How to Sprinkle Happiness Around You: Javed Bhai (Dr Zaeem Jafri) – A Jolly Good Fellow
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been admitted to the hospital and is in serious condition. My heart sank. There
was this feeling of heaviness that told me that this hospitalization may be the
last one. He had endured the continuous slide in his health valiantly for the
last several years. The last few conversations I had with him and those he met
told me that it is now only a matter of months if not days.
phone. Javed Bhai has gone to meet his creator. We are from Him and to Him we
return. Some earlier, others later. So many have gone ahead, and others who are
here are preparing for their departure which may come any day.
about Prof Dr Zaeem Jafri (1950?-2009) who was a hugely popular professor of LUMS (see for e.g this post and the facebook page in his memory) but to us was always our dear “Javed Bhai”. I wanted to tell Abida Bhabi, Almai Jafri bhai, Farid or Aziz
how much I miss him. But, then I thought I would better write down my feelings
and this may be a better expression of the thoughts that were swelling up in me.
recollections. The incident happened at my cousin’s house at the entrance. His son Mubeen, who was four then, had come out to greet us. I extended my hand to shake his
hand, and unconsciously, my hand whizzed pass Mubeen’s outstretched hand
leaving him a bit surprised, a bit perplexed and a bit amused because it had never happened to him that his outstretched hand had missed the hand shaking it. I had unconciously acted on the “sunnat” of Javed Bhai, who would often, while shaking hands with the kids, would give them this feeling of joyful surprise
through this gesture, making it a memorable and an affectionate event. I could see this mix of joy, surprise and enjoyment again on Mubeen’s face. He tried to
shake my hand a few times, and each time my hand would whiz pass his
outstretched one, making this simple routine an opportunity for fun and
laughter. Eventually I had a warm handshake with him.
mundane event into something that everyone can enjoy, have a hearty laughter
and a moment to remember. I can’t remember exactly but long ago and far away in
my memory there is a similar encounter with Javed Bhai when the palm of his hand had whizzed pass my outstretched hand. The
feeling of surprise and enjoyment still lingers on with me and now, whenever I perform
this fun greeting with a new kid I seem to be transferring this Javed Bhai’s
tradition forward. Actually, I now seem to be doing it quite frequently, and in
a small way am helping to perpetuate this mixture of happiness and surprise
that I must have felt when I was greeted with this fun greeting when I was a kid.
relating this incident and its relationship with Javed Bhai, a flood of memories
associated with Javed Bhai came rushing to me.
our first encounter with Javed bhai. It is summer of 1969 and there is this
typical sweltering, dry heat of Kharian Cantt. I am around 7. There is this
huge party of our extended family members gathered at the house of another
memorable and jolly good person who is no more with us; Rauf Mamoo. Rauf
Mamoo is another person whose mission in life, it now seems so clearly, was to
spread happiness, enjoyment and laughter all around him. When I and others
recollect about Rauf Mamoon, our memories are replete with the adventures and
jolly good times we had through him. Javed Bhai, I think, was also cast in that
same mould. Wherever Javed Bhai would go, there would be laughter, happiness
and people enjoying every moment.
under the cool shade of a huge sheesham tree. There is this donkey that Javed
Bhai and company have gotten hold of from somewhere and are taking turns to
ride it. The company included a host of our cousins; Anjum Apa, Kausar Apa, Rafia, Azam and
Moazzam representing Numma and Mukhtar Khaloo. Zuhaira Apa, Humaira and me.
Family of Rauf Mamoon and some members from Sardar Mamoon’s family. And, of
course, Javed Bhai, Mano Apa and others. Of course we and the others belonging
to age group less than 10 are excluded from this riding experience.
how to be at the receiving end of humor. There was an incident where I saw a snake
and was trying to relate its story, when I made a funny pronunciation. I
pronounced “saunp” for “saanp”. This funny pronunciation became something with
which Javed bhai would greet me whenever we would meet for the next several
years. I still remember that this making fun of apparently very insignificant
happenings without being personal or offensive was a typical Javed Bhai style.
Due to his phenomenal memory he would remember such small incidents and would
spread the fun even after decades of the incident.
Lahore and we were in Islamabad and the travel was not that frequent.
in the early 70s. I think this would be around 1972 or 1973. Hasan Nana was at
the old haveli-type house on main Jail Road. I remember the fascination and
mystery surrounding that old structure. Its high walls and gigantic door-size
“roshandaans” for ventilation. There were these intricate passage-ways to reach
to roof and from there to those “roshandaans” that would provide us with so
much fun and adventure where we would think of ourselves as some characters in “Avengers”
or “Man from UNCLE” exploring an old fort. There I remember the love and
affection of nani jan (Javed Bhai’s mother) with which we the kids were
treated.
One night in this great haveli (at least for us) at around 3am I am awakened by some strange and grand noises that I could not place. I am terrified. Couldn’t go to sleep. When they continued in some kind of rhythm and did not stop I came out of the bed, and tip toed in the direction from where they were emanating. I crossed one room and from there to another bigger one. I could peep in this bigger room which had some some low intensity lights on. I could see the big room with huge white hanging and flowing cloths of some thin material in sort of cubicles around two or three beds which were waving in the strong gusts coming from fan (later I realized these were mosquito nets whose ends were loose and waving in air). Around one of these flowing drapes like cloths I saw Hasan Nana deeply immersed in some zikr which would periodically increase in loudness and in its severity. I was in awe and terribly afraid. I receded back. I used to be so much afraid of him because of this “jalaali” side of him. But, later I realized the gentleness and help that he would offer.
at a chess game! Once, he asked me whether I played chess. I said yes. So, out came a chess
board. Obviously, Javed Bhai would check mate me in a few moves. I would play
chess more often with Nani Jan, she enjoyed playing and it used to be engrossing. I learned from Javed Bhai how to make a castle
to protect my king. But, on one occasion, maybe it was a fluke, or Javed Bhai’s
attention was elsewhere, I managed to corner him and checkmate him. This win
gave me so much enthusiasm and exhilaration that I still remember it today.
Although, I still think that I defeated him squarely. But, this win was
instrumental in increasing my motivation in the game and giving me a huge bout
of confidence.
And, what a major undertaking a board exam used to be. I was preparing as if my
life depended upon it. Javed Bhai was in Islamabad for some errand. Ammi Jan
asked him to evaluate the progress of my studies. I am sitting in my bedroom
that I have fashioned out of a larger size store next to the kitchen. Javed
Bhai walks in and asks me what am I reading. I mention Newton’s laws of motion.
He asked a question that I still remember. He asked how is it that a horse-drawn
carriage moves forward when the horse pushes the ground backwards. The answer
that I gave was appreciated a lot. Actually that very day I have read this
particular scenario discussed in one old science book that I used to have as
supplementary reference. He asked me a few questions as he drilled down the
scenario. Anyhow, he appreciated my answers and told my mother not to worry.
“Irfan is going to do excellently well and is going to make you proud”. These
words that I overheard, gave me so much encouragement that I consider them to
be the foundation on which my entire educational career is based. Not only
these words of Javed Bhai encouraged me to study hard, but to study in depth
from other reference books and gave me the confidence that I am really on the
right path and am going to do well. I got very high percentages (according to
the 70s standards) and positions in my matric and inter board exams and a
substantial credit must go to him for those soothing words of encouragement and
confidence. Whenever I met him later he
was always encouraging and appreciating my progress.
our home. The occasion is the marriage ceremony of Ghufaira Apa, my eldest
sister. We are in a two story apartment complex, where we have not only people
staying in our apartment but also in the rooms that we have loaned for the
period from our neighbors. One room in the apartment above where Anjum Apa,
Raza Bhai is staying with their daughter. One room in the diagonally upper
apartment where Rafi Bhai, Farida Apa are staying. And, then there is this
large drawing/dining room adjacent to our apartment on the ground floor where
all the young and males are staying. There are these mattresses (“gaddays”),
spread around in the room and around 12 of us are staying. Javed Bhai’s arrival
was being awaited for quite some time.
girls who had come for the wedding for around three to four weeks. The stay
there was full of adventures. Especially the practical jokes where the males
were staying. One day someone put a frog in the shalwar of Javed Bhai and tied
the lower end while he was sleeping. Soon he woke up and characteristically of
his sense of humor he enjoyed the whole event. In return, the other day someone
put the niswar in the nose of the perpetrator when he was sleeping. Pillow
fights, and sprinkling of water were the smaller incidents. I still remember
the feathers from those precious pillows that our aunt has brought from one of
her foreign trips were flying all around the room along with lots of cotton
wool from the others. Also of interest is the look of astonishment and anger on
the faces of elders surveying the fighting zone followed by long lectures.
by a group of three who were learning to ride, followed by a lot of angry and lengthy
lectures on the appropriateness of the act. There were these night trips to
Super market for ice cream followed by singing by the road side. Mind you,
these were 70s. The roads in Islamabad were still empty. It would be pitch dark
after eight as all would go to sleep. Safety and security was a non-issue.
Girls would be cycling all day and night, going alone to schools, through
desolate areas and traveling by bus with no fear or apprehension.
many stories to recount. So many interesting incidents of that time are
memorable that would require a separate compendium. Whenever those who were in
that group meet the discussion always turns to those days memorable made by the
magnetic and jolly personality of Javed Bhai. Special mention is the invasion made of the house of Pasha Sb. The party consisting
of around 15 people returning after watching the movie Great Escape in the 3-6
show at Odeon Cinema, was seeking out Javed Bhai who had not turned up to see
the movie as per his promise. The entire party returning from that wonderful
movie was fully charged up and someone said that Javed Bhai could not come
because he was with Pasha sb. On arrival at the house, the party found the
house to be locked and apparently no one was home. We thought that Javed Bhai
has hid himself in that huge house of Pash Sb’s and has instructed those
present to inform us that he is not in the house. We did not believe it. The
party stormed the house. Banging at close doors, opening cupboards and locked rooms
thinking that he may be hiding somewhere. Eventually some one thought that he
is actually hiding in the bathroom whereas the person inside was someone else,
leading to a lot of apologies and embarrassment. Despite all our effort we
could not locate him. To this date we are not sure whether he was hiding there or
not. Despite the subsequent embarrassment the thrill of trying to search for
Javed Bhai is recollected and described in such a memorable manner by everyone
in that party.
its own to recount. Much of the above fun and adventure is associated with the
jolly good company of Javed bhai. Whenever some of us from that party get
together we would invariably talk about the fun we had on those trips.
or through Lahore I had occasion to appreciate the other side of Javed Bhai’s
personality. This time we came to know each other and had occasion to talk for
long times on various issues. His views on education, his interest in
mathematics and physics, history of science, family legacy, and so on. His
contributions to the initiation of MUN and its development into an institution
replicated now all over the country is phenomenal.
around him. Around five years after the death of his father in 2000-01, I
remember him telling me that Irfan it has been so many years since my father
died and yet not a single day passes when I do not remember him. I wondered at
that time, how come this can be true. My father and mother both were alive at
that time. Now I know better. They both
died in 2003 and 2004, it has been around a decade since they are gone. But,
yes I can safely say that not a day passes when I don’t remember them. And with
such remembrances, I cannot fail but to remember what Javed Bhai once said to
me.
later on as a faculty member. I think this was because of his shorter height
and his great speed with which he would move around and do things. All his
actions seem to be determined and done with speed and precision.
I think this was in 2006-7 when we were stopping over in Lahore at his place in LUMS on our way to Islamabad. This was December-January. It was cold. There was this picture in Dawn about several feet of snowfall somewhere. Right next was the story about cold winter in Sahiwal where four people had died of freezing. He connected the two stories and had many of our team convinced that there was several feet of snowfall in Sahiwal and four people have died. The convincing way in which this was done was amazing. The team members for some time were so worried about how to travel in such a weather and what to do and what not. What a fun we had later whenever we would recollect about the snow fall in Sahiwal.
He was diagnosed with cancer. Doctors had given
him a few months, but, I think his humor, his energy, his drive and the prayers
of his well wishers and above all his will and Allah’s beneficence made us to
benefit from him till end of 2009.
Excerpt from his Profile:
After successfully achieving two MSc degrees in Physics and Electronics Technology, respectively in 1980, he went on to pursue a PhD. in Micro-Electronics from the University of Surrey in United Kingdom. He joined LUMS on July 12, 2000. Dr. Zaeem Jafri was working at LUMS as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics along with performing the duties of the Director of the Office of Student Affairs. At LUMS he taught several courses including: (a) Theory and Applications of Science (b) Calculus (c) Foundations of Electronics (d) Foundations of Physics.
Besides his affiliation with LUMS, Dr. Zaeem Jafri’s career involved teaching experience at various notable educational institutes such as UET, Lahore.
See also:
- How was I guided: How to find a “buzurg” and “wali” of Allah
- How exploration of nature and role playing was encouraged: Of Jungles, Streams, Berries and Wild Pink Flowers — Fragrant Memories of Islamabad that Was
- Of Achars, Chutneys and Halwas: A Lifestyle Getting Lost Through Branding and Mass Production
- How to make people feel special and close: Rauf Mamoo
- How to Sprinkle Happiness Around You: Javed Bhai (Dr Zaeem Jafri) – A Jolly Good Fellow
- How Language Acquisition is Made Difficult for Children: Eight Lessons from an Urdu Acquisition Case Study
- Ansari Sb: Khawajgan Chisht Ahle Bahisht
- Secret of Happiness: One Simple Rule
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