TO the profound sadness of all, except the thieves and swindlers, the untiring and fearless lone legendary crusader has departed to meet his Maker (as he used to call this journey). A true and proud Pakistani at heart, he carried the flame of the Quaid’s vision, openly and fiercely criticising the increasing plunder and loot in the land, without mincing his words.

The public at large would be glued to the TV if they happened to see him on a talk show or giving interviews. They loved every word he uttered; his jargon and diction, especially his unbridled emotional outbursts and the Gujrati expressions whilst talking about countless scoundrels.

On most occasions, I would find Ardeshir in his room with some newspapers in hand and uttering `Allah Maafi, Allah Maafi, Allah Maafi’. This `rosary counting’ as I called it, would be accompanied by narration of some horrific calamity that had befallen an innocent soul or some poor community, looking devastated and an epitome of grief.

He was an extremely sensitive person. I have seen his heart bleed on hearing sad news; may it be regarding a human, an animal or nature at large. He was a crusader who fought on many fronts, but as the years passed by he tended to become pessimistic about the dreams of the Quaid whom he had met and seen conducting some of the earliest meetings, delegating responsibilities to people of substance of the time. Ardeshir’s father, Rustam Cowasjee, in fact was asked to help develop the shipping industry by the Quaid.

Having had the pleasure of knowing Ardeshir for almost two decades, as a friend and a medical care - giver, and having had the privilege of being almost a household member (as his family would call me), I can say that I have met one `man with a genuine heart of gold’. Pray, tell me where do I look for another one now?

An actor par excellence, he would mimic gestures, expressions and diction in a manner that I am sure even the late Peter Ustinov would have admired. He would narrate amusing anecdotes, laughing till tears rolled down from his eyes. He was a repository of comic relief, especially when it came to mimicking the `rich and the famous’. Even his incarceration for 72 days in jail by his so - called ‘friend’ Z.A. Bhutto for reason not known to him till his last breath did not damper his wit. He was full of amusing stories of encounter with other prisoners. He knew how to survive with comic relief in an incessant turmoil of lawlessness, killings, land - grabbing and ‘bhatta’ culture.

May God rest his soul in peace. He called himself a `kafir’ because that is what the clerics labelled him as but he had an impeccable belief in his own Zoroastrain religion. For the Muslims a quotation from the Quran is reproduced here: “(5:69) for, verily, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith and the Sabians and the Christians -- all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds -- no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve” (from The Message of The Quran’ by Muhammad Asad).

PROF. HASAN AZIZ     Karachi

A plea

ARDESHIR Cowasjee’s death has deprived the resourceless people of a man who was bold enough to fight for them against social injustices, oppression and suppression. He was a trendsetter in modern journalism, a lone crusader against the land mafia, encroachers and looters of Karachi.

He rescued many a plot of land meant for ‘public parks’ in Karachi that were clutched by anti - social elements. He was a Ready Reckoner and a ‘Who is Who’ of Karachi. Persons of his ilk are the pressing need of Karachi, which has become a refuge for all kinds of people. He will always remind us of the substantial contribution made by the Parsi community before and after the inception of Pakistan.

The best tribute Dawn can now pay to him is to see if the best of his contributions (if not all) could be printed by it in the form of a handy volume, to be treasured by the readers of this esteemed paper.

Let the local government also consider naming a busy road or a big public park to keep his name alive in the memory of Karachiites.

M.SHAFIQUE AHMED     Karachi