Iqra - To Read ...

Mullah what was that deal about wanting to see the card? I asked.
What about it? – Mullah Luis responded with a grin.
Why you wanted to know if she has a library card? She is going to be your real estate broker, what a library card has got to do with it?
EVERYTHING. Mullah was confident, and right then I knew a sermon is on its way.

Everything?
Yes. I had decided long time ago not to do business with anyone who is not a reader. See people who read have some personality traits. They are compassionate, confident and open-minded and care for the whole World. They are adventurous and are not afraid to let others (authors of books) take over their brain for a few days and weeks. These are the secure people that I want to encourage and deal with all my life.

Is it not discrimination?
May be, but It is my way of doing things and I am sticking by it. Why don’t you look around and make a list of people that are readers v/s non-readers. You would know what I am talking about.

Look at the global political scene since Adam, and see what kind of a people brought misery to this already suffering world – you will be surprised my friend. For example Genghis Khan who brought so much destruction to Iraq was not a reader where as Columbus was a reader so was Gandhi. Even this is true in films; Don Carleone in Godfather was not a reader nor was Mughambo in Mr. India. Can you imagine Gabbar Singh reading Femina or War and Peace? Compare them to Dr. Zhivago, Raziya Sultana, and even Umrao “Rekha” Jaan was a reader. Did you notice in film Shakti, Ashwini Kumar, the honest DCP played by Dilip Kumar was a reader where as Vijay played by Amitabh was not.

What about our parents?
Those are the only exceptions built in this model. I do not care what people read as long as they read, be it newspapers, holy books, gossip magazines, cartoons, horoscopes, fortune cookies, sports magazines, even girlie magazines are fine by me. They must read something if they want to earn my trust and business.

Why you never asked me if I read?
I did not have to, half the time what you say comes straight out of an ideological novel and other half is cluttered with signal timings, accident data, sight distances, tangents and curves. Whatever little is left you pack it with films…

That's very deep Mullah how did you pick up this up?

Mullah gave me that mischievous smile and said " coz I READ!"