“What If It Happens?”

Monday, 11 April 2022

Ishrat Jahan

One of our friends, Mr. Farooq, is a middle-aged man, yet he has still not been able to free himself from his deeply suspicious and fearful nature. These days, I happened to have some free time, so I thought it would be a good idea to meet him and try to untangle the puzzle of his constant worries. By coincidence, he himself arrived at my humble home, jolting along in a rickshaw.

During tea, I began the conversation. “God has given you plenty. You should buy a car now so traveling becomes easier and more comfortable. You’ll be saved from all these bumps and troubles.”

“Yes, sometimes I do think about it,” he agreed. “Having your own car is a different feeling altogether.”

“But then aother thought comes to mind,” he paused and continued. “These days, theft, robbery, and looting are everywhere. What if I’m driving peacefully on a quiet road and suddenly a robber appears from behind? He could stop the car, force me out, and drive away with it.” He painted the scene vividly.

Then he added, “It could also happen that on that same moving road, some careless person suddenly comes under my car and gets crushed.” He shuddered and fell silent.

“And surely, all of that would happen only to you,” I said calmly, then changed the topic. “Why don’t you keep your savings in a bank? My friend, even in this modern age, you are carrying the burden of safeguarding money yourself.”

“No, no, God forbid,” he said quickly. “What if the bank goes bankrupt? Then all my money will be lost. And what if there’s a robbery at the bank?” He held his ears in fear. “I would die without actually dying.”

Declaring my suggestion completely unreasonable, he rejected it outright.

“Brother,” I said sarcastically, “you are already extremely careful. You count every single rupee day and night on your fingers. You don’t keep accounts on machines because someone might find out the real amount—after all, it’s the age of science.”

I continued mockingly, “Who can be more cautious than you? You’ve made several photocopies of your ATM card so you won’t face trouble if it gets lost. Your button-phone is wrapped in multiple plastic bags to protect it from water and dust.”

He listened silently.

I went on, irritated, “By the time you open one bag after another to answer a call, your wife’s call turns into a missed call. From you, we can only learn lessons of extreme caution.”

Throughout this, he kept looking at me with pity, while I kept speaking bluntly

“Eat properly at least,” I said angrily. “There’s no tax on good food.”

“Eating too much is bad for health,” he explained calmly. “You know it causes diseases like diabetes and blood pressure. If food is good, you end up eating more.”

I attacked again, “At least dress well.”

He immediately replied, “Fashion changes every week these days. Buy the most expensive clothes, and people like you will still say it’s out of fashion. If I start dressing well and expensively, beggars will line up at my door.”

Pleased with his foresight, he looked at me expectantly and smiled.

“Fine,” I said at last, “at least think positively. That much you can do!”

And with that, I had nothing more left to say

Do not read

On the third attempt, Sharfo was sent to cut very old trees. Seeing them, he thought about how they had given shade to travelers for many years. Cutting them felt like betrayal. On his way back, overwhelmed and determined, Sharfo threw the axe into a canal, deciding that he would never cut trees again. He thought of opening a shop in the market instead.

When he returned home and told his father, the woodcutter lost control and threw Sharfo out of the house. Nadi tried to stop him, but the woodcutter refused to listen. Sharfo left with nowhere to go. After walking for a long time, exhausted, he collapsed at the gate of a grand mansion and fainted.

Meanwhile, the woodcutter and Nadi were consumed with regret. They missed their son deeply and blamed themselves for their harshness. One day, a carriage stopped outside their house. A man stepped out and told them that Nadir Khan had invited them.