“The Supreme Being stands with open arms in the middle of a field, while we create walls with gates and fight over which gate is the best one!”
My work allows me the privilege of travelling to many places and the chance to meet many new people. Every new person I meet helps broaden my horizons, but only a few leave indelible marks in my conscious. They inspire awe in me at the simplicity with which they interpret a life that we all perceive to be so complex and confusing.
Recently, I was in Ajmer for some work with a friend of mine, and when he suggested that we visit Ajmer Shareef Dargah, I immediately agreed, knowing that it would be the best opportunity for me to visit there, and also because everyone kept telling me about it. Once inside, I closely studied each and every tradition being followed, the buildings that constituted the Dargah, the different structures, and the incessant chants that many people repeated continuously under their breaths, and continued to be mesmerized by what I saw and felt.
After having walked in and around the Dargah, we decided to sit down just outside the room with the shrine and let everything around us sink in. Just then my friend realized that it was time for him to pray, so he headed somewhere quiet, and I kept sitting where I was. But I wasn’t alone for too long, as I was soon accompanied by a stranger. He was a short, thin and dark young man, and walked with a crutch. I could see his leg was bent awkwardly near his hip, and he seemed to be in much pain, but he wore a radiant smile nevertheless.
He sat down by my side, and watched as everyone else prayed around us. Feeling sad for him, I offered him some of the sweets that I had, which he gladly accepted, and then introduced himself as Farhan, and I introduced myself as Indranil. I expected his face to twitch when he realised that I was a Hindu at a Muslim shrine, but on the contrary, he gave me a big smile. And then as we started conversing, he told me of the accident he had in Dubai, which left him crippled, but he said that he was thankful just to be alive, since the other people who had worked with him were left trapped there. It made me happy to see how cheerful he was despite his suffering. People like him are like the bright lamps in the otherwise dark world, protecting their flame from everyone else.
I had taken a liking to him by that time, so we continued talking. At one point while I was trying to learn more about Islam and its traditions, he said that he really admired people from other religions, who took an interest in his culture as well. I explained my view of religion, and he seemed to corroborate everything I said, and it almost felt like we had the same mind-set, and then he made a statement, that I will never ever forget. He stated, “All religions are the same thing, going the same way – up. Whenever we need divine help we look up, into the skies. It does not matter which religion one is from, we always look up for hope or help. We all know that our creator is among the stars, and that our final destination is up there. Do you see any walls there? Can one person say that this part of the sky is mine? But still we fight! The Supreme Being stands with open arms in the middle of a field, while we create walls with gates and fight over which gate is the best one! We men are indeed strange creatures…”
I could feel goosebumps all over me. I had never before heard anyone verbalize the fluid concept of one Supreme Being more simply. He spoke his belief with such ease and yet with such intensity that it touched my very soul. Just then my friend came back, and we started leaving, but I shook his hand one last time before I left, and I etched this conversation in my mind, so I could replay it for eons to come.
Sometimes the most random of conversations become the most unforgettable ones…
