AS was expected, the festival of Eid this year remained a subdued affair, as should have been the case, in view of the tragic earthquake that jolted the very roots of hundreds of thousands of people. I have come across people who argue that it is not just the people but the entire nation whose roots have been shaken by the earthquake, and I take this opportunity to stress that nations do not get shaken by such calamities.
The fact is that the very opposite is true; such catastrophes test the resolve of nations and give them the self-belief that is so vital for people to survive as an independent entity. As a nation, we have to regain composure so that we may reach out to those who have been left shattered by the killer earthquake. In the manner in which the nation has reacted to the situation till now, there is little doubt that we will come out stronger at the end of it.
Smiles have already started returning to faces that wore sad, forlorn looks about a fortnight ago. I personally experienced the return of these smiles when on Eid day I along with my entire family visited a local hospital in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal area where thirteen earthquake victims are being provided orthopaedic treatment. These included ten women and three men.
All the patients were a bit confused when we walked in, because they were not perhaps feeling comfortable taking the centrestage. Innocence and shyness are two characteristic features of our brethren up north in the country, and all thirteen of them seemed to have more than their fair share of these two attributes. However, we were patient in our approach and gradually the proverbial ice started melting.
To my amazement, I found the three men interested in hockey and were of my background in the sporting arena. Like most people, I thought the inhabitants of our northern areas would have nothing to do with mainstream sports, but I was wrong and my interaction with the earthquake patients came as a pleasant surprise.
The patients had serious bone injuries and were in visible distress, but when I started talking to them about the injuries that I suffered during my playing days, their mental focus shifted slightly and for a brief period of time I was able to take their minds away from their immediate pain. This in itself was a positive achievement and I felt good about it.
Everyone who tried to reach out to the earthquake victims, I am sure, would have felt the same way. There were a number of film and television personalities — actors, actresses, hosts, singers and a whole lot of others — who went all the way to the affected areas to spend time with not just the victims but also with the volunteers who also needed a break from round-the-clock misery. I appreciate the sentiments conveyed by the celebrities, and hope that this would have forged an unbreakable bond between many a heart.
I wish to end today’s column with a message that I received from a reader in Islamabad. While there have been quite a few letters, emails and phone calls in the last few weeks, I am quoting this letter because it covers everything that has been said to me by various people. I thank all of you who made it a point to convey your feelings to me, and here is the letter captioned ‘Long Live the Legends XI, from Abdul Qayyum Khan:
“Islahuddin, the former hockey great of Pakistan, has through his weekly column poured his mind and heart out regarding the truly overwhelming response which he and his fellow legends received from the public during their campaign for collecting donations as their bit to help the earthquake victims.
“Such a response was merited and obvious since the nation never forgets, rather inscribes on its Coat of Arms, the names of those who bring laurels to them and the country.
“Being celebrities and international figures, setting aside their busy professional schedules and lifestyles, roaming in the streets, markets and localities for three successive days during Ramazan and asking the general public for donations, indeed testifies to their true spirit and level of humanism.
“According to the ever-valid advice of the Quaid-i-Azam — ‘You must ensure that the power and prestige of your parent nation and institution gains added strength through each and every act, action and deed of yours’ — this exemplary effort and exercise, apart from making a meaningful contribution to the relief fund, would also add to the strength and prestige of the country’s sporting institutions to which all these luminaries belong.
“Every legend of this great team — Jahangir Khan, Javed Miandad, Islahuddin, Hasan Sardar, Samiullah, Salahuddin, Hanif Khan, Shahid Afridi, Moin Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Danish Kaneria — deserve sincere admiration with special mention of Islahuddin for having floated this grand idea. We vehemently wish that may the electric limbs and veins full of jet-fuel energy of our youngsters like Shahid Afridi and the veterans such as Islahuddin and Miandad as their trainers and coach serve Pakistan for many more years to come.”
AS was expected, the festival of Eid this year remained a subdued affair, as should have been the case, in view of the tragic earthquake that jolted the very roots of hundreds of thousands of people. I have come across people who argue that it is not just the people but the entire nation whose roots have been shaken by the earthquake, and I take this opportunity to stress that nations do not get shaken by such calamities.
To my amazement, I found the three men interested in hockey and were of my background in the sporting arena. Like most people, I thought the inhabitants of our northern areas would have nothing to do with mainstream sports, but I was wrong and my interaction with the earthquake patients came as a pleasant surprise.
