By Waseem Parveez Dar
As humans, we are born with different tendencies and different ambitions, ideas—as a result of this diversity of interests and views, life moves on unhampered. Since every person is having specific propensities, therefore I am no exception.
Ever since I entered into the phase of maturity, a sense of will and spirit to play a positive role in the affairs of society got developed in my mind. I always carry immense zeal to rid the society of so many vices it is clutched in, but as they say: life is not a bed of roses. So once you intend to set out in the pursuit of some goal, obstacles are always there to block your path.
To make you aware of the fact that noble motives are by and large discouraged in this so-called civilized society of ours, let me narrate briefly the tale of my unpleasant experiences—though I have had brush with a huge multitude of encounters where my voice was muzzled.
Among the whole lot of my experiences with society, the one that still haunts my mind is the encounter I had with the staff of District Hospital Pulwama just a few days before. Due to some ailment I was admitted there. To my utter shock, the nursing staff (particularly young paramedical trainees) instead of paying heed to my condition, they were completely lost in worthless talks and even some among them could be seen flirting with their young male colleagues—while I was crying helplessly and cursing my fate.
Later on, I took up the issue on social networking site (Facebook) so as to relieve my hurt heart besides exposing the nuisance that is quite rampant everywhere. Unexpectedly enough, I was drowned in the sea of taunts and insults as if I had committed a heinous crime. Things came to such a pass that I was even threatened of dire consequences for a simple reason of depicting the harsh truth.
As if this was not enough, I received a few phone calls from some girls (trainees) thundering that they would get me killed overnight if I showed any further delay in removing the post from my FB profile. Let me admit that I had put along the post a picture of scene; but its view was totally blurred so as to hide their identity.
Yet, they refused to give up their obstinacy for no reason at all. Entirely disheartened, by the experience, I wept a lot and wondered in shock: Oh, I had noble intentions of keeping the society free of evils and full of grace, but alas! Things were shaping up in a different manner.
Thus I was reminded of wise advice once given by my loving grandmother: “Waseem, the society we are living in is quite unwelcoming for factual cups of truth. Whosoever dares to say so will be butchered as well as buried under heap of cow dung. Be careful, or else god forbid, your existence will be wiped out.”
Now, I have finally decided to quit—for the society I am living in is in no mood to guzzle down the bitter cups of truth. And anyone who will spill the truth will face the axe.
Author hails from Malikpora in South Kashmir’s Pulwama
