1992 ... First year of school.. I refused to sit in reception. Principal allowed me to sit in prep.
1999... 6th grade. Met Hanaa. Became best friends with her.
2000-04... came closer to her. Felt like family.
Her mom = my mom
Her dad = My dad
Her grandfather = school/college principal = Our dada!!
2005... 1st year in Collage. Principal became our English teacher.
2007... graduation.
2011.. Joined AIA as a Teacher.
2013.. Principal passed away... Dada passed away...
It took me just 6,7 lines to make this timeline but there are moments , living memories.. for 12 years in school I got to see him everyday, hear him order around, managing school and everything... and for 2 years in college i was in his class.Hearing him lecture, narrating his past experiences to us.. letting us know how he migrated from India, writing in Hindi script and his favorite Shakespeare and his journey to England. His passion for photography and poetry, his photo albums.His Pilgrimages and how he got the chance to see the inside of Kaaba.
About his family .. and i remember sitting on the last bench with Hanaa who continuously used to give exasperated sighs.
and the famous novel.... Great Expectations... Pip... =)) I never read the novel again, but i still remember it .. the details.. Sir made sure that we have it running through our body by the time we finish it. and he did succeed.
When we had our exams , he would drop me off to home. I think i have to feel special about it because i am the only living soul who has had this privilege.
There were days when me n Hanaa would just peep into his white mehran to see if there was any loose money. Somehow we were always short of money or may be we wee huge on appetite.. and once or twice we actually mustered up the courage to go to his office and ask for 10 rs. Later we would just giggle on the lil adventure.
I remember ourselves to be crazy Harry Potter fans, giving each teacher a character out of the book and Of course he was Dumbledore!
and right now, i wish we were in a magical world, where people in the pictures could move. I would have loved to visit his office with his big portrait hanging on the wall. i would have told him what place he carries! if only i could tell him now.
In college, we all were very vibrant and bubbly. Always coming up with new ideas to make our time special. Trying to be innovative, creative, funky and cool. Once, i wrote my name on the English poetry copy as
'Xyneb >!halyd'. H e circled my name and wrote : 'Chinese?' ... it still puts a smile on my face.
After College.. I went to uni and Hanaa moved out of town but he was never out of our conversations...
I had to know how he was, what;s his latest interest..
and then i came to know that he has bought a laptop... I didnt have one at that time, so naturally i was hell jealoused.
He was always so up to date. I guess he hated to be considered out of league.
After me and Hanaa graduated, we decided to join our school as 'teachers'. It was one of the most joyous experiences of my life. an absolute pleasure.
I found him to be a very supportive boss. and not to mention that he was very proud of both of us for being his students and serving the school. That meant a lot to me.
Over the years, I had started to think of him as my own grandfather. i had come to love him in a very special way. He had always been very respectful for me, for everyone.. but for me, he was more than what he was for others..
and just this morning, i learned that he has passed away...
something just exploded inside me.. a mountain of grief or something..
worst of all , i am sitting here, writing about him when i should be beside my best friend.
At this moment, i am regretting all the decisions in my life, that have made me stay and not go.
right now, i am just wishing to be there. Wishing not to do what i have to...
Me writing about him is the same as 'chota mun aur bari baat' and 'suraj ko charagh dikhana'.
and it also sorts of disappoints me that he wont be reading this... and makes it a little more unbelievable.
I saw him as an administrator, as a leader, as a teacher, as a boss, as an inspiration, as history, as a role model, as grandfather, as .. to say the least...a legendary educationist.
There are so many little things that are coming to me ... so many moments, so many memories.. too bad i am not enough of a writer to convert them into meaningful sentences.
but i know, all the people in Abbottabad have prayed for him. All his students who are spread across the world, have heard and prayed for him.
I pray to ALLAH that he provides my teacher with Noor in his grave... and place him in Jannah..
and let him drink from Huaz-3-kausar and let the good people be his companions in hereafter.. ameen.
Dear Sir, you are loved!!
P.s whoever gets to read this, please pray for him.
1999... 6th grade. Met Hanaa. Became best friends with her.
2000-04... came closer to her. Felt like family.
Her mom = my mom
Her dad = My dad
Her grandfather = school/college principal = Our dada!!
2005... 1st year in Collage. Principal became our English teacher.
2007... graduation.
2011.. Joined AIA as a Teacher.
2013.. Principal passed away... Dada passed away...
It took me just 6,7 lines to make this timeline but there are moments , living memories.. for 12 years in school I got to see him everyday, hear him order around, managing school and everything... and for 2 years in college i was in his class.Hearing him lecture, narrating his past experiences to us.. letting us know how he migrated from India, writing in Hindi script and his favorite Shakespeare and his journey to England. His passion for photography and poetry, his photo albums.His Pilgrimages and how he got the chance to see the inside of Kaaba.
About his family .. and i remember sitting on the last bench with Hanaa who continuously used to give exasperated sighs.
and the famous novel.... Great Expectations... Pip... =)) I never read the novel again, but i still remember it .. the details.. Sir made sure that we have it running through our body by the time we finish it. and he did succeed.
When we had our exams , he would drop me off to home. I think i have to feel special about it because i am the only living soul who has had this privilege.
There were days when me n Hanaa would just peep into his white mehran to see if there was any loose money. Somehow we were always short of money or may be we wee huge on appetite.. and once or twice we actually mustered up the courage to go to his office and ask for 10 rs. Later we would just giggle on the lil adventure.
I remember ourselves to be crazy Harry Potter fans, giving each teacher a character out of the book and Of course he was Dumbledore!
and right now, i wish we were in a magical world, where people in the pictures could move. I would have loved to visit his office with his big portrait hanging on the wall. i would have told him what place he carries! if only i could tell him now.
In college, we all were very vibrant and bubbly. Always coming up with new ideas to make our time special. Trying to be innovative, creative, funky and cool. Once, i wrote my name on the English poetry copy as
'Xyneb >!halyd'. H e circled my name and wrote : 'Chinese?' ... it still puts a smile on my face.
After College.. I went to uni and Hanaa moved out of town but he was never out of our conversations...
I had to know how he was, what;s his latest interest..
and then i came to know that he has bought a laptop... I didnt have one at that time, so naturally i was hell jealoused.
He was always so up to date. I guess he hated to be considered out of league.
After me and Hanaa graduated, we decided to join our school as 'teachers'. It was one of the most joyous experiences of my life. an absolute pleasure.
I found him to be a very supportive boss. and not to mention that he was very proud of both of us for being his students and serving the school. That meant a lot to me.
Over the years, I had started to think of him as my own grandfather. i had come to love him in a very special way. He had always been very respectful for me, for everyone.. but for me, he was more than what he was for others..
and just this morning, i learned that he has passed away...
something just exploded inside me.. a mountain of grief or something..
worst of all , i am sitting here, writing about him when i should be beside my best friend.
At this moment, i am regretting all the decisions in my life, that have made me stay and not go.
right now, i am just wishing to be there. Wishing not to do what i have to...
Me writing about him is the same as 'chota mun aur bari baat' and 'suraj ko charagh dikhana'.
and it also sorts of disappoints me that he wont be reading this... and makes it a little more unbelievable.
I saw him as an administrator, as a leader, as a teacher, as a boss, as an inspiration, as history, as a role model, as grandfather, as .. to say the least...a legendary educationist.
There are so many little things that are coming to me ... so many moments, so many memories.. too bad i am not enough of a writer to convert them into meaningful sentences.
but i know, all the people in Abbottabad have prayed for him. All his students who are spread across the world, have heard and prayed for him.
I pray to ALLAH that he provides my teacher with Noor in his grave... and place him in Jannah..
and let him drink from Huaz-3-kausar and let the good people be his companions in hereafter.. ameen.
Dear Sir, you are loved!!
P.s whoever gets to read this, please pray for him.
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