J.S. Ifthekhar
Hyderabad
A hall full of teachers and taught. Half a dozen professors on the dais. And a large number of intellectuals and academics in the audience. All gathered to express their heartfelt gratitude to their teacher, colleague and mentor.
Can there be a better honour than this for a teacher? But those present to pay their respects to Prof. Fatima Parveen, the doyen of Urdu language and literature, felt it was barely enough. “We couldn’t express even a fraction of what she was” was the feeling everyone had.
It was a different kind of Sunday evening on September 12. The mood in the Mediaplus auditorium was somber. As I arrived a bit late, Dr. Humaira Sayeed was at the mike, speaking in a choked voice. A beloved student of Prof. Fatima, she was overcome with emotions and couldn’t speak much. But she paid the best tribute through the book compiled by her on her teacher. The book contains 23 articles, including four poems, on Prof. Fatima, from Urdu professors across the country.
I quietly slipped into a vacant seat in the first row. As I glanced at the dais, I was taken aback by the formidable presence of Allama Aijaz Farruq, the eminent scholar and historian. An orator par excellence, Urdu professors always waited with bated breath to catch his words. If a scholar of such stature had come out of his self-imposed seclusion to pay homage to Prof. Fatima, one can well imagine the love and respect the Bulbul-e-Deccan commanded.
The ageing Allama was flanked by such Urdu greats as Prof. S.A. Shukoor, Prof. Amina Tehseen, Prof. Naseemuddin Farees, Prof. Muzaffar Shahmiri, Prof. Syed Fazlullah Mukarrum and my colleague, Editor, Gawah, Dr. Fazil Husain Parvez.
Each person in the audience was an institution in himself/herself. I cringed at the thought of my lesser credentials. I consoled myself that, being a journalist and an Urdu aficionado, I somehow fit into the august gathering.
Anyway, speaker after speaker gave vent to their thoughts and emotions. A larger-than-life personality of Prof. Fatima emerged. Not just as a teacher, but as a crusader for Urdu, a compassionate guide, a helpful colleague and a one-of-a-kind speaker. Prof. Shukoor rightly called her the “lady Allama”. When she got up to speak, words would stand in a row, as it were, to let her pick them up.
A great speaker, everyone showered encomiums on Prof. Fatima’s oratorical skills. I wished I could speak like her. Her daughter, Nausheen, presented a different side of Prof. Fatima.
“My mother was my best friend. She had always been there for me,” she remarked. She let out another lesser-known secret: Apart from being an exemplary mother, Prof. Fatima was a great cook too.
But compared to the volumes she spoke, Prof. Fatima was not as profligate in her writings. She has a few books to her credit, but not as many as she should have produced. Prof. Amina Tehseen said a person shouldn’t be judged by the number of books authored. She produced students who wrote several books themselves.
Sure, one can never tell where a teacher’s influence stops. Prof. Fatima left a legacy of powerful words and ideas.
Prof. Fatima passed away in 2021 following complications arising out of Covid infection. Those who die afflicted by plagues, it is said, Allah Ta’ala grants them the rank of martyrs, Prof. Farees recalled.
The heavens too seemed to shed tears at this great tragedy as the skies opened up and a downpour followed. Did Prof. Fatima had any regrets? Yes, she earnestly wanted to visit Masjid Qurtaba, the Mosque-Cathedral in Spain. But she couldn’t.
Prof. Fatima’s bold picture looked down from the banner, suggesting she might any moment walk down and be part of the programme. Very kind of Parvez sahib for this thoughtful gesture. Like Javeed Kamal and others, he too was a Ph.D. scholar under her.
Another of her student, Dr. Atiya Mujeeb Arafi recited a poem, Bahre Ilm-o-Adab, turning everyone teary-eyed. Sample the verse:
Kya Salasat thi, kya fasahat thi
Kya jasarat thi, kya khatabat thi
Kya nafasat thi, kya balaghat thi
Kya nazakat thi, kya latafat thi
Naqsh dil par hai unki har taqreer
Ab bhi roshan hai unki har tehreer
(What a treasure of knowledge, what eloquence she possessed,
What courage, what oratorical brilliance she possessed,
What refinement, what devotion she possessed,
What blessing, what wisdom she possessed
Her every speech is etched upon our hearts,
Her every written word still shines)
As they say, a mediocre teacher tells. A good teacher explains. The super teacher demonstrates. And the great teacher inspires. Prof. Fatima certainly belonged to the last category.
When it was the turn of the Allama, a hush descended on the auditorium. Everyone straightened up, lest they missed the flowery words that were about to escape his mouth. I leaned forward, ears alert. For the next half an hour, Allama cast a spell — enthralling the audience with his mesmerising speech. To be honest, most of it I couldn’t understand and therefore couldn’t note down.
Only this couplet I remember:
Ek shama reh gayee thi, so wo bhi khamoosh hai
(There was one lamp still burning; now even that has fallen silent)
Outside, the rain intensified and a power blackout followed.
As the thunder subsided, I left for home, tears mingling with raindrops.
Perhaps that was the most fitting farewell to a teacher whose words had illuminated so many lives.
