A man to respect

Most of us live an unexamined life. That is because the circumstances are too compelling. By circumstances I mean the individual versus the rest. The forces of circumstances are indeed quite dictatorial. One’s birth, brought-up, education, career, family, social life and what not are mostly determined by the forces of circumstances leaving very little time and space for free action.

Often what goes around us is not of our liking. It is not probably the way, we want things to be but how many of us have the will to raise the ‘banner of revolt’ against the established ‘narrative of life’. It is easy to say that we do not like ‘the dross of life’ but at the end almost all of us become a part of this ‘dirt,’ barring a few exceptions. Professor Hussain Ahmed Zubaer’s life has been one such exception and that is why the literary quarterly journal ‘Barish’ has dedicated its entire sixth issue in his honour under the title ‘Armaghan-e-Zubaer’ (Professor Hussain Ahmed Zubaer ki yad mein).

One does not have to be a Socrates or a Che to envision a unique vision of life, as these were ‘big men’ whose ideas and actions transformed the lives of millions across continents and therefore ‘too big’ to be emulated by a common man. It is not that Professor Zubaer was unfamiliar with the ideas of such giants; in fact, his rare personal collection contains a large number of seminal works of history, philosophy and literature of the East and the West. His reflective essays on poetry and history in this journal manifest a deep understanding of these disciplines of knowledge.

No common man can afford to ‘play big’ in life. The important question that begs an answer is that ‘can a common man with all the accompanying limitations still live a life of choice within the given circumstances?’ It is a difficult proposition because common man has hardly any choices. A reading of the sixteen long and short write-ups, which in a sense is the reflections and reminiscences of his friends and associates, who have been attached with him for several decades, testify the fact that even an ordinary man can live as a free human and not necessarily as a slave of his given circumstances. Flash backs from his life help in understanding this phenomenon.

Till today, I cannot forget the public statement of a senior educationalist, who said about teachers that those who could not do any other thing in life join the teaching profession. Zubaer Sahib opted it by choice being a double Masters in English and Political Science. He proved to be a well-respected professor throughout his career in Rahim Yar Khan and Lahore, retiring as the head of the English Department from the Government Science College, Wahdat Road. Even before joining teaching, he was a success story by the Pakistani standards having qualified the PCS competitive examinations and appointed as an Extra Assistant Commissioner. In this position, he was catapulted as the dispenser of justice. However, after some time, he resigned from this much coveted post because he had realized that he would not be able to do justice as the system was heavily loaded in favour of the unjust. When someone pointed out that it was a coveted career, he clarified that freedom of conscience could not be sacrificed at the altar of bureaucratic power. Easier said than done! But he did it. Like most of us, he too could have easily indulged in the ‘dross of life’ but being a crystal headed intellectual he preferred a much humble yet free life which ensured at least a good night’s sleep with clear conscience.

Even as a professor, he was quite distinct from his fellows. While the others spent more time in private tuition centres and less in classrooms to raise additional sources of revenue to buy a car, a plot or a house, Zubaer Sahib or “Murshid” as he was lovingly called, never cared an iota about these ‘fortunes’. Till his retirement, he lived in rented houses and never owned a car. In this way, he kept his evenings all for himself and his friends. He was a man, who believed in living with a style. This style was unique in several ways. After the college hours, he would not rush home but would leisurely stroll from the Islamia College, Civil Lines via the Oriental College to the Old Anarkali inspecting all the stalls of old books on the way, on daily basis. After spending some time at Sabu and Ahmed bookshops, he would indulge in ‘Amroodkhori’ at the ‘rehri’ of Riaz Butt before proceeding home for lunch, late in the afternoon.

Not only was he a collector and avid reader of books, he encouraged others, particularly the youth to read and write as well. Several of his youthful friends are now, in teaching, writing, translation, publication and journalism. This youth were not his college students but the ones whom he made friends at the bookshops and in the cafes and restaurants of the Mall that he frequented religiously in the evenings for decades in the company of his bosom friends. He was a regular visitor at Capri, Caspian, Pak Tea House, Cheneys lunch home and the canteen at the Alfalah Cinema. Most of these hang-outs have become history, now, and his friends jokingly blamed him for their closure.

The lively Professor was a true romantic, who pursued his ideals by leading a weekly discussion forum called “Forum for Literature, Identity, Tolerance and Equity” (FLITE) where every member was free to express his opinions without inhibitions. Each word in the title of the forum clearly reveals his cherished ideals. The issue of identity questions every thinking mind. Even his own identity i.e. his name “Hussain Ahmed” was chosen by his father, who was a great admirer of Maulana Hussain Ahmed Madni, the top leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, which stood for a distinct Islamic identity for the Indian Muslims but within the umbrella of the greater Indian nationalism as espoused by the Indian National Congress. At the same time, ‘Hussain Ahmed’ added ‘Zubaer’ to his name on his own because he was greatly impressed by the heroic character of ‘Zubaer’ in an historical novel of Naseem Hejazi entitled “Dastan-e-Mujahid”. It is true that his identity was rooted in the Muslim metaphors, and although he was a ‘Hafiz-e-Quran,’ who unfailingly fasted and personally distributed the zakat yet he remained a committed secular, believing in progressive and liberal political ideals. That is why some of the leaders he admired most were the pan-Arabist Gemal Abdel Nasser, the liberal Kemal Ataturk, the nationalist Z A Bhutto and the anti-imperialists Mao and Lenin. Their portraits adorned the walls of his study and their birth anniversaries were celebrated as occasions of debate and communion with friends.

He had several academic projects in mind which could not be realized due to his sudden demise. Let’s see if his friends can continue the mission of enlightenment that they commonly share. One of them, the renowned Urdu poet and critic Saifullah Khalid has fired the first shot by compiling this memorable work. The more is eagerly awaited.

Quarterly Barish

Edited by: Saifullah Khalid and Tariq Asad

Published: T and T Publishers, Lahore

Pages: 128; Price: Rs100

The writer is an academic and journalist. He can be reached at [email protected].