Story of religious intolerance
Razia, a little girl who lived in a bunglow near a small society. One of her friends named Radhika lived in a house in the society next to Razia's bunglow, her family had just shifted to this house few days back. Radhika's family had to shift their house because recently they had suffered big loss in business.
Radhika and Razia studied in same school and same class. Both of them had common group of friends, both of them enjoyed playing similar games and both of them secretly exchanged their lunch boxes that they bought to school because everyday Razia bought different kinds of sweet breads and spicy biscuits shaped like a cashewnut, it was something Radhika relished everyday and Razia enjoyed ghee laden sweets and spicy parathas that Radhika's mother packed in her lunch box. As time passed by Radhika and Razia became best of friends, they were together all day long, be it in school or at Razia's home.
After around 8-10 months of togetherness, Razia told Radhika that it was their big festival after few days and she invited Razia to her home for the feast. Radhika was very happy to know that there would be celebration in Razia's house and she would have lots of fun there. Razia told Radhika that there would be all kind of sweets and seviyan and she can enjoy it as much as she wants to unlike a limited amount in lunch box. She told Radhika that there would be songs and dance in ladies group and so many people would visit her place and her cousins would also be there and she would introduce Radhika to all of them and they would all play different kinds of games and it would be lot of fun fervour on that day.
Radhika readily accepted the invitation, she went home after school and started thinking on what she would wear at Razia's house on day of festival. She also thought of various games that they all could play together. Radhika's mom found that Radhika was in her deep thoughts and she inquired about what was Radhika thinking so deepely.Radhika told her mother about her thoughts, on listening to her, Radhika's mom got angry and asked her to stop day dreaming. She told her that Radhika should not forget that she was a daughter of a staunch Hindu family and keeping friendhsip with Razia in school was okay, she even told her that playing with Razia during evenings with all neighbourhood friends was also all right but going to her home for lunch and taking part in their festival was like asking for wrath of her father. Radhika's innocent mind could not understand why her father would be angry if Radhika goes to Razia's house for lunch as she lived just two houses far and Radhika would not be far away but in society itself. Radhika asked her mom the reason behind the wrath of her father that her mother was assuming, On hearing this Radhika's mother got very angry and told her not to question her and just understand that she cannot attain Razia's festival.
Radhika's eyes were filled with tears and her tears started rolling down to her cheeks as to why her mother was behaving so irrationaly. She did not ask her mother anything but she refused to have dinner that night and when Radhika's father came home late night, her mother told him about Radhika's refusal to eat dinner and the reason behind it. Radhika's father was upset that his daughter had gone to sleep without dinner and was thinking on how to make his daughter understand the reason behind their refusal to attend muslim festival. Next day morning when Radhika woke up her father was about to leave for his work but Radhika told him that she wanted to talk to him. Her father knew what was going on in her heart and so told her that her mother had talked to him and her mother had rightly told her that she can't be the part of festivity at Razia's place. She was very upset and went to school. She met Razia in school bus and told her about the happenings of other evening. On hearing this Razia started crying and she told Radhika that she will talk to her father about this. Both of them decided to know the reason behind such behaviour.
When both of them went home, both asked same question to their mothers. Radhika's mother got angry but had tears flowing down her eyes at the same time. Radhika was shocked to see this. And she asked her mom not to cry and promised her that she would not go to Razia's place if she did not want her to but urged her mother to stop crying. Radhika's mother told her that she was not against Razia or her family but she told her that Radhika's father had a Muslim partner in business and he had cheated her father which is why they had to sell their big bunglow and were living in such a small and messy place. And because of this incident his father had nurtured feelings of dislike and hatred for Muslim community and he had developed this notion that these people can cheat you at any point of time, no matter what you have done for them or however close you may be to them. And similar feelings have now taken place in her mother's heart looking at the suffering of her family because of that person who co-incidentally belonged to a Muslim community.
Next day in school when Radhika met Razia she told her the reason behind her father's resistance and refusal. Razia was upset and told her father that she wanted to invite her friend for festivity but her family was against this and so she wanted him to go to their place and invite all of them personally. Her father was a very learned and genuine person. He promised Razia that he would request Radhika's family to join them on celebration. Next day Razia and her father went to Radhika's house to meet Radhika's father. Radhika's father was reading newspaper and suddenly door bell rang, he went to answer at the door and was amazed to see Razia and her father. He had never met Razia's father before this day but when Razia's father intoduced himself to Radhika's father, he was shocked and did know how to react. He told Radhika's mother that Razia's father was the one who had helped him get justice, he was police inspector who caught hold of absconding business partner of Radhika's father and saw to it that that cheater faced severe punishment and Radhika's father is compensated rightly. Radhika and Razia on hearing this were very happy and knew in their hearts that they would soon be together in Razia's house enjoying the festival. Radhika's father was very embrassed that because of one person he had made wrong assumptions about entire community and both of them hugged each other and Radhika's father promised Razia's father that he and his entire family along with their daughter would surely be part of the fun and frolic at Razia's place.
Moral of the story
Do not judge every one by the same stick, Razia's father was a gentleman while Radhika's father's business partner was a cheater though both of them belonged to same community.
Humanity is above all caste and community like Razia's father helped Radhika's father in getting justice despite of being from another community and punishing person from his own community.
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