Yakub the Hero
Yakub sat in the shade of the banyan tree under the hot afternoon sun. The cattle he had been grazing sat around him chewing the cud. He looked towards the West at the distant hills, beyond which was the international border. His thoughts went back in reminiscence to the village where he was born about fifteen years ago. He remembered the fateful night when armed raiders came from across the border and set fire to the village and the crops. In the melee he lost his parents, two brothers and a sister. He was five years old then, too terrified to observe what had happened. He ran away from his hut and did not look back till he reached the dilapidated temple on the river bank. He hid there and fell fast asleep. In the morning he was woken up by a commotion outside the temple. He saw a few people from the neighboring village gazing at him in astonishment.
“Yakub, you’re alive! We were looking for you and thought you have also been consumed by the fire,” said one of them. “The rest of your family has been charred beyond recognition. We have sent word to your grandfather in the next village. He is coming to take you home with him.”
He had a vague impression of what had happened, but was too traumatized to react. He sat there with a vacant stare until his grandfather arrived and took him to his village. His life began in the company of his grandfather, uncles, aunts and their children. He was given some tasks to perform, one of which was to accompany his uncle in grazing the cattle. He did it for a few years, after which his uncle left for the city to take up a job. He was now given full charge of the cattle. Once a month he went to the temple town, about sixty kilometers away, to offer prayers for his departed parents.
During one such visit he met with a near fatal accident. An army jeep driven by a Brigadier dashed against him, as he was crossing the road towards the temple. He screamed and lay writhing with pain on the road. The Brigadier got down and lifted him into the jeep. He drove him to the Command hospital and ordered immediate attention on the boy’s injuries. Next day, when he paid a visit to the hospital he found the boy in good spirits after being washed and his hair combed to get rid of all vermin.
“What is your name and where are you from?” he asked in a stern voice.
After an initial hesitation, he faintly smiled and said, “I am Yakub and I live in a village sixty kilometers from here.”
“I’ll have you sent to your village as soon as you recover sufficiently to be discharged from hospital,” assured the Brigadier.
Yakub frowned in consternation and pleaded, “Oh, no, Sir! Since I have become crippled, I can no longer herd cattle and there is no place for me in the village.” “Besides, I get free bread with butter here,” he added, smacking his lips.
The Brigadier was irritated and looked at the boy’s legs, lying limp and motionless under the covers. He felt the natural distaste of the hale men for the maimed. He thought for a moment and said, “You can learn some other useful trade, where the hands do all the activities. For example, you could think of becoming a cobbler, a tailor, or a basket weaver.”
Yakub shook his head vigorously and said, “Oh, no, Sir! Trades take so long to learn and I am very stupid. It would not be worth the efforts.”
The Brigadier looked disgusted and asked grimly, “What else would you like to be?”
"A beggar!" replied Yakub without any hesitation. His dark eyes shone with delight.
"A beggar?" repeated the Brigadier, looking exasperated.
"Why, yes sir!" said Yakub nonchalantly. "For ten years my uncle begged on the steps of the temple before you came and he was the most prosperous of my father's brothers. He was persecuted by the 'union of beggars' and eventually killed, because he did not belong to this town. But, Sir! I will outwit those rascals and make a place for myself", he added.
The Brigadier was astonished and could not help asking, "Yakub, how can you be so sure about yourself. Surely, the other beggars would persecute you, as well?"
"Me?" said Yakub surprised. "I will let it be known that I am your beggar and they will not dare touch me." An expression of peace and contentment spread across his face.
The Brigadier felt uneasy at the prospect of having a beggar identified as his pet. He would have preferred to have a dog, or a cat, or any other animal as a pet, but now there is nothing he can do. He was beginning to lose patience and thought of getting him transported across the border, as an infiltrator. At the back of his mind there was a sense of guilt, because it was his jeep that was responsible for the boy's present predicament. He gave instructions to his staff that the boy should be taken to wherever he wanted to go, after he is given the crutches.
A few days later, the Brigadier was in his office, when his secretary informed him that a local civilian requested an audience with him, on a matter of great urgency. He ordered that the person be brought before him. A short, shabbily-dressed man with a slight limp on one leg, walked in. He introduced himself as “Boss”, the 'President' of the 'union of beggars'. He stated that the purpose of his visit was to enquire about a person called 'Yakub', who claimed that he is the
Brigadier's beggar.
The Brigadier frowned disdainfully and said, "I do not know anyone by that name. Don't bother me again."
Boss grinned, revealing horribly stained teeth and said apologetically, "Sir! I have nothing against him personally. There are certain rules of the union which every beggar must follow. This man Yakub, came and occupied a place on the stairs of the temple, without the permission of the union and the payment of fees. Such offences are usually punished with death. Now, if he was your beggar, certain exceptions could have been allowed, but since you disclaim him, I shall have to punish him."
Boss was preparing to leave, when the Brigadier got up from his seat and angrily ordered, "Stop! I declare that this man is my beggar. If any harm is done to him, I shall ensure that no member of your union is ever seen in the vicinity of the temple."
Boss grinned sheepishly and said, "Thank you, Sir! You have every right to have a beggar of your own. We are not disputing this point. We are not rich and educated people to bother a high dignitary like you. We breed and we die and there's the end. Besides, those steps in the temple are no bed of roses for us. Henceforth, we shall take proper care of him."
Thus saying, he left the office hurriedly, exasperated at his failure to expose Yakub in the way he wanted. The Brigadier heaved a sigh of relief after his departure, but felt disturbed at the thought of what his superiors may tell him for harboring a beggar.
The Brigadier soon forgot the incident and got engrossed in his work. Secret communications from army intelligence at headquarters warned of a massive war preparation across the border and an imminent attack. The border was long and porous with frequent cross border movements of the local population. He stationed his troops at strategic locations from where, he thought, the incursions might take place. He was desperate to know the exact plan of attack by the enemy, so that he could be ready for an effective counter attack.
Yakub was leading a princely life on the steps of the temple, as the Brigadier’s beggar. The other beggars treated him with respect and allowed him to occupy the choicest corner of the temple as his home. One evening he was eating his meals when he spotted a suspicious person amongst the crowd of pilgrims. His years of habitation in the border villages had sharpened his instincts to detect any person who could be a raider from the other side of the border. His eyes meticulously followed his movements till the moment he sat down in a corner of the hall. His face was half covered by the extension of his turban, leaving only his eyes uncovered. Yakub decided to limp up to him and investigate further.
As he approached close to him he spoke to him in a friendly tone, “Salaam Alikum! Are you visiting the temple for the first time?”
The man was startled, but decided to remain calm and removed the end of the turban from his face to return the greetings, “Alikum Salaam! I have come here many times”.
After his face was exposed, Yakub discovered that he was his cousin brother, Hanif, who was missing from his home in the village for many years. He expressed his surprise and asked him, “Aren’t you Hanif? Where had you been for so long?”
Hanif recognized him and stood up to embrace him. “Since when have you become lame?” he asked. “I had seen you as a healthy boy”.
Yakub exercised his ‘authority’ and ordered one of the beggars to bring a cup of tea and some snacks for his ‘honored’ guest. They both sat on the steps of the temple and exchanged data on their lives so far. Hanif said he was kidnapped by a raider from the other side of the border and taken to a ‘madrassa’, eight years ago. He was taught lessons from the Koran by a mullah and given training in using the gun by an army man. He was given assignments to cross the border and kill certain people. For each assignment he was paid a tidy sum of money. This time his assignment was to gather some information about the army positions. He asked Yakub if he could help him in this work and was willing to share his money with him.
Yakub now realized the true purpose of his visit. He was tempted by the lure of the money, but his inner conscience did not permit him to betray his country and the army, which had been so helpful to him. His was confused about the action he should take and spent a sleepless night pondering over it. At the first streak of dawn he decided to discuss the matter with the Brigadier.
He found the Brigadier doing his morning exercises in the parade ground. He waited patiently at the gate until he had finished his exercises and was ready to leave. He gave him a half salute and before he could react, he said he had something important to discuss with him. The Brigadier glanced at him irritatingly and responded in a stern voice, “What is so important to discuss? Is it money or food?”
“No, Sir, by your kind patronage I have no need for both. It is about a person I met yesterday, who came from the other side of the border and I wish to share the information I obtained from him”.
The words, “from the other side of the border”, excited the curiosity of the Brigadier and he waved him to sit in his jeep and headed towards his office. He ordered breakfast for two and asked Yakub to tell all the details. Yakub disclosed everything he knew about Hanif and his assignment and asked what he should do.
The Brigadier thought deeply for a while and asked Yakub if he could strictly follow the instructions he is about to give. Yakub felt relieved and without any hesitation answered in the affirmative. “But, before I give any instruction I must ascertain how much trustworthy you are,” said the Brigadier.
“Sir! I am a true Muslim and have been taught lessons from the holy Koran since my childhood. I may be poor, but can never think of betraying my country and its people. I would prefer to die than be branded a traitor,” he said with the utmost emotion.
“But, your cousin has joined the enemy and now helping them against the people of his own country of birth!” exclaimed the Brigadier.
“Sir! He was kidnapped at a very young age and brainwashed by his captors. The lure of money motivated him to betray his motherland. I will talk to him and convince him that he is doing something wrong,” replied Yakub.
“Good! Your first task would be to bring him over to our side and make him agree to work for us. We shall also compensate him for his efforts,” said the Brigadier. “You’ll have to do it very fast, as there is little time.”
Yakub agreed to meet Hanif and report to him the following day about his reaction. That evening Hanif was waiting for him at the doorsteps of the temple. Yakub greeted him and then told him about his conversation with the Brigadier. At first he flatly refused, but when told about the compensation and a possibility of a job in the army, he relented. By way of sharing confidential information, he told Yakub about plans to attack the border post on the night of the coming new moon. He said he would give him the exact plan of attack, but, in exchange, he needed to show something about the Indian army positions to his bosses.
Yakub met the Brigadier the following day and appraised him about the conversation he had with Hanif. The Brigadier was pleased with his efforts and told him to wait. He prepared a fake map of the Indian army positions and signed it along with his seal, to make it look authentic. He put it in an envelope, marked “TOP SECRET” and sealed it. He gave it to Yakub and asked him to deliver it to Hanif. He deliberately left large gaps along the border unguarded, in his fake map, which he was sure the enemy would exploit.
Hanif received the map from Yakub and promised to deliver the attack plans of the enemy as soon as possible. Yakub waited for three days to receive the plans, but when he did not turn up, he began to feel worried. The new moon night was fast approaching. Several thoughts crossed his mind. Possibly he might have changed his decision, or his plans to defect had been discovered and he was killed! He was still ruminating when Hanif came panting to him with an envelope.
“The attack will be tonight after midnight,” he said excitedly. “I have been waiting so long to get a suitable opportunity to get the final map. I got a copy of it made and rushed to hand it to you,” he added.
Yakub lost no time in taking the envelope to the Brigadier’s office. It was already night and the Brigadier was busy in his work. When he opened the envelope, he chuckled to himself and patted Yakub. It showed that the attack was planned exactly as anticipated by him. He had already shifted his army to those places the previous night. He had also requested the air-force to be in full preparedness for an attack at short notice.
The Brigadier and his men waited at the border at midnight, anxiously looking for signs of the enemy. The moonless night made visibility poor, but they could still see with the light from the myriads of stars that covered the night sky. The minutes ticked away into hours, but there was no sign of the enemy. The Brigadier was beginning to feel uneasy and started to doubt his power of anticipation. Suddenly rumbling sounds of battle tanks were heard and a cloud of dust was visible in the distance. He looked at his watch and found it was two-thirty in the early morning.
As soon as the first row of tanks crossed the international border, the Brigadier ordered his men to fire. The fighter jets flew low and rained bombs at the enemy tanks. They were taken totally by surprise and many crew members abandoned the tanks and fled. The infantry suffered heavy losses and retreated. Before the first streak of dawn, the battle was over and the battleground appeared like a graveyard of battle tanks and army men.
The news of the attack spread like wild fire and congratulatory messages started pouring in for the Brigadier from army headquarters. The Defense Minister was very pleased at the way the Brigadier handled the situation with only a few men at his command. His courageous effort in repulsing the attack elicited bouquets from the Government and the members of the opposition parties. He was recommended for a promotion to the rank of Major General. Only he knew how it was possible!
A few days later Yakub came to meet the Brigadier in his office. He was busy packing his things and turned to Yakub and said, “Yakub, you have done a wonderful job for which I am very proud. Unfortunately, I cannot disclose it to everyone for your own safety. If the raiders from across the border come to know of it they would kill you and Hanif. One of my men will contact Hanif and pay him his commission. I have arranged for a job for him in the army with a posting to the Eastern corner of the country, which will be comparatively safe for him. I can also arrange a job for you under the ‘disabled person’ quota. I will be going on promotion to headquarters and shall be leaving tomorrow”.
Yakub felt sad at the news of the Brigadier leaving the town. He had begun to like him and would miss him very much. He said in a plaintive voice, “Sir! I am very grateful to you for everything that you have done. I do not wish to leave the temple. Now, I shall become the ‘Major General’s’ beggar, with greater power and perks! If ever you need anything from me, I’m at your service”.
The Brigadier smiled faintly and said, “You’re no longer a beggar, Yakub. You’re a hero and deserve a medal for bravery! I’ll recommend your name to my reliever and he will take care of all your needs”. He patted him on his back before leaving.
Yakub continued to stay in the temple but, he was now famous amongst the inmates of the temple. He was no longer required to beg for food, which was given to him free. The head priest of the temple had heard from the Brigadier about his exploits. One evening he was giving sermons to a group of pilgrims about religion and he said, “There is only one God, who can be called Allah, Rama, Christ, or any other name, depending upon the religion of the person. The basic preaching in the holy books are the same, only the interpretations differ slightly. There are two Muslim brothers having the same DNA, one of them helps the terrorists to attack his motherland and kill people, while the other defends his motherland and helps to protect the people, despite being traumatized at a very young age and becoming disabled. It is not religion, or the hardships encountered during childhood that makes a person a terrorist, but his resolute mind-set and the control of his inner self, that determines his actions”.
Words: 3271
Comments