“-Desperate Yet Destined-”
In the beginning it was just the same. I
opened my eyes in the city of Lahore. Unconscious and unaware I kept changing
laps of people until I was three. At that time I gained sense to see the world through
my own eyes. I knew this was the beginning of a long journey which would let me
experience the tough, sorrow and happy moments throughout my life. The first
two years were very smooth and sweet. I used to sleep with my Mother, wake up
with her, play with her, talk with her and knowing all she never let me get
scared or unprotected. She was the best remedy for any problem that I faced. She
was my teacher, my preacher, my helper as well as my best friend.
Then
I was young enough to play with my two elder brothers. They were nice and kind
to me and protected me through thick and thin. By this time I had started going
to school. Slowly I grew older and got to know about my cousins and other
relatives. The only thing missing in my life was my father. My mother told me
that my grandfather was Captain in British Navy and after retirement he came to
Pakistan and settled here. He joined politics and soon became Commissioner of
Kalat and was a great landlord of this area. My father after getting his basic
education from Britain went to Canada to complete his higher studies and become
a lawyer. Now he comes once a year to meet all his relatives and family.
At
the age of 8, I met my father for the first time. He had been quite busy there
so this time he came after three years. By now I had made couple of friends in
school and life became somewhat more interesting. At that time I started
thinking about my Career for the first time. I thought for very long but could
not settle my mind on any one field. At the age of 14, I started my O-level
classes and soon I made up my mind. I always wanted to be different from others
and so I choose a very uncommon profession which was not at all common in this
country. My Mathematics was good, my drawing was excellent and I had a very
complex and creative mind so I decided that I want to become an Architect!
This
was a field I had no idea of. Nobody in our family ever got into this field so
I decided to become the first one. Another reason being that I started hating
the two fields everyone dreamed of. Either become a doctor or an Engineer. This
was the first decision I made on my own my life. I was criticized by my whole
family and many tried to change my mind but they soon came to know that this
was my first and last decision. Even my Mom and Dad did not appreciate me at
first but soon they were satisfied with my decision and started appreciating
me. I completed my O-levels and was about to start A-levels when my father
retired and came back home forever. It was very unfortunate news but despite
all everyone was happy that he earned his every penny through hard work and
honesty and now he will safely live with his family happily. Afterwards my
father got job as legal advisor to Governor Punjab.
By
this time my eldest brother had gone to university and the other was applying
for Pakistan Army. I had a lot of interest in ancient architecture so I used to
spend most of my time reading and learning about these ancient structures. It
soon becomes my passion to collect knowledge about ancient empires. I did my
A-levels with good result and applied in NCA (National College Of Arts). Soon
its merit list was displayed and I had got an admission in the first list. The five
year course was difficult but I made clear to myself that what I do here is
what my career depends upon. I had a tough four years but once I graduated, I
was the happiest man alive. I never saw my parents more happy than they were on
my convocation ceremony. I thanked God and my parents for keeping a firm belief
in me and giving me the choice to decide my own profession.
It took quite
a while to find a job and at first it was not a good one either but still I did
not lose hope and tried to find a better one. This job was in a small firm in
which I was not having any facilities to avail or having a good salary either.
Apart from this job I started making sketches and designs on my own. I used to
make designs for houses, buildings, offices and restaurants. This gained me a
lot of experience. As an architect, one day I was given a project to design a
structure of a ten story plaza having strength to withstand huge gusts of wind
and should be durable enough to remain there for years. Apart from these it
should able to withstand earthquakes and heavy rain. I gave my full effort and
hard work to make it a reality and after one month’s time I submitted it to our
head. After sometime I came to know that the engineering company which wanted
to make this huge plaza selected our firm’s designs for this building. This
made our firm popular and renowned. After a few more projects like this I was
promoted and made the chief of designing committee. This nearly doubled my
salary and now I was satisfied with the job. In a short period of time, our
firm achieved great success but still this firm was on a very small scale and I
sensed that my true potential is still to be explored.
By
now I was getting offers of firms from different cities as well. Soon I changed
my firm and joined one in Karachi. This was a much bigger firm and I was
allotted my very own glass cabin office. This firm had much more orders to
complete and so the work got tougher and tougher but I quickly sensed that this
was increasing my opportunities as well. This made me busier and I had much
less time to spend with my parents and other family members.
I used
to visit my parents once month. Every time I visited them, it was clear that
they were getting weaker and weaker. I used to buy medicines for them whenever
I was on my way to home. Especially my Dad used to talk much less on phone as
well as when I was at home. This routine continued for more than two years and
then one day at the office I received a call from my brother. He told me that
father had a severe heart attack after breakfast and after he was taken to
hospital but he didn’t survive for much long.
This
news just came out of the blue for me as I was never expecting this to happen. It
completely blew the winds off me and I felt the world around me numb and hollow.
A kind of shelter was shattered from my
head. I had just heard these things from elders but when it happened to me it
was like the earth gave way from underneath my feet. It was just one week that
I met with my father and he was in a good condition. I could not stop my tears at
that moment. I quickly ended the call and took the very next flight from
Karachi to Lahore. The whole atmosphere of Lahore was depressed. Everything
looked terrible and horrific. I went straight to my home and saw my mother
crying. In an instant I burst into tears which were some never ending ones. I
remained there for a month and then returned to my job.
My
work with the firm was going quite well and now we were doing international
projects as well so I was getting many benefits and a large sum of money. After
just few months I received an invitation from a firm operating in Dubai to come
and join them. Afterwards many more came but I was not ready to do any such
things at that particular moment.
My elder brother had gone to America to
have his PhD degree and my mother was with my other brother who was Major in
Pakistan Army at that time. Time quickly passed after my father’s death.
Afterwards I and my both brothers were married.
After
marriage my mother and my brothers told me that I should avail the opportunity
and join any international firm as it would benefit me more. I joined the Dubai
based firm and started living there. I used to visit my mother once in 3-6
months and called her regularly. One day, on a fine evening I received a call
from my brother telling me about my mother that she was seriously ill and
admitted in hospital straight away. I went to see her the very next day and
while I was there my mother passed away right in front of my eyes.
That was
the most depressed and sorrow moment of my entire lifetime. I felt complete
disorientation, I had nothing on my mind, my heart broken and my whole body
shivering in pain, I just cried and cried until my eyes swelled. My mother who was
my guideline from the beginning had now gone. My elder brother also came from
America. We could not do anything except keep a firm belief in Allah and pray
for her forgiveness. After all this I returned to my home in Dubai. I continued
my hard work and after 3 years it all paid off. I had my name nominated in the
list of top 10 Architects of the world. Unfortunately I did not have success
that time but the very next year I was nominated 7th.
I am 45 at the moment. I own a firm in Rome working day and
night preparing hundreds of projects every day. It was a wish of my mother to
see me at the top of my field and now finally I have achieved it but sadly my
mother did not live long enough to see this day come true. So now I am sitting
beside a fireplace writing these last lines of this formidable autobiography of
mine in Athens World Architectural Centre having the World’s Best Architect
award in my hand but nobody except my wife
sitting by me to share this magical moment which was just a dream I seldom saw!
-Author-