An open letter

An Open Letter to the (would- be) esteemed members of the ‘Ram Jharoka Cooperative Housing Society’

Dear Sir

Today in the afternoon while on the mission to find a suitable dwelling for ourselves, I and my wife saw your advertisement on a giant hoarding touting 1, 2 and 3 BHK flats available for sale. Naturally we decided to visit the construction site. I admit that we found your construction of an impeccable quality; the flats were very spacious and suited our requirements very well. Half an hour’s discussion with the person at the sales office and everything was sorted out. All that was left was to decide an auspicious date for paying the token amount.

But as it is with life, the moment you think everything is sorted out, life throws a bouncer at you; sometimes you duck in time and sometimes it goes right through the visor of your helmet hitting somewhere between your nose and the teeth; mercilessly shattering both. In my excitement on finding a suitable house I had overlooked a critical fact. Yes Sir, to my utter helplessness and your extreme disgust I was born in a Muslim family.

For a moment; when your sales person told us about the ‘no-muslims policy’, an overwhelming rage gripped me, an excruciating desire to pick up a stone and shatter the glass wall in your office; the way you Sir in your infinite wisdom have shattered mine, consumed me. But it was only for a moment. Though you may find this hard to believe but despite being raised in a muslim family my parents have always taught me never to hurt anyone (even a glass wall).

Hence ignoring the watery eyes and the deeply humiliated look on the wife’s face I quietly left your sales office.  Sir, I have to tell you that I completely understand your point of view. It was a muslim who many centuries ago ruled you and committed horrible atrocities on you, it was a muslim who a few years ago smashed aircrafts full of innocent people into a building bursting with activity, it was a group of muslims who fired indiscriminately at innocent citizens. Yes sir it was a muslim but it was not me.

Sir, if you would have looked properly at the person standing next to you lighting candles to commemorate the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks you would have seen me. It was me holding your hand in the human chain that we had formed as a mark of protest against all terrorist activity. It was my SMS comment harshly criticizing Pakistan and ISI that had flashed on the news channel strip after yours. You saw me sir, at the Roop Singh cricket stadium shouting my lungs out cheering Sachin when he became the highest run scorer in an ODI beating Saeed Anwar’s record of 194. You had shared these moments with me Sir, but now that you know my name you refuse to even share a huge building complex with me.

Sir I wish to inform you that my wife is a pure –vegetarian and I very rarely eat meat. I can give it up very easily as I equally like vegetarian food. We don’t smoke or drink and if you have the inclination I would love to invite you to the rented house where we currently live, you will find it sparkling clean with the best levels of hygiene maintained. Sir I have no connections whatsoever with any underworld gang/ terrorist organization/religious fanatic groups and the likes. I and my wife have honorable jobs at globally reputed companies. Sir, I dare say that you could easily mistake us for your own son and daughter-in-law on a day you forget to take your glasses on your routine walk at the park. But Alas you know my name. 

Sir, I know that whatever I say in my defense, you will never bear me in your society. You have your reservations and I respect them, however humiliating they are for me.

I only ask you this one tiny favor. Next time when you put a grand eye-catching advertisement selling houses in your society, please for the love of God, please, don’t forget to include a rider saying, “NO MUSLIMS PLEASE”…..It will save me and my wife a lot of pain.

Thanks