Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me…
I found out like most others when twitter exploded with the news – Ardeshir Cowasjee is with us no more. Pakistan has lost a voice, a voice like no other. How befitting that a man who decried draconian state measures passed away on the day that all mobile phone communication was shut down across the country in the name of national security.
I didn’t know Cowasjee personally and only met him a couple of times. He had the kind of personality that stays with you for years. My meeting with him was truly unforgettable and I know I’ll always remember him fondly. I say this with confidence because just now, as I told my mother that Cowasjee was with us no more, she said “how sad” and then we both laughed.
We laughed because he had made us laugh when we met him and it is something we’ve spoken about for years. It’s been over a decade but the memories remain. When I was an International Baccalaureate student studying world religion as a subject, I became fascinated with Zoroastrianism and decided to do my summer project on the Parsis and their faith. And like all young, enthusiastic students who feel like their eyes have been opened for the first time, I was an eager researcher who wanted to know as much as I could possibly could. I stayed in Karachi for a while that summer so that I could learn and research. That’s when I bumped into Cowasjee.
He was walking around the lawns of the Governor’s House in a sleeveless, white kaftan surrounded by high society at a showing of the movie Jinnah. Amused and fascinated, I approached him about my project and asked if he could help. He said he would be happy to and set up a meeting at his residence.
The next day, after ringing the bell and while waiting for someone to open the door to Cowasjee’s house, my mother and I heard a squeaky voice yelling “Where’s your keys? Where’s your keys?” Confused, we looked around wondering if we’d dropped our keys. I even turned around to see if a child was playing a joke. But like a tape stuck on repeat, the squeaky demand refused to stop. When the door opened, we finally discovered the cheeky cockatoo perched on the bird cage behind us. It was just the start of a very amusing evening.
The person who opened the door escorted me up to Cowasjee’s study where he sat in tiny boxer shorts the wrong way around on his chair. A very excitable, little dog was bouncing around us the whole time.
“Saala calm down!” Cowasjee demanded and the little dog sat still for a while.
It was hard not be distracted by an elderly man in boxer shorts, sitting the wrong way around in a chair but because Cowasjee was unapologetic about who he was, I quickly adapted and we started to have a serious conversation about the Parsi community and their faith. He explained to me how and why Zoroastrianism was the oldest monotheistic faith. He gave me reading material and a book I have with me right now as I write this. He explained the entire history of the faith from its Proto-Indo-Iranian origins to the founding of the religion by Zarathustra to the way it was practised in today’s world. We discussed the major texts and prayers. I questioned him on the rituals I found confusing and he explained them all to me patiently. I couldn’t understand, for example, why someone would voluntarily want their flesh to be consumed by scavengers until he connected it to the Zoroastrian concept of charity. Every Parsi should aim to be as charitable as possible and giving up one’s own body to animals to consume, which is worthless after death, is an ultimate form of charity. I still remember that moment because it was a moment of clarity. A concept I found so confusing suddenly made complete sense.
The highlight of that interview was when I asked him to explain another concept I found troubling and hard to understand: why didn’t Zoroastrians marry anyone outside their own community? Why couldn’t someone become a Parsi? Why this obsession with racial purity? I couldn’t, at that point, understand why the two had to even be connected, especially since the Parsi population is very low. They are dying out and I pointed out that to lose such a faith would be too big a loss for humanity. Surely, they could adapt just to survive? His answer left me stunned.
“Listen, if you have an Alsatian, would you breed it with a mongrel?” I watched as his excited dog starting jumping around again, as I absorbed his hilariously blunt comparison.
“I, erm, sir, I don’t know,” was all I could manage to muster.
“Well you shouldn’t,” he said. “And if the saala Alsatian has no one to mate with and has to die, you let it die.”
And that was that. A concept so confusing, so troubling, was so easily explained and then dismissed with an analogy that I couldn’t help but giggle at. That’s when I realised I had been asking questions because I was viewing his faith through the lens of mine. Cowasjee taught me to discard any preconceived notions and see it for what it is.
In the Parsi faith, death turns every soul timid and fearful. It is evil’s temporary triumph. It is not decided by God, but instead is the mischief of the evil spirit, Ahriman. Based on his last piece, I doubt Cowasjee was fearful at all. I can imagine him staring death in the face, defiant, unafraid. He had quoted Churchill: “I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.”
May the maker enjoy your company as much as we did, Sir.
Nabiha Meher Shaikh is a writer, a feminist and an unapologetic eccentric who blogs at I am woman, hear me roar.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
Few years ago, I wrote an email to Mr. Cowasgee, asking him why he is critical of Paksitani society while he seem to not mind the dictatorial actions of a super power like USA. He wrote me back a few morcels for thought. He wrote “Sher ki marzi, anda dey ya bachha dey”.
this small sentence is enough to straighten our priorities..but alas!! sanity is the latest casualty in post-zia Pakistan
parsi people are realy great people
they have very little population in India. but search on google, list of famous parsis in India. they have huge list of famous people. some people are good some are very good but cowasjee was great. Iran could be a superpower if it could be a parsi religion country. they are genius as Jewish people. they have a great role in development of India despite of little population. love you all.
Big man! We salute him and his courage!
Dr yahya hassan bajwa
Switzerland
May the maker enjoy your company as much as we did, Sir!
A profound concept of CHARITY — giving up your useless dead body to feed vultures. Great people Parsis and a great humanist religion – Zoroastrianism.
In the passing away of Cowasjee, Pakistan has lost a part of it’s story teller.One that talked of the past through the ages to the present.I frankly did not read most of his articles because I am not a Pakistani and your internal affairs is not my concern. What I read impressed me.With the passing away of your old story tellers, you are left with ones that see conditions in this modern era.I an 67 years old. Trust me . Life in the 60′s right up to the late 70′s was a golden era for your country.Things were going good, other than the war India.Writers then were pretty unencumbered by religious tensions or economic and financial problems of the country.Times have changed.The new breed of serious writers have a heavy burden to bear taking into consideration your country’s current state of affairs.Time will tell how they will be able to carry out this task.
Nice post. Yes, Pakistan before 1970 was a place to be in. I am slightly younger than you, and enjoyed my youth then. Now I have nothing but regrets at the way the country has been taken from bad to worse.
Current media is incapable of reporting correctly, or contributing to any improvement.
In Cowasjee we have lost a voice of humanity. He like his name was a true interpreter of sanity. He was of that breed of Pakistanis which is now becoming history , a thing of the past, he was an admirer of Jinnah and rightly so. He continued to making Pakistani society a fair place for everyone irrespective of cast, creed and culture, I think its a loss we would mourn for many many years to come, may his soul rest is peace.
Pakistan lost another honest and brave voice. He’ll always be remembered as a straight forward and brave speaker who would not hide his trueself under any situation.
We must encourage DAWN to remember him in a suitable way for his remembrance day ~~~~the 40th day ( Chehellum) from 23/11/2012
Brilliantly written as always , z
Cowasjee you’ll be missed! You were a great human being and an equally great Pakistani. I always held that you should have been the president of this country. Indeed your death is an intense loss for this country. Rest in Peace, Champion of Justice…
I am grateful to the 5-6 thoughtful emails from Mr. Cowasjee I recieved in response to my sundry comments on his opinion pieces. of which I was a fan. He responded promptly and courteously. Unlike most other DAWN columnists, when he spoke of Pakistan as a secular state that Jinnah had envisioned, you knew he was speaking from the heart, for as a Parsi he had a stake in that vision. May his soul rest in peace and his words guide the affairs of the state.
A beautifully writen article.
Specially pakistani and muslims are those people who never listen or follows the good person who died or still alive, and when they die they make tomb of them and the business starts. All the good people who still there (not much) but who ever we think is good enough try to be with them, go to them, help them out, talk with them may be you think they do not want but might be helpful…
A great humanist, who always said what he felt without anysugar coating. I have read many of his articles and cannot remember an instance when I disagreed with him, but he was the mind that brought up the subject.
Thank you, Nabiha ji.
All i know about him is through our e-mails. He was an enlightened person in matters of faith and belief.
A hymn : ** This is my body ; here is my Soul .
Back to my Maker , i take my soul ***
He has gone.
I knew Ardeshir Uncle/Ardeshri Seth from arms length through my father for almost half a century. He was larger than life, awed and respected, loved but never feared always admired. About 6-7 years ago he had writtne a very amusing piece when his another Ardeshir Cowasjee of the Parsi Community passed away and he had a first hand view on what it would be like if he had passed away. In memorian it would be appropriate if Dawn would consider reprinting the article. I am sure Ardeshir Unlce would have a nice chuckle from above
Thanks Rohinton for the suggestion. I hope the Dawn would re-publish the said article.
He was always a power voice with integrity.
Rest in Peace Mr. Cowasjee. You did the part that a thousand men only dream of.
Likes of him represented the great old Pakistan which we’ve allowed to slip out of our hands. We can honour him by devoting ourselves to creating a tolerant and a well educated society. I am sure these two strides being complimentary in essence will take Pakistan out of the current morass.
What a lovely piece, Nabiha Meher Shaikh. Thank you for writing this and sharing it with us all.
Ardasher Cowasjee
“I am 86 now, too old to pen weekly columns. Besides what’s there to write about with the same old politics and same old politicians. Do you really believe that they will go away? I am bored writing about them again and again,” he said in an interview last month.
A sad comment by probably the most sincere and patriotic Pskistani journalist. He did not write for money. He did not have to. He never went for gimmicks to increase his ratings. He did not have to. He did not forge and spread rumors. He did not have to. Was he a “journalist”?
Pakistani journalists, most of them, don’t do what he did.
And yet the learned ones loved him for his sincerity, patriotism and real journalism with the ability to write the truth.
In the end his final comments sum up the pessimism that many of us experience but do not find the words or the ways to express it. Or perhaps we don’t want to express it, deal with it or share it with others. Keeping it hidden in the aging closet of our subconscious will not change anything. We must express it but not with a negative attitude. It’s expression should be coupled with a plan to change it into optimism. And it begins with the motivation and determination to change oneself. We cannot change the existing politicians, bureaucrats and religious patriarchs. But perhaps a new Cowasjee may show the right path to the young Pakistanis of today to follow a path different than that of their elders.
thankyou for your so informative blog
Wonder if he realizes that his ‘Sala Alsatian’ is a mongrel as well.
Thank Nabiha for this. May God rest cowasjee’s soul in peace.
Why do I happen to know much more about this great man after his death. Why should not we talk about these immortals like this when they are alive?
I wrote him:
I understand your disappointment…But crusaders never leave battle half the way
Jinnah did not get what he got by his ability only. Deputation of the Best in his time persuaded to come back and take over. It was preordained for him and so is Pakistan .
From Sir Syed Ahmad to martyrs till now….their efforts and blood never go in vain.
Your body may have become frail….not your brain and noble wishes. Plurarism will soon take over.
French revolution and marxist ways were outcome of desperation and later it got a near right path…So will this nation.
I strongly urge you not get disappointed and losing faith….Messiah is waiting a long rope to End
You go on doing your duty with full faith. Dont be a part of frustrated 180 millions….
Struggle is meaning of life…Defeat or Victory is in Hands of God…but struggle itself is mans duty and should be his Joy.
We are not path makers….we are just to clear/clean path and lighten it for those who are to follow.Leave rest upon Creator….May be delay… but finally HE is to Clean up as all holy books say.
This is a period of Punishment of our doings….It is not that it will never end.
Discipline Democracy will come …my Faith and I earnestly Hope you will Live to See It…AMEN
He replied:
I hope you are right about what is to come.
But do not see in my lifetime.
Thank you for your message and I wish you all the best for the new year.
AC
I pray that your optimism comes true, for all our sakes.
because the value of every precious thing is realized once we lose it.