The Pakistani Spectator

The life cycle of a common Pakistani is at times tougher beyond imaginations. A life starts in a house where five to six brothers and sisters are already living with his parents in a two bed room accommodation. With very limited resources and an earning hand only as his father, he does not enjoys the best of the living conditions in the early days of life and is not fed on best of the nutrients, but as youngest in the house, he enjoys the love, attention and care from her mother a lot and a little from his father and rest of family members. Father lives a totally stressed out life, always worries about the expenses on hand on kids schooling and other expenses of the house starting from Utility bills, rent and Kitchen.

His elder brother and sisters often ask his father “why cant we have our own house? His father would pass a half hearted smile and say “In these times, one can not have his own three bed room house by fair means, we should all Thank Allah that he has given us a house even on rent as a lot of people are living in very small houses, on the roads with poor living conditions, we will have our own house some day when we all work hard together. So you all study hard and enter practical life especially you boys (he had two sister and two brothers) as your sisters will get married and leave us.”

Despite all the problems and dejection in life, he always sees a reflection of self satisfaction on his father’s face and hardly any greed in him. He would always say that my biggest asset are my kids having a strong character and fine education.

He studies in government school along with his brothers and sisters but worked hard. He could see a classification and gradation system even at schools where big shot’s kids are given more respect and preference. He would walk three miles to his school daily and study hard and his father feels proud see his good grades.

Time passes, he grows young and ready to enter an expensive college on the wish of his father but to cover his study expenses he starts working on various part time jobs in restaurants and schools. Managing expenses with great deal of difficulty, he sees other boys coming to college in brand new motor bikes and cars and spending money on dress and shoes in a day which is equivalent to his monthly income. He is working very hard to make sure his dad’s dream of seeing him a very successful man in life by securing a good job and respectable place in the society.

His father being a supervisor in a factory, seems to be getting old more quickly than any one else in the entire family, it was not just the work stress, it was a tension that his two young daughters are sitting at home after completion of their studies up to Master’s level. Elder sister seeks permission for a job, after initial resistance from the father, she is allowed to do a teaching job and like wise the younger sister joins a bank.

He completes his masters in business administration and gets a good job out of the blue cause of his good grades and working experience on hand which he got working on part time basis to cover his study expenses. By the same time his father reaches the retirement age, now more worried as sisters are still un married. Relatives in the family were keen to get their daughters married to him and his brothers cause all are on good jobs and have good future. But for the sisters they would always reject the idea of getting them married to their sons cause cause they are still living in a rented houses and there are remote chances for his father to get his sisters married with a grand Dowry of house, car, bank balance etc.

Elder sister gets married and just a day before she leaving the house, father says to her with tears in his eyes” forgive me my child am sending to your new house from the same rented house, could not give you luxuries of life and have only managed to give you good education and strong character, thats all I could manage in my earning from fair means”. A lot of loan is taken for this marriage, which is being taken care of by him and his brothers and returned in next two years.

Younger sister gets married with a new series of loans and father spends all his provident fund as well to cover the demands of her In laws who were keen to get a 800 cc  Car for the bride, which is given to her. His father is seen more depressed by the fact that with all his efforts in life he could not give his kids a new house of their own. His mother being a very strong women, gives him hope that his kids are better educated, more cultured and well mannered than most of the kids in the family whose parents are filthy rich.

Then one morning, mother suddenly expires with a heart failure giving his father a more sense of loss and depression in the old age as he is retired and now with out a life partner. His mother was very supportive to his father and always managed well with in limited means, never asks for any of the luxuries in life, rather sold her jewelery for the sake of better education for her kids when she was quite young. She never got a chance to enjoy life, go on vacations and took a very good care of his father through out his life.

His brothers and sisters are all married and happily settled in life style of a middle class family. He is not yet married, some how got an aim in his life to give his father a home of his own. Works very hard in the job, getting upgraded frequently and excelling very well, saving money for the house of his dreams. His father now living with a more strong guilt that he could take care of their mother well enough and she silently ignored all her wishes and remained a very strong support.

He gets a chance to work in UAE, he seeks permission from his father who says that he would need his presence more here than the wealth of the whole world but agrees for his better future and says to him that he does not want his son to live with a guilt that a good opportunity came his way and he did not avail it.

He goes out to the world of wonders and starts earning in Dirhams, saving money for the grand house that he has in his mind to give his father a gift. After 4 years, in which he went only once back home to see his father, he saves enough to buy a 1000 yards house in a nice locality. He wants to give his father a surprise, selects a house with help of his friend, purchases it, gets it furnished, buys a new car and parks their and wants to give his father a surprise and decides to go back home after ten days on Eid Holidays. He is very excited to achieve the biggest aim in life and also decides to quit his job after three months and go back home to serve his father in the old age.

Just after three days, receives a call from his elder brother that his father is critically ill and wants him back today. He gets first flight back home only to find out that his father expired same morning. A total twist of fates for him, his father worked all his life to see a better a future of his kids, which he did. He worked for years to change the living standards of his family and father and by the time he is ready to do it, his father is no longer there. He is told that all his father wanted was his presence with him but never complained cause he was happy that his youngest son has made him proud by getting very well settled in life.

The life goes on, the youngest son is now a father himself and learnt from his father’s life that the best gift from parents to children is to give them good education (not expensive education), give them a fine character by telling them whats right and wrong in our religion and what should we do as a human being.

The worldly gains are meaning less if we develop a sense that whats necessary for us and we leave behind our well cultured and honest kids as our assets and all the wealth in the world becomes of no worth when the angel of death catches us.

This is the story of one family, we have millions of families living in Pakistan who try to match the life style of the people who are better off in terms of wealth and status and make wrong goals in life which is trying to get hold of wealth by fair and unfair means. All we need is a fair pursuit of our dreams as if we all correct our acts, we will be a much better nation and a more prosperous country.