Abdul Hamid Manghar

Abdul Hamid Manghar was wearing excellent designer Italian suit and beautiful matching tie and he was looking like a prince in this governmental meeting. He was accompanied with his secretary as well whom he used to call munshi (assistant). It had been few months that Abdul Hamid Manghar won M.N.A.'s (Member of National Assembly) election. During his election campaign he spent money like water. He belonged to some village of Sargodha and he was the biggest land owner of his village but he never forgot that he used to sale things on Italian beaches which was called in their language, "mare lagana". In this party there was every kind of people. Manghar found a beautiful and elegantly dressed up lady. He went close to her and started talking to her. Manghar's Urdu accent was very beautiful and excellent but after a little while, unintentionally he said, "wal jado assi marey landay san" which means, when I used to sale things on the beach, his secretary indicated him from the back to change the topic. This was one of the fault of Manghar’s personality and the second thing he has, you can't say it's week point or fault, because the society where he was surviving, it wasn't a bad was that he was alcoholic. The bad thing with Manghar was that when he used to drink a lot, he used to say stupid things and his secretary was scared, if he will say something stupid or weird than it will be very difficult to handle the situation. It will be very easy to discover for the people, in reality what Manghar is. Other than these things Manghar had many qualities. His general knowledge was excellent. He passed his whole life in reading digests during his spare time. He was unable to write Urdu but he knew to speak and read Urdu. He was very good in Italian that good that while he is speaking Urdu if you don't see his face you will feel that some Italian is talking to you. Manghar had good command upon literature because he was fond of poetry. He memorized many ghazals and poems of many poets. There were very few people who knew about Manghar’s past but since he entered in politics lots of people were curious to know about him, who he was? They all knew about him that he had the business of diamonds and he still has the same business. Behind his success, was his secretary? He used glued with him and used to indicate him time to time because after drinking a lot of alcohol it was nearly impossible for him to control himself, so this was his secretary's job.

          Manghar became very famous in National Assembly, the one reason was that the way he used to dress up and second reason was the selection of perfumes he used to wear. He was very dandy, sweet and soft spoken and his way of conversation was very catchy that people used to go towards him unintentionally.

                       ....................................................

     It had been few years that Maila Khan stepped in the world of journalism but she was at the height of popularity in short span of time. She used to take the full advantage of her beauty and femininity. The one reason was that she was journalist and the second reason was that she was woman, nobody dared to stop her where ever she had been.

   Maila wrote many shocking stories. Cunning and shrewd people used feel confuse and baffle in front of her. God had given her special kind of electrifying lightness in her eyes. People used to forget every after seeing in her eyes like she spell bound them or mesmerize them. These days she was thinking to write something about Abdul Hamid Manghar. Some notable political figures tried to bribe her to expose Manghar but she refused to accept their offers because she was herself curious about Manghar and she wanted to discover it. This was first time in the history of Pakistan that a very smart, handsome and sweet spoken M.N.A. got the seat in parliament. He was physically very fit, he didn’t have big belly like other parliamentarians. Maila Khan was very much obsessed of Manghar's personality but she didn't want to indulge herself in these kinds of things because she was the only earning hand of her family. She didn't have any brother and her father was drug addict. It was only her who has the responsibility to arrange marriages of her younger sisters; she was care taker of her family. Even though, she was responsible to provide money for her father’s drugs. Anyway between Manghar and Maila there was twenty years age difference.

         It was very hard nut to crack, but with a lot difficulties Maila got the interview’s time from Manghar's secretary but the condition was that that she will take interview in front of him. Maila Khan accepted the condition.

                               .....................................

   Maila had quick look at her dress, hair style and carrying purse she hastily entered in Marriott’s coffee shop. She wasn't upset at all because film stars and politicians aren't punctual about time. Manghar sahib was totally opposite. He was there at exact time which he had given for the interview the reason was that that he was on time because he was waiting for Maila from last half an hour which means Maila was half an hour late. Manghar's secretary was cursing Maila inwardly. As Maila entered, she said sorry, Manghar stood up in respect of Maila. Maila got stunned and looked at him shocking.

Maila said with mixed feeling of astonishment and fear:

"Please be seated Manghar sahib".

Manghar said with a lot of gratitude and humbleness, "After you".

Maila had a quick look at her dress and grabbed her purse and she sat on a soft sofa. Before starting interview she checked everything, mini tape recorder, pen, papers, everything was there, only thing was missing, "Photographer" he didn't arrive yet. Maila placed her mobile phone on the table just in case, because she could be receiving any call at any time. Manghar was watching all this like a silent spectator. Finally Maila switched on the mini tape recorder and asked her first question, "Your full name"?

"Abdul Hamid Manghar".

He hardly responded first question, his secretary's mobile phone started ringing, and he waved to stop the interview and went to the one corner of the coffee shop to listen the call. After hearing the call he came towards them, head down and addressed Manghar sahib, "Sir my mother isn't feeling well, so I had to go. You tell this lady, she can come for the interview some other time".

"Okay my dear, I will tell her to come some other time, you go, if you need my help, I can come with you".

"No sir, I will handle the situation".

These were his last word and after saying this he left them.

Maila took everything back, the way she settled them on the table. Manghar said, "Bibi (it’s a word we use for respect of woman not to address her by her name) what are you doing"?

Maila responded sadly and hopelessly, "There will be no interview now".

"It's all right; at least have coffee with me".

"Jee, I don't drink coffee".

"Some soft drink or".

Maila thought for a while and she decided to sit down.

"Okay I will have some soft drink".

Manghar said in his regional language to his body guard, to stay away and called the waiter for special order.

Maila was thinking inwardly that Mr. Manghar must have booked a room in Marriott and it's quite possible that he will force me to go with him to that room and than ......than....after... ...millions of thoughts came in his mind in that small moment. After a little while waiter came and placed their order on the table and went away. Maila thought after having soft drink she will leave this gentleman.

Manghar broke the ice,

"Bibi I heard about you that you are very good journalist. You write true stories about people. Do you write short stories as well"?

Maila stopped her hand which was going to pick up soft drink.

"Well actually.....I never tried, to be honest with you......never thought about this". She controlled herself and said, "Manghar sahib, do you read short stories"?

"I used to read with great passion but now I don't find time".

"Your favourite writers"?

"Manto and Giovanni Boccaccio".

Maila got baffled and puzzled as you say in Persian "angusht ba dandan" which means you put your finger tip in your mouth. She tried to hide her perplexity and said,

"You read poetry as well"?

"Before I used to read a lot, either poetry or prose but since I am in politics, I don't find time".

"What was the reason, you started politics"?

“There are two main reasons, one is, my people forced me and second thing is wealth".

"You didn't have any passion for politics"?

"No not at all".

Maila saw that after a little while there was special change in Manghar’s voice. She didn't understand what the reason behind this was, but it was astonishing. The different thing was, waiter used to bring some soft drink for him one after another.

"What you used to do, before joining politics"?

"Right from the beginning I was business man and still I am a business man".

"What is your business......Sir"?

"I have diamonds’s business".

"So you are doing this business right from the beginning".

"No, before I used to sale fake diamonds than I started selling real ones".

"Wal jadon asi maray landay san (when we used to sale things on the beaches of Italy) at that time I used to sale fake necklaces and fake diamonds as well".

"I didn't understand where you used to sale"?

"Sheshelia".

"Where is this Sheshelia"?

"Bibi, you don't know it's an island of Italy".

"Oh!  Sicily.....when"?

"It's an old story"

"How old"?

"Something like thirty or thirty five years old".

"Manghar sahib, can you tell me thoroughly".

"I was little, something like sixteen or seventeen years old. I escaped or you can say ran away from home. After a long and tiring journey I came to Sheshelia (Sicilia). Over there I didn't have place to sleep, nothing to eat. A guy taught me how to make toys of straws. Like this I started earning money to have some food and shelter. Sometime I used to make good money and sometime I used to live without money. Over there people started calling me telion wala (The man who makes straw's toys). In our language tela means straw. Like this other people started coming to Sicilia and it became like a group. Teli group (the group of straw's toys maker). The people who were in our group, most of them were from our village and I belong to that village as well. We have seen very hard life and time. There I started drinking alcohol. Before I used to drink alcohol and now alcohol drinks me".

"Why you started drinking alcohol"?

"Bibi, I was very young, I didn't have much sense and the main reason was that it was nearly impossible for me to sell straws’s toys to naked and half naked people. After drinking alcohol, I used to feel less shame and feel courageous as well. Otherwise in normal condition it's not possible for young boy to face this kind of situation. After selling these straw's toys, I started selling fake and forged pearls necklaces and things like these. Now I was very well trained and confident, I was able to sale dust as well. I did this work for ten years and then I came back to Pakistan. I reconstructed my house which was a muddy house. I saved some money. Bought some land. Then one day I decided to go back to Sicilia. I gave money to agent and went there again. I again started selling garlands, fake pearls and things like these. In 1987 Italy opened immigration first time. We people got papers, like this we were allowed to travel without agent. During this period I got good command on Italian language".

"That's how you have interest in literature"?

"Bibi the main reason is digests. I used to read all kinds of digests. I used to pass the train’s long journeys, reading digests and when we used to have less business, we had only two hobbies, alcohol and digest".

"When did you start selling diamonds"?

"I told you that I became a very good salesman like I was able to sell dust as well. Like this I started selling fake pearl’s necklaces, telling people they are real one. When I earned a lot of money I entered in this business, I mean diamonds's business. During this period I met with Belgian Jew, he was diamonds’s merchant. God wanted to change my life. He said, you sell my fake diamonds, but sell them by telling the customers they are real. He told me that there are very few people who can judge the fake and real diamonds. Sometime the diamonds detective machine can't judge diamond is real or fake but that Jew had such quality that it was impossible to deceive him. As I started working with him, I felt a lot of change in my personality. He told me what to wear and which the good perfumes are. But behind my success, it's not I did this in one day; I worked very hard for thirty or thirty five years continuously. The money I have, I have earned on my own. I never robbed anyone; I lied a lot but never snatched someone's money. My great grandfather didn't leave any land or wealth, not even government allotted me some land or property. Whatever I have earned, I have earned with hard work, and I used my brain. Since I am in politics, I have seen how these politicians suck public blood. They robe them. They play with people and with their respect. If you look at these politicians, you won't find even a single person who would have earned money by using his brain or hard work. Their great grand fathers left wealth and land for them like that they got this position. Even though they take degrees from Oxford or Harvard, they will remain landlords, waderas".

"What about education".

"Bibi, I am illliterate. I have completed my primary education that's how I can speak and read Urdu. I have learnt Italian properly".

"I would like to ask you last question if you permit me".

"Why not".

"Why didn't you get marry until yet"?

"Bibi, I didn't find girl of my type, to be honest with you I didn't find time for this. My other brothers and sisters, all of them are married. My father isn’t alive and my mother is widow. Now I look after my mother".

"If you will marry with someone, your wife will be looking after your wife".

"You are very right but I love my mother a lot, for me it will be very difficult to divide love between my mother and wife equally. After all I am human being. You can find many wives but you know mother is mother".

Maila hardly control herself. If she was alone, she would have been crying. The one who she wanted to expose; he was such a nice man. Maila destroyed the cassette and tore all the points which she wrote on the paper.

While she was tearing all these papers and she was suffering from some severe mental destruction, she heard the voice of photographer,

"Sorry Maila, I am late. While I was coming, editor sahib phoned me, it was an important event, and I was covering that event, that's why I am late".

"Magnum, it's not the first time, you are always late. Anyway I have done my job".