Don’t focus on limited goals, come out of four walls….
We have heard the phrase – Mullan Ki Daud Masjid Tak, which means a person with limited goals focuses on his narrow and confined world. He knows nothing beyond that and enjoying the life in his own world.
It is said that it was first used in Mughal times for the trader people, not inducing them in local politics. Later on, it was used in early British time for Babus – clerks, as they don’t think anything else than the work assigned to them.
In fact, literally, it means working or thinking within limited focus, not thinking anything beyond that.
The life had been so stereotactic – daily getting up, having a cup of bed-tea, taking bath, dressed up, having breakfast, moving for office with packed lunch box on a cycle, busy in office work, waiting for clock to struck five, coming back, resting, having dinner, little gup-shup, going to sleep and again next the same routine.
On my maturing in the 70s on joining the service till the retirement in 2008, the life has been so systematic except for the development of theatre interest in me and later on switching over to writing.
While sitting with one of my friends at Punjab University, he appreciated my writing letters to the editors regularly criticizing and opining on various social issues in the newspapers. Rather, he advised me to go in PG in Journalism. To everyone’s surprise, I did it in the year of my retirement.
Really, writing became a passion for me and I started writing regularly in the newspaper, started my own blog section and later on associated with the online portals which started dominating the newspapers with breaking of news even 24 hours before it reaches to the readers who are wedded to reading the newspapers only.
Anyhow, this phrase fits well for those who are confined to a particular point all the time and don’t want to come out of the four-walls and frame of their thoughts.
The other day I had the unexpected phone call. But it provided a pleasant opportunity to hear a few words from an old friend wedded to the profession of journalism and since retired from a leading newspaper. For a long time, there been no contact with him though he lived in the City Beautiful Chandigarh. But he was famous to say the idiom – Mullan Ki Daud Masjid Tak whenever he was asked as to what you are doing. Rather it has become his ‘takiya kalam’ – catchphrase.
Frankly speaking, before my friend could speak, I repeated the phrase in a different tone to know about him – Mullan Ki Daud Kahan Tak.
When I told him that I too have joined the journalism as a freelance but after retirement. Without waiting for a fraction of the second, he uttered,- Tumhari Daud Akhbar Tak.
