BEYOND EXCUSES

weekly and eager to meet the mind behind those pages. He stayed for three days at the Tablighi Markaz, Chand Tara Masjid, and I stayed with him throughout those three days—listening more than speaking, absorbing his manner and his message. Those were days when an ordinary room could feel like a university because of the presence of one teacher whose sincerity lit up the space. When did Maulana first visit Pune in connection with the AlRisala Mission? For the first time in 1982, our Pune team invited Maulana for a three-day programme. There were no mobile phones or video recorders then, so we do not have footage to show, only memories that live with us. We arranged programmes at different venues— sometimes in mosques, sometimes in institutions. We were fewer in number and lighter in resources, but our eagerness was strong, and his words found a way into hearts without the help of technology. Why did Maulana visit Pune so frequently? Maulana visited Pune more than nine times. Several organizations invited him. Once, a Marwari family organized a Shanti Yatra, a Peace March, and they invited Maulana to join. What touched us most was his simplicity. No matter how grand the hotel booking, he preferred to stay with us. He would go to the conference halls for the programmes and return to our homes for the rest of the time. That was the greatest lesson: leaders can teach from a stage, but they train by sharing their time. If he had not given us his time, we would not have received that training, nor understood the mission, nor become a part of it from the inside. Can you share a memorable incident from your meetings with Maulana that you will never forget? Once we went to receive him at the airport. He was carrying many books and needed to pass through security, but we were not being allowed inside. I told the security guard, “Our Dharma Guru is coming.” The moment he heard “Dharma Guru,” he let us in. It was a small moment, but it taught me something big: if you speak to people in a language that resonates with them, hearts open and pathways appear. Words are not just sounds; they are