After seeing the series of sorrows like this, the prince realized that what am I doing? Just eating, enjoying, all the useless things! And there was a struggle and restlessness in his mind. And once, without telling anyone, in the middle of the night, like a thief, the prince left the palace and left all the pleasures forever…..
Tabo Chow-Khor Monastery in ‘Himachal Pradesh’, a hermitage of Buddhist monks and saints. In May 2017, Lakshmi came to visit Himachal Pradesh with her daughter Rajshree. While visiting various site scene in Himachal, Simla, Manali, Dharamshala, Lakshmi and Rajashri reached the Buddhist ashram of religious saints.While walking there, a Buddhist saint came in front of him!
The hair on the head is completely gone. Spectacles over his eyes, but his pointed nose and over 6 feet tall lanky frame gave him his true identity. And Lakshmi said, “Captain Rizwan!”
“Lux ma’am”, also Rizwan recognized her with a smile, “I want to talk to you. But will you stay here for a while? It’s time for my prayer. I will come to talk to you after I finish my prayer.” Pointed to the wooden bench and walked away.
After Rizwan left, the next episode started before Lakshmi’s eyes. Her daughter Rajshree was 4 years old at that time. All this happened at her unaware age. But the videos of the 2 planes that crashed into the World Trade Center were constantly being shown on TV.
Sometimes, for some reason or another, the episode of World Trade Center was fixed, in the memory card of her brain while discussing with someone through her parents’ mouth.Also, during the stay at that time, her father i.e. Swapneel had taken pictures of Rizwan and saved them in the computer. So Rizwan’s face was also familiar to her.But Lakshmi and Rajshree had only one question in their minds – how did a rich, handsome pilot like Rizwan suddenly become a Buddhist saint? Both of them sat quietly to know the answer to that question.
At
ten o’clock in the morning, the South Tower began to collapse,
as the tower
collapsed, a cloud of smoke spread across Manhattan Island. Lakshmi was
talking on the phone carrying 4 year old Rajshree on her shoulder. Then
Swapnil’s shooting continued, seeing the smoke coming, he first hugged Lakshmi
and Rajshree with both hands and took them safely to the basement of a building.
Later, at 10:29,
the North
Tower of WTC collapsed and the debris spread. Lakshmi, Swapneel and Rajshree
were sitting in the basement of the building. Half an hour later, Swapnil
looked out of the basement window.
The street outside was dusty. But there was no dust in the air. Everything was restored. First Swapneel came out slowly, followed by Lakshmi Rajshri holding Swapneel’s shoulder.
“No plane will hit any tower like that again, will it?” Swapnil stopped in the middle and asked Lakshmi.
“No, all the flights have landed at Near By Airport. Maybe Rizwan’s flight also landed at Near By Airport. Look, there is his car. Let’s go there, he will be in the car.” So Lakshmi took Swapnil’s hand and approached Rizwan’s car.
First they both looked in the window but the dust had collected on the car so they could not see what happened inside. Then they went to the other side, where Rizwan was lying unconscious in the dust. His whole body was covered with dust. At that time, there were many ambulances on the road. Swapneel and Lakshmi took Rizwan in the ambulance. Whatever happened after that Swapneel, Lakshmi and Rizwan never imagined in their dreams…!
‘Who is the happiest person in the world?’
Answer- Captain Rizwan Ahmad.
This was the reply to this statement of Ramdas Swami till 10 o’clock in the morning on 11 September 2001. After that, destiny started a series of sorrows in his life that if anyone wants to ease his own sorrow, he should look at Rizwan Ahmed! There was no other person in the world as unfortunate as him..!
Lakshmi and Swapneel admitted Rizwan to the hospital, now not knowing which of his relatives to inform? So Lakshmi and Swapneel completed his admission papers by adding their own names. But they never imagined that this ‘good work’ would bear such a terrible fruit!
The plane, ‘United 93 New York to San Francisco’, in which Rizwan’s parents, wife and son were on board, was hijacked. Lakshmi and Swapneel were watching TV in the hospital, when they learned that the plane was hijacked like the rest of the planes but did not crash into any buildings, it was crashed into a forest before that.This was the only information available at that time. It was all a terrorist attack. The attacks were carried out by a terrorist organization in Asia called the Taliban and a terrorist named Osama Bin Laden was the mastermind behind the attack.
All Muslims and Asians! Rizwan and Lakshmi and Swapneel who were with him had to suffer the same punishment!
After 5-6 hours Rizwan regained consciousness. The doctor checked him and discharged him. As he was getting up and leaving, the police stood in front of him. To be arrested as a suspect in a terrorist attack! Not only him but also Lakshmi and Swapnil! Because Rizwan, a Muslim pilot, also had his family in the hijacked plane.One such Muslim pilot, Lakshmi, had come for an Asian training, and her husband was also involved in the attack, so he was also taken away in handcuffs by the police. This is the way, it is in America. There even a suspect is taken away in handcuffs, even if the suspect is a woman, however, she is shown no mercy.
All three were kept separately in the police station and interrogated throughout the day. At night, Swapnil and Rizwan were detained there. But seeing Lakshmi and 4-year-old Rajshree, the police showed some mercy and allowed both of them to stay overnight in the hotel. After this, he was called again the next day for questioning for the whole day. Swapnil and Lakshmi were interrogated intensively for 4 days. Rizwan had no idea where they had taken him?The passports of Lakshmi, Swapneel and 4-year-old Rajshree, Visa were discussed with the Indian Embassy to ensure its authenticity. After that, the three were released. In this, Swapneel suffered the most heartache and distress for no reason. Lakshmi was accompanied by her 4-year-old daughter Rajshree, so they were dropped off in the hotel at night and out for lunch in the afternoon.But Swapneel was kept in jail for 24 hours and was made to eat there. Also, he could not change his clothes for 4 days. So he was completely mentally exhausted.After 4 days he came out of captivity and reached the airport with Lakshmi and Rajshree. Lakshmi tried hard to comfort him but he rushed towards the flight carrying Rajshree on his shoulder and holding Lakshmi’s hand. Relaxed a bit after the flight took off. After that he never traveled abroad in his life!
“Hello.Lux madum”At the call of Rizwan, Lakshmi came to the present.
“ Oh, high,how did you get here And since when are you here?”Lakshmi asked excitedly.
“Yes, I will answer all your questions.” Rizwan spoke this sentence in Marathi.
Both Lakshmi and Rajshree were shocked to hear,”,” You are speaking marathi , amazing “
“Yeah, I’ve learned a lot of languages here.” Rizwan sat on the chair and said, “Why are you both here? Where is Swapneel?”
Hearing this, Lakshmi and Rajshree became serious again, “Swapneel is no longer with us. He died in the Mumbai attack on 26th November 2008 in a shootout at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal Station.”
” Ok, sorry,” Rizwan also spoke nervously.
“But tell me, how are you doing here?” Lakshmi.
“At that time I was taken to Guantanamo Bay. I was detained in Guantanamo Bay as a prime suspect in the 9/11 attacks because I was a Muslim pilot and had family on United 93.”Rizwan
“Guantanamo Bay? Where was that?” asked Rajashri.
“Guantanamo Bay is a bay at the southeastern tip of Cuba. It contains a naval base, a United States military base. The United States has leased the area from Cuba since 1903 under a treaty.”Rizwan.
“I was tortured for 3 years.” After hearing this sentence of Rizwan, Lakshmi spoke in shock.
” 3 years? How is that?. But within a month of arriving here in India, there were reports about Flight 93 that the plane did not crash into any building, but crashed into the woods of Pennsylvania.!The flight’s black box contained information about the passenger and the hijacker. The passengers had called their relatives. The details of that call were also declared. It must have contained the details of the communication between you and your father? From that they should have understood that you are not a criminal. Still, how did they keep you for 3 years?”
“I don’t know that. For three years they tied me up like a dog and kicked me at feeding times.” Rizwan
“Oh God, Swapneel was also kept in another cell. Rajshree was with me, so I was allowed to go to the hotel for the night. But in those four days, they tormented Swapneel so much that when he came to India, he had to be referred to a psychiatrist, where he became normal. Then how much trouble you must have suffered in those three years? I can’t even imagine.” Lakshmi said patting her head.
“The government found no evidence related to any of the 9/11 attacks. I was finally released after three years. I was completely exhausted mentally, physically and financially. I had lost my job as a pilot. There was no way to get a new job. What about a new job? But air travel was impossible.If the passengers found out that I was a Muslim pilot, they would not let the plane take off except to throw me out. My house was sold. There was no money for daily meals. I starved myself for several days and nights. That same day I came in contact with the prisoners who were with me in the jail. They had formed a group. It was decided to take revenge for whatever torture had happened……
“So what was that, terrorist group?” Rajshree interrupted and asked.
“Yes, I had decided to join them. But my conscience was stopping me. I was under a lot of stress. And I fainted on the road.Then some Buddhist monks took me to their monastery and I rested for some time with them and listened to their discourses. After that I went home. The next day I was going to that group but when I came to a square, I was suddenly stopped. At that intersection, one road led to the terrorist group and the other road led to the monastery of the Buddhist monks. After thinking for a long time I went to the monastery of Buddhist monks and I have been here ever since.” Rizwan.
Then someone came to call Rizwan.
“O . K .” So Rizwan started leaving there. At that time Lakshmi said to him.
“Give me your number please.” Saying this, Lakshmi and Rizwan saved each other’s phone numbers. And bid each other bye-bye and went their separate ways.
After sitting in the cab, after the cab started, Rajshree said to Lakshmi, “Thank god, Rizwan had the good sense to choose the right road at that intersection. Otherwise, one more name would have been added to the list of terrorists like Osama bin Laden, Hafiz Saeed, Yasin Malik – that I mean – Rizwan Ahmed.”
“Exactly, the story of Mahavir Siddhartha Gautama Buddha happened! Where was Rizwan Ahmed, who once lived like a prince in a rich and happy city like America, and where is Rizwan, who has now become a Buddhist monk. But much better than being a terrorist!” Lakshmi.
“At last ,” Rajshree said with a deep sigh, “A suspenseful ending to the story of ‘September 11, 2001’ that I have been watching since 17 years from you and on TV – Internet! I have heard the 9/11 attacks from both of you many times, its climax. One question was – ‘what happened to Rizwan Ahmed.? ‘As in the first part of Bahubali – ‘ Katappane Bahubali ko kyon mara ?’ It was answered today.” Saying this, Lakshmi and Rajshree started laughing, and started chatting on other topics….
(second half)