Yahya Hallare
Daijiworld Media Network - Bhatkal (SP)
Bhatkal, Jul 17: Riyaz and Iqbal Bhatkal, whom India and several other nations have branded at most wanted terrorists and presently holed up in Pakistan, hail from Bhatkal. Their father, Ismail Shabandri, residing at Tenginagundi Cross near Bhatkal, has become philosophical about his life. He believes, like all the religious scriptures, in the results of Karma, both good and bad. A look at the life of this man gives rise to wonder among the minds of people about how thoughts that are drastically different from others take birth in the minds of some of the members of the same family which lives under a single roof. Perhaps Karma, which results out of past deeds, plays a role here.
Ismail has faced difficult times all through his life. He roams around streets of villages with a cloth bag hanging from his shoulders, trying to sell readymade garments. Ismail, who is at the fag end of his life, has been going through trying times since young. A look at him and the distance people maintain from him the moment they come to know of his identity, reveals that he could not have become this calm but for his philosophical nature.
There is information that Riyaz and Iqbal are facing problems in Pakistan after earning the wrath of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which is believed to have supported terror strikes in India, after working as leading operatives of this outfit, leading a luxurious life, and causing hundreds of deaths. Many believe that the present predicament of the brothers is also a result of their past Karma, and that their bad deeds have come haunting them now.
Ismail and his wife, who had for long maintained before the media and the people time and again, that their children were earnest citizens of the country and that they were being wrongly targetted, have fallen silent in the face of mounting evidences to the effect that their perception about their children was grossly wrong. Their eyes now do not have even the faintest gleam of hope of being able to see their children again in their lifetime.
Their entire life has become jaded on account of countless questioning and investigations they have been subjected to. The popular perception that their children, who are believed to have amassed huge wealth, keep sending them money for sustenance, has been proved wrong. Their tiled house remains so since decades, and the moment they set foot outside their homes, eyes of suspicion follow their movements. Many even hesitate to speak to them or come near their home, and relatives are keeping a distance from them. Their eyesight has become dim, perhaps because of the rebound of their own eyesight from the walls of their humble residence, as they have nothing else to stare at.
In spite of old age and hostility faced from others, Ismail Sabandri continues to stick to his long-time job. Everyday he comes out of the damaged small gate of his house, with a bag hanging from his shoulder, which is full of ready made items like shirts, lungi, etc. Ismail, who had earlier been selling textiles in Kurla area in Mumbai, has continued with the same job at his native place by undertaking door to door visits with the hope of being able to sell something and earn a small margin of profit. He works honestly, and is happy with whatever he gets. He gets the clothes for his business with the help of some well-wishers from Mumbai. The deeds of his sons has put so much weight on his thoughts that he never relates to others about his predicament, and his natural flow of soft-spoken words has been faltering now.
Ismail gets at least one benefit out of his job. As long as he remains in his home, no one contacts him. During his trips out, however, he gets to meet different people, and keep himself active. A lurking fear that someone someday will banish him from carrying out this trade, has forced him not to reveal his true identity to everyone. Ismail always makes it a point to stay away from media glare. The only things he strongly believes in and keeps repeating is that he has nothing to do with anyone, and that his life will go on as per the diktats of Almighty Allah. The fact that an aged father has to face such a fate and lead a subdued life even at such an advanced age because of the wrong choices made by his sons keeps haunting our minds long after we meet this elderly gentleman.
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