How will we be remembered?
A few weeks ago, a phrase in an obituary in Dawn stood out -
“Life Long Fighter for Rule of LAW”. There was something moving about the
prominence given to this achievement amongst all the other posts held by the
jurist Syed Sami Ahmed. Recently there
has been much talk in Pakistan of how people will be remembered – jurists, armed
forces, police, legislators, politicians, protestors, journalists – as the
country twists uncomfortably like a tied down animal struggling to break free.
Before autobiographies and history books came into
existence, the achievements of people were written on their gravestones as
epitaphs, often by the deceased themselves during their lifetime.
The ancient Egyptians inscribed their achievements for the
hereafter. The Greeks and Romans wished to be immortalized as heroes for future
generations. Some epitaphs honoured entire armies: “Here four thousand from the
Peloponnese once fought against three million”.
The graves of poets, such as Ghalib, Jaun Alia, Ahmed Faraz
have verses that encapsulate their philosophy. Parveen Shakir’s gravestone reads ‘lafz meray meray honay ki gawahi deyn ge’ (
My words will be witness to my existence)
The Epitaph of John Keats reads "Here lies One Whose
name was writ in Water." On the grave of his contemporary, Lord Byron, his
sister sarcastically inscribed “Oh! may the earth on him lie lighter Than did
his quartos upon us.” Lord Dryden wrote
on the grave of his wife “Here lies my wife, here let her lie. She is at peace
and so am I”. Hilaire Belloc’s epitaph says “When I am dead, I hope it may be
said: ‘His sins were scarlet, but his books were read.’"
In the field where singer John Lennon’s ashes are scattered,
is hidden the word “Imagine” from his inspiring song. Actor Waheed Murad’s
grave describes him as “Azeem superstar Chaklaity Hero” and cricketer Fazal
Mehmood as “Oval hero”.
The newspaper obituary provides a more three-dimensional understanding
of the deceased, often leaving the reader with regret at not knowing more while
the person was alive. The Bayaad or gathering for remembrance may include
speeches or performances such as that held recently for sitar Nawaz, Ustad
Sharif Khan Poonchwala, by his son.
Alfred Nobel, shocked when his obituary, mistakenly written
while he was still alive, called him a "merchant of death" for
creating military explosives, created the Nobel Peace prize, which is how the
world remembers him now.
The Mughals were generous with their appreciation awarding
laqab or epithets to the living such as Zarrin Qalam, one whose writing shines
like gold, to calligrapher Muhammad Husayn, or Nadir al-Asr (unique of the age)
to Ustad Ahmed of Lahore, the builder of the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort of
Shahjahanabad. The Mughal emperors awarded themselves epithets they wished to
be remembered by – Jahangir (seizer of the world) and his wife, Nur Jahan
(light of the world).
Epithets were common in Arabia. Hazrat Abu Bakr was al
Siddiq ( the Truthful). Sometimes epithets are less flattering such as Charles
the Bald or Louis The Stammerer, or to put fear into the hearts of others, Ivan
the Terrible. Some were a rebuke as the epithet of General Dyer, the “Butcher
of Amritsar”. A hero for one nation can be a villain for another. Alexander the
Great was known as Iskander the Accursed in Persia.
Plants are named after botanists, comets after astronomers,
inventions after their inventor, immortalizing their name. Universities,
schools, and museums are named after their benefactors. Parent may teach their children to not bring
discredit to the family name.
A young blogger on Reddit wrote the 60s was known for ending
the Vietnam war, but their generation “will be remembered as the ones who had
all the information and still chose to do nothing”.
The current generation in Pakistan believe they will be
known for standing up for their democratic rights. It remains to be seen what
those at the helm of power will be remembered for.
Durriya Kazi
June 4, 2023
Karachi
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