Karachiites classified bookworms!

Akin to the Founder of Pakistan, Right Honorable Mohammad Ali Jinnah, my father, the late HAJI BHAI ESMAIL DOSSA had a very close affinity with the Zoroastrian community of Bombay and subsequently, also had many a Parsi friend, like Ardeshir Cowasjee in Karachi. Neighbors of our Bombay building apartment, Moti Mahal, Church Gate, were the Parsi Dr. Jal Daeboo and his beautiful, light skinned daughter Homie. Dr. Daeboo was an X-ray specialist. He certified in the last week of July 1947 that Right Honorable Mohammad Ali Jinnah had terminal tuberculosis.
The troupe of the Opera Madame Butterfly arranged by the impresario Barbara Segal of London was performing at the Banquet Hall of the Inter Continental Hotel on the night of Tuesday, October 18, 1988. Seeing his friend, Dr. Jamshed Talati and spouse Dr. Gul Talati at the musical, Madame Butterfly my father Haji sahib made the apt observation "Zoroastrians are heirs to, sponsoring, rich artistic traditions." And that too is recently, borne and visible on BBC, CNN & FOX tv channels and newspapers in the blatant destruction, loot and vandalized Zoroastrian ancient, pre-historic temples and monuments by the ISIS. This is depicted in films of artifacts, destroyed systematically by ISIS thugs in what were once prestigious museums of Mosul, Sinjar, Irbil, Tikrit and Kirkuk. In keeping with the time honored traditions of the Parsis in patronizing, promoting, and sponsoring, artistic festivals, be it in Bombay, Karachi or Toronto, head of their community in Karachi, namely Counsel General of Canada, Honorable Byram Dinshaw Avari, Chairman of the Avari Group of Hotels, and his industrious sons Dinshaw and Xerxes, once again, gamely, threw open the doors of their spacious Beach Luxury Hotel, to welcome over 100,000 guests to the Sixth Literature Festival that was sponsored by none other than Ameena Sayed, Managing Director of Oxford University Press, between Friday, February 6th to Sunday 8th.
Once again, full marks to Ameena Sayed for ensuring the outlet for the old and young of Karachi in their adulation, love and study, pursuit of English books. Whoever said people in Karachi do not read books. Contrarily, rather from the record, of mammoth crowd that poured in the Beach Luxury Hotel from all corners and segments of our city, between February 6th and 8th, I would assess, conclude, testify and bear witness, Karachiites are classified book worms.
"I AM KARACHI"
Overflow crowds of well attired, men, women, handsome boys and gorgeous, slender figure conscious, girls looking amazingly pretty in any clothes, from Schools, Colleges and Universities, attended the arrangements that were organized bereft of a hiccup, as per the calibrated time table, put out from Volunteers of "I am Karachi." Onrush was very thick, at the huge gathering, of students, reaching Byram Dinshaw Avari's hotel, particularly, on Sunday, February 8th.. In my late septuagenarian years, therefore, quite elderly, senior citizen that I am, I found it difficult to circulate, move on, with the aid of my walking stick. I learnt from engaging in conversation, English for sure is to be the mother tongue of the coming generation. English is the language that ensures and guarantees their future professional careers, and the language in which they are most comfortable. At the Beach Luxury Hotel, Hussain Naqvi (Homeboy) was there, so were Fatima Bhutto (Songs of Blood and Sword) and Pakistan's leading historian Ayesha Jalal (The sole spokesman & Struggle for Pakistan). Runaway of writers, in Hussain (H.S.) Naqvi, Fatima Bhutto and Ayesha Jalal represented Pakistan at the celebrated Jaipur Fair. I inquired from Hussain Naqvi, if the turnout at the Karachi Literature arrangement was anything like he had experienced at Jaipur Book Festival where his landmark publication "Homeboy" had received the first prize of $50,000 in January 2011. Hussain Naqvi replied that numbers in Karachi far exceeded that of Jaipur. After all Jaipur was in the hinterland of India and not every one could get to Jaipur and Karachi, being the port city, was far more accessible to the public at large. Karachi Book Fair had been initiated by Ameena Sayid after witnessing for herself, the Jaipur Festival and now in attendance, Karachi Book Fair had over taken the Jaipur Festival.
Extensive catering for three days and nights, to ensure that no one was left hungry, at most affordable prizes, was carried out, conducted from the Casbah Restaurant of Beach Luxury Hotel under the aegis of Iftikhar Ali Khan, Director of Food and Beverages. Iftikhar Ali Khan is originally from Lahore, and was employed in the higher echelon of Sadruddin bhai Hashwani's Marriot Hotels in Karachi and Islamabad, and Pearl Continental Hotels, of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Rawalpindi. Some years ago, for better emoluments, higher education and therefore better, future, prospects for his growing children, Iftikhar Ali Khan left his roots to migrate from Lahore to Miami. In the process, he acquired the Green Card and the treasured American passport. Iftikhar said he was disillusioned with the brash American mentality and ways, lacking family living and understanding that had made his children insolent, turned against him. Iftikhar is back in Pakistan, bereft of his family. Iftikhar says sarcastically, his family has drunk too much of the American water. He returned to his moorings, where Iftikhar contends he was very, kindly given a job according to his experience, status and years of service, in the Hotel and Hospitality industry, in his recent appointment by Byram Seth or Baba as he is affectionately known by the employees of the Avari Hotel. Iftikhar Ali Khan is presently, Director of Food and Beverage, Beach Luxury Hotel. Very industrious, methodical in the acquired ways of the axiom, motto of our Quaid, of work, work and work, Iftikhar, remained alert and was on his toes. For three days and night, Iftikhar put with the discomfort of staying in the Hotel room, during the tenure of the Book Festival. To ensure there was no complaints, no short comings, no slip ups under his Management that has been charged and entrusted to him by the Chairman Byram Dinshaw Avari and his down to earth, very fine, sons, Dinshaw and Xerxes. Iftikhar and Moin, the Assistant Food Manager, had to look after, tend to all the dignitaries, invitees from 12 different countries, to the Festival and provide with the desired Western, Pakistani and Vegetarian Food. Rooms of the Hotel were filled to capacity with foreign and indigenous visitors, numbering 150 and over, that arrived in Karachi for the three days to address the Sixth Literature Festival.
MAHOMED ALI HABIB UNIVERSITY
Managing Director of Oxford University Press, Ameena Sayed also serves as the Trustee of the fledgling Mahomed Ali Habib University. Chairman of Mahomed Ali Habib University is the versatile Rafiq Mahomed Ali Habib, Banker, Industrialist, Educationist, Sportsman and Philanthropist. In the ways of his great father Seth Mahomed Ali Habib, Rafiq does not know his right hand from his left hand when he gives out charities to the dispossessed. Rafiq is rushed, short of time, even though he relentlessly works, twelve hours a day, seven days a week, with running his Habib Bank A.G. Zurich in Switzerland and other business commitments. Rafiq is also the M.D. and Director of assorted industries, under the nomenclature and umbrella of House of Habib, like Indus Motors in Karachi, as well as trading and manufacturing firms in Dubai, London, Toronto, etc. Rafiq is the lone survivor of the five siblings, four sons, Hyder, Sulieman, Habib Mohammed (H.M.) and Shamim (Fatima) from the family of Seth Mahomed Ali Habib and Sakkar Khanum bai Mahomed Ali Habib have departed for their heavenly abode. As such younger generation of the Habib's, look up to him, for advice on family matters and other issues that is indeed time consuming. The flagship of the Habib family was Habib Bank Limited that was Nationalized by Bhutto and his half witted, Finance Minister Mubashir Hassan on December 31, 1973. An embittered Hyder Habib, thereafter, acquired Swiss Nationality, and reached the pinnacle of his most successful Banking career in the Habib Bank A.G. Zurich which ranks today among the leading international Banks, with their one hundred plus Branches in Pakistan, operating under the norm of Habib Metropolitan Bank. Though Hyder migrated to Switzerland in January 1974, his heart was always in Pakistan. Back of his mind, there was this commitment to serve the nation that prompted him to make this individual enormous donation to the Mahomed Ali Habib University of Karachi. Hyder is no more. Hyder returned to the ages on Wednesday, May 4th 2011 in the Heillband Hospital of Zurich. Two days thereafter, afternoon of May 6th 2011, Hyder's mortal remains were brought to Karachi from Zurich to repose, adjacent to the graves of his father and mother, in the community cemetery of Khurasan Bagh, Karachi.
The reins of Habib Bank A.G. Zurich have been passed onto Hyder's son Mohammed, the present M.D. of the institution. The truth is Hyder's heart never left Pakistan and to that end, his younger brother Rafiq, has fulfilled Hyder's dream and vision in the fledgling Mahomed Ali Habib University, to perpetuate the memory of their late father Seth Mahomed Ali Habib who is best remembered for giving the blank Check of Lloyds Bank to Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah in December 1947. Pakistan's coffers were dry. India was not releasing the share of Rupees Fifty five crores from the Rupees Seventy five crores, affixed by the Arbitration Commission. Given his multifarious commitments and the fact, on an average six months in a year, Rafiq Habib is travelling abroad, out of Pakistan, he has entrusted, vested full authority to Ameena Sayid in supervising the administration of Mohammad Ali Habib University where according to Rafiq she is doing a wonderful job. Perforce, Rafiq relies on professionals in the form of Ameena Sayed to run the Mahomed Ali Habib University that he has built to perpetuate the name of his illustrious father Seth Mahomed Ali Habib. January 1947, Seth pioneered Banking in Pakistan at the instance of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammd Ali Jinnah, to shift the head office of Habib Bank Limited from Bombay to Karachi. In the series of stamps of Pioneers of Pakistan, a commemorative Stamp was issued by the Postal Department of Government of Pakistan, for Seth Mahomed Ali Habib, on May 15, 2000, to mark his ninety sixth birthday.
POWER FAILURE
While attending consistently, the Literature Fair for three days, among the personages I encountered, was an old connection of my father Syeda Abida Hussain who was at the stall of Oxford University Fair, signing her landmark Book, titled "Power Failure." During the early sixties in Karachi, when our family used to own the Hotel Columbus, Abida and her father, Colonel Abid Hussain were wont to reside at our Hotel Columbus on main Clifton Road, when they came to Karachi from Lahore. Abida's Champion horse Montreux, would be brought from Lahore in the winter months, to contest for the blue rib band races and Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup, in the Karachi Race Course.
Montreux won the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup consistently for two years, end December 1964 and end December 1965, a record that is hitherto unbeaten and unequaled on the Karachi turf. Sectarian connections on both sides, my elder brother Nissar used to date Abida while she was in Karachi. Nissar and Abida were oft seen at Le Gourmet Nite Club, of Palace Hotel, where Nissar would drive Abida from Hotel Columbus, in his red, flashy, convertible Triumph. Be that as it may, nothing came out of the friendship between Nissar and Abida. However, my father, HAJI SAHIB, a keen race horse owner in Pakistan and England, continued patronizing and breeding his mares at the Shah Jewna Stud Farm at Jhang of Col Abid Hussain, even after Nissar and Abida had moved on.
Night of October 19, 1993, my younger sister Munira and I were in Lahore, for the engagement of my nephew Ali with his cousin Fatima, daughter of Brigadier Akram Saeed. In the gathering were Abida Hussain and her relation Mohammed Fakhri father of the Bollywood celebrated actress Nargis Fakhri. Mohammed Fakhri besieged me with queries of my brother Nissar who then in his capacity, as Managing Director of our Jupiter Textile Mills was the President of All Pakistan Textile Mill Owners Association. Like the family of Colonel Abid Hussain, Fakhris' are a very wealthy family with extensive holdings in the Textile scene of Punjab, and therefore Mohammed Fakhri's interest in my elder brother Mohammed Nissar, who was named after Mohammed Nissar, the opening fast bowler from Lahore Gymkhana, representing the Indian cricket team playing England in 1934. In the brief conversation I had with Abida Hussain at the Karachi Literature Fair, I corrected her that the quote in the culmination of "Power Failure" which reads: "If you desire to see me; You will have to cross, a rock strewn pathway, There wont be a luxurious garden, Adorning my abode, along the wayside" pertained to the poet Mustafa Zaidi. The poet laureate composed the verses in the Meena Bar of the Inter Continental Hotel of Karachi while he was awaiting Shehnaz. Mustafa Zaidi saw his girl friend Shehnaz reaching to him, glowing the Meena Bar with her presence when Mustafa spontaneously inspired, was prompted to scribble the timeless couplet on the Menu card of the Meena Bar.
Mustafa's dismissal from the services was because of his solitary, much publicized, affairs with one of the assorted girl friends, paramours of General Yahya Khan, namely Shehnaz Gul. She was a key player, organizer of the infamous gatherings, parties referred to as the Nights of Generals' at Governor's House in Karachi and at the Sands Spit, Chairman's villa of the Karachi Port Trust. Shehnaz Gul husband Salim Gul was a recipient of a Textile Mill permit that was not approved, vehemently opposed by the top of the line, senior bureaucrat Said Ahmed, Controller of Foreign Exchange in the State Bank of Pakistan. Said Ahmed was a good friend of my Papa, HAJI BHAI ESMAIL DOSSA and he related to my father at our Hotel Columbus that his dissenting note against giving the Textile Mill permit to Salim Gul which he sold for Rupees Five hundred thousand only, a princely amount in the late sixties, earned the ire of General Yahya that led to the forced retirement of Said Ahmed from service.
Following the abrupt dismissal from service on December 2, 1969, Mustafa moved from Nawabshah to Karachi with his Austrian/German wife Vera and their son Mujtaba and daughter Ismet. They stayed at Sindh Club, in rooms reserved for members, guests of Ahmed Peerbhoy. Differences evoked between Vera and Mustafa over his ongoing romance with the married woman Shehnaz Gul. Vera was Nordic and therefore frigid. Vera confided to her close friends that listed Ahmed (Eddie) Dada, Ruth Shaffi and Bob Odho, in the Sindh Club enough was enough and she could not take the flaunting by Mustafa. September 1970, estranged and separated, Vera left her husband in Karachi, took her children Mujtaba and Ismet and moved to Vienna. Meanwhile, Mustafa departed from the Sindh Club and settled in the spacious confines of the Guest House of Ahmed Peerbhoy where he unfortunately succumbed to his most untimely end, on the morning of Sunday, October 12, 1970, with Shehnaz Gul sleeping by his side, on the bed, in the room. Diagnosis of Mustafa Zaidi's death was said to be to the fatal and lethal co-mingling of Aphrodite and alcohol.
Whisky, Vodka, Champagne, Wine, Brandy, were heavily consumed in the night at the Key Club, thirty eighth birthday party for Mustafa, thrown by Ahmed Peerbhoy for ten of his selected couples in the Nasreen Ball Room of the Inter Continental Hotel.
EPILOGUE
Old age is catching up on me. I suffer from chronic arthritis. My feet were hurting, not holding, while I related the anecdote of Mustafa Zaidi, at the Beach Luxury Hotel, to my long, forgotten family friend Abida Hussain, whose correspondence with my father for breeding of mares at Shah Jewna Stud are still preserved by me in a Box File in my Library. During 1962, I had stayed overnight with my father at the Shah Jewna Guest House, to fetch, for training in Karachi, our two-year-old colt who was named by my Dad: "C'est la vie." With the aid of my assistant Arfa and walking cane, I haltingly walked back from the Oxford University Book Stall to open refreshing air Casbah Restaurant, for Dinner of Grill Lobster, Chicken Shashlik and fresh salad, topped by mayonnaise, graciously arranged by Moin, Assistant Manager, Food, Catering. I enjoyed my meal and elatedly over saw the enthusiasm and joyful attitude of up and coming generation of Karachi's boys and girls, in Books, Supreme Court of Pakistan Advocate Asma Jehangir was on the next table. She was also relishing food in the Casbah Restaurant. Latter mentioned that she regularly subscribed to Business Recorder, Saturday, Week End Magazine and recognized me as Alex London, one of the regular contributor to the Newspaper. From my twenty odd, Books titled "The Khoja's - Chosen One's" carried by my assistant Arfa, I had two copies left. The first copy, I presented to Asma Jehangir and the second copy of "Khoja's" I gave to the German female Fraulein Andrea Backhans from the Department of Frankfurt Book Fair. Andrea was one of the adjudicators to award the Frankfurt Peace Prize, for best non fiction book published in Pakistan, at the Karachi Literature Fair that carried the princely amount of Rs.300,000. Well past one o'clock on Monday morning, February 9th, my chauffeur Aziz-ur-Rahman and the Beach Luxury Valet were able to bring, steer, my Honda Civic from the cramped Parking Lot, to the entrance of Beach Luxury Hotel, from where I was driven with Arfa to my residence Falak Numa, in Garden East.
It was quite cold traffic was thin in the night. I was, back home from the Beach Luxury Hotel in fifteen minutes.