100 Rays Of Son - 54

Mob & Mom

When we were living in J P Nagar, there was a commotion outside our house at around 8 pm. It looked as though there were two groups of people clashing with each other. Farheena usually gets terrified of fights and chaos of any kind. I stayed with her and calmed her down. I was also worried as what was happening, but did not have courage to go outside and look. Then I heard a voice of a woman calling out for help. This shook me up and I opened the door and went outside. What I saw shocked me. There were a group of young men all ready to attack a woman who was in her 60s. I could identify few of the boys to be from our neighbourhood and asked them what the issue was about. In fact, I landed between the lady and the group of boys to protect her. They answered, “We have got nothing to do with this lady. We are looking for her son. She came here to protect him. Ask her first what he has done and whether she should protect him or hand over to us to teach him what she hasn’t taught him”.

By then, the old woman had entered our compound and was taking shelter there. Soon, another lady who was from our neighbourhood came in and told me to keep out of this chaos because it involved bad deeds of bad people and it can lead to violence. I knew this lady to be a bit rough and tough and never wanted to have anything to do with her apart from casual greeting when we met, yet I could not throw this old woman out. I told her, since it was her son who created the problem, you should punish him and leave this old lady alone.

By then someone shouted that they have found the guy they are looking for and all of them rushed in that direction. They looked thirsty for his blood. At this stage the old woman started wailing loudly, “My …………………. My son! They will kill him”.

I took her in and gave her a glass of water. In all the chaos and when my life was in danger, Rayyan was unaware of the happenings because he was working on the laptop with his headphones on. Farheena, also calmed down and was listening to music sitting on his bed. The two were unaware of what happened outside.

I did not have an appropriate response to my children, but I decided to make the lady comfortable and ask her about the issue. I brought her in amid protests from my landlady who said the crowd may barge into our house if I take her in. I made her sit inside and offered her water. Then I got to hear from her the story which led to the scene.

Her son had an affair with a married woman, mother of two children. According to her she had seduced him. The tough woman who spoke to me was the cheated husband’s sister. On that day, the husband had caught them both in a compromising position and by the time he regained his senses, they both had absconded. This is when his sister gathered people from the locality to teach them a lesson. The lady on hearing that her son was in danger, had rushed there. He was her only son and she was widow. She said she was afraid to go out now because they will kill her. They had already slapped her thrice.

Rayyan was now listening to all the story from his room, but he remained uninvolved. I decided to call the police and inform them of the situation. As soon I connected the call and asked the lady to narrate the incident, I realized how stories change in FIR. LOL. After her dramatic narration where only the crowd was at fault, I gave the address to the police to come and give safety to the woman to reach her home. She was illiterate and could not call anyone without the telephone book. I suddenly remembered that I knew someone from her community and gave a call to that lady. She spoke to this woman and said she will send help.

Finally her people came, police came and lady was taken safely to her home. What irritated me all through was, how Rayyan remained unaffected, and detached from the whole incident. He did not comfort the woman, did not ask me questions, nor did he come out when I went out to talk to people who were demanding that I send the woman out.

After everything settled down, I barged into Rayyan’s room and asked him, “What does this mean Rayyan? Are you going to be one of those mute spectators to crimes without helping? You know how much I detest those kind of people who feel that if it is not happening to them, it is not their problem? What if the crowd would have hit me? Don’t you think you should protect your mom?”

I am still in confusion with Rayyan’s answer that day. He said, “You are the strong woman who were protecting the lady, right? Why do you need protection? Also, there was this huge crowd of people out there and how can I fight all of them and protect you? So I stayed back here”. I was watching him seriously and was wondering whether he was joking. You can realize that the fire is stroked, “You did not have any sympathy for that old woman?”

“I had, but somehow I think she shouldn’t support her son in his wrong deeds. Somehow, I don’t see you doing that if I were that guy”.

I realize that it is difficult for non-moms to understand what moms go through when their children are at fault.

Finally gives me his perception of the issue.

“Maa, you went out and got involved in an issue when the crowd was quite wild. In all the chaos you forgot Farheena. What if the crowd would have barged in and attacked all of us, would that be fair to Farheena? You very well know, who become mobs, right? They usually do not think who, what or why. Don’t you think the right thing to do was to call the police and inform them about the chaos? For every wrong we do there are consequences. Sometimes children bear consequences of parents’ misdeeds and sometimes parents bear consequences of children’s misdeeds. I am glad Farheena did not have to bear the brunt of your actions today”.

I continue to throw angry looks at him, because though sensible, I do not agree with his part of argument.

“Honestly maa, I don’t even know how to fight or talk to people who are angry. You are an expert at it. I feel if you fail at it, there is nothing I can do”. He sounds genuine and there is honesty in him.

I still cannot accept that was the right way to respond. Even to this day, I interfere in things which are unrelated to me, though many have warned me not to do so, because many times those who look like victims may actually not be victims. At times, I have ended up defending wrong people, but that doesn’t change me.

I know he was being good brother to Farheena back then. He always has been. I also know that if two people are drowning, he will save Farheena and leave me to drown. But for me it is still a dilemma what to think of this attitude of Rayyan.

So here comes another negative post of Rayyan