Haveli da kotha

Note:

The story is a human interest story showing ill treatment of Hindu minorities living in Pakistan. Some of the words in the story used are Hindi, which are translated in the brackets).

HAVELI DA KOTHA

(The roof of the house)

Khudda Lahora is a small village in the West Punjab, Pakistan. There is no school or hospital or bank, but is ruled by local money lenders, Shahi Vaid (local physicians), and madarsas (Muslim schools) run by the local Imam.

Lalaji Phoolchand owned a small grocery shop there, which was just a stone’s throw distance from his haveli (house), where his wife Prito, his son, Ballu and daughter Navnee stayed.  None of his children ever visited any school.

At home, Prito, taught them how to read and write and helped Lalaji in hisaab-kitaab (calculations) at his shop.

Lalaji inherited this grocery shop from his ancestors in 1947, as a ‘murder gift’ from the Government during Partition, when his joint family of 34 was brutally murdered, by their own neighbors.

Since then, Lalaji, had never been able to move with his head held high, as, with his name, the surname of ‘minority’ was attached.

Lalaji neither sat at the chaupal (public place for discussions) under the shady mango trees during summers nor did he bask winter Sun, sharing the folklore. Navnee or Ballu never played with the neighbor kids and Prito never exchanged sweets at festivals or the typical household gossip with the other women in the street.

Threats from Extremists were nothing new to the family but the way of reception was. For Lalaji and his family, the meanings of life had become different – it only included threat, fears and apprehensions.

The heart beats became faster with every thud on the haveli da kotha and shadows passing by the windows.

Some days back, on a Divali Festival night, when haveli da kotha was illuminated with candles, a headless cow was hung at the haveli gate by some miscreants.

Lalajiji spent two nights in Police Lock up and paid a fine of Rupees 500 after being arrested by the local thanedar (police) over a false complaint by a villager involving intimidation.

Prito didn’t come out of the haveli after she was denied the right to take water from village well, as she was a non-muslim, hence a kafir (non believer).

Once over an argument at shop, Lalaji was threatened directly to instruct his family to accept Islam or to leave the village.

More so, last year, two buffaloes of Lalaji were burnt alive on being suspected to be possessed by Shaitan (the evil).

One day, when Lalajiji’s was not well, Navnee went to give him lunch to his shop. But she never returned. She was abducted by the extremist group and Lalaji was given a final ultimatum to accept Islam.

Next day, Navnee’s headless body was hung at Lalajiji’s gate. Daughters had replaced the cows now for the Lalas.

Cremation of Navnee created another ruckus, as the mohallawalas (villagers) didn’t allow Navnee’s body to be removed for cremation, but wanted it to get buried.

Lalaji, Prito and Ballu stayed with the decaying headless Navnee for nearly a week under tremendous terror, when finally Lalaji decided to dispose it off in his own Haveli da kotha (the roof of the house).

The family was attacked again by the villagers and consequently, Ballu was arrested on the charges of disturbing the peace and tranquility of the village. Everyone talks that he was reported as killed in an encounter while attempting to run away while on his way to Karachi Court.

The very next morning, Lalajiji caught ‘Samjhauta Express’ and took Prito along with him to Amritsar, India, thinking that it was the last samjhauta (compromise) of his life.

Three monsoons have shoved off Lalaji’s haveli.

Haveli da kotha still smells of ash- ash of Navnee’s headless body, ash of Ballu’s anguish, ash of Prito’s silent sufferings and Lalaji’s helplessness.....

Disclaimer: The story is a work of fiction. The characters do not exist, except in the mind of the author. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.