THINKERS ARE OFTEN ISOLATED AND LEFT ALONE
SOCIETY CARES LEAST FOR THOSE WHO DO MOST
The plight of Ms Shameem Anwar in her last days
Obviously I met Ms Shameem Anwar at least a few times, if not more. Our paths were destined to cross each other. Our joining force was naturally G.A. Pervaiz, who was an icon of my father M.A. Rahman Chughtai. My father knew Dr Allama Iqbal personally for about twenty years and there was no reason that Pervaiz Sahib should not cross his way. The relationship started from Turkman road, Delhi itself, long before Karachi and Lahore. My father financially supported the project of Pervaiz Sahib, and we have more than 71 letters of Pervaiz Sahib to prove our point. My father did not leave Pervaiz Sahib in his times of need. That is why on 17th January, 1976, Pervaiz Sahib attended a memorial meeting (he rarely went to other places) on the first death anniversary of the artist and his speech is on record. But that later. This is about Ms Anwar. Visitor of both our home and museum, she brought her own radiations here.
Ms Shameem Anwar was part of our family in more ways than one. Her relationship with my sister is on absolute record. One day in the drawing room of our house, I heard them talking on the phone. Ms Shameem Anwar was crying that her final book was ready and she wanted so much to print it, but there was no one to finance it. Tolou Islam refused to finance the same for reasons of their own. I could not take the despair of Ms Anwatr for even a second. I marched in the office of Tolou Islam, asked them how much it would take to finance the book. They quoted an amount, and I took it out of my pocket and gave it to them. They took some time in printing it and by that time the dear lady had Alzheimers and could not remember anything for long. She did not know that her book was being published at my expense. I got no call from her but I was happy to have done what I did. In fact I was told that another party had come forward to finance it and I could take my money back. But I refused same.
No loud clapping with the publication of LOUD THINKING. We gave the cover panting which was requested by her with our blessings. It got printed. The work got done. But it should also makes us look into ourselves. There are students of her who have walked on the opposite way and are doing well beyond their wildest dreams. That is life. Many ears are deaf to loud thinking. The seduction of our inner shaitans is ever present. Controlling them requires thinking and pondering and advance to sublimity of life.
I am happy that I helped in some small way
great !