Over Heard at Nando's

Lady to the Waiter, on choosing the flavor:

“Mild aur Hot kay beech main kya hota hai?”

(What’s between the mild and hot?)

Next, I knew, I and other 4 friends couldn’t stop laughing over this suggestive query. We started discussing what could be the answer and also asked some of our guy friends. Here are the cheesy replies:

• Me.


• Main Hoon Na


• Depending what’s the capability of handler


• Average


• Aap jo kahein ;)

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Dear Khurram,

Today it’s been 9 years; we buried you 6 feet under.
If I say that life has changed since then, would be overly dramatic and sentimental. But yes, would you have been alive and smiling, I could say my friend is there for me. Usually, time fades memories, but somehow my elephant’s memory has made a movie of that time. I keep reminiscing about you often.

You are stamped in my brain; probably you were the first loved one I ever lost. We didn’t learn or unlearn anything from you but once you left we found that you were much more than what you showed to the world.

Death is definite and I want to admit that yours came quite blunt. If you had been racing, it was easier to console ourselves but your death was another’s mistake.

A mistake that could not be undone.

I miss you :(

Khurram Ayub
8th May 1983 – 21st April 2002

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Au revoir

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Last year, for a week or so, my boss asked me to time-in at 9 which means to wake up much earlier than usual. I saluted those people who wake up early and embrace the polluted air, honking buses, side-hitting bikes, and long queues at the signal. I spent that week cursing drivers, pedestrians, and many other things and sighed thankfully when it ended.

For two consecutive years, I enjoyed the luxury of coming to work at 10 am. It’s the kind of time people wish for but to me, it knocked on my door itself. Waking up at 9 and snoozing alarm thrice has almost become a ritual that will no longer be followed.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, only time will tell.

Coming to the office when everyone else has already reached is a privilege in a hustling bustling metro. I hardly had to face traffic jams or wait in long queues for the signal to go green. The best part is I never felt like waking up at the same time as I did in academic days. There were ease and laziness both that prevailed.

But that is not all.

I will have to leave my comfort zone of alarm snoozing, social networking, news watching, boss bugging, team talking, and most importantly bullying. A lot of stuff happened but I escaped all only by wearing ID. I write this while getting info on renewing my driving license which I never bothered before. And yes, I will also miss the untimely buzz on my phone.

Things are always sweet & sour at work but it’s the sweetness that keeps us sane.

So I am hoping that when I bid my farewell, my tenure here forms into sugar cubes to keep me strong and going.

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Fathers to remember !!!

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Few fathers can leave an impact on you in the most unknown and humble way. You don’t belong to them by blood but by care and concern. They can be your unintentional teachers of life.

Today on this day, two most influential fathers who are resting in heaven, share something common. S. Azhar Zaidi arrived in this world whereas S.Ahmad Razvi left this world today. I am not writing this to pay any tribute or speak too highly of them. For that their children are good enough examples.

I got to know Azhar uncle because his son and my brother are two inseparable friends. He was known to me as a very placid person. A tall and bearded man with tendered expression to put you at ease right at the time of greeting; he never got me nervous. It was not till he came to stay at our place in his last days before flying to the USA, I observed him closely.

Azhar uncle, as usual, stayed quiet but sweet. He was at a loss of his memory but still he managed to remember me as I was a regular face to him after lunch or at dinner. He used to get his things done from his son while I keep listening to his childhood memories and home town stories. He taught me to be a patient listener with a keen interest in the conversation. Uncle was living in a flashback which made me realize that man remembers only what he enjoyed most when his conscience is unknown, the time of carelessness and being free.

He made me feel important for himself by asking where she is while eating his meal. Watching him going through the ordeal and still at peace was a lesson itself. He made me an accomplished being when I used to bring a smile on his face by consistently listening to him and getting inquisitive.

While he was drifting away, his family hold onto him, I consider him fortunate and well paid for his deeds in this life.

Friendly, humorous, informative, palmist, accomplished naval officer and a businessman, that was Baba, as we all knew him since day one.

Have you ever seen a father who carried an aura around him? I have seen Ahmad's uncle. We could easily share a laugh with him about his son or tease her daughter along with him. I befriended Razvis from the beginning of university time and I don’t regret it. They represented genuine arrogance to teach you a lesson for life. Later, they transform and lift you up to the best because that’s what has been instilled in them by their father.

Ahmad uncle was an exemplary father for every daughter present on earth. He made me experience the respect, love, fulfillment, togetherness, and enrichment of the most sacred relationship, marriage.

Do I need to say more?

I am writing this down to remind myself of the time when I learned how to be a parent to remember. You both are treasured and remembered by the person you least expected.

See you in heaven!!!

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I value myself !!!

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Lately, I have been trying to freeze the world to avoid interruptions. Sadly, these interruptions don’t let me imagine the frozen world, let alone make it a reality.

Interruptions have variable meaning to everyone. For me, the most annoying disruption is from people who don’t put themselves in other shoes, yet not refrain from passing judgments. These people can be anyone from your family to friends to foes. They step on your feet and tell you it’s not painful at all and you must believe them.

During the last two years, I have learned my lesson a hard way about dealing with social pressures and how to cope up without taking any oral help. From left, right and center I witnessed people putting subliminal force on me for their own interest and in the end leaving it on me to choose. To their surprise, I chose what I wanted instead of giving into theirs.

One thing is for sure, no one can access your worth except your own self. Be it your parents, siblings, spouse, children, friends, etc, they all see yours through their own eyes and mind. People sometimes look up to me for strength and inspiration because I am a few of the females who stand up and fight for a right granted to them. I make some people jealous too. I am sure, I make them think that they are more miserable because they could not find the courage to come out of that misery.

I tell them it’s you who has to decide and take charge of your life. When all is good in your life, the social circle takes the credit by saying “US” and if it goes another way around, it simply becomes “YOU”. So if in the end, it’s always about you, be it you with whatever you choose not others.

Yesterday, I read a couplet behind a bus saying

Hoti jo muhabbat khoon kay rishton main,

Bikte na Yusuf, Misr kay bazaaron main.

(If there was any love in blood relation,

Prophet Yusuf would not have been sold

in markets of Egypt)

GOD must have sent us to this world to understand our being and value it.

So as long as we are alive, don’t be at others’ mercy, or you will be sold cheap. We cannot get as lucky as Hazrat Yusuf A.S. hence only our strength can lead us to our liberty from society and its unseen/unborn interests.

Whenever I start feeling low and question myself, I remind myself that am HIS creation, hence worth a lot more than anyone else could access.

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Preciously Possessed

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-->“Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: You find the present tense and the past perfect”

- Robert Orben, an American Magician

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I was reminiscing with a class fellow about old days at university when I came across the above quotation. You read it and say, nobody could be more honest and striking about being nostalgic.

Nostalgia is a feeling which can take over you at any point in time but winters savor it best. If I go back into time, along with all those who were around and accompanied me, I had the best of life indeed. While reading the quote, I realized that it’s a fact that we only miss our past when we go through a bitter present. Otherwise who would miss the bad patch? It’s only the goodness and sheer happiness of times we miss and obviously the people.

As time passes, we grow older and lose our freedom at the hand of time and others. All our life we want to grow up and jump from school to college to university. It’s only after those years when we are trapped in the vicious circle of responsibilities; we cherish what we had in those years. We had freedom and fun. The enthusiasm was filled in each small activity of life. Laughter wrappers were all around our days and nights. From a small Rs.5 Kit Kat to cheating in the quiz was our essence of life.

The maximum tension we suffered was maintaining a GPA or small heart-matters. I call them small because life has taught me what is BIG.

I still remember how we saw the first reporting of the Iraq War at a friend’s house and discussed it with her late father, Baba. We had huge dreams of changing the world and making our names in the history of time. Lifetime plans were discussed between the small spaces of the library or over Samosas (Potato Patty).

The freedom of dreams and imagination we experienced is priceless. We just didn’t know that out beyond these iron gates, the reality and responsibility both awaits us.

In winters, we want the warmth of our memories to wrap us, or else the season can leave its mark on us.

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I am happy that many of us hold a delightful past which makes us optimistic about the future and harbor our present.

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