Chosen People by Javed Rashid

“Salam Sir, you started without me “

Said Sumera, who has just entered my Spartan, frugally decorated office, a little room
really. She was late for the meeting set up many days ago with the makers of a new
washing soap. She had a habit of turning up late for meetings and appointments. Sumera
a somewhat dumpy, buxom married woman wrote copies in English. She was not tall but
had a fair complexion. She was attractive without being stunning. She had worked for the
advertising agency for more years that myself, I looked after clients affairs.

Sumera was always slightly disheveled but not badly dressed, always pressed for time,
disorganized, looked flustered and hurried. She had a figure that men lust after but
women themselves, including Sumera, hatred. Lots of curves, some extra fat made her
that much more attractive to the lusting males around her.

“Oh Sir, I had to make a special breakfast for Anwar , you know he is very particular
about his allo paratha and his coffee has to be at the right temperature “ said Sumera,
without giving me a chance to respond to her earlier question, a little out of breath .

She mostly had some such excuses for turning up late, her childless marriage and her
handsome economist husband, provided her with enough excuses to justify these
irritating late comings. Sumera, though, was good at her job. That day she made up for
her tardiness, by coming up with the words for the jingle that was to accompany the
maiden ad of the washing soap, on TV and Radio, in about a month’s time. That of
course meant that the agency and myself bagged the somewhat prestigious and highly
sought after account.

“Oh sir, I already knew that we will get the account “said Sumera.
“How on earth could you have known that “said I, at last getting a chance to say
something.
“I dreamt, two days ago that you have a peacock feather in you cap ‘said Sumera
brilliantly .

Sumera did believe that she could tell the future and many young women and men used
her claimed powers of forecast to foretell conclusions of various personal problems. I did
ask her, one day, and she informed me that since she was a Syeda, therefore she and her
father had the ability of forecasting events and happenings.

She had, many years ago, married a younger and handsome economist who worked for a
major bank; he was well regarded by his peers. In some ways this was an unequal match.
Slightly disorganized, less than stunning Sumera married to this younger Adonis, well
placed and regarded.
“Have you consulted a specialist, there is a lot of development in this field, of late “

I asked her one day, having worker with her for a while and her frank, open and friendly
manner gave me the courage to ask her a personal question. Indeed she did encourage
almost every body to ask such questions; she went to great some to describe: her tale of
woe; her efforts to please her Lord; the indifference of Anwar to all her efforts. This was
done in some detail. Sumera invited such questions.

“No I did not” replied Sumera

She then went into a long and complicated account of why Anwar though it is a bad idea
to have children. She told me that Anwar on their marriage day made her promise that
there were to be no children. Anwar whom I met him, occasionally, did have some
slightly odd and radical views about life. . He was, however, soft spoken, well behaved
and courteous young man and was always polite to Sumera. Sumera complained of
indifference but not abuse or mistreatment.

“Why did you get married so late “I asked her one day?
“Oh, we are Syeds and my late father would not marry me to a non Syed “

As usual she went into great details of how many proposals were received, but all were
rejected by her father as none was from a Syed family. Syeda and Syedas are descendents
of the Prophet (pbuh). Syeds enjoy an informal elite status in Muslim Societies,
especially in South Asia, where several Pir families claim Syed status. This of course is
not sanctioned by the Koran . The Syeds, by and large, try and protect their lineage and
do not marry outside their class, if it could be called that.

Sumera narrated her woes and Ahmad’s lack of response and indifference to her to
anybody and everybody, all and sundry were included in her narration of her tale of
misery. All of this made Ahmad a some what unpopular figure in our office. I asked
Ahmad one day the question as to why they have had no children. To which Ahmad went
into a long and complicated tirade. Which presented a philosophy that could be, if one
chooses to be kind and charitable, be said to be acquired form Lord Buddha and Mahatma
Gandhi. The gist of this discourse was that there being so much suffering and misery all
around and life generally being unjust and violent, it would be criminal to bring another
life into this world. He had other radical views on economics which in a nutshell,
shunned growth and expansion, shades of Gandhi perhaps. For all his nuttiness Anwar
was well regarded in his professional circles.

Sumera was always friendly to all, open and frank, but she as always proper. There was
never any hint of extra marital interest. She professed love for her husband and always
behaved accordingly. Vigorous , healthy women who are sexually deprived exhibit a
variety of symptoms , like : faintness ; nausea ; insomnia ; fluid retention ; heaviness in
abdomen ; irritability ; loss of appetite for food or sex ; and a tendency to cause trouble .
Mature, healthy women deprived of sex tend to become, what could harshly be described
as witches, or perhaps a rhyming word which is even harsher and ruder could be used to
describe such women. Sumera never exhibited any such symptoms. She was slightly
disorganized, a little forgetful but always pleasant, well behaved and normal .There did
not seem to be any deprivation, except that her husbands love. She was economically
independent, her husband did not even contribute to the upkeep of the house, and in fact
he gave almost all of his, rather handsome, earnings to: charity; purchase of books; and to
upkeep of various birds and animals that he maintained at home. In her, frequent, rants,
Sumera did imply, obliquely, lack of sex in marriage. This is some thing which has
remained a mystery perhaps she was very discrete.

Ayesha, a journalist often came to our office to see Sumera, she was her class fellow and
long time friend. Ayesha was very talkative and loved to tell long stories, her favorite
occupation, though, was backbiting , she spared absolutely nobody . She knew all that
was to know to Sumera .One day she came looking for Sumera to my Office, Sumeria
had taken the day off, calling sick. Ayesha and myself, some how got talking about the
affairs of Ayesha. She said

“I remember Suneria well as a young unmarried girl, we were and still are very close
friends “
“I also remember when Sumera first met Anwar “she continued, I had little chance to get
a word in edge wise.
“I was in love my self with Anwar , it was love at first sight , but just then found out that
that the handsome boy had already smitten my best friend “

“But I thought that this was an arranged marriage “I said grasping a small window of
opportunity, as Ayesha fiddled with her large purse looking for her ringing mobile phone.
“Yes and No said Ayesha , Sumera fell head over heals in love with Anwar and since
Anwar came for a Syed family the match was arranged and accepted by both families “
she said
“Oh that is new to me, very surprised to hear that “said I, a little taken aback.
“This was not the breaking news though, there were other complications. Hamid was
always with Anwar at all times “said Sumera
“Who is Hamid “said a very surprised me.
“ Hamid was Anwar’s special friend , his male partner , Hamid got very angry when
Anwar agreed to get married “
“Where is Hamid now” asked a completely mystified me
“They made up and are together again this happened soon after Anwar’s marriage to
Sumera “said Ayesha
“Don’t tell me that handsome Anwar is gay” said a completely stumped me.
“Oh yes always was and still is” said Ayesha

I am not sure if Ayesha was fibbing or extracting revenge for the lost love. It still is an
enigma to me. Although it does not sound out of context to me, this new information
answered most if not all questions about Sumera, it raises some new ones but then
everything of anything can perhaps never be known.