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Dear Rafi,
A
few years ago I met a wonderful Urdu writer in Toronto. He shared some
of his poems and stories with me. I was impressed. When I asked him to
share his creations with other writers and friends, he declined. I was
shocked to find out that even his beloved wife did not know that she was
married to a wonderful writer. Finally he gave me blessing to translate
one of his poems in English. Since it is about Mother’s Day, I am
sending it to you as an attachment.
You may not be aware that my relationship with my mother was painful. I
felt suffocated by her love and she felt rejected by my living in Canada
while she lived in Pakistan. But after her death the ice of resentment
started to melt in some mysterious way. In the last few months I had a
number of dreams about her that helped me dissolve my conflict with her.
I would have never imagined in my wildest imagination that my
relationship with my mother would improve after her death. So on
Mother’s Day I wrote my first poem in her memory. I am also sending you
that poem.
It is also an interesting coincidence that when Dennis Isaac and I
received an invitation from our dear director friend Azeem Sajjad (Zoomie)
from Lahore to participate in a tele-film festival, the story that
Dennis chose was about my mother. It is called Yousaf’s Mother. It is a
sad story. That is why I never shared it with my mother while she was
alive. I remember once when I visited Sweden and Sain Sucha asked me to
read a story in Ahmed Faqih’s house, I chose to read that story. When I
finished the story I was touched to see tears rolling down on the cheeks
of women present in the gathering. Dennis believes that filming that
story will also touch many hearts when they see it on the screen. I am
amazed how Dennis transforms written words into moving images. Many
people tell me that my personality and writings are quite intense and
would like me to mellow down. I think I am already mellowing as I am
getting older. I wonder how do you think your personality affects others
and what kind of feedback you get from others about your writings?
Affectionately,
Sohail
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