"A Mad Man"

Aslam khan was the man who was honored by everyone in the village. Since his young age, he never did any kind of awful act which caused him to be dishonored by the eyes of the villagers. He never smoked nor drank. He was always ready to solve people's problems. Villagers brought him to take his suggestion in every serious matter of the village. Many times he gave them considerable suggestions and solved their problems. He was invited to almost every session of the panchayat in the village. Though he was not the head of the panchayat yet he was a consistent member of the panchayat. He earned his livelihood through his shop which he had even in a village and got a small amount of money from his crop. He harvested rice and sold it to the market and a little lot of it was used in his home. He was a tall, handsome man with curly dark short hair. He used to always wear shalwar kameez, especially a white shalwar kameez, his favorite. Sometimes he wore a traditional turban particularly on special occasions such as weddings or Eids or other religious and regional festivities.

One another thing that made him respectful in the eyes of the people was his education. He was a single man in the whole village who had gotten a post-degree. That's why people considered him as a smart man and asked him the solutions for their problems. But above all these traits he earned this entire honor with his behavior and attitude towards people. He would respect the others, treated them with kind and polite behavior, and never bullied his education or knowledge on them. He was a humble and cheerful man. 

One night he said to his wife during dinner, "I decided I would leave the panchayat, I think now I should all focus on my shop and my fields. Our children are growing so we need more money. I'll give extra time to my crops and cultivate more rice to get more money."

"It's good thinking" she praised his idea,  "you should take action on it as soon as possible. We need more money to feed our children." 

The next day he told all the people that he is leaving the panchayat because he has no time to sit there. All of them requested him to return his decision but he didn't agree since he had decided strongly. He went home after doing his announcement. 

Some days passed smoothly without any difference. He daily used to go to his shop in the morning then visited his fields for some time and returned home in the evening. But after a few days, people started to come to his shop and his home to take his suggestions for their problems. It caused trouble for him because he couldn't do his work properly due to the rush of the people every time. He thought for many days about what he should do now. Finally, he decided and went to his wife to tell her his decision. He said to his wife, "I have an idea to solve this matter." He grasped his wife's hand, sat her in the chair, and spoke again, "I think you should join the panchayat rather than me. You would listen to the problems of the people and give them solutions. You would make judgments about the conflicts between people." Her wife was surprised to hear she didn't understand for a while then she spoke, '' Are you crazy, how is it possible, how can I join a panchayat?" 

"Why can't you join this? It is so simple. Just listen to the people and make a decision. And of course, you would not be alone there, other members of the panchayat would also be there. All you have to do is give your suggestion."

"Think a little it's impossible, what will people say?"

"You don't worry about the people, I'll make them understand."

No, it's not right, and let's presume if I agree but the people wouldn't agree.

They will not want to see a woman in a panchayat."

"But why? Why will they not agree? Are the women don't coming to a panchayat for the solutions to their problems?"

"Yes they come but no one wants to see women as a member of the panchayat."

"O, don't worry I'll make them agree, they all honor me they will not refuse me and will appreciate my opinion, and of course I'm doing it just for them because they need me."

After talking to her wife when he told his opinion the following day in the panchayat everyone got shocked.

"Are you gone mad?" Said the head of the panchayat, "how a woman may sit here with the men and take part in the decisions of the panchayat, it's not possible."

"But why is it not possible why a woman can't become a member of the panchayat? Many women even work too in the fields with the men and a lot of women also work in the cities." 

"Don't say anything about city life here, it's not a city it is a village. It's not possible here what you are saying."

He tried a lot to convince them but no one agreed even though they all got angry with him. Soon this news was spread in the whole village. It began to be discussed in every home. All the men, women, and even the children talked about it almost every time. Someone said, "I think Aslam khan has gone mad". One person talked, "his overstudy made him crazy." Some others spoke, " Because of living in the city for some period Aslam Khan forgot the life and traditions of the village. So  he can not remain a member of the panchayat further." They all boycotted him, no one went to meet him, and not a single person purchased any kind of stuff from his shop. Two weeks passed similarly he tried a lot to convince but no one was even ready to talk to him. Finally, his wife said to him " you should apologize to them and say to them you wouldn't ask this again."

Then he apologized in the panchayat almost in front of all the villagers. They all forgave him but they decided that he can not become a member of the panchayat until he proved that he is completely well and all the symptoms of his madness have gone.