Those 212 Days of my TALIBANIC HOSTEL LIFE!!!

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            Nostalgic moments are in infinite amount in everyone's life. Life is itself a mixture of perfect, depressing and awkward moments. Every time I move ahead in life to gain a new experience, I feel as excited as the New comer who is given a chance to play for India in Cricket World Cup. Similarly, there was one more day in my life when I left my house to gain a very new experience at the age of 16. On the same date-10th July in the year 2006, I left my home for Pune. It was to be my first experience in HOSTEL. I was very excited for this life as it was considered to be very exciting, luxurious and above the world experience then. There were very few students whom people found to be living in Hostel for studies. I was about to be in this unique category. I just completed my 10th. I was already in the trauma of scoring less marks. After the result got announced on 26th June, 2006, I and my father went to Pune and got admitted in a "Shit" college on 27th itself. None of us knew that it was(is) one of the worst college of India. And that it will change MY LIFE.

             On the very first day I got a good scenario about how I'll be judged by the people here. The only question that I faced in Hostel and Classroom was "Are you Muslim or a Non-Muslim?" It was so uncouth to see that the only religion that existed here was Islam. There was no mention of Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity or any other religion of the world; for this small world of theirs, they included all these religion in one category called "Non-Muslim" or "Gair". Yes, it was too awkward to face the question "Musalman ho ya gair?" I used to lose a breathe or two in saying that "Main gair hun" because saying "Main Hindu hun" was too hazardous here. 

             Before this, I never knew that Religion is a Taboo in society or it is something through which people are judged. I always thought that everyone in this world is Hindu,Muslim and Christian just because every festival is to be celebrated at different houses of the colony. :-) But after coming here, I came to know what Religion is. And now I also hate the Reservation quota. I also hate the people who talk about their religion. I hate when a Hindu talks about how great his festivals are. I hate when a Muslim calls his fellow Muslim brothers for Namaaz. I hate when a Christian tells how peaceful they are unlike Hindus and Muslims. Such is the effect that Hostel Life did in my life. I was the only Hindu in my Hostel where 300 Muslims resided with me. I was one of the 4 Hindus those were in the class where 56 Muslims sat with us. It was so painful to see that they saw me as if I did a big crime of not being a Muslim like them.

             Even the teachers did partiality on the basis of the religion. Once when I got late by 2 minutes, the librarian said to me "Ye tere mandir ka ghanta nahi hai k jab mann kiya aa ke bajaa diya. Hamare Namaaz ka sahi samay hota hai." It was enough for me to not to attend that Library session again in my life. I was tortured every day to get converted into them so that I'll come into a religion which is the purest form of God for them. I tried to ask many of them if I had made a mistake but the only answer that I got in return was the tragic experience their brethren had experienced after 9/11. They hated others because they were seen as Terrorists even when they never thought of killing people. I tried to tell them that I am from the environment where religion is not even talked of, judging someone on religion's basis is too big to think for me.

            My religion says not to consume Cows as food as they are considered a Holy Animal in our myths. But the boys of my hostel even compelled me to have it. The Dabbas that I subscribed had two categories- Vegetarian that included Vegetables, Eggs, Chicken and Mutton and Non-Vegetarian which included all the above items plus Cow's meat. Even when I asked for Vegetarian food, the Muslim boys in the hostel used to interchange the Dabba. I used to eat thinking that it's Chicken and later used to come to know that it was Cow. Nothing can be more tragic than this. The Dabbas that came used to be uncleaned. The tiffin in which Chapatis were kept already had yesterday's cow's meat's gravy stuck to it. And I had to eat those Chapatis. The torture that I was going through for getting converted to Islam by 20-25 men on daily basis wasn't less tragic that they made me to vomit every alternate day by making me eat something that is considered Godly in my religion's environment. 

            As I scored less marks in SSC, my father told me when I was about to leave for hostel that he don't want to hear anymore complains about teachers from my mouth. And that made me keep quiet about all that I was struggling with. I was even beaten a lot. I was assaulted so many times that I am unable to describe in words the pain that I went through. It gives me goosebumps even today. I was made to go for Namaaz in Masjid. I went because I wanted my life. After coming out of Masjid, I was beaten by 20 Muslims because I being from an impure religion entered their holy Masjid. :-( However, there were some good people too who rescued me from them and took me safely to my hostel. Muslims call Hindus "Chiranda" to make an offence. As my pet name is Veeru, they named me "Cheeru" mixing both the things together. It used to be so humiliating that I was being called by a name that's an offence to the religion I belong. 

            Between all this, I forgot everything about Studies and my target of scoring great marks in 12th Board and CET so that I can get admission in an Engineering college. I wasted all my days in defending myself from the attacks of these so called pious people. 6th February is the day when I left the hostel and came back to my home. My father finally got to know by someone that I am not giving any exams in college. How could have I given them when I used to know that there were several teachers who were ready to beat me for being a Hindu and children who were ready to mock me for being the same? He picked me up on 6th February 2007 thinking that I enjoyed the city called Pune by ignoring studies. I still don't know what city called Pune is really like. I just know the M.G. Road because it was near to this Taliban-alike college. I only know that I was hijacked for 212 Days between the people who wanted to assault me as much as possible. So that I would have converted myself in Islam because of exasperation and in return to which they would have got "Sabaab" in their language. 

              Hence, I find the Reservation thing so irritating even today. I fear of getting admitted to the class where I would be in the category of people who are in minority while others will dominate us. I have seen so much violence and hatred on the basis of religion in those 212 days when I was almost kidnapped that an ignored film like "Kurbaan" is one of my favorite. Because I have been in the position where Kareena Kapoor is shown. I faced the same situation. But still, I don't see every Muslim as a Criminal otherwise in my Great and Memorable Friend Circle of Graduation 2009-12, I had 3 boys as my Best Friends and all are Muslims- Yusuf, Saquib and Sohail. :-) While the two teachers whom I liked the most are Nishat mam and Zaheer sir, again Muslims. :-) I don't think that anything can be more ironical than this. Hahaha. Even I laugh at this while telling it to some people. Hence I also recommend others to not be judgmental to others because of the previous satans they met in life. 

             In short, this journey of 212 days from 10th July, 2006 to 6th February, 2007 is the DARKEST PERIOD of my LIFE. And the effect that these 212 days did to me for next 2 years till 2009 is visible in the picture that I have shared below. The first image(in the extreme left) is what they turned me into by burdening me with Taliban-kind-of-treatment- A SKELETON who just breathed because God wasn't killing him. Then the second image(in the center) is when I started living life between the society that motivated me in fear of losing a young boy as an unfortunate incident. :-) And the last image(in right) is my present condition. You can see how was I after returning from the hostel and how I have turned into. The change in the quality of hair, the glow on the face that kept increasing, the body that was a BONE when I returned kept turning into a Fleshy piece and even the skin complexion brightened with time (You'll find Hrithik's posters on the wall in the Image in center, because I stuck it to turn my body like his and that bought me to that stage from the one I was in the first image :-)) It's enough for you to understand the cruelty of the world and how one can overcome from it if he/she decides. With this, I leave. :-) And Yes, HOSTEL LIFE scares me even today!!!

Image created by Anuj Tiwari. Thanks a lot friend.

   Thanks. Sorry for the sad post. 

P.S.: I have written it as it's 10th July, 2012 today because I completed half of it on 10th but couldn't write ahead because of the nostalgic moments I fell into. Hence completed it today. 

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU