Amitava Kumar at his Substack:
Here’s the first short short-story I have for you about boys.
When I was working on my book Husband of a Fanatic, and traveling in Kashmir, several people told me about a story by Akhtar Mohiuddin’s entitled “Terrorist.” The story’s popularity might be explained by the fact that it outlines a situation where the loss of innocence is represented not through the expected assault but, instead, by the seductive power of violence. In Mohiuddin’s story, a woman named Farz Ded is walking down a narrow street. From the opposite end of the street, a military patrol approaches her. Farz Ded’s young son starts crying. The patrol’s commander thinks that the kid is scared and he reassures him. Farz Ded says to the officer, “This rogue is not afraid of you. He just sees the soldiers and cries, ‘I want a gun … I want a gun.”‘“
The second short short-story is from this morning.
I watched a news-clip in which a boy is asked by a reporter holding a microphone whether he is ashamed. The boy asks in return why he should be ashamed. The reporter asks, Long live India, yes or no? The boy says, Yes. The reporter now asks, Long live Pakistan, yes or no? The boy says, Yes. And then he adds crucially, with a wisdom far beyond his years, Long live everyone in their own places. You too long live in your place…
More here.
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