Carry on, Rafiqbhai

My wife and I had for long desired to go to Dwarka and Somnath for darshan at the famous and historic temples there. We were at last able to...

My wife and I had for long desired to go to Dwarka and Somnath for darshan at the famous and historic temples there. We were at last able to make the trip recently. We traveled by train to Ahmedabad from where a friend had made arrangements for us to proceed by road. So at the railway station, there was a car waiting for us driven by one Rafiqbhai. For the next four days, Rafiqbhai was our friend and guide, driving us all over Gujarat and talking to us about whatever engaged his fancy. He is an extraordinary person. We will always remember him.

The first thing we observed on entering the car was that there were small idols of Ganeshji and Hanumanji on top of the dashboard. Rafiqbhai is a devout Muslim, he performs his namaaz daily. The idols belonged to the owner, but every morning Rafiqbhai would light up a couple of joss sticks and meditate for a while in silent prayer. He told us he had visited the four dhams held sacred by Hindus, namely, Badrinath, Dwarka, Kanyakumari and Puri. He had been to Vaishnodevi a number of times. We presumed that he had driven people to the base and waited there. No, he averred forcefully, he had climbed all the way up for darshan each time he went there.

We passed Junagadh when traveling from Somnath to Jamnagar. Rafiqbhai had a good laugh at the former nawab who had fled to Pakistan in 1947. Rafiqbhai could not understand why the nawab should have forsaken his land where he was living in comfort to go and become a nobody in Pakistan. If he was in the nawab’s place, he would have just sat back and enjoyed the fruits of his property and lived life ‘‘bindaas’’!

Story continues below this ad

Earlier, while passing by Dhirubhai Ambani’s hometown and ancestral home, Rafiqbhai informed us that Dhirubhai’s brother was still living there and enjoying himself eating mangos. No amount of persuasion from Dhirubhai or his sons had lured him to exchange his life of ease for the hustle and bustle of Mumbai and the tensions of business. This seemed to have Rafiqbhai’s total approval.

Rafiqbhai was totally at peace with himself and his environment, working hard to earn a good living for himself and his family but not overly ambitious or tense. At no stage in his constant, carefree natter during the four days did we ever get a whiff of communal bias or rancour spilling over from the Gujarat riots. A genuinely secular human being, unlike our politicians.

If only they would let people like Rafiqbhai carry on with their lives without interference, India would be a truly secular and happy country.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the designation gives law enforcement “enhanced powers to combat a group that has instilled fear through violence and intimidation”.

Canada designates Lawrence Bishnoi gang a terrorist entity

Cities23 min ago

The Canadian government has labeled the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist group, granting authorities more authority to combat their violent behavior. The gang, operating in British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta, has been connected to 50+ violent incidents since 2023.

View all shorts

Live Blog

PHOTOS