Procession of memories (Yadoon ki baarat)

By Basharat Ali Muluk He was more than a brother to me. In our class and especially in our group of six, we used to call him “Sha G”. Though I respect Shahs very much, his respect was on the top. His love for me was more like paternal maternal. A master, jack of all traits, a man who was fond of music, an eloquent soul, from head to toe a perfect musical body, every part of the body perfectly adopting new trends in music, People say Sonnu Nigam has 72 vocals but I say Shah G was a complete system of musical instruments; sithar, rabab, gharba (his ancestral item), flute,piano, daf, jirkan, songs, ghazals, national songs,  ginan and many more were on the top of the list which I used to enjoy with him from our first meeting. An icon of love, a happy faced soul I met on 1st day of our admission, 17th April 2009 in class 8th at AKHSS Seenlasht Chitral. During an introduction we came to know each other. I told my mother too is Syed. He told he was Syed Tariq Ali Shah. Yea, he was Tariq, now he is “Tarek, chorna wala, one who leaves you”.  Born on 27 December 1994, Shah G, left us this bad day, 10th of May 2017. In an age of 15 he joined AKHSS for SSC, after completion of SSC because of our insistence he joined us back for HSSC in AKHSS and later shifted to Sayurj Public school and College. After doing his pre-engineering he chose BS-IR from UoP and currently was enrolled in 4th semester. Our natures resonated with each other. Slowly and gradually the bond was too tight. We were synchronized to each other. All the things we used to do together. In the first year, I was with busy schedule at Balach, home. I used to miss trips. Every time when the group was back, every time there was my accountability, Tariq with lot of grudges, teasing. Traveling refreshes mind and lets you learn things, he said every time. When we were in 10th class, we had a trip to Qaqlasht. This trip I didn’t miss. Certainly, one learns lot of things on travels, I found from the good advice. This strengthened our bond more. We had lot of fun. Five of us, stayed at my home. We were very tired, all the day playing at Qaqlasht, then done with arrangements to send back remaining of our friends. All were deeply drowsy, like dying for few hours sleep. But my late dada was very sweet with his historical approaches and stories. He started telling the entering of SHAH’s , Zubair’s and Akmal’s families into Chitral one by one. The sleep was over or they had enjoyed it? At the time I was surprised, but yea, later in the morning when we left Morder, they urged me to come back someday to listen their stories, which neither of their families know nor may find in books. In our way back to Chitral he repeatedly told, “ look, to travel with friends has its own importance and joy. You learn things. As we did. I will pay visit next time too. I like tours”. I was happy to call them back but meanwhile Dada left us. Generosity, cheerfulness, easiness and being natural are few words in my weak vocabulary to match his nature. I know library of words wouldn’t be enough to define him. In his residency we six had a room, five of us, TABTZ, regularly used to be there to have Rice, omlet over it, khasta shapik and cup of teas, ready  for us by our mother(shah’s mother), each time anticipating and expecting our visit. Long giggles, regular playing of sithar, drum & sometimes flute  with English, urdu, Khowar and Pashto songs was our schedule. In break time or sometime after bunks Shah G used to be there to take us to our room, literally “maikhana”, at his home. His musical plays and songs for times boosted our ecstasy so much, we used to sing loud together and dance together over in the room. When tired all together sleeping over each other static for hours. Those were days, which rejuvenate us again and again. I used to share with him. Shah’s taste and mostly our taste of music was classical one. This great social worker, jamati leader, dedicated and honest friend was a single piece from heaven. A gentle soul, can’t be described in words. In my stay at Seenlasht home, for HSSC, I found him regular, responsible and sincere in his duties, ranging from friendship to religious duties. Every day we had set a time in the evening, everyday he was there timely. I was mismanaged, but neither he was late in football, which we played in AWKUM university, nor in our evening walks. Everyday, I had found him in the door of JK doing his duties. JK was his second abode. He never compromised the duties. He had made lot of fans in my circle too. After I got admission in UET, we were busy and the physical borders were creating gaps in friendship but he never let the borders widen. His calls and messages reminded the memoirs and refresh the bond. When he came for BS , we used to reciprocate visits. He had made lot of friends here. Everyone is praising his appearance. Every eye is tearful for you. This incidence seems a myth, a lie, unbelievable. How could a person who used to meet me and sit with me for 3-4 hours few days before his moving to Karachi, a cheerful young and strong boy, a mature man who used to advice me and take advices from me fly this way away from us? How???? Our cries are echoing back to us and we are not finding your shoulder to hold our foreheads. O! man where did your plans of doing things for students go??? Where did the promises to dance over each other’s weds go???Where are your calls, in the evenings? Where are your sweet comments and grudges over facebook??Who will sit beside us in the “Maikhana”?? Who will take sips of tea with me in Uni food in the evening??Who will call and update us about events in Peshawar and Peshawar JK?? Who will sing in my Next Birthday?? Who will play cards with me?? Who will listen to my sad and happy news?? Will there be any to trust at me and share his personals with me??Will there be any to sing “Yaar e man hameen”,”Balach wa kia xagha e”, “Zindagi qurban” and many other with me.?? The more loud the cries and the questions are with more speed echo back to me. But alas! We could have hugged each other for once. Met for once and laugh together for once. Why there was such an incident from a mature person like him?Such incidents have been common in our  homes, in our friends and relatives circle. Whether it was from nature or it is because of some other factor.Whatever the reason be, I am speechless, we lost a treasure, which ll never return to us. Your memories will remain imprints in our hearts and stored and refreshed in our minds. The love will increase exponentially and the prayers will be regular for you. We are proud that we had a friend with such a great character and personality.May our prayers make the journey easiest for you. O our lord! Keep Shah G in your hands and reward him with highest of Paradise. Give strength to his family members,relatives and all of our friends to bear the irreparable loss. The hearts pounding be soothed with his memories and may his moral legacy be followed and carried on by us.–ameen.]]>