9 days of MIZAAN ALI

Of the many apathetic experiences that all of us have in our lives this is the one that Iam sharing. A very recent incident that has left me with innumerable questions and inquiry.


Recently a NGO,Balprafulatta, assisted with local police and few journalists from some regional paper and tv channel, raided my restaurant looking for child labor, under suspicion they picked up MIZAAN and put him in the van, as I was not in the restaurant and Mizaan didnot know hindi, nobody could understand what was going on. Dilip, my cashier also accompanied him to MIDC police station.


When employed Mizaan had given few documents alongwith his bio data, his age and address proof. These documents were ration card and voting id card both issued by the govt. of West Bengal and as per these documents his age was 19yrs. Alongwith these documents and his kin Qasim Ali, also employed with me, we reached police station.


I showed the papers to the duty officer, girls from NGO, one of whom certainly looked younger than Mizaan, and the journalists. They all agreed that getting Mizaan was a mistake and I was assured that he would be freed once the prodedures were completed. After a while there was a complete shift and the officer on duty refused to accept the documents as they were in Bangla and none of them could read bangla, Qasim did read it but that was not sufficient as the officers on duty didn't understand Bangla and all my efforts of showing them the original voting id card and arguments that it had the seal of Indian Govt. were wasted. Once the boys were brought to the police station the NGO expressed its inability to help as they were in police custody and police were apprehensive because if released the press would accuse them of corruption.


In the evening all the boys alongwith Mizaan were transferred to Children Remand Home at Dongri and I was assured that next day Mizaan and another boy, who had come to give tiffin to his father when raided, would get released from there.


I reached Dongri the next day and witnessed a very sorry state of affairs inside the remand home. All the juvenille boys n girls brought from mumbai are kept inside this remand home as prisoners and in very inhumane conditions. Mizaan complaint that he was assaulted by warden with a plastic pipe. I met the suprintendent of the remand home and was told that only the Child Welfare Board had the power to release, in the evening I met an official of Child Welfare Board and briefed him of his case, who got Mizaan summoned before him, he too was convinced that getting Mizaan was a mistake, but he also told me that Mizaan will have to undergo a medical checkup and if he is found to be over 18yrs he would be released.


This entire procedure took 9 days and at last I procured a medical certificate from police hospital and got him freed. Taking Mizaan for his medical examination to procuring the medical certificate was an experience which only chosen and blessed get and I consider myself to be one. Only the brave and strong can stand up to such situations and I did it successfully.

Mizaan, Qasim and Saiful came to mumbai from West Benagal in search of employment as there was no money, no food, no shelter for them in their home town and each one of them had a family to support or they were burden on someone else back home.


Working in my restaurant Mizaan , Qasim and Saiful get free accomodation, four meals everyday, uniform laundered every alternate day and they earn Rs.2800/ wages per month. Most of this money they send home for other family members.


In Children Remand Home I noticed that all the children brought were from this strata of society who have no one to look after them and they have no other choice but to look after their own self which in law book is a crime and the remedy provided to them is more hardship and imprisonment.


Mizaan is amongst those who remain hungry for most of his life, has never been to any school, starts working at a very tender age, to manage a meal for himself and his family, he does all this not out of choice but because there is no other option available to him.


There are innumerable Mizaans in our country, in rural India, who start working at a very early age either they plough farms, they graze cattle or they help their families in their shop or which ever employment they are in , there is no other world and law prohibits them to survive the way they do. Working for them is not permitted then what do they do? Someone please ask Mizaan whether he has any other way to survive.


Am sure they too must have created a surreal world but there is no path for them to reach there. This is the only way they grow up and create their destiny. The way to their destiny is thru hardship, this is life for them and this is one journey they have to complete in whichever form it comes to them.


I consider Mizaan to be a real hero he lives a life about which thinking we dread, the very thought of this life gives us goose pimples. There are hundreds of Mizaans languishing in Remand Homes living a life which they haven't chosen but are forced into.


There are hundreds of such NGOs existing and being registered who imprison Mizaan and in return get governmental aid.


While Mizaan is taken to Remand Home who takes care of his family about whose condition nobody knows? Are the NGOs doing their job completely and correctly?

They say all is well that ends well, it ended well and left me fulfilled.

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Sept'08....Boyz day Out

After long had a very relaxed weekend, relaxed because I was in Kerala with people very close and dear, it was a boyz gettogether. We knew each other before, here we created a new relationship, we created legendary memories for ourselves in a short duration of 3 days and 2 nights.

Vivek from Banglore, Jagan and Venkat from Hyderabad, Me from Bombay and Ashish from all of these. Gajraj could not make it because of.......meeting to attend in Delhi or was it Mumbai, somebody being unwell, meeting his creative team before the shoot, preproduction work, like him even Iam confused what held him from coming as soon as i get to know shall edit this and put the right reason, but he kept our hope alive till we reached mumbai. Alok from Delhi could not make it trust he too had reasons and shall re-edit when its confirmed.

It all started with our host, who became our warden the moment we all landed in Kerala, from different places different time. The creator of this impromptu trip was Ashish , he was the pied piper and we all followed. He has cracked this formula of being happy and making others happy. Being selfish and selfless at the same time.

Ashish spoke to Seema, my wife, before discussing it with me and she consented very eagerly and happily, such moments of me not being around 24*7 were very rare in her life in the last 15 years of our togetherness. With dawn on thursday she smelled liberation... though short but welcomed.

Our host turned warden, was performing in a theatre festival at Ernakullam. The play's name was OTTAYAM, wherein he plays the central character and is also the director of this play. He loves to share his life with people in his life and this time the outcome was my kerala trip.He invited few of us to be with him to spend some wonderful moments... moments of fun, camraderie... how selfless and... he also gets to dominate us all at one time one place, a personal achievement and satisfaction... very selfish.

On friday morning as I reached Kochi there was a taxi waiting to pick me up to my new home for the next 3 days.Enroute the first thing that attracted my attention was a smart traffic police constable, later I observed them intentionally and found that the police in Kerala are minus the paunch, unlike their counter parts in Mumbai.

The guest house where we were staying was a hub of VVIP activities. Chief Minister, Home Minister, bureaucrats were staying with us without any noise no check ups, no sniffer dogs, no traffic diversion, they were in their world and left me in my own. Wow!!! The room had panoramic view of the Kochi Port. Here I had my break fast, the first great meal and I anticipitated that I shall return home putting on few extra pounds.

Jagan and Venkat's flight got delayed and with that our lunch too got delayed. After waiting for them for a while we left without them and asked them to meet us at The Grand, here we had our lunch. The food here is too good and I found another reason to over eat. A friend in Mumbai had cautioned not to indulge, but I did... indulge in food.

After lunch we all went for a boat ride to Fort kochi, in between we saw some amazing resorts and honey moon cottages. Our boat operator informed us that these are available for 7000 rupees, we all looked towards our host... after visiting Fort Kochi and Mattan Cherry,a colonial street with beautiful architecture and artefacts, we headed to our rooms.

Later in the evening me and Ashish went to see a play, while rest of the gang bonded over drinks and we joined them after the play. It was here that our host turned warden and didn't let us enjoy the evening as he had to report for rehearals at 7 next morning. He lives simple and makes sure that others too live simple... high thinking. All of us were brought to the guest house, Jagan wanted to break free but could not, as our driver took instructions only from the host. When in room we watched television for a while, the channels were selected by the host and went to sleep in our respective beds that was assigned to us by the host.

Next morning I woke up in a room inundated with water, it rained heavily and from some part water seeped inside our room. Ashish left for rehearsal and from there he made sure that we all were ready to leave for back water boat ride by 8 am.. getting ready at 8!!! and I thought we were vacationing, but our schedule had been decided,restaurant where we were to have breakfast was decided, what we will eat was decided., he was not with us but was with us every moment.

We reached Alappuzha by 11, a boat was waiting for us to take us for a memorable trip of back waters of Kerala, why its called Gods own country I sensed it here. In every boat that passed us from every direction everyone was enjoying and drinking but we had no drinks, someone was calling us every 5 minutes to enjoy this state of ours. Jagan and Venkat got adventurous and organised some todi and tapioka but as we were to have it Ashish called and we just looked at the unfinished bottle in rest of our boat ride. We picked up some fresh prawns in between and were served a very traditional kerala meal. I cannot describe this back water ride as I do not have words in my limited vocabulary but will suggest everyone to take this ride in their life time. It is experiential.

In the evening we headed for Ashish's play, for which we all had got together. He performed in front of 800-900 people and everyone had a memorable evening. It was a moment of pride for me as he was being appreciated and praised. Good show, see if you can catch him performing it some place.

Dinner was again at The Grand, last round of over eating in kerala for me.

Next morning Ashish went for his press conference and made sure that our itinerary was fixed before he left us and made sure we did exactly that till we reached home.

Kerala was a memorable and fulfilling trip for me, got in touch with the humanity of wonderful people from this region though we all met Anand and Krishna, reporters of The Hindu, for the first time but not once they made us feel strangers in their home town. Their hospitality was impeccable and they made sure that we did every thing that our host, Ashish, wanted us to do. Again Anand and Krishna's warmth and love are to be experienced and cannot be described. Will wait eagerly to host them in Mumbai.

This trip will also be remembered by me because I noticed something very unusual, in the time when consumerism has swayed us, I observed this region to be simple, didnot notice any major malls, not every other car was a sedan, the natives here wear simple clothes ,they do not fashion parade in colleges, offices. One thing they consume a plenty is fish curry rice and they have been blessed with it. I found them to be happy in simplicity or are they enlightened in the land of God.

Last sunday evening I returned home and Seema's vacation got over.