Wonders will never cease!

It was a couple of months back...
"Zamil, please take the electric bill and pay it today." My house senior requested me to clear the bill.
"No prob..." I took it from my colleague and shoved it inside the pocket.
We were on our way to office and the head-office of NEC (National Electricity Corporation), Sudan is located on the Ebeid Khatim Street in the middle of our everyday journey.

I entered the office and got my turn right after an individual...that was a good luck indeed. I brought out my receipt and forwarded with money to the cashier from other side of glassed wall.
I was really enjoying the easy-going...singing inside...Suddenly I noticed that the cashier was turning my receipt around and started scrutinising it. "What is the wrong in it? The receipt looks ok other than some extra folds which are still acceptable." -I assumed it from other side. The gentle man cast a look that I never saw it before. I swallowed for a while- as if I was standing for US Visa and I was going to miss it forever....or else I was in front of Police Inspector who was going to gag me for my illegal proposal! - the natural thinking of a foreigner from country like Bangladesh! The gentle man opened up with Arabic which I could hardly figure out but to take my beloved money and receipt back!

I put my spectacles on and tried to understand what was written in the receipt.....nothing significants drew my attention. " Did I not take the receipt from my colleague?" I asked myself," Did I drop it in the house? To err is human.....might be......"- I guessed pondering on my way out of the office. Meanwhile, I shoved my hands inside the pockets....no where it could be traced...At last another piece of paper was felt inside my money bag. I graved it immediately and started checking the both ....with my utter surprise, I gave him my yesterday's voucher of purchased items in stead of electric bill! What a height! The gentle man certainly would have laughed at me if I would have purchased very private items and gave him the list to check! However I managed to get to my work on time that day; "wonders will never cease!"- I murmured.

I turned around and went running inside. But by that time there was a queue of 30 minutes.....I sighed for a while; my companion certainly would be tearing his hairs out inside the vehicle by that time!

A return from Never Ending Story

"How was the exam of Iqra(my eldest daughter) yesterday?" I asked my wife 3,500 km away from Bangladesh being in Sudan.

"She repeated her father's story!"- My wife laughed at me sympathetically, "Yeah, that was a good name you gave to your one-Never ending story!" She is pinching me ," That is not ending rather returning!".

This woman is giving her whole life to rear my babies as perfect as an ideal mother could do. She passed almost sleepless nights to teach Iqra before each and every exams. I often see, she is more serious than my poor daughter to fight the exam! Yes, to fight the exam; now a days the study is no more a fun but a battle ground.....taking pen like spear , thousands of books in the bag like haversack... making small body smaller every day...over loaded and exhausted on return...! I really feel pity for them. When we used to roam around the places...running about the flowers just to catch up a butterfly ; they are shuttling around for coaching in the same time. When we used to make mud houses and exchange the dolls or making market places to trade just amusingly thinking and copying the activities of a married couple....they pass the same time playing with computers! I think they are making their life more electronic than natural one!

"She studied Science but appeared in Social Science -the totally different exam!"-My wife interrupted my thoughts. What should I say when her father appeared worng exams consecuitively twice in his childhood! So with such a duffer dossier, do I have right to charge my sweet baby? "No, never!"-I was justifying the incident as a father, "Have you checked the exam schedule of tomorrow's one?" I asked my wife fearing that she(Iqra) might be trapped again like his father.

"Yeah, it is Science!" -she sighed. "You know, I was almost crying on return, even the rickshaw- puller was asking me why I didn't check her schedule when she is such a younger one! Now tell me what I am supposed to do?" -her urge made me mew only.

"I got to go, need to feed Alvi (the youngest daughter) now!"- she left me alone in the ocean of thoughts.

I felt her every emotional speeches, her overburden responsibilities, her seriousness....all were started echoing together in my heart....as if all were falling crushed on the bank of my ocean of thoughts....I looked at the mail box till it went grey....my "Sweet voice" vanished 3,500 km away!

The cost of natural call!

"Nitu, you know...I had a real travelled time in my life while I was visiting one of my relative's house in a far village"- my uncle said on his way to my another aunt's house.

It was long ago....in my childhood, I was accompanying him and my aunt's house was not far away from my home; however we started walking through cross country in order to reach early.

"I was walking along the river bank on the way to my relative's house. When I was closer to a local launch ghat, I saw from a long distance that a big launch came nearer to cast the anchor in order to drop the passengers. I stared at it with my full heart content. Our country is so beautiful and she takes a new look in every morning." he continued, "Suddenly I felt something wrong within my belly.....I understood that it was nothing but a natural call...because I did not clear my bowl early in the morning!"

"What's up?"- I was enjoying his speech.. colouring it to a level that a man was holding a pot running here and there in order to say hallow to "nature". I chuckled inside.

" I was looking for a place to finish up my business...but as I told you, by then passengers were getting down from the ship. And so I was not alone in the site indeed! Suddenly a trick triggered in my mind, why not to try the same inside the toilet of the ship instead? I assumed that the ship would certainly take sometimes to unload and by then I should have finished my job." - he started unveiling his plan, "Well, I boarded on the ship and was looking for the toilet. It killed some of my planned times which I did not pay attention. However at last I got my turn in the toilet ......"

"Then, what happened?" I got interested.

"I could not figure out how my sweet time passed away so quickly....as a matter of fact I was really enjoying the ride! Suddenly, I got a jerk....I looked around to hold something to make myself stable inside....but my business was yet to finish, you know! After a while I came out from my palace smiling with full satisfaction....a kind of fresh relief overcasted my entire mind, I closed my eyes to augment my feelings in the cool breeze outside. As I opened my eyes, instead of my ever known green bank, I casted an appalled look on the river....I ran to the back to make my eyes believe......but alas, the launch was by then miles away from the last station! I sat down exhausted and helpless. Immediately I shoved my hand inside my pocket...looking for last resort -the money I might be needing." -my uncle was seeing it happening again.

"Uncle, may I request you to walk slow, I am really tired of walking." I told him enroute.

"Do not think , we are closer....and will be there very soon" He satisfied me, " By then, the ticket checker with a set of big moustache and a giant belly came before me and asked me to produce the ticket. I narrated each and every confidential events those took place few minutes before to him...but the rude man barely believed that."
"I don't care those; just produce ticket or else be fined for availing unauthorised journey", He roared at me,
"OK, OK please take my money...and get me free from this stupid....", he returned, " You know, I had to pay twice to reach my relative's house! It's nothing but the cost of natural call!"

By then, the sun was setting on the west, the birds were falling back to their nests; I could see a little light at the horizon other side of the bil [a big chunk of low laying land] that's our aunt's house indeed!

Misunderstood!

It was November 2002. I was wandering in MG road at Pune, India. It was my second visit to Pune shopping area after a month. I insisted my colleague to fall back quickly as it was drawing nearer to sun set. We were looking for taxi to hire but failed. So we started walking for Dapudi...thinking if we could get a vacant one en route. Suddenly we appeared before a bus stand at the Y junction of the road where I could see an awaiting taxi with nearby buses. We approached to the vehicle and asked the driver in English ," Do you like to go to Dapudi?" The driver stared at me with little anger,"Aap Kea kahte hain?" (What do you say?) . I assumed him to be in bad mode, might be because of picking up a quarrel with his wife or others or might be for on going unprofitable business...!
" Do you like to go to Dapudi?" I asked him again.
" Aap Bhartiya hone ke nate, mere sath English main baat kyon kar rahe hain?" (Being Indian why you are speaking in English with me?!) expressed his anger.
"No, no, not at all" I meowed for a while!
"Main garib hun, is liye aap mere sath English main baat kar rahe hain?" (I am a poor guy , that's why you are speaking in English with me)- he started growling at us which was otherwise an indication to call upon nearby colleagues...to take post!
I was literally surprised to hear that; I grabbed my passport inside my pocket feeling my beloved country's passionate touch! I shouted, "You have misunderstood me, I am from Bangladesh" taking no breath..."I am Bangladeshi".
But who wanted to know those funny words oozing from my mouth! We resembled Indian; was it not enough for them to teach us a good lesson?- I presumed. By that time a little hew and cry took place around us. Our sixth sense started working inside fearing for next move from them! It was real bizarre! We neither had enough time to prove our honesty nor had any body but passport to identify us. The approaching crowds were grinning and enjoying our condition. We the poor fellows, were literally fused inside amidst so many unknown peoples. My colleague took no time to pull my hand saying," Let us quit, I am guessing something bad ahead..."
So there was no reason to stay but to make a quick passage through ridicule bowing my head in shame and cursing myself, old politicians and...
I was on my way off mode!

When Monkey becomes Leopard

"A long time ago, one of my Zimbabwean friend told me an interesting story."- our new guest started telling us on the dinner table. We were eager to hear that.

" One day my foreigner friend told me that..." he continued, " In my country, there are so many monkeys that we had to device some techniques to get ride off them and save our food and fruits . I don't know when it started but what I know that we keep a narrow-necked-pitcher outside our house with a banana in it. We do all these showing them first. We close the door and remain ready inside our house. Now the greediest monkey comes forward to have it first. He takes no time to shove his hand inside the pitcher and grab the banana tightly. But since the neck of the pitcher is too narrow he can neither bring his fist out of the pitcher....nor he is leaving his banana for lossing it! So we exploit this weakness by catching him right then."

" Our next step is to color him into leopard and leave him free. So, from that time he becomes leopard to other monkeys....! On the other hand, getting free, the monkey runs for his life towards his gang fearing to be caught again....but by that time their friends have gone vanished out of his sight fearing him an approaching leopard! Hence we rest for few days again."

Male Bus!

I gave up learning Arabic because it is becoming very difficult for me to understand- specially the gender portion. The interesting part of it is that all most all the nouns, pronouns, verbs have their different gender forms! A couple of days back, I studied the human body parts in Arabic. Some where it was written that single body part(nose, mouth etc.) is Masculine gender whereas the doubles (ears, eyes, hands, legs etc.) are Feminine! Well, I don't mind for that but ......pondering all in my way back home.

"Zamil, have you seen that?" my colleague pointed the bus in front.

"What?"- I inquisitively asked him.

"The bus has got a beni (plait) hanging at the top-middle of its back ...!" He continued, " Tell me, my dear new Arabic learner, what is the gender of this bus?"

Well, I closed my eyes for a while..., curiously searching for gender in the faded-lesson from my memory ...I figured out the bus as human being....the number of body part was ONE, so...

"It must be male "- I exclaimed with joy.

"Hmmmmmmmmm..., that's a brilliant answer"-he appreciated.

She Goat with Bra!

It was afternoon, the sun was setting other side of the desert. I was driving on my way back to home. I found a flock of goats grassing beside the Mamoun Street at Khartoum, Sudan. Suddenly I found about two to three she goats having their udders covered with a piece of clothe . I was naturally looking for their kids around and found none but some handsome rams!

"Are they putting on bras to make them sexy?" I inquired my colleague with astonishment.

"May be...who doesn't want to be looked good? Can you remember the old ad: as I look good, I feel good!"-He started laughing.

"That's really funny!"- I muttered.