Every year, in April, the Blogging A-Z Challenge kicks off with a bang and now in its seventh year running, it continues to garner even more participation than ever! Click here to read more on the challenge! And if you're participating too, do leave your blog site in the comments! I'd love to visit!
In India, hundreds of thousands had joined the social activist Anna Hazare in his fasting vigil, a non-violent protest against rampant corruption in the country. 2,885 kilometers away, I sat smoking a cigar, trying hard to ignore the annoying arguments that Iram kept making.
“You’re still an Indian, Usmani. How can you forget your roots?” He cried out. I shrugged. Nineteen years ago, moving to Qatar, I had traded my roots for wings. Nineteen years later, it didn’t matter.
“What do you want from me?”
“Join the movement. Support the needy back home.”
I looked at him for a long minute, took a slow drag on the cigar and let the flavour settle in deep within me. The temperature had dropped considerably and the wind was chillier. The fire needed to be kept going again. I stoked the dying embers in the fireplace. It needed more inflammables.
As he looked at me beseechingly, I opened my wallet, took out a crisp five hundred riyal note and flung it into the fire. Money, for me, had never been a problem.
Click here to access the complete works of the 2016 A-Z Blogging Challenge!
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“You’re still an Indian, Usmani. How can you forget your roots?” He cried out. I shrugged. Nineteen years ago, moving to Qatar, I had traded my roots for wings. Nineteen years later, it didn’t matter.
“What do you want from me?”
“Join the movement. Support the needy back home.”
I looked at him for a long minute, took a slow drag on the cigar and let the flavour settle in deep within me. The temperature had dropped considerably and the wind was chillier. The fire needed to be kept going again. I stoked the dying embers in the fireplace. It needed more inflammables.
As he looked at me beseechingly, I opened my wallet, took out a crisp five hundred riyal note and flung it into the fire. Money, for me, had never been a problem.
Click here to access the complete works of the 2016 A-Z Blogging Challenge!
Qatar is the fastest growing economy in the world and has the most per capita income, making them the richest people all over the planet. The wealthy magnates of Qatar have been known to burn 500 R ($137) notes to kindle fires during winter.
Link sources: http://www.factsking.com/countries/qatar/
Chilling!
ReplyDeleteWaah... Seth
ReplyDeleteDekh na! Doesn't it seem so unbelievable that people would actually do that!
DeleteToo much money lah. It's just v cruel to the rest of the world. Give it away!!! Buy food for Somalia! Cmon!!! Get some water to Latur!
DeleteI know!!! But then they always said life is unfair!
Delete