24.6.04
Minhaz's Story
Minhaz is an interesting character I’ve come to know recently. There will be lot more stories about him in future.
Minhaz’s Experience with an Old Beggar:
Being a resident of a house just beside Feni Railway Station, Minhaz goes to the station quite often. In this way he became familiar with a beggar who always begs in the station area. And out of compassion for the beggar Minhaz wanted to do something special for him instead of just offering alms so that he doesn’t have to beg anymore. Minhaz said to the old man, “I think begging is very hard for you as you are quite old. I want to do something so that you don’t have to beg alms any longer.” The old man said, “Please, give me some money. I haven’t eaten anything today.”
Minhaz: Come to my house. It’s just over there. I will let you have good meal everyday. And you will stay with us. You won’t have to work. You will just do Jikr (praise Allah) and pray for us. I will take care of all your needs.
Old man: But I got a wife.
Minhaz: Don’t worry. She will also stay with you at our house and do Jikr. I will give you two a separate room to live in harmony.
Old man: I got two sons. What will happen to them?
Minhaz: Just come to my house with all your family members. I won’t let anyone of you beg. I will give good job to your two sons.
Old man: But I got three daughters who I will have to give marriage soon.
Minhaz: Ok… I will marry your one daughter and give the other two marriages to two good boys.
Old man: What did you say?
Minhaz: I will marry your one daughter and…
Old man: What did you say?
Minhaz: I will MARRY your girl.
Old man: I can’t hear you.
Minhaz: I said I would marry your daughter.
Old man: Sorry, still I can’t hear you.
Minhaz: Hey, what’s wrong with your ears?
Now, Minhaz went close to the beggar and said aloud, “I will marry your daughter.”
Old man: Aaa a aa u uh.
Minhaz: Hey, now don’t tell me that you can’t even talk.
The old man now began to use sign language. He is not talking at all. After sometime, Minhaz got tired and left the beggar.
I asked Minhaz what would he have done if the beggar agreed with his proposal. He said, “I know these beggars very well. They can never think of leaving begging. So I knew that I will never have to marry his daughter.”
Minhaz”s Experience with a Lame Beggar:
While returning from Jumma prayer one day Minhaz saw a man lying on the floor beside the Masjid entrance with a bleeding crooked leg as if he had an accident just moments ago and now he is in need of immediate medical treatment. The man didn’t seem like a usual beggar but was begging money for his treatment. His fresh blood covered leg made Minhaz feel pity for him. Minhaz counted the money on the cloth kept for the money collection and it was 71taka. He could have left the sight giving a five or ten taka note for the sake of humanity. But being humane he couldn’t leave that poor man in his that awful condition. He wanted the beggar to go his house for treatment. The beggar said, “No, you won’t have to take so much hardship, just give me some money I will do my treatment in a hospital later.” But Minhaz’s continued request made the beggar go with him to his house.
Minhaz is a photographer, although not professional. It’s his passion. He is also a regular blood donor. So he thought if he takes this poor man and admits him to a good hospital in Dhaka the hospital authority will charge much less than the actual fees. Besides he was going to Dhaka the next day anyway. He was just craving to show his mother to what importance his Photography degree and blood donation have come to. So it was necessary to have a good hold of this beggar. He has taken many professions just because he likes to know new things. Well, this is how he justifies his changing professions from time to time. But his mother doesn’t buy his arguments. She says because of his unstable mind he doesn’t fit anywhere. Many times she tried to take him to a psychiatrist or a dervish to talk about his mental disorder. But his father who rather enjoys his activities with his non-stop support to his son’s folly doesn’t let her take any action.
Minhaz brought the beggar at his home gave his injured leg primary treatment and after having a good meal, the beggar left. Minhaz couldn’t make him stay in his house for that day. But the beggar promised him that he would go with him to Dhaka to have medical treatment of his broken leg. So Minhaz bought two train tickets for Dhaka for 240taka each. The train is to leave the station at 8am and his poor fellow was to come at the station at 7 o’clock. Minhaz went to the station at 6 o’clock just because he thought if the beggar doesn’t find him in a short time he would be anxious. But even at 7:30 when the beggar was not coming Minhaz sent a man to look for him. And he found that the beggar was totally reluctant to go to Dhaka for his treatment. Minhaz didn’t have anything to do. So he gave the beggar’s ticket to another person for free and went alone to Dhaka.
While conversing with fellow passengers, he later realized that the beggar was actually a fraud. Having a fresh broken leg no person can beg because of the intense of the unbearable pair. He somehow had his leg broken long ago which made is crooked. Now he uses that crooked leg to blackmail others emotionally. He collects cow blood from the slaughterhouse and then mixes glycerine with it and the blood never coagulates. In this way the blood looks fresh for many hours. When the proper time comes he uses this mixture on his crooked leg and the show begins… “Oh my brothers I had an accident while passing the road, not too long ago. Please give some money for my broken leg’s treatment… ahh uhh… I can’t bear the PAIN…”
Minhaz’s Experience with a well-dressed Beggar:Minhaz was in Feni Railway Station one day and a well-dressed man came to him and said, “I work in a bank in Comilla, came here on work. A pickpocket took all my money. Please give me 10taka. I’m very hungry now, as I haven’t eaten anything for a long time. I will die soon if I don’t eat something now.” “Hmm…that’s really sad…but what will you eat with just 10taka?” The man had a file with him. He took some papers out of that file and showed it to Minhaz and said, “Please look at these documents. These are my academic certificates and this is my work certificate. Please give me 10taka. I’m starving.” Minhaz became convinced of the man’s innocence and gave him a 10taka note.
But Minhaz didn’t stop there. When the man left him he followed the man stealthily to see what he does with that note. I told you before Minhaz is an interesting character. He saw that the man went to another person and began to tell the same story. As Minhaz went close to the man, he went to another place. Minhaz followed him there too. For sometime this hide and seek continued. And finally finding nowhere to flee the man gave up and went to a tea-stall and bought something to eat.
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Minhaz’s Experience with an Old Beggar:
Being a resident of a house just beside Feni Railway Station, Minhaz goes to the station quite often. In this way he became familiar with a beggar who always begs in the station area. And out of compassion for the beggar Minhaz wanted to do something special for him instead of just offering alms so that he doesn’t have to beg anymore. Minhaz said to the old man, “I think begging is very hard for you as you are quite old. I want to do something so that you don’t have to beg alms any longer.” The old man said, “Please, give me some money. I haven’t eaten anything today.”
Minhaz: Come to my house. It’s just over there. I will let you have good meal everyday. And you will stay with us. You won’t have to work. You will just do Jikr (praise Allah) and pray for us. I will take care of all your needs.
Old man: But I got a wife.
Minhaz: Don’t worry. She will also stay with you at our house and do Jikr. I will give you two a separate room to live in harmony.
Old man: I got two sons. What will happen to them?
Minhaz: Just come to my house with all your family members. I won’t let anyone of you beg. I will give good job to your two sons.
Old man: But I got three daughters who I will have to give marriage soon.
Minhaz: Ok… I will marry your one daughter and give the other two marriages to two good boys.
Old man: What did you say?
Minhaz: I will marry your one daughter and…
Old man: What did you say?
Minhaz: I will MARRY your girl.
Old man: I can’t hear you.
Minhaz: I said I would marry your daughter.
Old man: Sorry, still I can’t hear you.
Minhaz: Hey, what’s wrong with your ears?
Now, Minhaz went close to the beggar and said aloud, “I will marry your daughter.”
Old man: Aaa a aa u uh.
Minhaz: Hey, now don’t tell me that you can’t even talk.
The old man now began to use sign language. He is not talking at all. After sometime, Minhaz got tired and left the beggar.
I asked Minhaz what would he have done if the beggar agreed with his proposal. He said, “I know these beggars very well. They can never think of leaving begging. So I knew that I will never have to marry his daughter.”
Minhaz”s Experience with a Lame Beggar:
While returning from Jumma prayer one day Minhaz saw a man lying on the floor beside the Masjid entrance with a bleeding crooked leg as if he had an accident just moments ago and now he is in need of immediate medical treatment. The man didn’t seem like a usual beggar but was begging money for his treatment. His fresh blood covered leg made Minhaz feel pity for him. Minhaz counted the money on the cloth kept for the money collection and it was 71taka. He could have left the sight giving a five or ten taka note for the sake of humanity. But being humane he couldn’t leave that poor man in his that awful condition. He wanted the beggar to go his house for treatment. The beggar said, “No, you won’t have to take so much hardship, just give me some money I will do my treatment in a hospital later.” But Minhaz’s continued request made the beggar go with him to his house.
Minhaz is a photographer, although not professional. It’s his passion. He is also a regular blood donor. So he thought if he takes this poor man and admits him to a good hospital in Dhaka the hospital authority will charge much less than the actual fees. Besides he was going to Dhaka the next day anyway. He was just craving to show his mother to what importance his Photography degree and blood donation have come to. So it was necessary to have a good hold of this beggar. He has taken many professions just because he likes to know new things. Well, this is how he justifies his changing professions from time to time. But his mother doesn’t buy his arguments. She says because of his unstable mind he doesn’t fit anywhere. Many times she tried to take him to a psychiatrist or a dervish to talk about his mental disorder. But his father who rather enjoys his activities with his non-stop support to his son’s folly doesn’t let her take any action.
Minhaz brought the beggar at his home gave his injured leg primary treatment and after having a good meal, the beggar left. Minhaz couldn’t make him stay in his house for that day. But the beggar promised him that he would go with him to Dhaka to have medical treatment of his broken leg. So Minhaz bought two train tickets for Dhaka for 240taka each. The train is to leave the station at 8am and his poor fellow was to come at the station at 7 o’clock. Minhaz went to the station at 6 o’clock just because he thought if the beggar doesn’t find him in a short time he would be anxious. But even at 7:30 when the beggar was not coming Minhaz sent a man to look for him. And he found that the beggar was totally reluctant to go to Dhaka for his treatment. Minhaz didn’t have anything to do. So he gave the beggar’s ticket to another person for free and went alone to Dhaka.
While conversing with fellow passengers, he later realized that the beggar was actually a fraud. Having a fresh broken leg no person can beg because of the intense of the unbearable pair. He somehow had his leg broken long ago which made is crooked. Now he uses that crooked leg to blackmail others emotionally. He collects cow blood from the slaughterhouse and then mixes glycerine with it and the blood never coagulates. In this way the blood looks fresh for many hours. When the proper time comes he uses this mixture on his crooked leg and the show begins… “Oh my brothers I had an accident while passing the road, not too long ago. Please give some money for my broken leg’s treatment… ahh uhh… I can’t bear the PAIN…”
Minhaz’s Experience with a well-dressed Beggar:Minhaz was in Feni Railway Station one day and a well-dressed man came to him and said, “I work in a bank in Comilla, came here on work. A pickpocket took all my money. Please give me 10taka. I’m very hungry now, as I haven’t eaten anything for a long time. I will die soon if I don’t eat something now.” “Hmm…that’s really sad…but what will you eat with just 10taka?” The man had a file with him. He took some papers out of that file and showed it to Minhaz and said, “Please look at these documents. These are my academic certificates and this is my work certificate. Please give me 10taka. I’m starving.” Minhaz became convinced of the man’s innocence and gave him a 10taka note.
But Minhaz didn’t stop there. When the man left him he followed the man stealthily to see what he does with that note. I told you before Minhaz is an interesting character. He saw that the man went to another person and began to tell the same story. As Minhaz went close to the man, he went to another place. Minhaz followed him there too. For sometime this hide and seek continued. And finally finding nowhere to flee the man gave up and went to a tea-stall and bought something to eat.
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