Pilgrim partners Dec 2005

It was indeed a life time experience. I went to Hajj with my mother and my sister leaving behined my, not very happy wife and little Basam. Sharing our rooms were Ejaz bhai with his wife and Amir with his mother-in-law. it was a 40 days trip.

These pictures were taken from my Sony Ericson K300 - the pixel quality is therefore not very crisp



Notwithstanding the spirituality that prevailed in my life during those days, the get up itself was kinda cool.

With shaved heads and bearded looks the life seemed to have taken a different route altogether in those 40 days. Simple and basic food. No work. Reading, praying, learning, exploring, soul searching - sounds like a dream now.


This is me and Amir on our way up to Ghar-e- Hira.



The whole expereince of Haj was amazing. An experience I want to repeat again and again. I had heard about the spirtual feelings people had expereinced there and i was not sure why people are unable to express that experience vividly. Having been there, now I realise why? probably because its not the worldly experience. For once I didnt want to come back.

Now, almost 7 months after my return from the Holy land that spiritual connection seems to have lost a bit.



(Infront of a place where Hazrat Adam met Bibi Havva for the first time on earth)




Getting back to my routine, i.e not very spiritual took me 5 months. But i want to go back again. I will, InshaAllah with my wife and son.

This is ejaz bhai - caught a bit off guard on the streets of Medina getting his cloak pressed.



I found my son really mischievious and slightly grown up when i came back from Hajj after 40 days. My wife used to get annoyed to learn that I am not missing her much during my stay in Mecca and Madinah. But this was true with others too. The place makes you forget your very ownself. Yet I started missing them after Hajj. She was and has been very supportive and very patient throughout this time when she was taking care of my ultra hyper son alone. Everyone else in the family supported her too.

Papa and Ma - A memorable pic

I think this picture belongs to early 60s. Papa and amma had variety of modes of communication. Few of them being quire strange - yet very cute. He was a great food lover......., as long as the food is on time. Ignoring food was his most usual way to communicate that he is not happy with someone, something, some event or the absence of it. Resuming on food normally used to be the result of " some " small "something" that amma normally would figure out with a short recollection of recent events. At times, very good food itself used to be the catalyst in getting him back to his routine. He was a great guy.

He loved walking. The day he died, he was on a walk to get my nephew's watches fixed. I carried him to the hospital in my car. I recall vividly..... seeing him on my back seat while driving my way to the cardiac hospital in hometown.... in deep pain - ...........heart attack !!!

He loved watching wrestling and football. He loved kids. He was a man of traditions. I miss him quite often. May Allah bless you papa !!

Basam lahore trip May 2006

Basam in Lahore - at Fortress

Basam and Umaima in Bhai's Pindi house.

Basam in hotel's lobby

Basam & Umaima -Bhai's Pindi house.

A rainy day in Pindi !!!

Ma,

It took me 10 minutes thinkin where to start from. She is a great woman. I feel a bit emotional writing bout her away from my home. She cant read english... but does that really matter? No. She loves me..arguably the most.

I have not been able to take care of her the way my father would have liked me to do so...had he alive. Allah bless her.

Mahrukh

I met this girl through a friend of mine, Shomyl. Unlike most romantic stories, I had no clue that this girl would become the most important person in my life.

She has been there for me in every single second in my life since then. I love her for everything she has done for me. I am not certain if I would have been able to achieve some of the key milestones in my professional life without her support.

Thanks Mahrukh !!!

He is my son. My latest love, who helped me understood the love my father had for me. He made me understood all the then confusing non sense talks my father used to have with me whenever we two are alone.

He made me realise that i was never a grown up man for my father and why my mother would wake late nights waiting for me to come from some friend's house, or some party, office or just late night drive.

Its just amazing to be a father. A very strong reason to live and work hard to craft his future. I know now, what made my father worked so hard throughout his life. Looking at my son's pic today, i m missing u papa.

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