subconscious. It often reminded me that the wisdom I imparted to others was not always reflected in my own actions. Recognizing this aspect of my personality, I decided to pen a short story that would shed light on my behavior, and it is with great pleasure that I share it with you. Once, while traversing through a dense jungle, I heard the haunting sound of bones being devoured. Curiosity compelled me to investigate, and to my dismay, I discovered a gruesome sight: a

Nurturing the Inner Child: Embracing Innocence and Wonder in Adulthood

 Nurturing the Inner Child: Embracing Innocence and Wonder in Adulthood Introduction Within each and every one of us, there resides a child—an essence of innocence, curiosity, and wonder. This inner child represents our truest and most authentic self, untouched by the burdens and complexities of the adult world. However, as we grow older, we often overlook and neglect this vital aspect of our being. In this article, we explore the importance of keeping our inner child alive and offer practical ways to nurture and reconnect with this precious part of ourselves. The Essence of the Inner Child The concept of the inner child originated from psychoanalytic and psychological theories, highlighting the notion that our childhood experiences profoundly shape our adult personalities. Our inner child embodies the memories, emotions, and needs of our younger selves, and it continues to influence our thoughts, behaviors, and relationships in adulthood. The inner child represents qualities that we t