‘Showkat Jan Laut Aao’

At the funeral prayers on Sunday, at Magarmal Bagh, the Imammade a routine announcement before the start of prayers for the deceased. “IfShowkat Jan Sahab owed anybody anything he may please inform his family so as toensure that his debts are repaid.” I was among the people who offered the lastprayers for the departed friend. So were many others from the family and alarge number of Showkat Jan’s friends, acquaintances and beneficiaries. Thiswas one departed soul who I am sure owed nobody anything and each one of thosepresent or had ever come in contact with him were actually the recipients ofhis unlimited favours. And they included the most affluent, the mostinfluential and the most privileged members of the society.

Showkat Jan was none of this. He actually was an enigma. Amystery to even his closest friends. He was an essential human being. Goodnesswas in his crane because goodness is giving, sharing. He was love personified.Because love is giving, sharing.

   

Nobody ever knew what Showkat Jan did for a living but healways insisted and did pay for the bills of his friends, whether at Ahdoos,his favourite haunt or at a dress shop or wherever. He would insist at the endof every conversation with me over telephone, should I have you sent somethingand, I am sure that was his standard with all his friends and acquaintances.

He was the fulcrum of his extended family and even thoughhis brothers did very well in life, they were all known as Showkat’s brothers.His friends were known as Showkat’s friends. I found him as the most selflessperson to have come into my life ever. For any of his legion of friends, he wasthe metaphorical “main hoon na”.

Showkat maintained an exclusive relation with everybody hetreated as a friend. And that exclusive relationship was marked by bluntness,straightforwardness, hard talk and a complete absence of hypocrisy. If he likedyou, he liked you to the hilt. If he dropped you from his favours, you were anobody to him.

Showkat Jan had become a habit for his friends. I do notknow how life will be without him, even though I did not see him everyday likeothers in his close circle. Long years back when I used to be part of theGreater Kashmir evenings at its office, Showkat too came and became a part ofthe scenario. Once he decided to boycott us. He had become extremely informalwith Fayaz Kaloo. They would fight and make peace. But the sensitive personthat he was, he suddenly disappeared and refused any contact for a month or so.Neither would he express what hurt him. Leaving us no way to know how to gethim back, we hit upon an idea of publishing a public notice in the next issueof Greater Kashmir. Titled ‘Showkat Jan laut aao ‘, we gave his description asin a usual disappearance note and it created a bit of a sensation among hisfriends. Next day, Showkat appeared at his usual time, but not before manypeople had spun stories about his ‘disappearance’ and his leaving his familyand home.

How I wish we could again send him this notice and bring himback. Life without you, Showkat, is not the same, and will never be!

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