Today’s bandit is the educated gentleman. He lives not only in the new century, but also in the new millennium
WONDERFUL ways are schemed by people to insulate their assets from the villainous designs of the corrupt. And equally Machiavellian are the depredators who avert Divine fury by manipulating words to justify their lust for looting.
When the cauldron of law and order is on the boil, when the life, liberty and property of the people is exposed to depredation, when the weapons of mass protection become useless and when the government is unable to enforce its writ by matching its actions with rhetoric, the hapless and helpless are forced to revert to man’s last refuge — religion — to protect themselves. Or in this case their house-hold’s year’s yield from nocturnal prowlers.
During the last Rabi season the scribe chanced to view in taluka Dokri, district Larkana, in the late evenings, reverentially wrapped and honorably placed copies of the Holy Quran on the tops of every huge heap of thrashed paddies, dotting the forlorn and darkness-covered farmlands, awaiting ‘bata-ee’ (division of crop yield between tiller and landowner).
On enquiry, it was revealed, that the farmers, scared of thieves, during the night stay away from their farmlands, leaving behind the golden grain in the safe custody of the Divine Book against the marauders.
Some stout-willed sturdy farmers, armed with or without shot-guns, do not demur to stay over-night, but the occurrence of one fatal incident one night, an exchange of gun fire between the farmer and the striking thieves, broke the resolve of even such tillers, signalling them to stay away from the fields during night time.
The aged elders nostalgically remininesce and narrate hair-raising anecdotes of yesteryears of how thieves beat a retreat when they spotted the Holy Quran placed near the cash, jewellery or even the damsel’s dowry. They not only left behind the booty but placed a few coins of their own near the Holy Book, expecting its owners to buy, on their behalf, a piece of cloth to wrap the “Medium of salvation of both the worlds”, out of fear of God and reverence to His Book.
The thieves of that era confessed their crimes when they were threatened by the arbiter of the village to swear in the mosque. Even the most hardened and diehard of criminals broke down before approaching the mosque gate for fear of Divine Justice.
But the character and chemistry of this species has now metamorphed to such an extent that they do not demur now to swear false oaths, even if the Holy Books are placed on their heads.
But the pillager of today is not identical to the species of the day’s gone by. “Old order changeth, yielding place to new”. Today’s bandit is the educated gentleman. He lives not only in the new century, but also in the new millennium. He has done his doctorate in the art and craft of thievery and evolved an imaginary interlocution to circumvent the Holy Book on the scene.
When the thieves reach the unguarded heap of grain lying in the open without the possibility of it being under surveillance, their mouths start watering. They care little for the grain’s protection by the Holy Book. Instead to soothe their conscience and to just show a basic respect for the Holy Book so that the impact of their sinful deed is decimated, they carry out an imaginary conversation, addressed to the Holy Book.
Before stuffing the sacks, one of the thieves, sitting on the western side of the heap, addresses the Holy Quran in these words, “Sir! May I take some grain to feed my hungry children”. The other accomplice, sitting on the eastern side responds on behalf of the Holy Quran (na-oozu billah). “I am guarding the grain as the trusty of the owner. But if your children are really hungry, I can’t bear their hunger to refuse your request. You can take as much as, but not more than what you can manage to carry for your children.”
The occurrence of such incidents is rare and not common, but one or two happenings do show, that the character and chemistry of the criminal sections of society, has not metamorphosed with the change in times. The nexus of man with religion is still there and intact, though the onslaught of materialism has grown in size and volume.
