As I walked out on the steps of our hotel Olive, I was greeted by a 6 foot 4 inch tall Pathan by the name of Babrik. He was from Afghanistan but due to the dire circumstances of the country, he had fled to Sweden 20 years back. This was an Afghan with a jet-black beard.
I greeted him and gave him a free copy of my book Survival which I had been distributing to people throughout the shoot. “Tell me, Babrik. Why do you have this tradition of Bacha Bazi in Afghanistan? I mean, you guys make the kids dance and then even have sex with them. Don’t you think it is wrong?” I asked him inquisitively. “Well, you see, young men are not allowed to talk to girls or interact with them. If they do, they will be beaten by the girl’s family or even killed. Parents arrange marriages and we are expected to fall in love after marriage. This had led to the suppression of sex and has resulted in the act of Bacha Bazi. It is our tradition so we cannot say it is wrong.” He tried to explain with a straight face.
So it was a tradition, I was told. Islam does have its divines when it comes to sexual practices. Apart from fondling kids, there are also rules on how to have sex with your wife and what the appropriate sex positions are that one can use while doing the act. You can’t have anal sex or go doggy style with your spouse nor can you have sex with her by putting her on top. The right position is to screw your woman sideways as both of you lie together on the bed. One can have four wives but one can only keep a wife after the first wife is agreeable. Now that must be difficult. I can see that no woman would allow her husband to marry again and again, but the Quran allows it.
Oral sex is looked down upon and sex only for procreation is encouraged as Babrik explained the quirks of the Islamic faith. “Well, I like the way you guys pray five times and use it to meditate. The inward journey can be very sweet and rewarding. The kinds of energies one can tap into when one radiates and goes inwards. They used to radiate out of me like vibrations at times.” I got excited as I tried to tell my Afghani Friend about OSHO’s Nathbhram meditation and about the riches of the inward journey.
“My brother is the minister of social media and communications in Afghanistan. I go there every year to be with my people and live in the villages.” He got nostalgic as he spoke about his motherland. “But is it safe? I hope there are no beheadings.” I jerked up and asked him. “No, no, it is safe. Kabul is a big city with its own police and institutions. Nowadays, every country has some terrorist activity. So you should not believe everything you see on TV.” He tried to explain.
I guess if I am booking a ticket to Afghanistan, Babrik and my other Afghani friends will be my ticket to the land of Kabuliwala and Khajoor. Not to mention the fine taste of Afghani charas that grows wild in this land. “It is so soft, the charas you can just pull. It is like brown tar. Oh, one puff and Masha Allah, Masha Allah.”
