Well Come !

We all learn from each other and learning leads to knowledge and wisdom.

Thursday, 15 September 2022

Whom I miss more than anything else in my life ?

Today marks the 17th death anniversary of my dear father, Ali Aman, who left us on September 16, 2005. It was Friday. I was with him when he was taking his last breaths at BMC Booni. He was suffering from Leukemia. He was under treatment at AKUH for 2 months or so but then was returned home. We were told he was ok, but I am sure the doctors knew that he has a few days left. He might be aware himself too and that thought makes me sadder.

Today is also Friday and 16th of September. Today he came in my dream when I was about to get up in the morning. He was driving a green double cabin (Red Hilux double cabin was one of his favorite vehicles when he was at AKHSP). I was sitting in the front with him. My 5 years old son was sitting in the back seat with his little sister on his lap whom I take from him after few moments to join us in the front seat. We were in our village driving through mirzalandeh and my eyes opened when we reached near home. I wish it continued and I had more time with him in the dream. But that is the thing I had missed a lot in my life; more time with him.

My father left us when I was in Class 10 (matric). Since middle school (class 8) I was in boarding school. Most of my memories with Dad that I recall, go back to my kindergarten to matric period. All of the memories of him are full of love. He loved me very much and so did I. Whenever he used to bring office car home and then go on duty early morning, he would give me a ride to school which used to fall in the same direction. The first thing in his car radio he used to play was ’program hayya-alal-falah’ if it was an early departure. This was a lovely radio program which used to start after morning prayer and kept going till dawn (5:45-7am). I think it was one of the best radio programs on deen. Not sure if it is still being broadcasted.

He used to be very happy on my results announcement days. Some of the times he used to accompany me to the school function on result declaration days. He himself didn’t go to school but made sure that we go to schools. I remember one day we were coming back from my school, Allama Iqbal Model School Muzhgole after results announcement. I had my transcript in my hand with A+ grades. When we reached the village, he was showing my transcript to his friends and neighbors and I could see his face glowing with pride. My bad luck that I am missing that smile since 2005. He must have been similarly proud of me during all these days except on my FSc. second year result where I did not do very well. In my FSc-second year, I had A grades but not A+ and did not clear the medical school exam. But I am not sure if he wanted me to be a doctor. He never said that. I think he wanted me to be happy and remain happy. His respect and love for education was very high. Whenever he had an opportunity, he made me meet and visit people who were educated. He introduced me to some of his very good friends and brothers who have been a source of guidance and care since he left.

He was liked by many people in the village and beyond. One day there was a football match in our shotaar ground. I was watching it too. He was coming back home from office. His friends saw him and called him to join them. He jumped to join them and was made a goalkeeper for the rest of the match. I remember Mustansir lal among the players who called him to join them. He used to go to local music programs (ishtok) and would dance his heart out. In one of such ishtok held in Nigah house Kamatiandeh, he also asked me to join him in the dance. I was 9 or 10 years old that time.

He never let me do any physically laborious job which was very common in the village. He himself did a lot of such things. He used to plough fields, plant trees, cut stones for guest rooms, water the fields etc. The only thing I remember doing was going with him to plant some trees in Goluk or Gerajghair. One day I was removing some stones from a small debris in our lawn where due to rain the boundary wall had fallen. Father was not home. He came and saw me. He looked at me with anger (that why am I doing that) and went inside home to scold mother for letting me do that. May be that’s the reason that till today I am very bad in household chores and physically laborious work. I cannot harvest wheat with sickles, cut wood for fire, slice a chicken throat for dinner etc. The only thing that I can do in a village life is water the fields. That too very roughly by flooding the field with water.

I wanted to share his pictures, but we did not use to have digital camera that time. Father loved photographs and he had a few albums printed containing his pictures from Boroghil to GB to Peshawar. When he passed away, my maternal uncles most probably, hid them from us in order reduce our pain of separation. However, we have found a few albums back and they are safe at home. Today I have only his two-three pictures with me here at my duty station. Pictures do not matter that much. He never died for me. He is still very much alive in my heart. I am amazed thinking that a person who didn’t go to school for formal education knew so much about education, life, relationships, music, savings, bravery and confidence. I think most of the fathers are their kids’ ideal. He was my ideal and will remain so. He left us very early in his forties but his memories are going to remain alive.



Wednesday, 14 September 2022

The Beautiful Ormara !

Despite working in Balochistan for more than two years I had not been able to visit the Gwadar city. Since it was far away from my duty station and also not in our project jurisdiction, I kept delaying that. In February 2022, I had a dental appointment in Karachi. 

At Quetta International Airport boarding for Karachi

On the day of appointment Dr. Robia told me that I have to visit after 4 days again. This gave me the opportunity to pack for Gwadar as Gwadar was just 8 hours drive from Karachi (as compared to 15 hours from Quetta). I had not planned this tour. So I contacted Jan of Ormara. My friend Zaitoon from Gwadar was kind enough to connect me with him. He runs a tour company Jahangard which takes weekend tours to Ormara beach for camping. Jan said they will leave early morning on Saturday. Next day I was there at Johar Mor Bridge where Jahangard buses were waiting for tourists to mount. We had a hi-roof minibus, and we were seven people; mostly couples except this lone wanderer. 

My ride to Ormara ! 

The conveyance was very comfortable and thanks to the coastal highway too. This road trip from Karachi to Ormara (and further to Gwadar) is so beautiful that you will keep your head (and nose if have a bigger one like mine) stuck to the windowpane to cherish the beauty of the coast. The highway is not wide enough as it should have been given the prospects of development. A wide 4 lanes high way would be in demand in near future if the development and tourism sector prospers. Given the  beauty and rich resources the southern Balochistan embodies, the future is there. If and only if the Government is serious enough. 

Arriving at Ormara beach on a sunny day. The picture can't do justice to the beauty. Taken from a phone from far away ! 

Arriving at Ormara was another aha moment for me. We set camps on the beach. I went for the waters. It was blue and pure. Peaceful and beautiful. For an hour or so I kept walking in the waters. I made so videos. Now when I look at the videos, I see that mostly I was murmuring the poems of Faiz and some other poems that I had long ago memorized. However, no one can beat Faiz when he says, ‘’Chashm-e-Nam Jan-e-Shorida Kafi nehi… Tuhmat-e-Ishq Poshida Kafi nehi’’ (The tearful eyes, the distressed soul are not enough. The accusation of hidden love is not enough). Who knows whose tears have filled the ormara beach because only tears can be this pure as the waters of Ormara. The dusk fell and peace of the beach was turning golden. But when the night fell the sound of the gushing waters was sounding scary and painful. The sound of the sea felt like some people were crying; together. The moon light was not exposing them that much but the powerful ambient noise of the sea waves sounded like the whole of Balochistan is crying. Not sure why. May be for all the things this province deserves but not yet been conferred upon by the state? May be for all the praise the beauty of this land deserves but not having people with the vision to see that? May be for all the sufferings the mankind is causing to each other instead of living together happily as fellow human beings? I do not know. Oh, there is a call for dinner and I must go because Jahangard team has fixed a time for dinner, and all have to join.

A tent and a book is all I need for the rest of my life !


All pictures are taken on phone camera. No edits no filters. Happy me :)



 
A tented village for the night at Ormara Beach. Photo Credits: Atta

Meat is very much enjoyed in Balcohistan as part of lunch or dinner menu. Rosh is the favorite dish of most of the people here. So, our dinner also had mutton. After dinner, a screen was set up for movie. Tomorrow this group was going back to Karachi. I had some other plans (as always). At mid night (12AM to be exact) I left the camp to the nearby bus station looking for ride to Gwadar. Luckily, I found a seat in one of the buses going to Gwadar from Karachi. Happily, I plugged in my earphones and left for Gwadar.

(Next about the soulful Gwadar - comment below if you want to read about Gwadar)