This villager from a Chak (Village) in Okara named Ali Ahmed made my day!
I'd given a copy of my book to the Chowkidar (guard) of the house I visited. The
name of the Chowkidar of another house situated on the back side of the house that
I visited is Ali Ahmed. I had to take a rear-end photograph of the house I
visited. When I stopped my car in the back lane and after taking some snaps was
about to sit in the car this person, Ali Ahmed, walked up to me and said, “Are
you, Aamir?...Aamir Iqbal?.....Aamir Iqbal Yazdani?"
This caught my attention and I replied, "Yes. Do you know me?"
He said, “I’ve read your book and recognized your face! (The jacket of my book
has my photograph). I wanted to meet you and tell you that I relate to your
story! Also, though I am an illiterate person yet I do Punjabi Sufi poetry! I
also relate to your story!!"
This was one of the most intense moments in my life! I was recognized through
my book by the son of the soil - an illiterate villager belonging to a Chak in
Okara! This gave me the most consummate feeling of richness than being recognized
by a famous person! I felt there and then that my book's purpose had been
accomplished!
This is exactly what my book is about - being a traveller in the quest for
truth. We all have our backgrounds, opportunities, colour, caste, creed, and religion
but we ALL have ONE thing in common - we all can be, and should be, travellers
in the quest for truth. I feel the message in my book has reached home!
I asked him to narrate his Punjabi poetry to me!
Aamir Yazdani
No comments:
Post a Comment