Skip to main content

Imaginary Paradises

Imaginary Paradises and Real Hells

Fiction

Aziz raised the machine gun and pumped a million bullets into the heart of his frustrations.

            Firoz lay dead in a pool of warm blood which exuded a smell that strangely reminded Aziz of the chemistry lab in his college.  Soon he would be lying in a similar pool of blood, his own blood, Aziz knew.  He had killed one of the top leaders of the organisation and he would be a fool to hope that he could get away with it.

            What would be the smell of my blood?  He asked himself.  Will it smell of the deodorant whose seductiveness is what first drew him to Miriam?

            “Miriam will be a suicide bomber,” Firoz had decided.

            Miriam was Maria.  Maria Joseph of St Antony’s College whose humid corridors carried various odours one of which was the seductive fragrance that wafted whenever Maria Joseph of B.Sc. (Bio) came along.  Aziz was a B.Sc. (Chem) student of the same batch. 

            When Firoz suggested to make a non-Muslim girl fall in love with him, it was the fragrance of Maria that rushed into his veins and made him blush.

            But why? He wondered. “Why should I fall in love with a kafir?”  He asked.

            “Who’s asking you to love anybody?” He growled. “The girl should fall.  In love.  With you.”

            But why?

            Our mission.

            Firoz explained.  A new world, a totally different world, emerged in Aziz’s imagination as Firoz spoke.  A paradise on earth.  One god, one religion, one Caliphate.  All infidels will be converted.  Or else eliminated.

            Miriam’s duty was to eliminate.  She would be a suicide bomber.  A martyr.  Firdaws, nothing less, awaited her.

            “But we thought we would be creating the paradise on the earth!” exclaimed Aziz.

            “Yes.  Paradise on earth requires martyrs and their work on the foundation.  Miriam is fortunate to have been chosen to be a martyr.”

            “But I love her,” Aziz protested in spite of all the training that they were given over months.   They were taught to forget earthly attachments until the mission is accomplished.  Once the mission is accomplished, their rewards would be manifold, so much more than they could ever have imagined.

            “In the meanwhile you can get another girl to fall in love with you,” Firoz grinned.

            It was then Aziz grabbed the machine gun.  To hell with Firdaws and Paradise.

            He flung the smoking gun and walked out. 

            He saw a drugged Miriam get into the driver’s seat of a car.  Suicide bomber.

            “Miriam!”  He wanted to call.  But his voice died in his throat as he became aware of the steel barrel of a pistol behind his head.  “Allah! Mercy!”

Comments

  1. sunaina sharmaJuly 11, 2016 at 8:22 PM

    The steel that comes between Allah's mercy and Aziz is the steel of irrationality of fanaticism that is wrecking our world. This is in sync with your previous post - youth being misled, willingly or otherwise. I am glad you came back with short story, your forte....:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 12, 2016 at 5:44 AM

      Fiction is the ideal form when emotions are high.

      Delete
  2. Tina BasuJuly 11, 2016 at 9:24 PM

    Very nicely written short story!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kala RaviJuly 11, 2016 at 9:39 PM

    I am having goosebumps after reading this! Short, action and emotion packed! I wish the truth was far away from the fiction you have written but sadly, it happens to be the bitter truth.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 12, 2016 at 5:45 AM

      Unfortunately it is the bitter truth. Perhaps, truth is even more bitter!

      Delete
  4. ChittuJuly 11, 2016 at 9:54 PM

    A very well written short story!

    ReplyDelete
  5. none to be knownJuly 11, 2016 at 10:03 PM

    It's a short story hiding a great plot for thinking. It Gives light on end of many terrorist groups. They will be wiped off due to their internal quarrel. Like Jesus said "for all those who draw sword shall die by it". The plot of the story is an important issue in the near future. Many girls even from our small Kerala has been abducted and used by such terrorist groups. So its the time to think..

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownJuly 11, 2016 at 10:06 PM

    Terrorism is the bane of mankind.The day it ends,humanity will triumph

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 12, 2016 at 5:47 AM

      The world has reached at a conflict between humanity and terrorism. Which will triumph is the question.

      Delete
  7. ManiparnaJuly 11, 2016 at 10:10 PM

    Truth it is. A compact story touching so many things in this short span; love zihad, the frustrations of numerous Azizs, the pseudo- religious reasons which the terrorists put in favour of the massacre...very well-written, Sir....:-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 12, 2016 at 5:48 AM

      Thanks, Maniparna. What exactly drives Azizes to terrorism is still a mystery.

      Delete
  8. IraJuly 11, 2016 at 10:59 PM

    Power packed story in sync with the present scenario where youth are lured into these acts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 12, 2016 at 5:49 AM

      A lot of youngsters are being misled, unfortunately. The idealism of youth is being mischannelled.

      Delete
  9. ShaiviJuly 11, 2016 at 11:10 PM

    Such a strong message in few words...

    ReplyDelete
  10. EshaJuly 11, 2016 at 11:30 PM

    Powerful story! Fiction reflects reality and a bitter truth.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Pranju chakrapaniJuly 12, 2016 at 7:03 AM

    Some say it is because of not wearing a skull cap that make them do such heinous acts. I say it is all written in the holy book that makes them have their own interpretations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 12, 2016 at 7:27 AM

      If all the holy books perish in a mysterious fire or something, the world may be redeemed.

      Delete
  12. MoonJuly 12, 2016 at 4:34 PM

    A great story, sir! Misleading youth in the name of religion is perhaps the biggest socioreligious problem in today's world. However, I am unable to understand how highly educated people from educated, liberal and well-to-do families get influenced by such radical thoughts and become so violent in the name of religion!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tomichan MatheikalJuly 12, 2016 at 5:37 PM

      There are big discussions going on in the Malayalam mass media about this issue. One Muslim educator has done some field study too and his hypothesis is that there is a mental disorder that's gripping some of the youth today because of various psycho-social problems. Some are of the opinion that it's a politico-social problem which in other words means it's about power. Islam is trying to impose its power on everybody. But why educated people from liberal families should fall prey to that power game is a question which may be answered only by the mental disorder hypothesis!

      Delete
  13. UnknownJuly 12, 2016 at 8:30 PM

    Indeed a powerful one, and, enough to shake our senses within.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In this Wonderland

I didn’t write anything in the last few days. Nor did I feel any urge to write. I don’t know if this lack of interest to write is what’s called writer’s block. Or is it simple disenchantment with whatever is happening around me? We’re living in a time that offers much, too much, to writers. The whole world looks like a complex plot for a gigantic epic. The line between truth and fiction has disappeared. Mass murders have become no-news. Animals get more compassion than fellow human beings. Even their excreta are venerated! Folk tales are presented as scientific truths while scientific truths are sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. When the young generation in Nepal set fire to their Parliament and Supreme Court buildings, they were making an unmistakable statement: that they are sick of their political leaders and their systems. Is there any country whose leaders don’t sicken their citizens? I’m just wondering. Maybe, there are good leaders still left in a few coun...
12 comments
Read more

Death as a Sculptor

Book Discussion An Introductory Note : This is not a book review but a reflection on one of the many themes in The Infatuations , novel by Javier Marias. If you have any intention of reading the novel, please be forewarned that this post contains spoilers. For my review of the book, without spoilers, read an earlier post: The Infatuations (2013). D eath can reshape the reality for the survivors of the departed. For example, a man’s death can entirely alter the lives of his surviving family members: his wife and children, particularly. That sounds like a cliché. Javier Marias’ novel, The Infatuations , shows us that death can alter a lot more; it can reshape meanings, relationships, and even morality of the people affected by the death. Miguel Deverne is killed by an abnormal man right in the beginning of the novel. It seems like an accidental killing. But it isn’t. There are more people than the apparently insane killer involved in the crime and there are motives which are di...
7 comments
Read more

The Adventures of Toto as a comic strip

  'The Adventures of Toto' is an amusing story by Ruskin Bond. It is prescribed as a lesson in CBSE's English course for class 9. Maggie asked her students to do a project on some of the lessons and Femi George's work is what I would like to present here. Femi converted the story into a beautiful comic strip. Her work will speak for itself and let me present it below.  Femi George Student of Carmel Public School, Vazhakulam, Kerala Similar post: The Little Girl
47 comments
Read more

When Cricket Becomes War

Illustration by Copilot Designer Why did India agree to play Pakistan at all if the animosity runs so deep that Indian players could not even extend the customary handshake: a simple ritual that embodies the very essence of sportsmanship? Cricket is not war, in the first place. When a nation turns a game into a war, it does not defeat its rival; it only wages war on its own culture, poisoning its acclaimed greatness. India which claims to be Viswaguru , the world’s Guru, is degenerating itself day after day with mounting hatred against everyone who is not Hindu. How can we forget what India did to a young cricket player named Mohammed Siraj , especially in this context? In the recent test series against England, India achieved an unexpected draw because of Siraj. 1113 balls and 23 wickets. He was instrumental in India’s series-levelling victory in the final Test at the Oval and was declared the Player of the Match. But India did not celebrate him. Instead, it mocked him for his o...
6 comments
Read more

Whose Rama?

Book Review Title: Whose Rama? [Malayalam] Author: T S Syamkumar Publisher: D C Books, Kerala Pages: 352 Rama may be an incarnation of God Vishnu, but is he as noble a man [ Maryada Purushottam ] as he is projected to be by certain sections of Hindus? This is the theme of Dr Syamkumar’s book, written in Malayalam. There is no English translation available yet. Rama is a creation of the Brahmins, asserts the author of this book. The Ramayana upholds the unjust caste system created by Brahmins for their own wellbeing. Everyone else exists for the sake of the Brahmin wellbeing. If the Kshatriyas are given the role of rulers, it is only because the Brahmins need such men to fight and die for them. Valmiki’s Rama too upheld that unjust system merely because that was his Kshatriya-dharma, allotted by the Brahmins. One of the many evils that Valmiki’s Rama perpetrates heartlessly is the killing of Shambuka, a boy who belonged to a low caste but chose to become an ascetic. The...
8 comments
Read more