(Mujtaba Hussain) “Qudrathullah- what has happened to you? What relevance have got with books ? you don’t even know how to affix your signature? What would you do if you buy books?” He said “you are still sleeping in remissness time has played the ruse of Doomsday. Shall I tell you the happy news that eight days back I have learnt to put my signature.” I told him, “putting signature does not mean that you have got the right to keep the books of Shakespeare, Milton and Wordsworth in your study.” He said, “I do admit that I have no association with books, but I want to keep these books in my study for decorating the house.”
Qudrathullah always used to tell me that he belonged to a well-to-do household family. It was true also because I had seen him with my own eyes eating a loaf of dry bread and chutney (curry) and drinking water afterwards. It was true what he used to say about a well-to-do family because his concept of well-to-do family was limited to that phenomenon only. Although, in the name of eating, he did not exceed ‘bread’ and ‘dal’ (pulses) and in the name of drinking he did not go beyond ‘water’. In his view, the concept of a well-to-do household family was not that a person should eat heavy and rich (murghan) food in the name of eating and consume scotch in the name of drinking and refrain from drinking water to the extent possible. I never wanted to disturb him either, because he was satisfied at his position and he used to tell everyone with pride he belonged to a well-to-do household family. One day it is not known what the Divinity (Qudrath) thought of him that He actually made Qudrathullah a millionnaire (lakhpati). No one knows where did this come from? If anyone asked him about this, he would then say “it is all the Qudrath (Divine Power) of Allah, otherwise in what way Qudrathullah could be counted or reckoned with.”
For the first time when he got wealth, he came running to me and said “come on friend! let’s enjoy today, I have got heaps by wealth.” I asked him “ How much rupees do you have in your pocket now?” Holding tightly his pocket with his hand, he said “complete two thousand rupees.” I told him, “Two thousand rupees are enough. We can really enjoy out of it, but tell me what do you mean by enjoyment?” He said “we will eat something and drink”. I said, “ Alright, although in my dictionary, the meaning of ‘enjoyment’ is little bit different. For the sake of you, I roll up this meaning. But decide what shall we eat and what shall we drink.” This question was very complicated for him. After considerable thought snapping his fingers, he said “come on, we will have peanuts. Today we will eat to our heart’s content”. I said ultimately, you talked the same mean thing. You have two thousand rupees in you pocket and you are talking as if you have only two rupees”.
Shedding tears in his eyes, Qudrathullah said “My dear friend! the Divinity (Qudrath) has made me a millionnaire but did not bestow upon me the etiquette to spend this wealth. You are a seasoned and veteran person. You spend your entire salary on the first day of every month and the rest of the month you run about people asking for a loan. The etiquette or the manner in which you spend money , I don’t get. I, therefore, want you to learn from me the etiquette to spend money” and I became the means of spending Qudrathullah’s wealth. I immediately called for a taxi and sat into it but Qudrathullah continued his embarrassment. I told him “ My dear friend, don’t feel shy like this. Now that you have become a millionnaire, walking on foot has become unlawful and forbidden (haraam) for you. Now you sit in the taxi, tomorrow you can buy your motor car”.
“You are right. This could be one way of spending wealth”. We then went to a five star hotel. I continued eating and Qudrathullah entangled with knife and fork as if he is attacking on meals with them. After a long time, he kept them on one side, tucked up his sleeves and rushed upon the meals and finished all the dishes arranged on the table instantly and after taking a long belch started gazing at the cabaret dancer as if given a chance, he would eat it up. I gave a long lecture to Qudrathullah for all his movements and mischiefs. The crux and quintessence of it was that man should spend money in such a way that later it should become part of his culture. He said I don’t know anything about culture but I know a little bit of agriculture. Tell me what is the difference between the two, I told him, Qudrathullah, agriculture is done in the fields and the culture is found in big hotels, in cities and in the houses of the rich people. For example, These knife and fork, cabaret dancer, expensive carpets spread on the floor, these blue lights, this musical time, these fragrant breaths, these measured laughters, this decoration and adornment, how long can I go on enumerating the list. All these are part of culture. When you have become a millionnaire, you should become a cultured person too. You should have your hobbies, you should have your own temperament, you should have a point of view to treat the world and the other things follow you gradually.
And at the same moment, Qudrathullah decided to become a cultured person. I came back home after getting him mounted on the track of culture. However, when he used to come to me daily, he used to ask various questions about the minor details of culture. During those same days, he bought a grand bungalow and then he did not come to me for a long time. I thought, he must have gone too far on the path of culture and then there is no need of my counsels any more for him.
On one day, I was passing through a road, a car stopped by the side of me. A young man with long hair clad in a very exquisite suit was sitting in the car. When he opened the door of the car and called me, I then asked him, “ May I know who are you?” The young man said, what a surprise you forget me so soon!, I am S.Q. Allah, your friend!” I said who is S.Q. Allah?”, “Which S.Q. Allah?, ‘ I don’t know any S.Q. Allah,” He said why do you pretend ignorance? I am your old friend, Syed Qudrathullah, proprietor import and export company”, while trying to recognize him without beard I told him. “When did you become S.Q. Allah?” He said, S. Q. Allah means Syed Qudrathullah. Don’t you know this much? You pose yourself as a great cultured person”. I asked him, “Tell me where did you disappear all these days? “He said “where did I disappear? I was in the quest of transforming myself into a cultured man as per your advice. So, I bought a car, I bought a bungalow and I have maintained a girlfriend also. The only thing left out is to decorate the bungalow and the girl friend and for this you will have to take the trouble of doing this”. I told him “ As far as decorating the bungalow is concerned, I can help you but as far as adorning the girl friend is concerned, you shoulder this responsibility”. He consented to this agreement. He took me to his house and showed me all the furniture which he had bought for decorating the house which was a smelling raw varnish.
Looking at me for applause, he said, “ I won’t bother you for decorating the drawing room because I have commissioned the services of an interior decorator. I want you to help me in decorating my study room only. This is because, I have heard that only books are kept in the study room. You are well versed about books. You may please prepare a long list of some good writers in such a way that it could fill at least six book shelves. If you can, you may accompany me to the market and also buy books for me”. Looking at his face with astonishment , I said.
I discussed him a lot but he dragged me to the market. After reaching the book shop, he took all the books with beautiful binding and started asking me “ Tell me whether the books of Shakespeare, Milton and Wordsworth are included in this or not.” I told him not a single book is included in it”. He then asked me to take out all the books of these authors. I took out the dramas of Shakespeare, and and poetry collections of Milton and Wordsworth and placed before him. He went on scaring at those books for a long time and then he said, “ My dear friend! The bindings of these books have not been done nicely”. How will such book enhance the decoration of my room?” I told him “If you want to buy the books seeing their bindings, then you buy all the books which have good bindings. Where is the need of selection?” He immediately accepted my suggestion. And when he reached the house with a lorry full of books, I could see that he had lifted 95% of the books on Law and the remaining 5% were Abdul Haque’s dictionaries. I asked him Qudrathullah, Why did you get all these dictionaries lifted simultaneously?” He told me. “ Look at the binding of these books. How nicely it is done? In whichever house this books are kept, they will enhance the dignity of the house.” When Qudrathullah finished the decoration of his house, one day someone wheedled him that unless you adorn your house with a modern painting, your house will not look like a cultured person’s house. He then came to me running and told “ You get ready immediately and accompany me to help me some select modern paintings.” I told him, “Qudrathullah, as you had bought books seeing their bindings, in the same way you buy the paintings also. Why do you bother me?” He could make out my taunt. He said that “it is alright! I will myself buy these paintings. You are thinking that you have taken the contract of culture. Don’t forget many writers and intellectuals like you would like to advise me about culture. Since you are my childhood friend , I thought I should confer this honor upon you”.
Displeased with me, Qudrathullah went in such a way that he never turned up again to me. After a few days when I went to meet him, I saw that many paintings of great painters were hanging in his drawing room. It is another thing that they were hanging upside down. In the adjoining room the symphony of Motzart’s music was going on. I thought Qudrathullah has gone very far off I informed him of my arrival through his servant. The servant came back and told me that his master is sitting in the study room and he is calling me there only. When I went there, I saw that Quidrathullah was surrounded by his “advisory board” and the dictionaries kept the shelves were staring at him. Qudrathullah introduced me to his intellectual friends. He is a musician, he is a writer, he is an artist, he is a poet, etc,. He then asked me, “ Where were you all these days?” I told him that I was involved in some important work. He told me that these persons have constituted an association of intellectuals, writers and artists. They wished that I not only become its president, but also inaugurate it. At this time, the inaugural address is getting ready, so it will be better if you come sometime when you are free”. When I got up and started going, the dictionaries of Abdul Haque gazed at me as if they are telling me, “Gentleman! You may go if you want to go but for God’s sake, take us also with you because we are getting suffocated here. Nobody is interested here with word and its meaning”. I cast a sad look at the dictionaries and came out.