Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Remembering you …

Dearest Sabeen

There are many things about you
that I recall every moment.

Here are some:

Nuzhat, Me, Ragni, Jehan Ara, Sabeen
The Brilliant (YES!) Interactive Faiz CD - Aaj Kay Naam.
Your Authorware Programming was the best.
Nothing close to it has ever come out of Pakistan.

Sabeen & Her Nana
Even the death of your wonderful Nana, who loved you so much,
didn't stop you from completing the CD on time.
You were always totally committed.

Sabeen at Apple's Office Garden
I think so often of our trip to Apple on your 21st birthday.

Sabeen at my house fixing Macs.
Our love of Apple and Macs
that led you to so many things including
being invited to the USA launch of the First iPhone.


Your Facebook quotes and conversations with friends. 
This was to Sara and there were many to other friends.

While this is to me (and I was not sure I can put it here)
I did want to say this:
While you called me your Mentor
(and many people still say I was)
it was what any older person would (should!) do
for someone much younger.

Then you grew up and I was no longer your Mentor.
YOU WERE MY MENTOR,
and now I have none!

Sabeen serving us food on her birthday
I loved your unbelievable passion for everything you did!

Protesting about violence in Karachi
You came with Nuzhat and me, at first,
to our early protest marches …
but moved on (wholeheartedly) to attend and protest 
at gatherings that mourned the deaths of
Sunnis, Shias, Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus, and more.

At KPC after Awab, Sabeen, & I
had a session on the banning of YouTube.
This was a dangerous moment. I always remember
asking you to leave from the back door
because ghoondaas on trucks were
announcing our names and phone numbers
to get people to reach us and attack.

(While we left just before the crowd got to us, 
Dr. Awab and Farieha Aziz were stuck inside
and had to be escorted out by the police much later.)

Sabeen looking at a tree planted by Yoko Ono.
(Yoko's note on the tree is visible top right.)
I often think of our wonderful day at MOMA
on our last trip together.

Sabeen with Fawzia Mirza at T2F.
Whether someone met you for a very little while …

Sabeen & Marvi Mazhar
or for a few years …

Ragni & Sabeen
or maybe a little longer
(like an adopted Sis)

Sabeen, Mahenaz, Seema
… or you had known all your life:

THEY ALL LOVED YOU LIKE CRAZY.
(And you loved them back!)


Rest in Power

I'll end with your lovely old poem


Sabeen Mahmud
30 November 2007 ·
enough!
i am tired.

tired of running
tired of the struggle
tired of arguing
tired of explaining
tired of the machinations of the rich tired of the mumbo jumbo
tired of the greedy
tired of the bored
tired of the dumb
tired of the petty
tired of waiting for another day tired of being polite
tired of corporate crime
tired of generals
tired of taxes
tired of banks
tired of coping
tired of the silence
tired of the battles
tired of the smug
tired of the manipulators
tired of being tired
tired of life


stop the world. i want to get off.

4 comments:

  1. This may be a spontaneous profession of love and admiration for Sabeen, but it's also a wonderful 101 on her for those who wished they'd known her better. There's so much happiness, sadness, humanity, classiness and warmth in these pictures and their captions!

    آپکے دل سے پوچھنے کی ضرورت نہیں, بھائی صاحب. اس کی سوراخ دور سے بھی نظر آتی

    ReplyDelete
  2. No,ZAK. I forgot to put a "hae" at the end of the sentence. Both sentences, in fact.
    I reckon i owe you an apology for this murder :-p

    ReplyDelete
  3. I still don't understand the word سوراخ? What do you mean by it? Suraagh? Soorat? Whatttt? Sooraakh makes no sense because it means an opening or a hole or a cavity.

    ReplyDelete