CAUTION!

Caution!

Scared Sila joins the tribe of dangling heads wearing different colours of masks, but a sense of achievement also takes place. Because walking among thousands of students who don’t know that they might be carrying a strong immune system or a weak immune system. 

Proudly making her way to the area of mosque, Sila witnesses that nobody is wearing any sort of mask except for two or three students. They are fine with handshakes and hugs. 

She finds it immensely awkward that the whole world is taking precautions but people in Pakistan have developed sphere around them, following the wazifahs of Baba Asad Bengali.

Since Sila couldn’t find any mask anywhere, she wants to go for no- skin contact method. She immediately applies hand sanitizer and waits for her friend, Sharpie. 

“Aslam-o-aliakum” Only the way of greeting has changed but the ashes of friendship are still left with some spark about to die by the fear of corona. Sila refuses to hug her friend and steps backwards, 

“Really?” Sharpie says, arching her brows. “Are you really going out for no-skin contact thing?” She looks at me strangely like threatening to finish the friendship. 

Sila is surprised to hear the reaction, placed at awkward position. Everyone in the world knows about the corona situation. Why nobody is ready to take action? Why do people become blind in times of crisis. Sila keeps this thought to herself; a big mistake. 

“Yes, I am serious and if I want to take precautions what’s wrong in it?” Sia says, her fury bubbling up. 

Sila doesn’t talk to Sharpie. Staying calm and composed, she waits for Sania to come. 

Sila is feeling hollow inside that how can her own friends react in such a dumb way. Are they really that ill-informed?

Soon, Sania arrives and the same scenario occurs but this time there was a change in the greeting. 

Sila greets, “Aslam-o-aliakum” with a salute and again Sania also feels that not hugging or not touching somehow equals to the insult. 

Sila is not doing this for fun. The whole situation has become worse; vacations have been declared all over the world. If our university is not taking any action, that is only hinting at one thing that we have to do it ourselves. So Sila is rather protecting herself and others, including her family. 

In fact, over the past few days, Sila had come across many religious remedies like five times wuzu or reading ayats several times will save you from Coronavirus. 

“I don’t have any clothes, Sharpie.” Sania breaks the ice. “I am tired of repeating my clothes.”

Sharpie laughs. “What’s new thing in it? Thats story of every other girl.”

To lighten the mood, Sila joins in the conversation. “I am also tired of repeating them and today I didn’t even iron them.

“Oh, what if there are germs in your clothes?” Sania taunts Sila, giving her eye-roll. 

Sila now reaches the peak of anger before that she was normal and even tried to engage in the conversation, but Sania turns the table over, 

Zulu identifies them from the distance and seeing Sila, she bends down and touches her feet, greeting the Indian style. 

Sania laughs behind Sila. “That was smart.”

All four of them make their way to the class.

“What happened?” Zulu asks.

“Sila insulted us in front of public.” Sania is angry but at the same time laughing. “She refused to greet us. You were smart.”

Zulu laughs at that answer. 

Three of them are now walking at their regular paces. Since there is no place for the fourth one, Sila walks behind them.

Zulu looks behind and asks, “Sila, at least you can walk with us?” 

Of course, I can walk together is Sila’s default reply but seeing that there is no place for her to walk beside them so Sila’s answer changes to “There is no place to walk.”

As soon as the path broadens, Sila quickly comes forward to keep it normal like nothing happened but Sharpie changes her side, which Sila makes even more angry. 

Sila wants to sort this out and wants to get over with this but without any touching. She is no Dr. Syra Madad but at least she can contribute something as tiny as dot. 

Spreading positivity is not an easy task. Sila can relate now how it has been hard for Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H to convince people. 

Reaching to the class, Sila makes it clear to everyone that she won’t be making skin-contact with them for God knows how long. To Sila’s surprise, they are all fine with it and nodded with mutual understanding. So far Sila has noticed that some people are acknowledging the consequences and others are not even willing to understand the worst scenario of isolation. 

The girls decide to go to washroom and then leave for cafe to sip chai. Cafe is more like a dhaba where basic breakfast and junk snacks are available. 

Sila again calms herself down and follow her friends to washroom. But Sharpie instead of going to washroom, goes to the balcony. It’s a rule in the group that out of four, two girls would always check themselves into the mirror and make them look tip-top and the other two would always wait either outside or in the balcony. 

It was a good time for Sila to resolve the friction with Sharpie so she steps outside in balcony. 

“Sharpie, still angry?” Sila makes the first move. 

No reply from the other side, which means Sharpie is still angry with Sila and then finally an answer comes. 

“No, I am not angry.” She says in a cool and relax tone but her face away from me. 

“You are still angry on me and ignoring me?” Her anger turning to fury.

“Why do you care?” She answers finally turning to me. 

“So that means it’s all about taking precautions,” Sila recalls the incident. “What did I say? I just circulated the message in the Whatsapp group that I will be going for no-skin contact thing.”

“That was fine with us. We had problem with your behaviour.” Sharpie exhaled in exasperation. 

“I only took a step back.”

Sila didn’t know that people over here are concerned about people’s judgements rather than her safety.

Sharpie stomps out of the balcony, which results in collapsed friendship. 

Sania comes out of the washroom and seeing us fight, she asks. “What happened?”

What do they want? To say sorry. “Okay I am trying to make up but this is not the way. Changing sides. I am not doing this for fun.” Sila’s voice starts to tremble. “This is for everyone’s safety.”

We people think that ablution and quranic remedies is the solution that is not the case. When will we take stand for ourselves. Stop waiting for Godot. 

On this note, Sila rushes away to the class. Plan for going to the cafe is cancelled.