Anwar Noor Baloch
I just was reading the first line of the introduction. The line reads as “There were only eleven mourners at Karl Marx’s funeral on 17th March 1883. The book was about Karl Marx, authored by Francis Wheen, who revisited the life of a great thinker “Karl Marx.” I experienced that drinking tea while reading books increase the interest of reading, so the “Karak tea” has been ordered where I was sitting to finish the introduction and the first chapter of the book, which was the plan.
The “Karak tea” is very famous in Oman and in other parts of the Gulf countries. It was said that, the concept of “Karak tea” has started in Qatar and then the same idea had been implemented by making that tea, there. After that, it has spread other parts of the Gulf countries.
“What are you reading? Whose photo is this?” the little boy asked, breathlessly. He and his siblings were ordering sandwiches and raising questions about the book that I was reading at the same time. “He is Karl Marx”, I replied. “Karl Marx‼‼‼”, he surprised. At the same time he surprised me too. He was just seven years old and it was my first incident where I was asked this kind of question from this age of a child. “Please, share us the story of Karl Marx”, the sister of the little boy asked me. “I am in grade seven and I am interested to know more about him”, she insisted me to throw some words about Karl Marx. I failed as I did not even read the second line of the introduction. But, I succeeded to share a little about Karl Marx, which I read and knew before. “He was a philosopher, a thinker, and an economist”, I shared this to the little girl.
I didn’t go in depth about Karl Marx, like where was he born and where did he die. I didn’t even share what was Karl Marx’s hobbies when he was a child, as such stories are well liked by children.
That moment didn’t permit me to continue reading of Karl Marx’s first chapter as planned. I just was able to finish reading the introduction part of the book.
I made a “pause” from reading the book and started to think about the little boy. His body language has attracted me. First he put his one hand on the table of the “coffee shop” and the second on the air and before he moves his lips, his hands have already started conversation with me.
Once he opened his mouth to talk, he looked like a bird flying without borders. I mean, the way he threw questions, fearlessly, I impressed. He wore a red short and a shirt. His football uniform reminded me my childhood when I usually finished playing football and then went to the coffee shop to buy “Pepsi and Nabil biscuits”. Nabil biscuit is a famous brand in Oman.
I was on the second page of the book, the introduction part, which read the poem as:
He that has a Gospel
To loose upon Mankind,
Though he serve it utterly-
Body, soul and mind-
Though he go to Calvary
Daily for its gain-
It is his Disciple
Shall make his labour vain.
I was trying to comprehend the meaning of this poem, where, the little girl interrupted me with a new question about the book. It has given me a great pleasure that, even, in the age of information and technology where most kids of this age engaged with “Cell phones” and games, but this little boy and a girl showing their interests on books.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are those of the author and Balochistan Voices not necessarily agrees with them.
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