This will be a live thread that I will regularly visit and update it with a profile and some interesting anecdotes of a few people that I know. These are not people that have had any significant impact on my life, just some people I know and care about. The order of appearance does not mean any thing either, it is just as I remember interesting anecdotes about them.
First is ** Hayat Khan. **
Hayat Khan, Afghani, pakhtoon, former mujahid in Gulbadeen’s army, hates Taliban, ex-pow, tortured by the Russians, missing fingernails and cuts marks on eyelids to show for the torture, a daily wage worker at my office in Pakistan. Hayat and his family lives in the kachi abaadi, in Islamabad.
Hayat was known for his bad and short temperament but was recognized as probably the hardest worker when it came to physical work. I do not know why but Hayat gave me a lot of respect. One day a terrified employee came in my office and asked me to come out quick as Hayat is running after Ghulam with a 10 pound sledge hammer vowing to kill him. I ran out side and shouted his name which made him stop in his tracks. I asked Hayat what was happening and he told me that Ghulam called him a German and Germans are Kaffirs, so he will kill him. I told him not to do this, cool down and go back to work. I called Ghulam and asked him what he actually said. Ghulam said that he called Hayat hey gentleman, and Hayat started cursing in pushto then picked up the hammer and started running after him. It took me about 5 minutes to explain to Hayat, what “gentleman” actually meant.
One time I was going to Aberdeen for two weeks and our house servant had gone to his village. My brother was in interior Sindh, so I asked Hayat to come over to my house every day after work and stay there during the night and guard the house. When I came back from Scotland my mother complained that the gunman hired by the residents of our street has quit because Hayat used to patrol the street at night with an axe and question every one coming and leaving the street, the regular watchman said that he is afraid for his life and quit. One time my cousin came to see my parents and Hayat told him that he cannot see them because he was supposed to come earlier but as he(my cousin) did not care for the Haji saab (my father) and ammi his punishment was that he could not see them and get any duaas. My cousin told Hayat that he had to go to Lahore urgently and that is why he was late. Later my cousin had to call from a close by shop and ask my mother to tell Hayat to let him in. My mother showed me the fridge full with desi eggs that Hayat brought from his house every day and complained that who is going to eat all these eggs. Then she told me that one night Hayat dug up all our lawn grass. When my mother asked him why he did it, he said that he was going to plant new one as the old one had booties (crab grass) in it. We have a big lawn and my mother, an avid gardener, changes the grass every few years. The gardeners that normally do the job take days, Hayat did it in one night.
One time I was going to Dubai, for a tech conference at my company’s regional office in Dubai. Hayat came to my office and asked me to bring him a “Raddoo” from Dubai. In Dubai, I bought a fake Rado, probably 50/60 dirhams, thinking that surely Hayat was not looking for an original Rado watch. When I gave the watch to Hayat he looked at the watch and said no not this, he wanted a Raddoo. I was extremely embarrassed and a bit surprised that Hayat could tell the difference. I told him that this is a good watch and that I will buy him an original Rado, next time. He said no not Rado, he wants a Raddoo, Raddoo, so that he can listen to radio Kabul and BBC pushto service at night. I laughed at this for days.
When I went home after my accident Hayat came to my house with a few other former work colleagues and sat next to my bed and cried during the time I chatted with the other people. He never said a word during the one hour he was there. Next day onwards my mother started receiving 10-15 desi eggs and pure milk from Hayat’s cow to build my strength. I still get e-mails from people in Pakistan office, complaining that Hayat harasses them every day to send an email to me and ask about my health.
Thank God such innocent and simple people still exist in this world.
i see.
Deviliciousss is so right - people like these remind us that ‘goodness’ still exists in this dunya. The two parts about him crying subsequent to your accident and him being a survivor of torture under the Russians… that really made an impression upon me.