An open letter of ‘gratitude’ to CM
Estimable CM,
By: Muhammad Ulfat Anjan
It is put into words with a glad heart that we, SSA teachers, are highly grateful to your splendorous self for the countless favours you are showering on us these days. Dear highly regarded mam, we are without salaries from last three months (from February, 2018) and we express sincere gratitude to you and your esteemed policymakers for this noble and prized favour. Let me clear my point, revered mam.
This stoppage of monthly wages has instilled in us the spirit of divine patience and perseverance and we are now able to find solace and satisfaction from pleasant hopes and pleasing dreams. Due to this inestimable favour, we have been in a position to keep ourselves away from the evil of extravagance especially in this blessed month of Ramadhaan. Our plates no more come across royal meals these days. The home grown stuff is there to add aroma to our dishes. Yes, this sort of stuff is so spicy and savory that we hardly require the expensive cooking ingredients available in the market to add taste to them. If life allows, your majesty too will be served a delicious plate someday. Again, due to this special favour, we have been able to save time to utilize it judiciously and no time of ours is wasted in futile and useless exercises these days. Why to visit the tall shopping complexes when we have been bestowed with everything we need for existence by Almighty as He too, knowing that we, SSA teachers are penniless, gives a special place to our dignity in His benevolent heart! We desire not what other normal human beings dream of as we are in no way common or ordinary like them now! Also because of your sincere prayers, our families have miraculously ceased to be afflicted with diseases since our salaries have been stopped. These mere headaches and bad colds can easily be treated with home remedies in this era of rising prices when a mere sneeze invites a lengthy prescription from the physician, demanding a heavy pocket from the patient. Please take a warm bouquet of thanks from this group of 40,000 well-wishers!
You know, our family members, having scanned our empty pockets too have developed the same virtue of blessed patience and no more disturb our ears with vain and hollow demands. Gone are the days when our children waited at door steps for our return to receive the sweet and pleasing stuff along with some kisses and hugs. They are now content only to receive the latter and we have to hunt for them now to gift them the token of love alone. They have learnt to be composed and tolerant and their lips carry no crushing demands to disturb our tranquil brains with. The rest of the family members have similar stories to tell. These days no eyes are fixed on our empty hands and their tongues broadcast no orders or claims. They are contented with whatever we have been able to provide them long ago and respecting our courteous attitude towards them, put no pressure on our nerves. All this has been possible only because of you and the considerate lords chosen by you kind mam. Why should we not express gratitude to you respectable mam then! May you and your lords too be blessed with a similar well-to-do and well-off life!
Further, your favours have fully transformed our lives and we are now in a position to enjoy solitude in its real sense. Yes, those unending queues of relatives and friends who would always disturb our calm by visiting our doors, now no more journey towards our residences as they have come to know that the chicken feed, they have been lending us from time to time can’t be put back into their pockets by us easily. They, valuing our positions, keep themselves away from us as they do not wish to be a cause of inconvenience for us. Even the shopkeepers, in absolute modesty, turn their gaze away from us the moment their eyes fall on us. They, honoring our repute, do not desire to have us as their respectable customers any more. Your benevolent attitude towards us has made us the talk of the town these days. Nowadays no one talks of politicians, cricketers or film stars as we have emerged out to be the subject of every talk because of you and your nobles, honourable lady. We fail to get words to stitch them into a thanking statement, dear mam! This silence on our part may kindly be read as a thanking note.
Dear high-minded and high-powered mam, we are trying our level best to pay homage to you everywhere for the kindliness and benevolence you are welcoming our demands with. We have already locked all the schools and are holding gatherings-at zonal level, at district level and even at state level-to pay magnificent tributes to your royalty. Not long ago an alluring candle light march was held at Press Enclave Srinagar for the purpose. We tried to march towards your Gupkar residence to let you know of our admiration for you but were prevented from doing so by some of your ill-wishers. This event was latter followed by a state wide assemblage in Pratap Park which too was foiled by them and we had to back off with scratches on our brows. Since then we are on toes, spending every moment praising thy name. Even the school children and their parents are making you a vital part of their supplications these days for in this simmering June the kids have been able to get a break from monotonous schooling. It’s all because of your greatness that they have been able to grab this silver opportunity. Long live your sovereignty, mam!
This time we have decided to assemble in the same park (Pratap Park) on the Eid day to fill the calm air with the hymns of your glorification and we hope you too, biding an adieu to your busy schedule, would come to join us on this holy day and be a part of the grand celebration. We are, via this letter, sending you a note of humble invitation and hope you will not hurt our sentiments by staying away from the event. All your nears, dears and well-wishers too are invited with immense politeness to grace the occasion with your dignified presence as it would be a balm to our separation from our family members on this divine day. You know, these days we are busy in making preparations/arrangements for this grand event when others are busy in Eid shopping—shopping for their kids, wives, parents etc. Our family folks have categorically warned us not to indulge in such futile exercises as they too wish to see us eulogizing your ladyship on this sanctified day. Furthermore, we have refused to accept the salary for the month of April, released recently as per the sixth pay commission. We wish to receive it from your benign hands on that very day as it’s your excellency that has distinguished us from the rest of the state employees by keeping us away from the worthless benefits of the much talked-about seventh pay commission. This has been done solely for our regard and honour.
To conclude, we are highly indebted to you, greathearted mam for all the immeasurable favours you and your noblemen are bestowing upon us these days and with warm and sincere hearts invite you all to be a significant part of the Eid celebrations at Pratap Park Srinagar. May you live long to bless with compassion and comity subjects like us always…!
Sincere regards,
SSA Teachers.
The writer is a teacher and can be mailed at [email protected]
