Friday, September 18, 2009

You lit my way in the dim paths of life

" Ek hi saf mein khade ho gaye mahmud-o-Ayaz,
Na koi banda raha aur na koi banda nawaz." - Allama Iqbal

Nana was very fond of urdu poetry, and the one given above was one of his favourites. Whenever he recalled it, he used to ask me, "do you know what it means?"and I well aware of its meaning used to ask him to repeat it again...and then came out the words which were another important lesson in life, he replied," it means, that every one is equal in the eyes of God, when we stand for prayers, every one stands together, be it a mason or a rich landlord and we pray, we pray to the Lord who made all of us and for whom no one has a higher or a lower rank, everyones equal."
Yes everyone is equal in the eyes of God, but we humans have carved out such boundaries that have solidified in the harsh heat of time.
Nana was very fond of all those who worked for him, be it the person who prepared his hookah ( an eastern smoking pipe designed with a long tube passing through an urn of water) or the neighbourhood barber, each one had a special place in his heart and each got his problems solved through their favourite babuji ( thats what they called nana).
"This is what would go with you, nothing else..nothing else, its the way you treat people and the things you do for them that would fill the account of your deeds..an account that opens as soon as a person gains maturity." He used to hate the term servant, "whose servant?" He would question, " we have sent on this earth to serve each other, to help the other in their times of need..no one's below us..no one's our servant...we should be greatful for their services, its because of their hardwork that we lead a comfortable life."
The words ones told turn into the greatest lesson for life, even when I am angry the voice whithin asks me to calm down so that I don't have to regret my deeds. I sometimes wonder, can someones absence be so strong that it can guard our presence and take it towards the right path? Today I believe that it does, coz the voice within is our greatest guiding light...its a blessing of a pure soul and the love that ignites.
This Eid wont be the same as he's no longer there, but his words and values would celebrate their existence in my heart for ever and would be passed on so that they find a home in every heart :) A very happy Eid to all, May our life forever celebrate the goodness within.

Travelling through time,
it struck me once,
each passing day is a short sojourn,
they come and go like a flash of light,
leaving a mark, gracing my mind,
and all these marks turn into the lessons,
that lit my way in the dim paths of life.

14 comments:

  1. Wow! I am the first comment! :)
    Yay....:)
    Ok...that was another lovely post Sana. It is so true that we are born equal but our own deeds are the causes of boundaries that are built between people...Eid Mubarak. Your Nana will be pleased that his grandchild is spreading his words of wisdom in this holy month....:)

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  2. Yet, another wonderful post sana! Excellently written! It's so heartening to read about your Nana. He, surely, has found a place in all our hearts :-) And you're really doing a great job of spreading his words!

    Enjoyed the poem too.

    Agian, wishing you a happy Eid :-)

    Happy celebrations!

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  3. Arz kiya hai

    Aaj muddat baad phir kisi ne
    Wohi baat chhedi hai
    Jiske baare main hi
    Banda Khojta raha hai
    Ki Zindagi kiz cheez ka naam hai
    Jannat aur Ibaadat ka rang kya hai

    Shukriya Sana.Phir wohi din laane ke liye

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  4. A person's character and deeds have so much influence on everyone around, even when he is not around anymore... Your Nana influenced you and through you we are all reminded of the importance of unity, equality and compassion..A well-written post..Good work!
    And Eid Mubarak, Sana.

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  5. ur posts at yaadein always leave back an impact, a lesson i take back...grandpa was so true in saying
    "whose servant".For me, till now...i used to respect servants, but still at the back of my head...the term servant existed.
    its a revelation to me, something so obvious ..yet so blind to me.
    Yaadein has been a guiding light..grandpa has been a guiding light to me as well.
    Happy Eid sister, u remind me..i have to call someone!!

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  6. Friends, I am happy I could make a difference by spreading his words,I pray that each one of you is blessed with the happiness of life.
    Its in our hands to be humane and to live together in peace and harmony. The cord that binds us shd b so strong that it makes us inseperable and our enemy ineffective.
    India is a big family and we all are its members, each one is related to the other by the common bonds of our soil, in which we grew.
    Eid Mubarak to all :)
    Love and Best wishes
    Sana

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  7. What a wonderful message on the festive occasion.......Eid Mubarak.

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  8. Just catching up with the old posts as was busy with Eid celebration.

    Your Nana's words are so true, once we leave this world, it is our work that we have done in our lifetime, speaks on behalf of us. So, what you have achieved in life is important, but it is more important how you have achieved..

    Hope you enjoyed Eid to the fullest, I also did so :)

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  10. Eid Mubarak Sana.. I am late to wish but wishes are not belated...

    Your post always gives a soothing effect to the mind.. Very nice quotes..

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  11. Thats great Mustaf! Thanks for the wishes:)

    Hey Swatantra, giv my love to Sid :) Thanks for the wishes!!

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  12. Hope you had a nice Eid,inspite of the memories of the days with your Nana..

    God blessed you with a wonderful person as your grandfather..you can reward him by spreading his good deeds and words around you..God bless you!

    Beautifully written post as always and the last line of the poem(the title)..beauty!:)

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  13. Thanks Zayida! Have a great week ahead :)

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