Last Journey Of A Soldier

I am Rijwan Khan posted in jammu and kahmir since 1999, I am a proud Armymen. Protecting countrymen from invaders is my priority and a proud job. I have completed thirty years of my life on last Friday. When I was a child I remember that my Abba used to take me Masjid early in the morning for Namaz with reciting so many duas during the walk of 3 kilometer to Masjid. I was just four years old at that time and while returning form the Masjid he used to take fresh flowers from Masjid garden and used to give his friend Sombhai Patel. Sombhai patel belongs to a brahmin family and he was highly religious person just like my father. He used to take tution of school boys after returning from the office. Being a clerk in government and having a good load of work, he was very particular and punctual for his mini school(tution classes). He had a great interest in indian culture and have a good knowledge of all religions. He knows the method of namaz, prayer of church and gurubani of guruduara. On my birthday with all his blessings he used to give me books as a gift. And on my 30^th birthday I received the first gift from him, as expected. Abba was nomore with us, now he is watching me from heavens. To take care of my mother I have only my wife Zareen and my little princess Aisha.

After Kargil war it was little tensed situation in J & K, as now we don’t want to give our enemy second chance in any ways. It was more then a year I have met my family, in every letter and phone call Ammi, Zareen and Aisha wanted me to come home. I have applied for leave and waiting for the approval. Last time when I have seen Aisha, she was just one year old and learnt to speak papa. I was in my room and then the good news came that my leave application was approved. At the very moment I called my mother and told her the good news of my coming home. I was off to a three day journey after which I will meet my family and my inspirational teacher Mr. Sombhai, my chacha jaan.

I was waiting for the train at jammu station and in Ahmedabad at my home whole family is busy in prepration to give me a warm welcome, I guess specially kitchen department will be very. I can smell the fragrence of that biryani, kabab, and meethi sewaiya many kilometers away from home. Finally the train arrived and got seat in neighbour of a sikh family. Kulwant Singh sitting in front of me was returning to Delhi after spendig vacation in Jammu. During conversation with him he thanked the Armymen for bringing peace and expressed his proud over wining kargill war. I was very happy to see that common people respects us so much. Mr. kulwant was very humble and an great human. He told his painful story which was really shocking for me. He had lost parents and grandparents in Anti- sikh riots in Delhi. He said those were the unfortunate days, it shouldn’t have happened, its better for us to forgive and forget and move ahead. He said what I will rememeber throughout my life that, “its our choice to choose good or bad, flower of life or fire of distruction, happiness or sadness, humanity or devilness, its better to choose humanity and happiness in every condition. Taking revenge never ends the issue.” Mr. Kuwant Singh was a great human being for me then anything else. At Delhi station he left the seat empty with a very warm goodbye full of love and humanity. It was a very chilled winter morning of February in Delhi, I brought a newspaper which had the headline “One of the coaches (Coach #S6) of a train "Sabarmati Express" was set on fire in Godhra, 58 Hindu pilgrims (23 men, 15 women and 20 children) who were inside, were burnt alive, and the coach was completely gutted by the fire.” I expressed my deep grief over the whole incident and called Zareen. Luckily in the Ahmedabad everything was absolutely fine and Zareen told me that Ammi was eagerly waiting to see her son and praying to Allah for your safe journey. From Delhi it was some 12- 14 hous left to reach home.

In Ahmedabad things were getting worst as the day was proceeding and I was completely unaware of that. Towards the evening whole Ahmedabad was burning many houses and factories were set on fire by uncontrolable mobs. They were killing peoples and it was curfew in the city. Next morning when train reached Ahmedabad station so many many peoples were caught hold on station by local police as it was curfew, whole city was burning in fire of hatred.

I called Zareen to enquire about there safety she told me “ everything is safe here nothings to worry and told to wait untill things gets normal.” I thanked Allah for protecting my family. While waiting on the station i got the remembrance of Mr. Kulwant Singh and his forget and forgive attitude. I was praying to Allah deep in my heart to give same thinking to city people as possesed by Mr. Kulwant Singh and to choose humanity instead of hatred, in such critical situation.

It is 2 PM now and situation is still very critical outside, I called Zareen again to enquire the condition in our locality she replied “ it was all fine here nothings to worry at all, Ammi and Aisha are in deep sleep.” I was relaxed by her answer and continued waiting on the railway station.

It is 5 PM now and decided to go out neglecting the warning of police. As I stepped outside station I saw black clouds of smoke, roads are empty, buses, cars, some houses are burning and no fire brigade to set off this fire. Instead of vehicles on the road there are police vans and baricades. I started walking on the road which leads to my home. I was getting the remembrance of the last time when I visited my home, it was festive time, it was diwali followed by meethi eid. I had celebrated diwali with chacha jaan, those beautiful phuljahdis and different colours of lightings every made the everything unforgettable. Now it is fire every where which is again unforgetteble for me. This was my home town and it is burning in fire of hatered, I was helpless and deeply hurt to see all this. I don’t know how many kilometers still to walk to reach home, but with each step I am realising that condition inside my country is more worst then on the border. On border we have enemies to fight against and inside country we have our own people who are behaving worst then enemy on the border. I am getting closer to the society where my house is located, and from the distant I can see huge flames of fire, I ran faster leaving all my lugage on the road. As I reached closer to the fuming place I saw it was the Masjid where my father have prayed many times for humanity and peace. Every flower which he used to give chacha jaan for his puja is now converted into ash. Nothing was left everything was destroyed.

It was quite dark now may be the worst night which I am going to witness, I reached the street where I used to play cricket with my friends. It was blood and burnt deadbodies everywhere on the street. During combat with enemy on border I have seen such things, but the difference between two was the cruelty. I can see the turn in the street where chaha used to take tution classes and straight to this turn is my home is located. On that turn a board used to hung on which I have learnt many lessons but now there is a human body hanging with neck tide to the iron wire. Oh Allah! Is this my hometown. My eyes cant believe this, my heart was beating faster as I was getting close to the turn. My feets have almost stopped moving because it was my chacha jaan Sombhai hanging in place of the board. Suddenly I heard the scream of a woman totally naked, half burnt, running and screaming for help with a burning tyre hung around her neck.

I went up to help the women and removed the tyre from her neck, as I removed the burning tyre, I saw what I could never imagine, she was Zareen. I was sreaming help somebody help! But there was nobody left. Zareen was dying before me and in unbearable pain. My house was almost burnt. Zareen told me that a voilent mob attcked they killed Ammi and Aisha they were sleeping at that time. Chacha jan tried to save us from the mob but they killed chacha jaan also. They all are very cruel , they killed our daughter and Ammi. I told them my husband is in army we are good people don’t kill us. They killed every body, they were in huge number. Sorry I failed to welcome you, Allah hafiz…….And she closed her eyes for ever…………

After 5 years I left army with a voulteer retirement and started My Last And Never Ending Journey Against the enemy which lives inside us. I opened a school at the same place where I have learnt the lesson of humanity and love. I have faced the worst in my life and lost everything but I don’t want to happen this again to anybody. At this time it reminds me of Mr. Kulwant Singh And his Words

“Those were the unfortunate days, it shouldn’t have happened, its better for us to forgive and forget and move ahead “its our choice to choose good or bad, flower of life or fire of distruction, happiness or sadness, humanity or devilness, its better to choose humanity and happiness in every condition. Taking revenge never ends the issue”.

And I believe that I will kill the enemy hatred which lives inside us with power of love.

Written by

Azam Khan