Professor Syed Raid Ahmed of Geography 1963-65 All my classmates and those who have been student of Professor Syed Rais Ahmed would bear me out that they all hold him in profound respect and cherish the moments spent with him. The poetic thought that good people die soon holds legitimacy when I recall good name of Syed Rais Ahmed. He was by all standards an exceptional person with revolutionary thoughts, firm believer in his actions, result-oriented and most soft-skinned tutor of his students for education and training. Syed Sahib was born and initially brought up at city of Allahabad, United Provinces, India during British Raj in a traditional Sadaat family. Following independence and division of the subcontinent, his parents decided to stay in India but the teen-ager Rais Ahmed took a contrary decision in early 1950s and migrated to Karachi all by himself. Worked at an insignificant job in the AG’s office and supported himself and attained a prestigious masters’ degree in Geography from Karachi University. He had the honor and privilege of being a student of Professor Dr. I.R. Khan who was teacher of teachers in the subject of Geography in the subcontinent for about four decades and had the singular distinction of being Director of Education of UP. Rais Ahmed was the only child of his parents. ‘Qavi Bhai”, one of his cousins who was Principal of some Commerce college in Hyderabad was his only ‘moral’ support as a relative. He entered into WPES (West Pakistan Education Service) directly after selection by the West Pakistan Public Service Commission. More than seventy percent of lectures at that point in time were ad-hoc appointees of the Principals of colleges or the Directors of Education. According to the then prevailing system, lecturers were confirmed by the Public Service Commission during the continuation of their service. A “Karachite” and “Najeeb ut Tarfain Urdu speaking” Syed Rais Ahmed by choice opted to work at Sargodha, a place known to him as a ‘spot’ on the administrative map of Pakistan. This decision alone can provide a probing clue to unfold his dynamic personality. All my life I have been apprehensive and susceptible of the coming events in my life and so I understand others are but Syed Sahib was not. We try our best to ‘calculate’ the forthcoming events and eventualities before taking any milestone decision in life, then we take a calculated decision based on what we call ‘calculated risk’ and still we are at least ‘uneasy’. We apply rule of thumb, well known conventional standards inferences from the pertinent data, sum total of consultation of friends and advice of worldly-wise people (Sianay) still the outcome of the decisions turns out modest. Less fortunate of us goof very often. Syed Rais Ahmed took his major decisions absolutely unconventionally all by himself. We were in 3rd year when we had our debut with this Black Sherwani white paijama clad medium build fair-complexioned, chain smoker young man who spoke Urdu in his whistling accent and English in a kind of Urduized accent where a soft voice of “i” is added before saying “school”. Very soon, our hearing habits blended with the intellectual love for Syed Sahib were all set to listening to him with attraction and devotion. His knowledge of Geography and allied branches of this subject was commendably superior along with his innate ability to communicate at the wavelength of his pupil by emphasizing the words, terms, sentences and baffling. I can recall many incidents to establish now that the Professor was keen to inculcating good manners and grooming his students and wished that his students should stand out in the college and later in life. Syed Rais Ahmed was a poet too and his Takhlas was Afsar. At times, he would write his full name as: S. Rais Ahmed Afsar. I have never noted him write ‘Syed” as prefix of his name for it was construed a gesture of modesty amongst certain classes to conveniently ignore that inherent privilige. He was gifted with captivatingly beautiful handwriting in Urdu and English and he had a permanent tendency of writing with fountain-pen filled with shining-black ink. His black ink pot was essential part of his travel kit. I have heard him a number of times reciting his poetry in sleeted Musha’ai’ra in the style of 19th century Ustad-poets, accepting applause and appreciation with raining of his hand to his forehead and repeating the admired verses. Syed Sahib was ordained to face a strictly socking episode when we were in the final year of college. His father who was traveling by train from Allahabad to Sargodha to meet his son after about 15 years, somehow got mislead on Lahore Railway Station and was boarded in the mainline train going to Karachi. Not knowing as to what had happed to the incoming old-age guest, the sphere of students and colleagues shared his grief and stood with him in that uncertainty, feelings of trepidation and awe. For a period of about one week, I travelled to various possible locations around Lahore to trace the missing person till finally we discovered that he was on board a wrong train and under probable distress he had cardiac arrest near Samma Sata, Multan. He had been buried after rituals by the municipality before we found that out. Rais Sahib’s close friends Professors: Imtiaz Bhatti, Iqbal Jaffery, Zile Husnain, Farooq Akhtar Najeeb, Mumtaz Sahib and Syed Sajjad Hyder were visibly with him along with his 3rd year and 4th year classes. An extraordinary human virtue that I could not decipher on the known principles of rationality, some people have the charisma of winning over others individually as well as collectively. To summarize our inability to decode this fascinating phenomenon we say, ‘God gifted people they are’. Syed Rais Ahmed was, of course, one of them. I had personally observed his charisma on individuals and in the meetings but I was in actuality flabbergasted when I came to know that he was ‘elected’ President of West Pakistan Lecturers Association. Syed Sahib had shared a vast variety of his personal information with his students without any reservation or complex while puffing at his cigarette sitting in the Geography Lab. One of his sweet memories was his official trip to Kaptai, East Pakistan with other Geographers including Dr. Zafar and Professor Dr. Khalilullah Kureshy who was later elevated to the eminent position of Colonel in army and head of Geography department of University of the Punjab. His relationship with the Principal was very cordial and friendly. Senior Professor Shafi Sarwar, the Principal, provided all out assistance to the students of Geography in their practical. Girl students of Government Degree College Sargodha used to come to our college for practical – regularly for practical of Chemistry and Physics. I and Javed Iqbal Hashmi were blue eyed boys of Syed Sahib and were custodian of Geography Laboratory which was Professor’s office as well. In July 1965, after my graduation, I had all plans set to work for attaining a masters’ degree in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology. While the process of my admission and Assistantship was on its way at Kansas State University, my family thought it prudent to avail the waiting period by taking admission at University of the Punjab department of Sociology. I was admitted and commenced my studies in Sociology under the guidance of Dr Gardezi and Dr Fayyaz at University of the Punjab before the events steered me to the Geography department to be a faithful disciple of Emeritus Profess Dr Kazi Saeeduddin Ahmed. I completed my studies and a reasonable piece of research (thesis) in Geography with zeal and zest in 1967. I very well remember my convocation in January 1968, when Professor Hameed Ahmed Khan Vice Chancellor of University of the Punjab had conferred that degree on me, overwhelmed with the passions of gratitude I had dedicated that degree to Professor Syed Rais Ahmed, WPES. I am not sure why but he got transferred to Karachi after 1966 and later he went to London for pursuing his Ph.D. in Geography. At Sargodha, he was always in touch with Professor Imtiaz Hussain Rashid Bhatti. During one of my visits to Sargodha, Bhatti Sahib disclosed contents of a letter from Rais Sahib to Bhatti Sahib. Rais Sahib had developed some cardiac problem that had substantially depressed him. He had written, “Mujhay bady admeoun wali bimari lag gai hay”. He died of that ‘disease of opulent people’ in London. Though not regularly, I pray for blessing of his soul in the life hereafter whenever I miss him. He is my mentor in life. Once I was reading an exclusive description of a meeting of the hay days of President of Ayub Khan where Air Commodore Nur Khan (later our national hero Air Marshal Nur Khan) had given some presentation. President was overly fascinated with Nur Khan’s thoughts and discussion. In charm of the moment, the President remarked, “such a person (gesture referred to his talent) should be a governor of a province”. That was judgment of a mighty President/ Field Marshal. I am a humble being much less in knowledge, prudence and experience therefore my judgment would carry no significance but I have the pleasure to draw my own conclusions and retain my thoughts. I am a firm believer that Syed Rais Ahmed and Imtiaz Hussain Rashid Bhatti did not get their due in life. Had any of these Professors had the opportunity of being Vice Chancellor of any university, they could exhibit logical magic in the 20th century Pakistan. I only know about three people who were actually weighed in pure gold in their life; I wish Syed Rais Ahmed would have been another person adding to the list of Sir Sultan Mohammad Agha Khan, Mir Usman Ali Khan Nizam Hyderabad Deccan and Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Not for his opulence, eminence or leadership but for his virtues of a traditional teacher to raise and care for the up bringing of his pupil and transferring his knowledge in ‘smooth transition’ against all odds. (I do not understand why teacher are not adequately rated in our society.)
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:01:47 +0000
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