APPENDIX
AMAZING FAREEDA

Mr. O. M. Basheer, a native of Peringathur, Near Thalassery, passed away on Friday, 29th December 2006. News was conveyed to me after the night prayer. I started for Peringathur immediately and arrived at Peringathur early in the morning, after a halt in Calicut in the night.
Basheer was not very popular. He had no relation with any organisations, religious or political. He did not participate in any public or social activities. In the last Eighteen years he was not able to stand up on his feet, nor could he sit down. However, whoever came across him remembered him especially his wife Fareeda. She was unforgettable to those who met her.
When I was in my office, I received Mrs. Fareeda's telephone call two days before Basheer's death. She conveyed the message given by Basheer's doctor - that was, he wanted someone responsible near him ie, a stand by. I contacted Dr. Sajith immediately. The gist of the doctor's message was that Mr. Basheer was nearing his end, and he could do nothing more to save his life. I passed on this to Mrs. Fareeda very diplomatically. On the other end of the telephone was Fareeda who was sobbing. I tried to console her. But my mind was slipping on to indescribable amazement. For the last Fifteen years Fareeda had become synonymous with 'Amazing'. She knew that Basheer was slowly bidding farewell to all. It was clear from her behaviour that the suffering and sacrifice for the past 18 years hadn't created any lethargy in her.
It was in 1991 that the couples entered into our lives. One day a car came to my office at Vellimadukunnu in search of me. The driver came up and informed me that a gentle man wanted to see me. I asked the driver that he could come in. But the driver told me that he could not walk. The indication was that I had to go down and meet the visitor. And I heard Basheer's tragic story sitting in the car.
Basheer was working in Kuwait. Twenty one years before he came to Kerala to wed Fareeda. They lived as man and wife just for a month. He went back to Kuwait as his leave expired. Later he came home on a two-week leave. When he came home next time, the unfortunate accident happened, that was the bus that he was travelling on got into an accident in Poone. It gave him a dislocation of the spine. His body got paralysed. His legs and hands were immovable. He under went continuous treatments for three years. There was no effect. Gradually Mr. Basheer fall into the darkness of frustration, he developed a hatred towards life. It was during this period, that with an immovable body and turbulant mind that he happened to read “the Prakasharekha” (ray of light) in the Madhyamam daily. It dealt with the hard tests that happens in human life, the different approach that can be used to with stand then, and the inevitable after effects. It showed up the path that provides peace of mind and fruitful life. Basheer read it and got peace of mind. He came to Vellimadukunnu, the place where the Madhyamam was printed and published, to see the writer of article and spend a few minutes with him. Later he used to come frequently and spend sometime with the author and went back with a calm mind. Wherever he could not come to meet, he used to contact over phone. All those who met Basheer felt strong sympathy for him. His wife, Mrs. Fareeda, surprised everybody by being close to Basheer for eighteen years of suffering.
For a period of eighteen years Fareeda had been looking after and nursing Mr. Basheer. She cleaned his bed, supported him when he had to move, washed him and nursed him through out day and night. He was taken from hospital to hospital in Kerala. Basheer needed Fareeda's support to eat or drink. There was nobody else to lend helping hand to Fareeda in her difficulties. She never expressed a word of displeasure. It seemed that she was very enthusiastic in serving and nursing Basheer in his invalidity.
What made her serve him through thick and thin for a long period so sincerely and lovingly is a matter of study in human relationship. The links that connect husband and wife in such situations are children. But these couple had no children. Basheer did not have the physical ability for sexual relations. His fingers were so invalid that he could not even give Fareeda a loving pat with his hands. Fareeda could not expect anything of him. She did not expect any physical or financial benefits from Mr. Basheer. Therefore, the Basheer - Fareeda relationship could not be interpreted physical or material terms. They enjoyed only forty eight days matrimonial relationship. Perhaps the meaningful life they enjoyed for a short period might have developed individual bond of love between them and it has been the positive factor that made Fareeda to closely follow her husband and serve and nurse him.
Allah has stated in the Holy Quran: “He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy.” (30: 21)
The emotions like love and mercy are emotions which cannot be analysed in terms of material or rational criteria. People love their mothers, sisters, wives, friends etc. Their emotions are not the same. They cannot be so. They can not be put in different compartments. They can not be calculated mathematically.
Some of the emotion such as love, mercy etc. are not interpretable in terms of physical criteria.
Man loves his mother, sister, wife, etc. But all those loves are not similar. They couldn't be so. But at the same time they can not be pigeonholed.
But lust can do away with all these good emotions. What the commercial culture does today is the same thing. It develops lust in man. In the process of gratifying it all good emotions such as love, and mercy fade away from his mind which becomes a waste land human affection. In this situation arises a culture which takes into account loss and profit only. Fareeda becomes an amazing human being!
The lowest of human beings who does devilish dances calculate whether his children would be a loss or profit for him after twenty years and makes a decision whether he would be father or not. In such a situation, where humanity is confined to the graveyard of culture, how can Fareedas be judged applying criteria of materialism? They are really amazing characters.
Thinking about Fareeda - Basheer couple it is experienced that the incessant springs of love still exist around us. Mr. Rasheed (Trichur) who permitted the couple to occupy his flat in Calicut when Basheer had to undergo treatment, Mohamed Koya who regularly hosted them by sending food prepared at home, Mr. T. K. Hussain, who showed preparedness to extend any help, Mr. Abdulrahman, advocate in Tellichery who honoured this writer's advice to contact Basheer and console him are all such incessant springs of love and mercy.
I have written so much in the hope that the rays of goodness still exist and we should not miss them, though there are critics who say that our world is bad and the society has gone astray.
When I visited the hospital two days before the death of 
Mr. Basheer, he was alive with the help of ventilator I found Fareeda by him praying for getting his life extended, she was not satisfied with serving him for the past 18 years! Fareeda asked me to call him up so that he may open his eyes. Her request still echoes in my ears! Certainly there are no yardsticks by which we can measure the sacrifices engendered from self realisation?