It was Akbar mosque neighbourhood. Shibly was standing outside Akbar mosque.
The area looked rich. The atmosphere was pleasant with the eye-catching emerald fields and greenwood.
Shibly was standing confused for a few more minutes, even after Hamzi left.
Why should Hamzy tell him about those two grade-nine boys who hit his father?
Shibly is an outsider.
A newcomer.
Having no idea about the dynamic of this village.
What help could Shibly offer Hamzi and his family when so many people are ready to happily support them...?!
Hamzi was talking about a social media post. What else could he say anything extra than what has so far been said?
Shibly was not in a situation to think for so long. He had to reach his boarding room. It is the place where he will have to spend the next few years of his life.
He chose to forget Hamzi and ignore all the odds. He concentrated on his own problems.
He went to the office room in the mosque and greeted. One of the members of the board of trustees was sitting there.
“I am Shibly. I had booked room number five”.
“Okay. It’s you? Come in. Please, take your seat, sir”.
“Thank you”.
“Please fill in this form. Look here, sir. These are the terms and conditions. Read them carefully and sign”, the trustee said.
There were many conditions in the form. Some of them were as follows:
"Within the premises, you are not allowed to bring alcohol, cigarettes, or any other tobacco-related products or drugs.
Strictly no female visitors will be allowed.
People who stay in the boarding rooms are collectively responsible for keeping the premises in a hygienic condition. The board of trustees are strictly NOT responsible for the maintenance of the boarding rooms or its immediate surroundings.
You should strictly maintain a modest dressing code within the neighbourhood and your behaviour should comply with the local norms.
Your livelihood should be legal and you should not violate any of the laws and regulations of the country.
Your contract period is two years and is renewable at the pleasure of both parties.
The board of trustees reserves the absolute right to cancel the agreement unilaterally".
There were many other terms and conditions as well.
“Have you finished reading? These are just the reminders. You know, sometimes people create problems. Then, we have to come up with new terms and conditions," the trustee sounded apologetic.
“But, not everyone makes trouble. I hope you will be a good man. So, these terms will have nothing to do with you,” the trustee said again.
The trusty handed over the key of room number five to Shibly.
Shibly did not have to ask many questions. The trustee himself provided all necessary information crystal clearly.
“There are six rooms in the building. Three rooms downstairs are already occupied. So you are going to stay upstairs".
“You said over the phone I have to share the room with two other people?" Shibly asked.
“Yeah. But, it is like this. All rooms upstairs are free right now. For the time being, you do not have to share your room with anyone. You will have to, in case the rooms get filled. But, that does rarely happen”.
“Will you increase the rent?”
“We revise it every two years. But, that will not be a huge increase. We have to raise rent, just because of the decline in rupee value".
“I have come for a teaching post. I will have to stay here for a long period until I get a transfer. Actually, I have no idea how long that is going to be”.
“It doesn’t matter. There is a plan to demolish the building. You could stay here until that happens. But, I don’t think it will happen anytime soon. Even if it happens, we won’t ask you to get out of here overnight. We are there to help you find a new place. We have that responsibility. So nothing to worry about”, the trustee said, “But, the only problem is that rooms are not so comfortable. They are in their worst condition. You have seen the rooms, right?”.
“No. But, it doesn’t matter, Hajiyar. I have signed. I have accepted the contract”.
“No. It is not appropriate to finalize the contract without physically inspecting the place. Come on. Let me ask someone to show you the room. First, go and see the room, sir. Then, we will finalize the contract”.
****
After a few minutes, a man came. He was a worker in the mosque. Maybe someone looking after cleaning works. Shibly could easily spot at once that he was not an intellectually sound man.
“Come with me. Zubair Haajiyar asked me to show you the rooms”.
“Okay. Let’s go”.
Shibly and the man were walking. The boarding-room building was not a part of the Mosque building. It was situated nearly two hundred metres away from the main mosque complex.
There was an old antic-like Mosque structure detached from the main complex. It must be the old mosque structure. Now it was used as a warehouse to keep old things. It must have been built during British rule.
Next to this old building was the boarding-room building, but not as old as the old mosque structure. It could have been constructed in the nineteen eighties and hasn’t been renovated anytime recently.
All the sides of the boarding-room building looked like greenwood.
The soil in the walking path was so muddy. It was slippery everywhere. The drainage was overflowing and was disgusting.
There was a downward sloping ground in front of the building.
“This was the old Maqbara”, the man told Shibly. Maqbara is an Arabic term for a graveyard.
“Graveyard?”, Shibly exclaimed.
“Yes. No longer Janazas (dead bodies) are buried here. Because there is a new burial ground now”.
A graveyard is a graveyard by definition, despite being either new or old. The thought of a burial ground was astonishing. Has Shibly had to live alone with the bodies of people who had passed away decades ago?
His heart started pounding so fast. Shibly had always liked the silent atmospheres. He always wanted to live in a peaceful environment far away from the noisily populated neighbourhoods.
This place looked peaceful and amazingly silent.
It was situated far away from the crowded settlements. Shibly had always wished for such an environment filled with tranquillity.
However, Something was different here. Practically sleeping and waking up inside a graveyard was a depressing thought. The mere thought of the burial ground was frightening to Shibly.
Room number one and two in the downstairs were locked outside. Room number three was closed from inside. He could sense the cigarette smell.
The terraced path was full of the remains of old cigarette pieces. It was clearly evident that the dwellers were not respecting the terms and conditions they had signed in.
Next to room number three was the line of washrooms. It was also full of cigarette pieces. The urine smell in the air was likely to affect the appetite for many days.
Hygiene would be the last thing that would ever come to your mind when you think of this whole place.
“Three people should share one washroom”, the man said.
Next to the line of washrooms, there were the steps that took them upstairs. The steps were slippery even in this hot weather. There were no handles to hold on both sides.
In the upstairs, there was no sign of human existence for the last many years.
They passed room number four and reached room number five.
The rooms upstairs did not have a concrete roof. They were covered by asbestos roofing sheets.
The time was almost close to sunset.
Shibly hated the place.
His heart was heavy.
It was the saddest and depressing sunset. Shibly felt homesick.
However, he decided to rent this room and stay here. Izzadeen sir might return to Marudur tonight. Shibly must give back the quarters. It was not easy to find other rooms in Marudur.
****
“You saw the place? I know it is the least comfortable place. We are not in a position to maintain the place. You know, sometimes people do not behave responsibly. So, many people in the village are against the idea of having a bachelors’ dormitory here”, the trustee told Shibly.
The trustee made it absolutely clear that the hostel condition could not improve.
Adhaan for the sunset prayer was pronounced afterwards. Shibly prayed and started walking heavy-heartedly to his boarding room with all his luggage.
He felt his honeymoon days were over in this new village. Until this minute, he thought he was part of this village and part of its society. Nevertheless, now he felt as if he was a stranger and felt lonely and isolated from the rest of the crowd.
The darkness had covered the boarding building as his heart. The building was in the middle of a graveyard, just like a lonely tree in a desert. He has to sleep in this place for many years to come. The thought of having to stay in a burial ground, at least closer to a burial ground, was overwhelming Shibly. His heart was pounding so rapidly.
****
It was almost close to sunset.
“How are you, dad?”, Hamdha Mohideen asked her father Mohideen Haajiyar over the phone.
“I am fine, darling”, Mohideen Hajiyar said, “and how are you, my daughter?”.
“Dad, I want to come home. I cannot stay here any longer”.
“Why? what happened?”
“No. Nothing. I just can not be here”.
“Look. It is still Tuesday. It’s not yet even closer to the weekend. You can’t come back. You have lectures, don't you?”.
“No. Everything is enough. I want to leave behind everything and come back. I have enough with this study, Dad”, Hamdha cried.
“Look, daughter. I think something has happened. It isn't difficult for me to guess what it could be. Whatever happens, we should stay calm and quiet, darling. We have to make decisions rationally, not emotionally. What you are talking about now is a serious thing”.
“Yes, Dad”.
“Good girl. Then, You finish lectures this week and come home for the weekend as usual, okay?”.
“No dad, let me come home at least for a couple of days, please”.
“Okay. I understand your situation. I will check whether anyone is coming home from Colombo to arrange your transport”.
****
It was night.
On the evening of the previous day, Shakira’s father was hit by two young men.
Those young men escaped to Coffee-garden, the close-by village.
People could not catch them red-handedly.
Their faces were not visible in the security camera footage, either. The only witness was Hamzi, Shakira's brother.
Many people believed it was Mohideen Hajiyar’s men who were behind the incident. There was a family rivalry between both of their brotherly families. There was a heated cold war between them for decades.
When Hamzi had told Mohideen Haajiyar that the actual culprits were two schoolboys studying in grade nine, Mohideen Haajiyar had asked Hamzi to keep it a secret.
Mohideen Haajiyar was concerned that those boys would be dealt much more severely by both the factions in this heated emotional climate. After all, those two boys are still very young.
However, many influential people had been pressurizing Mohideen Haajiyar and asking Hamzi waves of questions. So, it was impossible to keep the news as secret as they had planned.
The story of grade-nine boys was known by everyone by the next twenty-four hours. Even the girls staying in Colombo, miles away from Marudur, were well familiar with the developments.
The tongues that were blaming Mohideen had come to a sudden halt soon after the news got leaked. Even Mohideen Haajiyar had several times visited the Principal in the hospital and talked to him friendly. The principal was also alright and was recovering rapidly.
So, the problem was almost over.
It was likely that everyone in the village would soon forget the whole incident. The heated atmosphere had disappeared.
The thing which was still kept secret was the faces of those boys.
Almost all the influential people in the village responsibly refrained from seeking the true identity of those two boys.
However, there was one little innocent soul that was so furious about this whole thing.
This soul was not ready to give up everything so easily as others did. It believed in a conspiracy theory. This soul thought Mohideen Haajiyar had a hidden role somewhere.
It was Shakira. She was trying to make every girl believe in her theory.
“I can’t accept this. Hamdha’s father thinks all villagers are fools. He expects everyone to believe his story. This was not a simple thing to leave this way. This is an attempted murder. Remember that”, cried Shakira, “For all of you, this could simply be another gossip to talk about and leave it behind. But, this happened to my father. Its memory and the trauma will be with us forever. I know those boys are minors. So, What? Why do you all protect them? Let them taste what they have done. We will find out who is behind them”.
Rushdha Firdaws, Minhaj’s sister, interrupted.
“Please listen, Shakira. Hamdha gets hurt. The whole thing is over now. Please, forgive it and forget it", said Rushdha, "by the mercy of God, nothing seriously happened to your father. He is safe after all, isn’t he?”.
“Here you go. You always take her side, Rushdha. What if something had happened to him?” asked Shakira.
“I am taking no one's side”, Rushdha said. “I have to tell you. It was not only her father’s individual decision. It was a collective decision of village leaders to keep it a secret. Someone from every girl’s family in this house has taken part in this decision. Do you think everyone had planned a conspiracy against your family?”.
All the girls kept silent as if they agreed with Rushdha.
Shakira got even more furious. “So all of you have taken Hamdha’s side. Okay. Okay. It doesn’t matter. It’s my destiny. I am so happy about all of you, girls. Thank you so much”, Shakira started weeping. “Please, for the sake of god, leave me alone. I know how to handle this. I know. I'm not going to leave this so easily”, Shakira went and closed the door behind her.
All the girls were helplessly looking at each other.
((To be continued))
* Characters, events and the places in this story are fictional and a mere product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real-world events or characters is merely coincidental.
** Vijayapura and Marudur are fictional places.
Riza Jaufer
Akurana -Kandy,
Sri Lanka
