Come, let's pay tribute

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Pockets of my family are still poor but originally, they were all poor. So it’s full of inspirational stories of people who rose out of poverty to make something of themselves. Because I admire and respect these people so much, I am going to write a little bit about them. Our family celebrities

  1. My father. When he got done with highshcool and got a job cleaning ceiling fans at a relative’s office, people told him he was crazy when he refused it and said he wanted to study further. I mean, he was a son of a menial clerk and was the oldest son so had to marry off two sisters and support his family of eight. He did a degree in physics and then encountered more difficulties because he wanted to go into petroleum engineering but people wouldn’t hire him because he didn’t have the right degree. Well, he’s in petroleum engineering now and has been for more than 25 years I think and one of the most successful people in our family.

  2. My mamoo. He ran away from home and became a waiter in Karachi. Now he’s one of the highest ranking people in government.

  3. My mom’s mamoo. They didn’t have electricity at home so he used to study under streetlights. When he died a few years ago, he was one of the wealthiest in our family and hundreds of non-family members showed up at his funeral to pay tribute to this amazing man. Very humble, a very beautiful personality.

  4. All my phupo’s sons. Home schooled for a long time because they couldn’t afford to send them to school. They all won awards for having the highest marks in their highschools and universities. One of them spent years becoming a doctor and then changed his mind and went into economics and completed it and then gave some exams and is now in the government.

There are more. Of course the success stories ended when we all got some money. My father tells us there’s nothing like poverty to stoke the fire of determination in you. And it’s true. There’s not one person I know now who has come as far as the people I know who has been dirt poor and starving.

What about you guys? Any inspirational stories in your families?

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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

I appreciate Sarah u picked up 2 admire those who made achievements and it would sure be source of inspiration for those who r facing odds like povery injustice and alike, in their struggle. I m sure ppl would have many such stories as in Pakistan opportunities are less and injustice "Rishwat" "aqraba perwari" etc are dominating..........
but "where there is a will there is a way" ............ and 'God helps those who help them selves' ..... lastly, I would suggest 2 those who may b tired of thier struggle in life that dint of their hardwork would never go waste....they must have faith in God for ultimate success.
........ Tariq

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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

My husband - he was dirt poor. His father had divorced his mother and refused to support the family. She still was able to impress apon them all to get education. He said going to college he had to choose between books and food, he relied on his friends sometimes to feed him and he lived in the streets because he couldn't afford a place to live. He graduated and became a teacher. He came to US by stowing away on a boat and when it was off the coast of Texas, swam ashore. He came here to PA and worked 12 hrs a day 6 days in a gas station and saved enough to buy two of his own. Now a lot of the money we have goes to neices and nephews that are now old enough to go to college and a brother going to college overseas. My husband says he is giving a gift his mother gave him to the next generation - Education. He says he never wants any of the next generation to struggle. To myself he is inspirational. He started from nothing, literally, made it, and still gives to others.

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Re: Come, let’s pay tribute

Minah,
Man to respect…:slight_smile:

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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

Sara, all men in generation before me (my dad and his generation) were the children of partition. They were in grade schools (Kach, or Pakee Jamat) when partition of India took place. They all struggled to make something out of themselves, as the new nation was still being set up. The nearest Primary School in my Dad’s village was 10 miles to where my grandpa’s brother rode his bike (he was a teacher) everyday with Dad and my Uncle, and a cousin on his bike.

Generally most my dad’s generation was Nashaee (druggies, alcoholics), but they passed the baton fairly well to the one after them. I wouldn’t call them my inspiration or role model. Not under any circumstance.

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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

My dad. After partition my grandfather settled in karachi and worked as a conductor. he had an accident when my father was 14 and in 9th grade. because of the inability of my grandfather to work, my father has since then supported like a father, and brought up a family of 12, and then subsequently their extended family in addition to completing his masters level education with distinction (studying on the street because there was no electricity at his house) while working during the day, initially as a tea packager, then a clerk, then a banker. he is a vice president in a french bank, and hasnt stopped working for nearly 55 years, and still has never complained about bringing up his niece's niece.

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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

  • great thread sara!
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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

fg - absolutely, that's why I was shameless in my pursuit.

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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

My grandmother's brother was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army when Hong Kong surrendered in December 1941.

As the most senior Indian officer captured at Hong Kong, the Japanese tried to persuade him to order the other Indian prisoners to turn traitor and fight for Japan. He refused, and then he was put in solitary confinement, starved, mutilated and tortured in an attempt to force him to issue the order. They beat him until he could not walk but he refused to turn traitor. Instead, he stressed to the Indian prisoners that they should stay loyal to the allied cause. He also organised and ran a secret organisation that smuggled fellow prisoners out of Hong Kong.

In 1943 British Intelligence notified him that the Japanese had discovered the escape ring and ordered him to evacuate himself, hinting that he would be decorated for his bravery once he got to safety. He disobeyed the order and instead continued to help others escape right until the moment he was caught by the Japanese.

He was sentenced to be executed on October 20th 1943, alongside 30 other White and chinese prisoners. A book I read written by a British policeman imprisoned at the same jail stated that some of the Chinesebegan crying with fear at their upcoming death.

At that point my grandmother's brother stood up and gave a speech that he was proud to die that day, and that they should too, because everyone has to die one day and they were given the opportunity to die for a cause that they believed in. When the time came, he volunteered to be the first to die, and knelt with dignity. He leaned his head forward so that it could be a clean cut, then a sergeant of the Imperial Japanese Army cut his head off.

Captain Mateen Ahmed Ansari of the 7th Rajput Regiment was awarded a posthumous George Cross. As the first nephew born after his death, my dad was named Ahmed in his memory.

As a small indignity, his name was recorded in british records with the misspelling "Matreen".

When a war memorial was unveiled in London with his name on it, the misspelling remained. So for many hundreds of years to come, his name is inscribed in stone on the approach to Buckingham Palace as "Matreen Ahmed Ansari".

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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

^^

Wow, what a story!

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Re: Come, let’s pay tribute

we were always rich :fraudia:

♥♪♥ GS's Cutest flooding Crew♥♪♥
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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

^ haha

Great thread Sarah.

Though I always find it hard to measure one's success in terms of their financial/worldly assets.

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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

My tribute to Manto, Faiz, Ghalib, etc for making me understand what my culture really is.

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Re: Come, let’s pay tribute

**were always rich - **with such an illustrious son as u r.. future isnt that bright :smiley:

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Re: Come, let's pay tribute

Inspiration always come from my mother and my late nanni.. how my grandmother fought to get her education but she wasnt allowed after class-5 as we have a very conservative rajput family.. but after partition my mom had to face same conditions when family started raising eyebrows ater she did matric.. the years of struggle and her becoming first lady doc in family (was only possible when Fatima Jinnah Medical College opened in Lahore for girls) was an achievement - not only many other girls followed in our family to pursue higher studies but also boys were forced to get better education.. as they were always reminded a girl has done that why canytthey..