My Abbajaan (My Father)

It is seldom and rather rare, that we find our complete ideal in any personality. We do find some parts or some characteristics of our ideal, and even that, too widely scattered, in a person or persons. However, once in a while we come across a charismatic personality possessing all or most of the hues or characteristics, which we wish to see in an ideal being. I was fortunate enough to have my Abbajan at my ideal who possessed a personality complete in all respects.
Daughters are usually closer to their fathers. I, too, was closer to abbajan than to my mother. He was the person I loved most. I wanted to become the person he wanted me to be. I keenly felt that I should never do any thing, which may fall short of the high standards set by my father. My words and deeds should reflect my upbringing. I was always conscious of the fact that Abbajaan had worked extremely hard, made great sacrifices for attaining a position and nothing should tarnish it. This feeling continued to grow with me.
Abbajaan never directly tried to train me or asked me to do anything. He had his own way of training people. He showed the way by his own actions and deeds. He subtly taught me all the values endeared by him, by practicing them himself, ie truth, tolerance and good morals. I was with him most of the time. The only time I was away from him was probably the few hours' sleep at night.
I was his constant companion, attending most of the programmes and receptions, and accompanied him to the office. He never wasted a single moment, attending to files and papers while being driven to work, discussing details with me. Even during the days of his governorship, his training-by-example continued. He never wanted us to assume airs or suffer from any complexes. I never fully saw the inside of the governor's house. He, himself, seldom used the official vehicle. Once when he was governor of Sindh, while traveling by air in the economy class we got seats just beside the first class cabin. The airhostess, seeing the governor sitting in the economy class, brought juice but he politely refused the offer and I followed suit. I knew why he had refused to accept it. When the airhostess went back he questioned, 'Do you know why did I not accept the juice?' I replied, 'Yes! it was a facility offered to the first class passengers.'
He said, 'Yes, and we are not first class passengers and have no right to it.'
Abbajan did not have to worry about my education. This responsibility was shouldered by my maternal uncle (late Hakim Mohammad Yahya). In fact, Abbajan was so engrossed in his mission, first to develop and nurture Hamdard and then Madinat al-Hikmah, that he had little time left for other things. His missions demanded full attention all the time.
I was fourteen when Abbajan began to take me with him to attend various parties and programmes. The first such party, I still remember, was at the Chinese Embassy, which was, in those days, near our residence. In 1963 I accompanied him, for the first time, in journeying abroad and, interestingly, the first country I visited was China. We often used to visit India; in particular, we spent summer vacations with my uncle, Hakeem Abdul Hameed (my father's elder brother) and stayed in Delhi or went to Nainital, the hill-station. Latter, our uncle began to visit us in Karachi.
Punctuality was one of his other outstanding traits, one that he wished to be followed at home as well. When he decided something to be done at a certain time, it had to be done by that time. We also became accustomed to it. On the occasion of my wedding a photographer came to make portraits. I was already late. So, inspite of my friends' insistence, I refused to pose for the portraits because it would have delayed my arrival at the dais (wedding stage) by the time fixed by my father.
When my two elder daughters started to go to school my father asked me to join Hamdard. But I was mentally not ready for it and dilly dallied. The youngest was only a few months old. Then one day he said:
'If you want to have a stake in Hamdard you have to start working for it. Madam (Mrs L.A. D'Silva) is to migrate to Canada and this is the time you should join.' Abbajaan was a disciplinarian and that was nowhere more visible than in his office. When I first joined Hamdard, by chance I addressed him as Abbajan. He immediately checked me and said:
"In office I am not Abbajaan."
Since that day I became so accustomed to addressing him as Chairman Sahib or Hakim Sahib that even at home I began to addressing him by these designations. I always looked towards him and always desired to do everything in the manner liked by him. I did not like the idea of his reproaching me for anything or disapproving any of my words or deeds.
He worked very hard for his mission. There was the building and development of Hamdard. Then there was the Tibbi-i-Unani. His aim was its revival and to make it acceptable to the modern world. And finally the mission of progress in the field of knowledge and learning, the Madinat al-Hikmah. All these were gigantic projects requiring great sacrifices and efforts. In pursuing these missions, whenever he faced any problem, he usually became silent, suffering the hardship himself, and never shared his sorrows and worries with any one. Perhaps he did not like to burden others with his worries and problems. But recently, he used to say that he needed to lesson his sleeping time by another hour. I asked how he could keep fit and functioning with three hours' sleep. But he insisted that he must cut down on his sleep.
I now realise why he was in such a hurry! He wanted to complete his mission in his life-time. He wanted to do so much. During the later years of his life, he believed in making his thinking universal and openly spoke out his ideas. He had also minutely recorded all his ideas and feelings. Nothing of his life is hidden. It is an open book for every body who wishes to know him.
When there were restrictions on forex and a fixed amount was given by the State Bank for travelling abroad he, on coming back to Pakistan, returned every single dollar. Sometimes, all the foreign currency was returned by him. He had no foreign currency account. When he was invited to attend international conferences and was offered fare, he refused to accept it and always wrote to the organisers that he would come on his own because he deemed it wrong to accept payment for academic contributions. In all his affairs, throughout his life, he never compromised on principles and always acted honestly. This gave him the moral courage to speak out against dishonesty and corruption.
He had enmity with none. He neither wished harm nor gave trouble to any body. He always did good to others. Even those who tried to harm him in any way and created obstacles for him, directly or indirectly, he requited them with good. He never complained.
My Abbajaan is a Shaheed. He used to say that those who serve others become immortal. He certainly became immortal.