Righteousness and deep devotion to religion carry an astounding strong appeal. Who would not like to be rightly guided? Religious bigotry is one of my pet aversions, nonetheless. Think of a religionist who gets to a feeling like being in higher feather. He puffs up with pride and thinks high of his religious zealotry. He is antsy. He wants to be in public eye. He has visions of people noticing him pray five times in the masjid, and then praising him to skies. He is enamoured with his religiosity. He loves to parade his wares; he gets off on it and dolls up. He soon grows beard wears cap and stains with kajal (lamp black).

He is one of the early birds and the regular visitors to masjid for salah (nimaz) and invariably settles down in the first row (suff) in the congregation. Every time the door creaks open he turns around to mark attendance. He makes a wry face at every new comer. As the faithful finish with their prayers and take leave, the religionist decides to stay put and settle down in a corner (of the mosque) to shoot the breeze with fellow religionists. They gossip affairs of every living (even dead) soul in the locality including imam and mouzzin. They are all dragged through the mud.

In one of the masjid intizamia (organizing) committee meetings as our religionist friend, who has been loitering around for some time, is formally appointed as member of this elite committee, he seems to have been in receipt of the license to practice religiosity. Every time he finds an audience, be it on roadside, in the mosque or outside in religious/social congregations, he reads sermons and in an avuncular/ self righteous tone moralizes about the rights and wrongs.

The zealot soon makes his presence felt. He prevails upon the members of the intizamia committee. The committee after dilly dallying takes decision to demolish the old structure and in its place construct a new masjid and a shopping complex adjacent. The religionist volunteers to collect funds. He takes over as khazanchi, the treasurer and swings into action. With mike in hand a copper tray (traam) placed on stool in the middle of the road the team of religious chauvinists blare out sermons. In the name of Allah, our friend and his fellow zealots throw themselves at the feet of passers by—virtually stripping them bare. In the spectre of the mad (traffic) rush and confusion he ensures that every passer by parts with a tenner or so. In a bid to successfully fund his brainchild, he wakes up people at cockcrow and hands them over the receipt of masjid fund.

It is not many days before the new masjid is ready along with the much cherished about shopping complex. The construction work was completed in record time by the intizamia committee, of which the religionist is now become the chairman. In recognition to his efforts, as the committee in the inaugural function, announces the handover of the possession of much cherished prime shop of the newly built shopping complex to the beloved chairman of the intizamia committee, the chairman is however last seen in the inaugural function. The possession of the prime shop is reported to have been since sold (transferred) to some one who needed it more, against a hefty amount (mithai).

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