This is an instructive story and admonitory also, serves us as a warning.
Infact, this tale was narrated to me by a saintly person namely late Ali Muhammad Sahib. It will be worthwhile to mention here that Ali Muhammad Sahib was father of Rafiq Raaz Sahib, a prominent poet of our valley and Ex. Director, Radio Kashmir. Ali Muhammad Sahib passed away in 1988.
One of the Ali Muhammad’s friends had thrown a party to commemorate some event. Ali Muhammad Sahib too was invited. People usually on such occasions chat with each other and interact on diverse topics. Naturally that was the case in this gathering also. Ali Muhammad Sahib was a taciturn person so obviously he remained reserved and unresponsive. Ali Muhammad Sahib was flanked by a middle aged man who was seated near him. That man was also silent and was just sucking something. He did not seem interested in the chatting going on around him. He was visibly gloomy and buried in thoughts. He took out a vial from his vest pocket, opened its lid, drew some quantity of sugar from it, loaded his mouth with multiple sugar crystals and began to suck. It arrested the attention of Ali Muhammad Sahib and he watched his action with interest. After a short while, the man repeated his action as the sugar crystals in his mouth seemed finished. After a pause, the man again crunched the sugar crystals and began to absorb them in his mouth. Now Ali Muhammad Sahib became very curious. The man oblivious of the curiosity and watchful eyes of Ali Muhammad Sahib remained occupied in sweetening his mouth. He would frequently draw his vial from his pocket, pour out some quantity of sugar on his palm and then put yhe same into his mouth. He continued this ‘exercise’ till the table was laid.
As soon as the table cleared, the ‘sugar man’ again drew out the vial and took a little sugar to eat. The treat was over, so the people began to disperse. Observing such an excessive desire of this man for sweetener, it had amazed Ali Muhammad Sahib. He was impatient now and could not resist himself from asking the guy as to what did make him to eat sugar so excessively and frequently. Ali Muhammad Sahib asked him, “I observed you do sweeten your mouth without a pause. Your non-stop intake of sugar greatly surprised me. Would you mind disclosing this mystery?”. That guy avoided to answer. But Ali Muhammad Sahib was so curious and eager to know this secret, so he insisted and persuaded the guy to tell the truth behind that strange habit. The ‘sugar man’ heaved a deep sigh and agreed to reveal the truth behind his excessive use of sweets. He said, “long ago I died. Yes, it is true. I had died. I was declared dead. Some invisible hands took me to a place which is not possible to express in words. I can just say that is inexplicable and inexpressible. It was like an immeasurable and endless ground. I was horrified and frightened. All of a sudden a voice emerged. Though the voice was nonverbal but it sounded euphonious. The words which emerged sounded, “You’ve got a different Spirit”. Simultaneously all the things disappeared and I started feeling some energy coming into my body. Sensations in my body made me realize that I have been brought to life again! While I opened my eyes I discovered myself shrouded in a white cloth. A large number of people around me were invoking God’s name. As I began to move, the people there were so frightened that they ran off. After a while a few courageous men came near and took me in a room. Someone fetched a glass of water for me, but I asked sugar instead. Do you know why? Because I was feeling terrible and pungent taste and bitterness in my mouth. No doubt, I came to life again, but the bitterness which I experienced while passing through the agony of death has not died. This bitterness forces me to keep my mouth sweetened all the time because it is so hard to bear with this pungent taste!! Tears trickled down from his eyes. Then he added, “while I revived, the same time a scream of a woman was heard in the neighbourhood. Actually, her husband had collapsed. Strangely enough my namesake!!”.
Nazir Jahangir is a freelance writer
