Chapter no. 1: The Beginning (IV)

The next evening, everybody with a consensus, chose his home for B.B.Q. In the vast lawn, the sweet smell of Chicken Tikka and Byhari Kabab had penetrated everywhere. Adnan had always a good sense in the matter of meal, so in Ilaaf’s home right now he was looking like a host. The jesting of guys, laughter of girls, hustle bustle of servants, all four corners of lawn flourished with lights, everything was likable.

He had come inside to attend the call of Daada Saaiyen(Grand Father) because it was not possible to talk on mobile in such a huge noise outside.

“How are you Ilaaf?”, his grave and commanding tone had softness just for him.

“I am perfectly fine, Daada Saaiyen, How are you?”

“What could happen to me, while even in this age I am more active than your Father”, he repeated his usual sentence.

“Please, don’t say like this Daada Saaiyen. Baba (Father) also takes part in each and every matter side by side with you”, he felt sympathy for Baba Saaiyen as usual.

“I didn’t deny from this Ilaaf, but the truth is that this estate now needs young blood. Strong, active and new time’s blood, which is only flowing in your veins”, from anywhere or somewhere, he always stopped on this only thing.

“Yeah, I know Daada Saaiyen and you don’t worry, I will fulfill your each and every wish”, he didn’t want to break his heart. “But I will take some time. You know that I always need time for adjustment”, as usual he tried to vague the original matter.

“I understand everything, your tricks and your cunning as well but these are your days to live the life. I am not saying you to end your activities, just to take out some time in order to understand our system and to merge with it”. Ilaaf had got a humiliated smile on his face. “One can only understand feudal, proprietary and political systems after a hard time and playing so many tricks Ilaaf, and I want you to now take interest in these matters. Your Naana (Mother’s Dad) has the same thinking “. The smile of his face was vanished. “I had a talk with Mujahid, he was complaining that you have not been to Quetta for a long time. His complain is justified; you are also the only heir of him Ilaaf so you should keep in touch with him”. He felt some disgust. “Do one thing, take out some time in few days and have a trip to Quetta. He will be pleased to see you and you will get a chance to learn something in the company of Mujahid. In the ground of politics, he is a clever, practiced and managed player than I am”.

“Alright, Daada Saaiyen, I will go to Quetta next week”, his tone was serious and dry.

“Ok then, I will talk to you later. Take care of yourself and look, don’t worry about anything, nothing will be set over to you if you are not willing”. The tone of Ilaaf alarmed him. He knew that to pressurize Ilaaf for something was not possible and he didn’t want to because earlier or later, Ilaaf had to do what he was saying. He had a complete trust on his training that he had delivered to Ilaaf.

“Nothing can be set over to me, Daada Saaiyen”, he quit the phone laughing.

From the glass window of lounge, he looked the dispersed lights in lawn. He had decided to have a visit to Quetta in a week or so, but he had no intention to fulfill any of Daada Saaiyen’s wish right now.

Since his childhood, time to time he was made to be well informed with these matters, and this was true that despite of living eleven years from twenty four of his life outside the country, the complications of the system with which he was aware, nobody of his age could have. Regardless of this, he could never take interest in any of these for a single time in his life. Neither the vast and immense lands he had nor the properties in many different cities of the country he owned had anything to do with his interest. Neither the ruling over farmers and cultivars nor the governing over laborers, workers and middle classed group had ever succeeded to get his attention.

Except these things, his heart always attracted towards something else. The fresh air was found to be more pleasant than the cooling of air condition to him. Melodies of music, dispersed colors on canvas, words of beauty, rays of sun, light of moon and stars, mountains, rivers, clouds and everything which deserved to be called as beautiful, always succeeded to catch his attention. The one and only thing in the world of Daada and Baba Saaiyen that was interesting for him, was their construction business which he had taken care sometimes.

In A-levels despite of keeping both Business studies and Science subjects, his interest in art was still there, and therefore seven years before when he went to London for further studies, chose Royal College of Art and took admission in Bachelors in Architect Engineering. During his bachelors, he personally started to read History, Geography and Philosophy, moreover literature also added in this list but only Western literature. He could not take interest in Eastern literature unwillingly although his Urdu was good enough. A little time which he had spent in the company of his mother, due to this he gave importance to Urdu at each level and all of above he was in favor of learning and using languages in a better way. His interest in music also increased in these days. In his last year of Bachelors, he started to play Guitar initially only due to craze but later on, he joined the music classes in evening on insist of his friends. While, he was completing his final assignments of Bachelors in final year, he just got an idea to design something out of his course work. For many days, without knowing what he is going to design, he continued to draw lines, making strokes and when he had completed almost half of the initial work of the design, he recognized that it was a house. This recognition gave a satisfaction to him that at least he was determined now that what he is willing to design. He completed all technical requirements to design a house and when finally it was finished, the result was so unique. His all friends praised him and when Baba Saaiyen came to know about that, Ilaaf was told to send a copy of the map to Pakistan. It was a surprise for him, but some months later Baba Saaiyen told him that he had bought a large area in Defence with the name of Ilaaf and the building of the house has been initiated.

After completing his Bachelors, on aspiration of Baba and Daada Saaiyen behaving obediently, he took admission in Oxford for Masters in Major Programme Management. Due to the interest in Philosophy and Literature, he got permission first of vice chancellor and then from head of the departments, and started to assist himself to have an advantage of those libraries. After having a look on his interests and due to his much insistency, he also got a chance to attend few classes of Philosophy. Here he had a good time with Dr. Stephen; despite of this fact that Ilaaf is not a regular student of Philosophy, he often considered his questions and answered in a detailed manner.

During the very first semester of Masters, he got attracted towards Martial Art. Playing Tennis and learning Karate in childhood, were two reasons due to which these germs spread inside him so quickly moreover he was physically strong as well. He got an initial training of Martial Art from a local Institute in London for few months. Considering his interest, one of his Instructors advised him to get more training. At the end of that term, he applied for three months vacations and went to California. There he got further training under the supervision of a Japanese. Yuang Lee was not only famous to teach Martial Art, but also to make a person strong enough to bear hardships. Those three months that Ilaaf had spent with him, had polished many qualities inside him. Horse riding was his hobby since childhood due to the personal Stubble of Baba Saaiyen, but he started to play Polo now. He had learned to swim when he was in convent but never have been swum in rivers and seas like what he had done now with Lee; he practiced to swim many hours continuously. From Football, Basket ball, Tennis to Yoga and dance, he had hard and difficult practices which had strengthened him very much.

Three months later, when he came back London to join his term, his friends and class fellows were quite surprised to see his red tomato like face and his strong physique. He now had started to play guitar regularly.

In these seven years, Ilaaf had every experienced that he wished to have and that’s why he had no complain to life. Whatever he had desired, he had gained. Whatever he had thought, he had done.

After Masters, Daada Saaiyen was insisting that he should come back Pakistan, but Baba Saaiyen had left this decision to him. He wanted to give him freedom for few more years. After living his seven years outside Pakistan, now he wanted to live in Pakistan.

The house that he designed was almost completed when he returned back Pakistan. Baba Saaiyen had done this with the help of most skillful men of his company. The building was almost the same as he had thought and designed. Ilaaf himself decorated it and made some changes in color schemes according to his taste. The house was a beautiful and elegant piece of construction. Adnan and Rohail praised his skills and art after having a look on it.

Adnan was his childhood friend where as Rohail was his convent friend, both were closed to Ilaaf but Adnan had a relationship with Ilaaf Rohail could never have. They had an association like body and soul. Adnan loved Ilaaf as he was his twin brother. Whenever Ilaaf was supposed to be in Pakistan, Adnan always kept himself with him like a reflection.

The reason to come back Pakistan was not that Pakistan had any importance to Ilaaf, instead because his personality had got a variation naturally. He could not spend his life in a same condition more than some time. He always needed change. The desire of change was inside him forever, every moment in his life; he always felt that he is in search of something. It was an unsaid, unheard question, and to search its answer he was always ready to have some new and unique experiences. Instead of having everything, sometimes unavailability of an unknown thing made him restless and in that time, it was only his guitar which was worth to him. He often had composed new tunes and sometimes invented a song as well.

He turned his head and looked at his guitar, kept on sofa. A strange movement penetrated in his body. He picked guitar and came out in the lawn.

Adnan was standing with Rohail and Aleeshah. They looked him, and then came towards him.

“Look, what I had said to both of you that Ilaaf will sing a song for me today, and now, Ilaaf had brought the guitar”. Aleeshah was always over optimist in his case. Ilaaf got a smile on his lips, where as Adnan and Rohail had a cracking laugh on this sentence of her. They both were well aware of the relationship between Ilaaf and Aleeshah.

Ilaaf considered her as a good friend of him, but she considered Ilaaf someone more than a friend. Ilaaf had no role in this misconception of her. He was enough firm hearted in the matter of girls. He always found the beauty in girls uncompleted. He never had seen a girl in his life with complete beauty, but he had desire to see the complete beauty. A single desire, which was just a desire till now, could not become a reality for him.

The moment he sat with his guitar on a side, all girls and guys crowded around him. It was a desire which was emitting like a tune of guitar.

Tujhey dhunda hai chand taaron men

(I search for you in the Moon and stars)

Hawaon men aur in nazaron men

(In winds that blow and in the views that I look)

To bata dey kabhi tu kahan hai chupi

(So, tell me once, where are you hidden)

Samander men rehti koi jal pari

(Either a mermaid living in sea)

Ya k phoolon men khilti hui ik kali

(Or a flower bud living among roses)

Ya k badal sey girti hui zindagi

(Or the life, falling from clouds)

Zindagi Zindagi tu kahan hai chupi

(O life, O life, where are you hidden)

Terey rastey pey hain meri aankhen bichi

(My eyes are waiting, spread on your way)

Beautiful tunes of guitar and these words had made the environment more colorful.