To stone Satan

July 10, 2005

By Amar Jaleel

What is one to do when the enemy lies within us?


BADRU Bhandari, the notorious ruffian of old Karachi began pondering whether he could mend his ways and lead a decent life like a gentleman! His friends and the foes wondered what prompted Badru Bhandari to think about changing his roguish lifestyle! Why would he like to be a decent man?

Apparently, he did not appear threatened. He drank and dinned with the persons in power, politicians, and businessmen. The city police was his tributary. A dedicated gang of scoundrels operated under his command. His terror was so immense that the mothers dragged children indoors whenever he drove through the streets of old Karachi.

What impelled Badru Bhandari to crave for a positive change in his life is an enigma to this day. It is generally believed that during one of the street battles with his adversaries in Kalakot, he narrowly missed killing the ring leader of the rivals. The bullets from his gun instead pierced through the head and heart of an old crippled woman, and shredded the wrinkled hand she had extended for alms. She collapsed and died on the pavement. Her eyes remained open, as if she was staring at Badru Bhandari.

His associates think that the incident shook Badru from within. It left him bewildered. He began discussing with friends his intention to give up violent ways, and his desire for a peaceful life. Strife between vice and virtue tore Badru Bhandari apart from within. He met one learned person after another for the salvage from his sins, but to no avail.

During his disenchantment with the learned, someone told him to see Master, the saint without lineage who could possibly rescue him from the cobweb of crimes.

“Master.” Badru Bhandari saw him, and said, “I am a born criminal.”

“Man is born innocent. It is the Satan who robs man of his innocence,” said Master.

“I am fade up with crimes and killings. I want to live a clean life,” said Badru.

“If you desire to live a clean life then you will have to fight the Satan first.” The Master said, “Without overwhelming Satan you will never know peace in life.”

Finding him perplexed the Master asked, “And, do you know where can you locate Satan?”

Badru rose to his feet, and said, “Yes, I do. I know exactly where I can find him. I am going to annihilate him once and for all.”

Badru Bhandari bade farewell to the Master, and left. He obtained an urgent passport there and then. A host of influential persons helped him get a visa within no time for performing Umra. Thereafter, Badru explored possibilities of carrying a few shells and a rocket launcher to Saudi Arabia. It turned out to be an improbable task for him. He soon realized it was not possible to carry a weapon to Saudi Arabia. Badru, a don in his own right, felt frustrated. He activated his connections in Dubai and Sharjah to get hold of some kind of explosives while he stayed at Makka. He couldn’t find an ass in Emirates to help him with explosives in Saudi Arabia.

“What would you do with the explosives in Saudi Arabia?” a confidant asked.

Badru looked straight in his eyes, and said, “Instead of hurling pebbles, I intend to smash the Satan to pieces. I want to finish him.”

“You have gone crazy, Badru.” Dread went down friend’s spine. He said, “They would chop your head off.”

“I am going to take that risk.” Badru Said, “Unless I annihilate Satan I would never know peace in my life. He haunts me.”

Badru Bhandari boarded the plane. During the three-hour flight to Saudi Arabia, he neither took meals nor refreshments. He mentally worked out permutations for destroying Satan. Absorbed in his thoughts Badru reached the destination. He checked in a five-star hotel in Makka.

The next day, Badru went through the different rituals required for performing Umra. He then slowly, but determinedly, walked towards symbolic column signifying Satan. Upon reaching the spot, he moved as close to the column as possible. He collected heavier pebbles and began hurling at the symbol of the Satan. Soon he felt frenzied. He spent each ounce of his energy in targeting the Satan with savage ferocity. He kept hitting and swearing at the Satan till he felt sapped out of energy. Totally exhausted, he returned to the hotel after sunset.

For the next 15 days he walked up to the column of Satan, and furiously targeted it with pebbles. After 15 days when he boarded plane for his journey back home he felt drained and tired. On the second day of his arrival in Karachi, Badru obliged a minister by uprooting a katchi basti (slum) for his mega housing project. He couldn’t sleep the whole night. Hue, crying and begging by the ejected men, women and children kept echoing in his head.

Next day Badru Bhandari went to the Master and said, “For 15 days I stoned Satan, but seemingly it hasn’t worked.”

“The Satan resides within us,” the Master said, “You ought to have stoned the Satan within you.”