A Tribute to a Mother!

7/31/2019 A Tribute to a Mother!

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When God cannot be everywhere.. Page 1

When God cannot be everywhere, she created Mothers

Since the day I started writing professionally somewhere in August 2008 and my short stories,

travelogues, critiques on books and films were not just published but appreciated by a varying

international audience on the Internet, it had remained a dream that I should write somethingon my celebrated mother but since she has been such a towering personality, it was always so

difficult to write about her.

Usually, I take about three days to write an article but this one has taken more than three

months to complete with so much thought and feelings that go along with it. Thus, I had been

contemplating as to how I should go about it when suddenly it dawned upon me that I should

ask her to help me write a short autobiography of herself. So here I am trying to paint a canvass

of her glorious life in her own sweet words. Here we go Mom! Please do forgive me for any

Faux Pas that I may commit along the way. This is what she has to say:

I was born in a small state inGujrat, Palanpur, Indiaon Tuesday 10th

September, 1935. A state

governed by the Nawab Tallae Muhammed Khan Bahadur (Late). Palanpur; a princely state was

famous for Kewda a kind of flower shaped like maize but has a very strong fragrance. As the

train approaches the station of Palanpur; the passengers could smell the fragrance from a long

distance.

The Map of the City of Palanpur

https://www.google.com.pk/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=Gujrat%2C+Palanpur&ie=UTF

-&rlz=1T4RNQN_enPK489PK490&q=gujrat+palanpur&gs_upl=0l0l0l11950lllllllllll0&aqi=g4&pbx=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanpurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanpurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanpurhttps://www.google.com.pk/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=Gujrat%2C+Palanpur&ie=UTF-&rlz=1T4RNQN_enPK489PK490&q=gujrat+palanpur&gs_upl=0l0l0l11950lllllllllll0&aqi=g4&pbx=1https://www.google.com.pk/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=Gujrat%2C+Palanpur&ie=UTF-&rlz=1T4RNQN_enPK489PK490&q=gujrat+palanpur&gs_upl=0l0l0l11950lllllllllll0&aqi=g4&pbx=1https://www.google.com.pk/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=Gujrat%2C+Palanpur&ie=UTF-&rlz=1T4RNQN_enPK489PK490&q=gujrat+palanpur&gs_upl=0l0l0l11950lllllllllll0&aqi=g4&pbx=1https://www.google.com.pk/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=Gujrat%2C+Palanpur&ie=UTF-&rlz=1T4RNQN_enPK489PK490&q=gujrat+palanpur&gs_upl=0l0l0l11950lllllllllll0&aqi=g4&pbx=1https://www.google.com.pk/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=0&oq=Gujrat%2C+Palanpur&ie=UTF-&rlz=1T4RNQN_enPK489PK490&q=gujrat+palanpur&gs_upl=0l0l0l11950lllllllllll0&aqi=g4&pbx=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palanpur


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My father i.e. Abdul Qadeer Khan was theAide-De-Camp(ADC) of the Nawab and was also a

commander of the cavalry which was trained to give guard of honor to theViceroyand other

dignitaries who visited the princely state off & on. Since I was the only offspring of my parents, I

was given a lot of love and care. I was brought up like a Tom Boy. I used to dress up like a boy,

play all kinds of monkey tricks, games and sports played by the boys, so much so that I evenused to climb trees like a boy my age which was so unusual for a girl to attempt. I used to ride a

pony every evening and would ride bicycles around the house. I loved to accept all kinds of

challenges; this gave me great confidence. My life was somehow full of challenges.

I got my early education in a small school which imparted education in theGujrati language

while the second language taught was English. This was the reason I was deprived of my

mother tongue which wasUrdu. After the retirement of my father, I had to shift toJodhpur

where my grandfather lived with all my uncles and aunts. Jodhpur is a very beautiful place

situated inRajasthan, India, a great house of culture of theRajput; a great race and name in the

history ofIndia.

This blending of culture of Gujrat and Rajasthan gave me a chance to learn about the people of

both the states and their colorful culture and religions. This was the 1st

phase of my education. I

took a great interest in the various activities, learnt a lot about the language, music, dances and

religious ritual. It was all so interesting, colorful and enchanting for a young Muslim girl of my

age. I keenly participated in their religious festivals too.

InJodhpur, my educational environment was totally different. I was admitted in a very famous

Convent school managed by the Nuns, like most of the Convents in other parts of India. This

school i.e. Saint Patrick was the only school where all the elite of the society, including the girls

of the royal family came to learn. This gave me a chance to mingle with the Rajput girls and

make friends with them. One of the daughters of the cousin of the Maharaja of Jodhpur i.e.

Umaid Singhbecame a close friend of mine. This gave me an access to visit the famous palace

of Jodhpur which was known for its grandeur namely the Chittar Palacewhich also became a

tourist attraction after the partition of India.
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Umaid Bhavan or Chittar Palace, Jodhpur

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umaid_Bhawan_Palace

In India, the ratio of Muslim girls was very low in school as compared to the Hindu girls. Very

few Muslim families allowed their children to attend schools, besides the St. Patrick School was

rather expensive so very few girls were admitted. This school gave me a wonderful chance to

promote the artistic capabilities in me. I extensively participated in stage plays, group dancing,

tableaus and English chorus songs etc.

After completing my High School, I was admitted in a famous college. The only girls college in

Jodhpur at that time was known as the Rajmahal College which seemed to be an old building

of the Maharajas; a huge building which looked like a great temple with a beautiful Baoli, a

small lake like ditch on one side where our library was situated. There were only four Muslim

girls in the college. They all observedPurdahand were quite timid to come forward and

participate in any activity. HavingRajputblood flowing in my veins, I was the only girl who was

bold enough to come forward and participate in all kinds of activities, including their religious

dramas and dances. I even choreographed some group dances and did some caricature of our

teachers which they all enjoyed.

During this period we saw many ups and downs when the war of independence was fought. Lifebecame rather insecure. Many Punjabis from thePunjabprovince entered Jodhpur after the

assassination of their ruling Maharaja who was not allowing the migrating people fromSindh

and Punjab to enter Jodhpur. We lived like fugitives and shifted from one place to another, I

dressing up like Hindu girls.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umaid_Bhawan_Palacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umaid_Bhawan_Palacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baolihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baolihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baolihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdahhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdahhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdahhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Rajputshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Rajputshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Rajputshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab,_Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab,_Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab,_Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UmaidBhawan_Exterior_1.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab,_Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Rajputshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdahhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baolihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umaid_Bhawan_Palace


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The Minar-e-Pakistan, the symbol of Pakistans independence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan

Ultimately, in 1952; we migrated toPakistan. This was a very crucial time for the Muslims in

India. There had been a massacre in many parts of India. With great difficulty, I reached

Hyderabad, Sindh with my mother. My father had already migrated to Pakistan in 1946 when

the turmoil started. As most of my uncles were government servants, they all insisted my father

to purchase a property in Pakistan so that if worse comes to worse, all the womenfolk could

migrate to Pakistan in times of danger. So he was already residing in Hyderabad since 1946.

The City of Hyderabad, Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Sindh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hyderabad_Sindh_Montage.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minar_e_Pakistan.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad,_Sindhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan


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Initially, I had also come with him to Pakistan along with my mother but the climate of Sindh

did not suit me. I got sick and went back to Jodhpur with my mother after six months,

completed my Matric which I earlier left in between due to the upheaval. I continued my

studies from 1947 to 1950 in Jodhpur. After doing my Inter Arts from Raj Mahal College, I could

not do my B.A because there was no girls college for graduation. It was from the university thatstudents did their Bachelor where it was co-education and the Muslim girls were not allowed to

join. My two precious years were wasted thus.

Before coming to Pakistan, I got a chance to visitBombay. Though I had already visited Bombay

two times but then I was quite young at that time. This time around it gave me a chance to visit

Bombay when I was quite grown up. My mother and I were invited by the Chotee Begum

(Youngest wife of the Maharaja) of Palanpur who was the sister in law of the late Nawab of

Palanpur who was living in Bombay after partition whenVallabhbhai Patel(One of the founding

fathers of India) annexed all the states to the government and most of the states were given a

kind of pension, the Nawab of Palanpur and all his relatives left Palanpur and shifted to

Bombay. This trip to Bombay was yet another adventure of my life. We were living inBandra, a

famous place where people from the film industry lived. Here I got a chance to visit the film

industry.

The City of Bombay, Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallabhbhai_Patelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallabhbhai_Patelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallabhbhai_Patelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mumbai_Montage.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vallabhbhai_Patelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay


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When I was in college, I started writing stories and poems inHindias Hindi was the main

language of India then. So I thought that I could give my stories to the distributors of Kardar and

Mahboob Khan, the famous director of Indian films then. The distributor was our next door

neighbor in Bandra and he promised to help me in contacting Kardar and Mahboob. I was also

offered a film as I was a good singer and performer. But I knew that I will not be allowed to doany such thing since during those days good families looked down upon the people associated

with the film industry and this episode came to an end but I did get a chance to see the famous

film actorDilip Kumar, his sister and other film actors in Bombay.

From Bombay we had planned to come to Pakistan via ship but our passports were not ready so

we had to drop the idea. We returned to Jodhpur while breaking our journey at Palanpur to

visit some old friends. For the first time when I travelled to Pakistan in 1946 along with my

father, we were given all the facilities because some of our relatives were working in the

railways. They helped us to shift our entire luggage through train safely but the next time when

I migrated to Pakistan in 1953, it was a tough journey. People had to cross half their journey by

buses escorted by Indian police and the remaining journey through theTharparkardesert which

was very tiresome.

The great Tharparkar Desert

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thar_Desert

After getting down from the bus, we had to cross the desert by camels but unfortunately there

was a strike and there were no camels to carry us across the desert. We had to complete our

journey on foot. Since it was very hot in the day time thus we had to carry on our journey in the

evening. The caravan walked throughout the evening and rested during the night. Travelling

during the nights was very risky since there was a fear of attack from the villages. The male
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilip_Kumarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilip_Kumarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilip_Kumarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tharparkarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tharparkarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tharparkarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thar_Deserthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thar_Deserthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thar_desert_Rajasthan_India.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thar_Deserthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tharparkarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilip_Kumarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindi


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members used to keep a watch during the night. After crossingMunabaoandBarmerin

Rajasthan, we were expecting some trains from Pakistan which were to carry us toMirpurkhas.

But as luck would have it, there was no sign of any train. We had to wait for the train at the

railway station for the entire night and when the train arrived, we were flabbergasted. It was a

Maal-gari (read goods train) and not a passenger train. We were all loaded into it like cattlewith dry grass under our feet on which we had to sit for hours together before we reached our

destination.

This is how we were welcomed to Pakistan, the land of the pure. This incident shook me

completely because it was the bitterest experience of my life. Imagine a child who was brought

up amongst the royalty in Palanpur and Jodhpur was made to travel like cattle in a goods train

to Pakistan. It could not get any worse than that and our egos were blemished but we had to

endure all this with patience in the name of our new country, Pakistan. It took me quite some

time to overcome this shock. My father was facing a lot of financial problems so I had to work

to survive in this new land. I joinedSaint Marys school, Hyderabadas a school teacher. As I had

a lot of experience of being with theNunsin India, this gave me an opportunity to work with

them here in Hyderabad. I worked with them from 1952 to 1960.

In 1955, a girls college was floated by the same order of the Nuns named Nazareth College for

girls in Hyderabad. I joined the college to complete my BA honors in English. This was the most

glorious period of my life. We had different clubs in our college for students activities like

debate, music, drama and dance etc. I was the in-charge of the Dance club for I had good

knowledge of theKathakdance which I learnt when I was in Jodhpur. There was a ruined

palace, one of the portions of a fortress where a school was run by some famous masters. Itwas called Kalamandir. I learnt Kathak dance andSitarat this school.

Sitting on extreme left, English play School for scandal, Nazareth College, 1.09.1953
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munabaohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munabaohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munabaohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmer,_Rajasthanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmer,_Rajasthanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmer,_Rajasthanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirpurkhashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirpurkhashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirpurkhashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_Convent_High_School_(Hyderabad)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_Convent_High_School_(Hyderabad)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_Convent_High_School_(Hyderabad)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_Convent_High_School_(Hyderabad)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathakhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathakhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathakhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathakhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_Convent_High_School_(Hyderabad)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirpurkhashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmer,_Rajasthanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munabao


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I could not continue my classes here since we had to suddenly migrate to Pakistan and thus my

course remained incomplete. Anyhow, whatever I learnt; I taught my friends in the Nazareth

College. The club organized annual functions where we presented folk dances, tableaus, dance,

drama etc. I often used to perform during these functions and all the teachers liked it so much

since majority of them were foreigners who belonged to the same Order of Nuns but were fromdifferent countries like USA, UK, Germany, Italy and France. They loved and enjoyed our

cultural activities.

Standing 3rd from left with Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan and the drama cast 30.11.1953

Once, it so happened that when I participated in a music competition, I secured 1st

position and

my name was published in the local newspapers. One day I received a letter. It was a big

surprise for me since the letter was written by an old friend i.e. Ms. Anita Ghulam Ali who was

my class mate in Class IX when I came for the first time to Pakistan. I joined St. Marys convent

for a few months before returning to India. It was almost after six years that she discovered me

and this reunion took place between other students also who studied with me during that

period. It was something like a good dream and we are still good friends.

As I was an all-rounder, I was very popular among the college students and the teachers alike.

When our college organized the annual sports day, I participated almost in every event be it

high jump, broad jump, hurdle race, relay race, lemon spoon race, three legged race, flat raceand my favorite bicycle race which I always won. Basketball was one of the games in which we

played at the Inter College level and we often came toKarachito play againstSt. Joseph

College; another famous Convent college managed and run by the Nuns those days. I did not

miss a chance to play other games like baseball, throw ball, tennis, table tennis and badminton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karachihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karachihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karachihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph%27s_College,_Karachihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph%27s_College,_Karachihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph%27s_College,_Karachihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph%27s_College,_Karachihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph%27s_College,_Karachihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph%27s_College,_Karachihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karachi


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I enjoyed every moment of the sports day. I won many certificates and trophies in sports,

games & music competitions.

After the partition of India, when Mr.Liaquat Ali Khanbecame Prime Minister of Pakistan, his

wifeBegum Rana Liaquat Aliplayed an active part for the uplift of the women in Pakistan. She

formed an organization calledAll Pakistan Womens Association(APWA) which was more like a

Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) which helped the down trodden women and helped

them. It participated in all kinds of social service. It also had a branch called National guard in

which many college girls were enlisted. Our college also became its member.

Every year, we were invited by Begum Sahiba to participate in the National Guard parade on

14th

August to celebrate the Independence Day. It was so exciting to be a part of this ceremony.

We were made to live in a hostel for two days and were given the best treatment by the first

lady in the Prime Ministers house. We all felt so proud and were enthralled by this gesture.

Every year, when the session concluded, the best students were awarded with trophies andcertificates for their achievements.

Standing with Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan Trophy for best student @ Nazareth College,

Hyderabad, Sindh 20.03.1955

The students of Saint Mary and Nazareth College had formed an association of both the

institutions. I used to organize an alumni function where majority of the old and new students

were invited. Some of them even came from abroad who had left Pakistan after their

education. All the old teachers were also invited and we had great fun. Everyone looked
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forward to this day. The function would remain incomplete if I did not perform my songs at the

end.

When it was my final year at the College, I was also awarded a special trophy for the best

student of the year and a social service trophy for the year by the first lady. She was the

Ambassador in Hague for Pakistan during those days. When our college sent her this report, she

wrote a letter of congratulations to me in appreciation of my achievements. This was the

greatest reward for me besides all the rewards I won. My passion to excel in life did not end

here. I took a chance to move forward and tried some other avenues too.

Receiving trophy from Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan, Nazareth College, Hyderabad, Sindh

20.03.1955

Radio Pakistanin Hyderabad, Sindh became another center of attraction for me after leaving

the college. I was selected in the audition for acting and was given a chance to take part in the

weekly plays where I became very popular. Since the people of Hyderabad were still very

conservative, so I did not disclose my original name and was known by the pen name of A. S.

Naz. The people around me were very educated and respectable so I was encouraged to

continue. Initially, I only participated as a drama artist but slowly when some music directorssupported me, I began to give performances in music, singing Urdu ghazals, songs and Sindhi

folk songs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Pakistan


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Receiving 1st

Prize at the Music competition @ Law College, Hyderabad, 1956

Once there was a drama festival at Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad where different writers

participated. I already had some short stories which I had written in India. I tried to make an

attempt to enter the competition. As lady luck would have it, my play was selected for the

festival but the credit goes to Mr. Ilyas Ishaque who had done his MA in Hindi and Sanskrit

besides Urdu. He acted as my God father throughout my career as an artist at Radio station,

Hyderabad. He translated my play in Urdu as all my literary work was in Hindi and much of it

was laying waste because so far there was no one who could help me out in translating my wok

in Urdu. Thus, my play for the drama festival was selected and was very much appreciated by

the listeners. It was a story of two twin sisters fromBangladeshand it was called Saharey.

After the festival got over, there was a discussion panel comprising of some Professors and

writers. I was also invited to take part in it. I received a great appreciation from them and

received many letters from the listeners. After this success, I was asked to write some musical

play for Hindu festivals by Mr. Ilyas Ishaque who helped me in translating my religious plays like

Deep Mala, Janam Ashtme, Dashera, Deepa Walietc. These plays were broadcast from

Hyderabad and Karachi Radio Pakistan simultaneously.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh


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Standing in Black Sari with Drama artists and Director Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad, 27.07.1956

The Hindu minority living in Pakistan was very glad to hear these musical plays and many of

them became great fans of mine. The religious songs &Bhajansin the plays were also written

by me. This gave me a great scope in the literary field. I was encouraged to write Urdu ghazals

and was assisted by some famous poets like Mr.Zia Mohyeddinand Mr.Himayat Ali Shairwho

was also a co-actor with me in my plays which were broadcast from the Radio Pakistan. He was

a great help to me and taught me a lot about Urdu poetry and corrected my poems.

I now started taking part in Mushairas as well and many of my ghazals and songs were

published in local magazines. I became a member of the Writers Guild and was one of the

famous members of the guild. I was only a student and was a little nervous to join the company

of the literary stalwarts but I got the highest regard from all the members. So much so that one

of my Hindi songs written about Saat Sur (Sargam) was very much appreciated by a great poet

of Pakistan i.e. Mr.Jamiluddin Aaliwho was also writing Doha (Couplets) based on Hindi

writers pattern. I was getting so many programs that once there was an objection from the

Audit Department of the Radio Pakistan but I never bothered since I was working for free for

the organization.
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Pak-Hind Mushaira, Sukkur, 25.05.1957

One day I got a letter from the Head of the Department of English at my College that I waswasting too much time at Radio Pakistan so no programs should be given to me before his prior

permission. As I had high regards for my Professor thus I could not defy him. Mr. Iftikhar

wanted that I should pass my Final exams with good grades and should concentrate more on

my studies rather than on my literary pursuits.

Once the noted stage performer, Zia Mohy-Ud-Din visited Hyderabad. He was invited by the

Director of Radio to participate in some program. I got a chance to perform with him in one of

the plays. Since he was an expert in his field, I learnt a lot from him. During those days, I was

studying at theUniversity of Sindhand was reading my MA in English. My Professors took keen

interest in my progress. I was the only girl student in my department at that time. I also got

elected as the Vice President of the society of the English Department.

Old Sindh University building, Hyderabad

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The history department was arranging some function for a delegation which came from Asian

countries. I extended my help to organize some dances and Tableau to entertain the delegates.

I choreographed a Deepakdance performed by a male student and a tableau with the help of

the program producer of Radio Pakistan, Mr. Qayum who also arranged for the music and stage

decoration.

This gave me an opportunity to mix with the other departments and their teachers. The

program was a great success and I was awarded for my efforts. Another interesting incident

took place in my student career. When I had to appear for my viva voce, Professor Mazhar Ali;

Head of the English department of theUniversity of Peshawarcame to conduct our viva as an

external examiner. My Professor i.e. Mr. Iftikhar introduced me as a poetess to the visiting

Professor and recited one of my ghazal couplets from my poem. I was so embarrassed and I had

to recite one of my poems before I gave my viva. I think this was something very unusual thing

which would happen to a student during her viva although I felt very nervous but I faced the

situation bravely while the recitation did leave an impression on the visiting Professor.

Once a friend of my brother in law visited Pakistan from India. I invited him over for tea. As he

was a writer, he took keen interest in my Hindi poetry. I recited a religious Bhajan written in

Hindi and few words ofSanskrit. He was enthralled to hear the Bhajan since it was written in

praise ofLord Krishna, the Hindu deity. He never imagined that a Muslim woman could write

such a devoted Hindu religious song.

After getting my M. A. Degree from the University of Sindh, I was promoted asLecturerat the

Saint Marys convent school where I was already teaching and was transferred to Saint

Nazareth College from where I had also done my B. A. Honors degree. During the same year,

some positions were announced in the English Department in the University of Sindh. I also

appeared for the interview and luckily I was selected. It was a very good opportunity for me and

for my professional career but I do not remember why I did not accept the offer which was one

of the greatest mistakes I could have made.

There was an evening college for boys where they needed a lady teacher. Since it was a boys

college, no lady was ready to join. One Christian lady was already teaching there but ultimately

she also left. My Professor who was also my mentor encouraged me so I joined the college as a

part time lecturer. I also joined the department ofComparative Religionto do an M. A. but afterclearing the first year I developed some health issues so I had to discontinue. I also tried to do a

PhD in English fromUniversity of Cambridgebut I got a little late in applying so could not get

the admission in that particular year and was enlisted for the next year but due to some

financial constraints could not join that either.
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15/22


In 1959, I got married to Mr. Muhammed Ishaque Shaikh; the son of a noted doctor of

Hyderabad Sindh, and a very famous poet (Taj Ush Shura-e-Sindh) i.e. Mr. Shaikh Muhammed

Ibrahim Khalil and had to shift to Karachi with my husband who got a job in ICI, a British

multinational. Naturally, I had to leave my College job in Hyderabad and find a new job in

Karachi. A new college was recently founded by Mr.Adamjeea great name in the businesscommunity of Karachi. The Vice Chancellor of Sindh University Prof. A. L. Shaikh who had

retired was appointed as the first Principal of the college. He knew me very well and had taken

my interview in the University of Sindh for English (which I had earlier declined) called me and

offered me the position of Head of the English Department in the newly established college.

I had other offers also in some colleges in Karachi but I preferred to join theAdamjee Science

Collegefor the reason that the Principal was known to me and secondly it was another

challenge for me. This college again was purely a boys college and all the faculty of the college

were males while I was the only female specie of this institution. Thank God that my career in

this college was a great success. Being the only lady teacher, I was given great respect by the

students and my fellow colleagues. So much so, that after almost 20 years of serving here, I was

transferred to another reputed college for girls when all the colleges were nationalized by Mr.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhuttothe then Prime Minister of Pakistan.

With Mohtarma Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Adamjee Science College Auditorium, 1970

Due to my abrupt transfer, the students of Adamjee Science College went on strike and closed

the Principals office. All the Professors had to retire from their offices because they had all

crossed their retirement period in the government since they had reached their super

annuation age of 60. The whole setup of the College was changed. My case was put up to the

Director of Education. When he saw my case, he called me and directed me to teach in both the

colleges simultaneously i.e. two days in Adamjee Science College and three days in PECHS

College for women.
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Addressing students at Sindh Medical College, Annual Debate, Karachi, 1975

This was my punishment for being so popular among my students. After the term was over, I

was appointed as full Professor at the PECHS womens college. I had become very much

attached with all my students in both the colleges because I was involved in their

extracurricular activities.

Musical chairs for teachers, PECHS College, Karachi, 1980


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In the early eighties, the Saudi government was in need of lady teachers in different subjects so

a delegation had come to Pakistan to hire such teachers. Quite a number of faculty were

selected from Pakistan since the Saudi government preferred Muslim teachers and thus only

two counties got the preference i.e.EgyptandPakistan.

God was too gracious to me for I was given three years deputation to serve inSaudi Arabiafrom

1983 to 1985. As the women were not allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia alone, my husband had

to accompany me as Mehram (escort). My husband was working with theDawn groupthose

days and he had to resign since he could not get a leave for three long years. So I, along with my

husband i.e. Mr. Muhammed Ishaque Shaikh and my only son i.e. Shaikh Muhammed Ali who

had just passed his Inter Science from the same Adamjee Science College left for Saudi Arabia in

August 1982.

I was provided four 1st

class return tickets for my family every year to travel to Pakistan during

vacations and was given a handsome salary as I was directly appointed as a full Professor. Assoon as we landed in Saudi Arabia, the next month wasHajjand immediately we planned to

perform Hajj, an honor from God right away. During my three years of stay in Saudi Arabia, my

family and I performed severalUmrah,Masha Allah. By the grace of God almighty, my husband

and I got a lucky chance to perform Haj-e-Akbar (Haj which falls on a Friday) the very next year.

My two daughters could not perform Haj because of their studies and thus could not visit Saudi

Arabia during the Haj season. I think my family was one of the chosen ones for getting the

opportunity to perform Haj and Umrah and visit the holy shrines ofMedinaMunawarra many a

times.

Pilgrims performing the Umrah during 2007

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The first two years at the Kulyat-ul-Binnat atDammamin Saudi Arabia went on very smoothly

but during the third year, we Pakistanis had to face an ordeal. As the Egyptians were our

teaching rivals, they objected that the M. A. Degree of the Pakistani contingent was not

recognized and the entire Pakistani faculty should thus be demoted by one grade. As there had

been some problem for the Asian countries in this context, so a notification was issued by theSaudi government that all the teachers from Pakistan will be considered as having a Bachelors

degree and their salaries were slashed by SR 7,000.

This was a very serious insult for us and we planned to appeal to both the governments of Saudi

Arabia and Pakistan to reconsider our case or else we will resign. Unfortunately, our case

became weak since rather than waiting for a reply from the government, nine out of twelve

teachers accepted the demotion and the low salary except for the three of us who were full

Professors who blatantly refused to accept the order. Two of these teachers were from Colleges

inRiyadhandJeddahwhile I was fromDammamwho had refused to continue under such

circumstances. One delegation went to Riyadh to the Pakistan Embassy for help in this matter.

Thank God that our prayers were heard and the government agreed to withdraw the orders,

after the intervention of the then President of Pakistan; for those teachers who were on

deputation for three years and thus sanity prevailed.

Ultimately, the struggles of us three teachers gave all the benefits to the entire Pakistani

contingent. I hope God will give us the reward for the struggle which helped the Pakistani

teachers to get their due share. After returning from Saudi Arabia, I joined the same college i.e.

PECHS College for women as there was no teacher at that time to teach English Literature

classes but soon after as my promotion was due in the 20

th

Grade, I had to accept the Principalship ofKhatoon-e-Pakistan College. During that time, this college was in a very bad shape. I had

to make many changes in it.

NCC, Prize Distribution, Khatoon-e-Pakistan College, Karachi, 1989
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Being a government college, it was very difficult to bring about any changes but being a woman

who likes perfection, I could not tolerate the irregularities that were abounded. I had to put my

foot down and did all I could for the betterment of the students and the faculty members. I

separated the Science from the Arts Department, announced a reward for those teachers who

had been working in the college for around 25 years, promoted different activities for thestudents and awarded the best students and organized many functions.

Posing as Principal Khatoon-e-Pakistan College, Karachi, 1988-90

When I was in the PECHS College, there also I organized many functions along with other

teachers and students because it was in my nature to keep myself attached in all sort of student

activities. In December 1990, I retired from the government job having more than 38 years of

continuous service in schools and colleges. I was also nominated by my son for the Star womenof the year award somewhere in 1992 which I won and was presented by my old friend Anita

Ghulam Ali who was a Director in the Education Department. During my tenure, I got many a

chance to attend conferences, paper setting for colleges and universities and monitoring visits

to examination centers.

After retiring from government job in 1990, I was approached by a family friend i.e. Mrs.

Maroof who was the in-charge of a private school in Karachi i.e. Karachi Public school which

was owned and managed by the Bohra community. They had different branches in Karachi and

many retired professors from different colleges had also joined their various branches. Initially,

it was a bit difficult for me because there was a stark difference in the O & A level system and

the Matric & Intermediate system taught in local colleges.

I being a teacher of purely English literature found the teaching of English language a little

boring and dry but slowly and gradually I picked up the method of teaching and also attended a

few workshops arranged by theBritish Council. Since all the Professors were quite senior and

experienced, the school teachers gave us great regards and even the Principal showed us great
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20/22


respect. We ultimately proved to be an asset for the institution where the atmosphere was very

friendly and cordial.

After teaching for 15 years in this School, I left teaching on 30th

December, 2005 because the

journey from my house to the new campus which was too far away had become very tiresome.

I was given a very warm and respectful farewell by the Principal, my fellow teachers and the

students. Thus, ended my long journey of teaching whereby I completed almost 54 year

without any break.

Besides being a Muslim, I inherited many virtuous qualities from my parents. As my mother was

of Rajput origin and my father a Khan, both these races had some very strong beliefs. Rajputs

were true to their word while Khans would give their life for honor. I also staunchly believed in

these qualities from my childhood. Brought up under the guidance of disciplined Nuns in

childhood, I believed in many virtues and honesty and to date I uphold these virtues in my daily

life. This, I believe; is the only reason my children are honest to the core.

None of my three off springs believe in wrong doings. My older daughter Novera Humayun is

married to a pilot Mr. Humayun Wahid Shaikh here in Karachi and has three children. My

younger daughter Dr. Noreen Hamid who is a Gynecologist is married to an Anesthesiologist

Mr. Syed Hamid Ali also here in Karachi and has three children too while my only son is married

and works for theHigher Education Commission(HEC) and is based inIslamabadand

surprisingly has three children too. Thank God my children are leading an honest and content

life particularly in this age when there is so much corruption around but I am so lucky that none

of my children or my husband is influenced by this evil.

All my nine grandchildren in Karachi on 8.09.2011
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Sometimes, I regret for not learning Urdu because due to this I was deprived of reading the

Tafseer(Interpretation) and the Translation of theHoly Quranwritten by some famous Ulema.

This I always regretted. But some enlightenment came to me at the age of seventy five when a

lady having Islamic knowledge became my tenant at one of my apartments in 2002. For a whole

1.5 years, she read out the Tafseerof the Holy Quran daily to me. This was the greatest blessingfor me. All the darkness and doubts were removed from my mind. I started taking interest in

knowing more about Islamic knowledge. I started collecting religious books written in English

and started to read them. I got a chance to read many hadith fromSahih BukhariandSahih

Muslimand other authenticHadithbooks.

I also thought of reading the Quran with correct pronunciation from a good Qari so I engaged a

Qariand read the Holy Quran for almost two years with his help. Somehow or the other, I felt

that during the days when we were taught to read the Quran in our childhood by a female

teacher, we were not aware of the many things and read the Quran like a parrot besides my

Urdu was also not good. I read the Quran purely on theArabicphonetics. So I was now satisfied

after reading it correctly.

There was a family friend who presented a copy of the Quran to my husband in the early

eighties which was translated in English byAbdullah Yusuf Ali, a very renowned scholar. The

best thing I liked about him was that when he wrote the Tafseer(Interpretation) of eachAyah,

he traced the background of the Hebrew Testament, the originalInjeel(Bible) and the historical

background of the situation. It helped me to get a clear picture of the situation and the context

of that particular Ayah and things become very clear. Had I not read the translation of the

Quran, my knowledge of Islam would have remained incomplete?

Though, I had enough knowledge of theHindu mythologyandChristianitysince I had read a lot

about their history and that was the reason I was doing my M.A in the comparative study of

religion which I could not complete. But due to this I did get some knowledge ofBuddhism,

Sikhism,ZoroastrianismandJainismalong with other known and famous religions of the world.

I had also read a lot of world history to add to my knowledge. I still utilize my time in reading

the Tafseer of the Quran along with the recitation which gives a great solace to my heart and

mind.

Recently, I have started writing the synopsis of eachJuz(Chapter) of the Quran in English tokeep myself aware of the facts mentioned in each chapter and revise them now and then. I

hope that God almighty will forgive me for all my sin and provides me the strength and the

courage to remain steadfast in prayer and stay on the righteous path till I am alive, Ameen!

I hope Mom that I have done justice with this article and have given the due respect that it

deserves. You have indeed been a great source of inspiration for me throughout my life and
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today whatever I am and wherever I am is solely because of you. May you and Dad live long

with health and happiness, Amen!

With my husband, children & grandchildren @ Sajjad Restaurant, Sea View, Karachi,

31.08.2011

Shaikh Muhammed Ali

E-mail:[email protected]

Cell: +00-92-321-5072996

22nd August 2012, 3:51 p.m. (PST)
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A Tribute to a Mother!

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Transcript of A Tribute to a Mother!