Mohammed Kora

On 30th November 2011, a 51 year old rickshaw-puller named Mohammed Kora was the only person who died form an explosion in Imphal, the capital of Manipur. The alleged terrorists paid him INR 20 to carry a sack next to the gate where a festival was taking place. The city was gearing up for the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 3^rd December.

The blast killed him. The newspapers today have pictures of him still alive, bloodied and without limbs. The pictures do not show him crying in pain or agony....he is simply....on the road.....without his legs and looks dazed. Some pictures show a uniformed personnel approaching. Every daily in the city has this picture. The man was still alive when the picture was taken. His legs were gone. He died later. Prime Minister is now contemplating cancelling his visit to Manipur.

I repeated myself several times in the above paragraph. I want to remember this name. I want to remember this man. The reason I repeat myself is because I know I will forget him. I will never know of his family. I will never know if he finds peace. I will never know what he intended to do with the 20 rupees, which he must’ve thought to be a good deal for carrying a sack. I know I will spend many 20 rupees in my life, never remembering that a Muslim man in my country died because he wanted to earn an extra 20 rupees. The city was readying for a festival. Maybe he had wanted to buy something nice for his kid or his wife? Maybe he had hoped to pay off some long standing debt with 20 rupees. Maybe he had wanted a treat that night with those 20 rupees. I will never know. Maybe his family will live their remaining lives with the stigma of him being a possible terrorist, thanks to the caring neighbours and their gentle rumours. All because Mohammed Kora wanted to earn an extra 20 bucks. He was the only one to die in that explosion. All he earned was his photograph without his legs in major dailies across India. That’s how cheap human life is now....20 rupees, $0.40.

I write this blog as a feeble attempt to try and never forget the name of a man, who died in India (shining?) in the year 2011 for 20 rupees. Mohammed Kora may you find your jannat.