Innocent Killer.

"You have no right to pass judgements about other! How dare you?”, retorted Sheena. "I have no boyfriend, how can you allege that I have one? Uptill yesterday I used to respect you but now it is over", Sheena in an angry gesture told Muzna who meekly tried to be defensive but in vain.

 

Muzna, a student of Political Science at Kashmir University came from an affluent family of Srinagar, whom nature and Almighty has bestowed with everything under the Sun except the affection of Sister. He in his naivety began to explore and seek this love and affection from other strange girls, but every time he was sure that he has really discovered his sister, he was ditched in an unruly manner, leaving him high and dry while in sundry.

 

Muzna qualified the Tuff entrance examination to get into his favourite Political Science Stream, and was luxuriously enjoying his days till he got e-mail ID of his classmate Farheen. Farheen was an innocent faced girl but a class bully Hafeak went after her, proposing her and each time being turned down. Meanwhile Muzna's intimacy with Farheen grew thanks to the techno-savvy habits of both. Muzna being an innocent hearted, trusted every Tom, Dick and Harry and poured his heart out. He opted the same with Farheen also whom he considered his dear sister and she too pretended that Muzna was her loving and caring brother.

Hafeak was a pitiful guy who never fell in love during his school days, and for a person like Hafeak getting admission in University was to land in dreamland as he had never visited the city and was naive to its atmosphere and norms as he belonged to a remote part of the Valley. Also because he grew in a conservative, orthodox environment of strict puritanical code of conduct, the winds of liberalism, open society began to make inroads in his personality. Women in his part were sacred. Nothing of a boy-girl living relationship or boyfriend-girlfriend sought of thing could he ever dream about, but in the city it was all together different, having gals as your classmates was a reality and wish come true. So he tried to make rapport with the girls of the class. First thing to grab their attention was to capture power by standing in the election of Class-Representative and coming out successful, though through his actions resentment against him was growing among the students but he left no stone unturned to maintain the Status Quo.

 

Farheen too began to like him though she through her golden words kept Muzna satisfied that there was nothing between them and she considered all boys of the class as her brothers but the intimacy began to grow between Hafeak and Farheen, with Muzna as ever in dark. Muzna had a clever friend Meraj who forewarned him about the gimmicks of Farheen, but he was too blind in his achievement at last that he rebuked him and forsook his prediction, but time proved Meraj right when Farheen stabbed him in back by blurting Muzna's personal views about Hafeak, Sheena and scores others who then sought out an explanation from him. What did he say?

 

At first he was shocked and surprised but when he regained his senses he could just make out who the real culprit was? He didn't budge towards their remarks and declared that he had never said anything like that, but Hafeak and Yasir were far from satisfied as they knew that Muzna was the real culprit! Muzna for days together couldn't reconcile that his dear sister has blurted out all his secrets as well as washed his dirty linen in public . Muzna could do nothing so as to rescue himself, he had been publicly abused, his character assassinated, mocked at, made fun of and even became a laughing stock for the whole class. Muzna thought to sought explanation from Farheen but in vain, she declined that she never spoke his views to other guys, but Muzna was realistic enough to question her as to who then blurted out these secrets when she didn't as he only told her about those or if they came to know who were the spies get them by their balls?, as Farheen alleged that Muzna spoke about those guys in front of scores of other guys, but Farheen declined any help.

 

Muzna interrogated Yasir who the other day had intimidated and threatened him to cut his long powerful tongue if he didn't keep mum. He very well told Muzna that farheen had told them everything, he had shared with her and even advised Muzna not to make strange girls as his sisters, and follow his example as he made all girls his friends not sisters, and even confirmed his suspicion that Hafeak and Farheen were in a relationship. This talk of Yasir came as a bolt from blue on Muzna whose whole body withered in agony. Farheen was watching this conversation between them from a distance.

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"Muzna, I was weeping for the whole morning because you don't believe me, and hold me the culprit" meekly said Farheen. "You don't know Muzna, she is so innocent, she can hurt none" added Sheena, as they came in rescue of their false stance that Farheen spoke to none, and Muzna's views were out by his own shortcomings. Muzna said nothing to them, as he didn't wish to escalate the issue, but "innocent" words tossed in his head and didn't even left him in sleep. What did the words innocent signify? A turncoat, who can betray one and Love another? Muzna's mother used "innocent" to depict his character as he was too naive with the complexities of life and trusted everyone. His mom cautioned him that for this habit he was going to pay one day, and it came so soon and left him shattered completely.

 

Should one never believe an innocent face? Is there nothing sacred in brother-sister relationship? Or was Yasir realistic when he advised him that one should never make girls as sisters but friends. What does the word friendship between a gal and guy signify?, an illicit type or sacred one, a tissue paper or life lasting relationship? If sister-brother sacred, divine and trustworthy relationship is not backed by impunity how can mere friendship survive? Maybe Yasir had advised him in between the lines to be a Womanizer! But can he be? If relationships of this kind came to be betrayed then whom in the world he is supposed to trust?

Then he remembered he was living in materialistic age where Emotions, Empathy and Ethos are of no value, where every relationship is based on monetary benefits and considered as a stepping stone towards success. When the relationships can no longer serve they are severed like an unwanted weed. This intuitive thought made him ponder over the fact that, can he again in life attempt to find or discover another sister, this very thought was enough to send shivers down his spine and he restlessly tossed his head in the bed, for whole night.

written by: Mushtaq ul Haq Ahmad sikander 

[Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is a Writer-Activist and presently student of M.A Political Science Kashmir University.Besides being the co-editor and frequent writer for www.koshurpinta.com]