MUMBAI DIARIES

Unless one learns to put up with things which are not to one’s liking, one will be unable to regain any position in this world. If one loses this capacity, one loses everything. beings into two different categories: those in agreement and those in opposition. On the one hand, there is their ‘own’ group, while the others are regarded as outsiders. In addressing the former group, they adopt a moderate tone, but with people whom they consider antagonists; they lose all sense of balance in their manner of address. People who are secular in their outlook, on the other hand, adopt quite a different approach. They do not place other people in separate compartments in their minds and for this reason they maintain their equanimity interacting with others. Blitz is counted amongst our country’s secular newspapers. My interview by its correspondents took place therefore in a very cordial atmosphere. Questions and answers were exchanged in a balanced and moderate tone. Their final question was: “Could you give us a summary of your opinion on the Muslims of today?” I answered: “The Muslims have lost all sense of forbearance. Unless one learns to put up with things which are not to one’s liking, one will be unable to regain any position in this world. If one loses this capacity, one loses everything. If the Muslims can only learn to take the rough with the smooth, they will surely regain all that they have lost.” A Recording Session with Bombay Radio While I was in Bombay, the local radio-station recorded a talk of mine, which was broadcast at a later date. The subject of the talk “The Universal Principles of Islam” was chosen by the radio authorities and as I had been informed of the programme in advance, I had ample time to prepare a fifteen-minute talk on this subject. A Lesson from a Taxi Driver One memorable experience in Bombay concerned a taxi-driver named Heera Lal, with whom I travelled on one occasion. As we drove along, I put a few questions to him about his profession. When I asked him how he avoided accidents in this busy metropolis, he gave me an answer which exuded sheer practical wisdom. “We have to make allowances for the mistakes of others,” he said, explaining that the streets are full of reckless drivers who show scant respect for the rules of driving. “If we were to drive like them, sooner or later we would surely be involved