Gem of a voice
On 2nd January, I opened my facebook account just to scroll around. I was yet to glide my finger over the screen and my body froze. “Prominent broadcaster and gemologist Syed Muzaffar Kashani passed away.” read a feed from somewhere...
I remember long back some eminent social and religious scholar of Kashmir passed away and my father wrote an article about him in GK. And I remember he gave it a title, “How many times can a man orphan be…?” My father had so much of hearty attachment to him that he felt to have been orphaned once again after the passing of his father G.M.Khadim Sb.
When I started writing this piece, in memory of Kashani uncle (as we always called him), I literally could not think of any other title but, “How many times can a man orphan be…?”
A person is attached to someone for many reasons. It can either be his character, his eloquence, his kindheartedness, his appearance, his manners, his way of speech, his behavior etc. but apart from all these qualities, what always bound us closer to him was his name; as our father’s name was also Muzaffar! My ears reverberate how Kashani uncle always used to call us, “O mera bacha”( oh my child!)
My father Muzaffar Khadim and Syed Muzaffar Kashani shared a strange bond. It was full of respect, yet at the same time full of joy and free-and-easy friendship. Whenever they talked, they talked with respect to each other but still had a warm closeness like that of young buddies!
There are a few things which I can never forget. Kashani sahab was my grandfather’s ( G.M.Khadim, the then principal and teacher of Islamia High School) taught. Whenever he talked about him, his eyes filled and he always expressed his emotions and his regard for him in a great and profound appellations and respect. It indeed reflected Kashani's own greatness, his humbleness and his regard for his teachers.
In our childhood, we always saw our father glued to radio or television listening to Kashani uncle's news reading. Undoubtedly, his clear, decent, delicately melodious voice and his beautiful accent had a magical gravitas.
The friendship between my father and Kashani uncle was always joyful. Daddy would never conclude his talk in any gathering about Kashani unless he narrated this beautiful episode of their friendship. And with this humorous anecdote, I will wrap up my words, with this prayer that may both the Muzaffar(s) unite in the Paradise, Jannat-Ul-Firdaus, Aamin.
“One day I tuned to Radio Kashmir, I recognized the voice, it was Muzaffar Kashani. When I listened to it, the program was about the importance and role of gems and stones in our life. Referring from science to The Holy Scriptures, Kashani emphasized their usage and importance. Because it was a script to be read on Radio as a reader only, Kashani was not to disclose that he himself was a gemologist. He ended up the program without disclosing himself, personally being a gemologist. As soon as the program ended, I called up on his home landline. Someone from his family picked up the phone and said that he is not back from his office yet. I told them that I urgently need to talk to him. 'Ask him to call me as soon as he is back. He just read a script on the Radio and he forgot something very important in it…'”
Within sometime, Kashani called me back and in a frightening and trembling voice directly asked me, “Muzaffar, what did I forget in my script?” I said, “Yes, you did forget something very important which made it incomplete.” “But what?” curiously he asked.
“Kashani, in the end, you forgot to tell your listeners, “…Milne Ka Pata (address for consultation), Kashana-i-Kashani, Gojwara, Srinagar. And with this, Kashani burst out into laughter…”)
And “Milne Ka Pata” became their pet phrase all their life!
My eyes are filling how both Muzaffar(s) used to laugh, remembering this joyful yet respectful joke and how desolated and gloomy the “Kashana-i-Kashani” will now be without his radiant smile. Both the Muzaffar(s) had such a celestial radiance on their faces that it lit up the hearts just looking at them. All that comes to my mind and which actually is an admonition for us all is, “Kaman Soortan Gachaan Metchei, Aawaaz Waatchei No…”
(How beautiful faces turn to dust, will you still not ponder…?”