FACE OF ASLAM

I will share the story of Dr. Aslam, a dentist from Malappuram. My wife told me about him when I visited her in Mangalore while she was doing her PG in Medical College there. Aslam was an old student in the same college and had visited there once, a few days before my visit. He was my wife’s classmate in school; an energetic and charming personality who had a lot of fans from both sexes in school.
We couldn’t meet, but spoke over phone with a hope to meet soon. Soon after, I left for UAE in 2008 (for the shortest pravasi life of any one amongst us). Aslam was already there, working in Sharjah, near National Paints R/O. He called me once and offered help for the newcomer. Still we never met, but thanks to ETISALAT, we became so close, our interests were quite common, our thinking were similar…and naturally, a strong bond developed between us. But, still we never met.
Later, when I got a few days off together before my departure from UAE, I decided to meet him, but his phone was switched off (He was on a short vacation in Kerala). I left UAE without meeting Aslam. While I was settling down in Kannur, I got a call from him saying he too had quit UAE for good and was planning to start his own practice near Malapuram. A few weeks back he invited me for the inauguration of his clinic. I cudn’t make it as I was tied up with some personal commitments and I promised to meet him next time when I visit Malappuram. But unfortunately, I couldn’t keep my promise during my next visit to Malappuram on EID. It was a short visit and he was not in station too.
And today, 25th October 2009, I was away from home to attend a conference, reached home by 7 pm. And immediately after reaching home I received a call from my in law to give me the news “ASLAM MET WITH AN ACCIDENT & ON THE SPOT….”
A guy who had many visions, unfinished dreams…left everything behind … I never met him…and I will never meet him again. I could have visited his home…but decided not to. There was a picture of him I framed in my mind, though I never met him. I don’t want to superimpose his mutilated face over it…

An Email from Binu

When I posted my poem “The Magic Dancer” in this blog last night, I wanted Binu to read it, for it was he who introduced me into reading. But Binu has not become a follower of this blog yet. So I thought of sending him an invitation. Then I thought it was long since I had written to him. So I decided to write him an email.

In school his ambition was to read through James Hadley Chase. And inspired from it, he even wrote a short story on similar lines. I don’t remember the theme now, but I remember the girl’s name…. Cindy (some basic male instinct?)

Binu was our hero then. The best football (soccer - for our guys in the US) player we had till the idiot box fooled us to forget that game and adopt‌ cricket in its stead. Then he became our fastest bowler, who gave me some red bulges on my legs which emptied my grandma’s tiger balms.

He was the one, who introduced us to pop music and baggy pants; and he was remembered by all when Michael Jackson died (or was killed); For us Michael was Binu or at least his close relative, as reflected in Roopesh’s condolence email with the subject “Binu’s Brother in Law dies”. I guess Binu was not upset; he has no sisters (though he had silent teenage crushes, he never bothered to make them his sisters).

Binu, to me, walked ahead of time. May be we too did, walking beside him - that’s the diplomatic way of telling that we aged too early. I get this feeling, sometimes, when I put my thoughts across to my wife, who then looks at me as if she was listening to philosophy from her grandpa (though she does not remember looking at them in flesh and blood). The wonder that lingers in her eyes often‍ asks me “From which century are you, Mister?”

There is a reason why I tell Binu walked ahead of time. He read academic books on Allopathy when we were in 8th std and talked like a pro which inspired some of us to become Doctors (I was impressed too, but I had little confidence in me to imagine myself in Dr. Yousuf’s old gray suit).

Binu, together with Gokul and Feroz, thought about making a movie in 5th Std, which they named “Friends”. And I even wrote my first lyrics for our pop band BAG (Read Binu Ashfaque and Gokul) which we formed and wound up in 8th std. Coincidently, the name of the song was also “Friends”. Mmmm…. What else can you think for name, when you do something jointly at that age? Even Siddique-Lal thought the same way, many years later :) And a soap opera on HBO was also named after our original thought !!!! :)

I am afraid I will tire my hands if I start writing what Binu meant for us…..

I did not write much in my email which I sent him late last night. But I just attached three poems I wrote of late and dedicated to him with these words “To my friend with whom I began my intellectual pursuit”

And much to my delight and to add on to my nostalgic pain, I got a reply from him today early in the morning (if you can call 9 AM on a weekend that way).

He wrote :
“You made me very emotional my friend. It took me to a time when we were walking aimlessly along kottamaidhanam. Time between 1985 to 1989. God is Great! He has given human beings feeling of nostalgia……..”