A RENDEZVOUS WITH TAHIR MUZTER

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A RENDEZVOUS WITH TAHIR MUZTER

By: Altaf Bashir

One day in autumn, and the month of September 2011, I received call from him, in the very morning of Friday when he asked me to meet at his residence, provided me his address and location where he lives, and I was excited also to meet him, and quick after the Friday prayer were over, I directed my steps towards his residence, saying to myself, this is an opportunity I have long sought, and the meeting will be an excuse for meeting such a personality
As I knocked the door, the man opened it whom I had been longing to see opened it. He was holding in one hand his spectacle, and other hand he shook with me, saying, welcome, son, to my residence, he hugged me warmly and kissed me two. As we directed towards his lawn where he offered me to sit, and take breathe into a calm and serene atmosphere, where the aroma of flowers soothe ones heart and soul, the peaceful atmosphere surrounding and green carpet glisten like the dew drops resting on the grass blades to provide a luminous look, as I sat on couch and begin to talk, he offered me juice and than tea.
Saying I am pleased to see you here today, as I had only grandson whom I have lost when he turned 16 of age, recent back all of sudden, I had pinned my hopes over him, that he will be my support and act as my old stick to guide me and become the reason to live my lasting days in the world. While he was commemorating the things he used to share with grandson, he was sighing wistfully, and resting off his spectacle from and was wiping his eyes with handkerchief, saying I have no hopes in the world to live more, though I spend my time on writing my books and reading now, and if I have no support of laptop and facebook, I would die overnight, it keeps me engaged with the world and I love to meet the young blood now, who are creative and innovative in the fields of knowledge and insight.
He narrated me the story of this world which is ugly and have no comfort for the virgin soul, easiness you will not find my son here.
As the world is cruel and it will maul you up in one go,
As they love substances not your vigor and gesture,
As he told me in the sad tone of his voice that, I have seen both good and bitterness of the world and I have long lasting experience, and that glister is lost now which I was finding some decades before…..
The world I was longing before were pure like the snow water, and now it’s been dampen with the greed and gory…
A rival who brought the misery, was the plot of my fate who took my grandson from and than the world of substance, where feeling and sympathy were diminishes…
World is cruel and demanding, possessing empty and lure, with the name of substance. It will follow you wherever you go….
And will watch like sentinel, brings restlessness to my heart and nature of being……
I am not like as I seem to be, I am lover of nature and creativity, world had ardent love for me, but destiny and the vindictive nature of human has spotted blackness to my psyche and I failed to understand in which world I am drawn in.
Furthermore, he told me that I asked once to my beloved in the forest, under the trees, by lakes I cannot find him, for substance, he, spirited him to the clamorous city and placed him on the throne of quaking, metal riches, loathe he the material pursuits as he was brought up by nature and which nurtured his surroundings and life he lived is all about the nature and nothing, so, substance….
He calls for him with the voice of knowledge and the song of wisdom. He does not hearken, for substance, has enticed him into the dungeon of selfishness, where avarice dwells. And when he told me, that he called up the realself, at the dawn when nature smiles, but he does not hear, for excess has laden his drugged eyes with sick slumber, and he beguiled realself, at the eventide, when silence rules and the flower sleep. But he responds not, brings, and shadows his thoughts.
He told me, my son, man is my sweetheart and I want to belong him; and he has learned to shriek and cry for his enemy, substance; he would like to teach him how to shed tears of affection and mercy from the eyes of his soul for the things, and the utter sighs of contentment through those tears, he keep saying that his heart is still pains when he commemorates his grandson died and left and pierce and void into his heart which inflicts him always and at the penury of his heart keeps flaming on and the embers of his heart are without smoke and he didn’t know how to extinguish them…
And further more at the end of our conversation he narrated me a good poem which relates to the modern materialistic man and the story that he told me, and advice me that son, life is bunches of ups and downs, and with each down we develop and sense of maturity. So son, beware of life and I wish you luck all the time…..

Once upon a time, son,
they used to laugh with their hearts
and laugh with their eyes:
but now they only laugh with their teeth,
while their ice-block-cold eyes
search behind my shadow.
There was a time indeed
they used to shake hands with their hearts:
but that’s gone, son.
Now they shake hands without hearts
while their left hands search
my empty pockets.
‘Feel at home!’ ‘Come again’:
they say, and when I come
again and feel
at home, once, twice,
there will be no thrice-
for then I find doors shut on me.
So I have learned many things, son.
I have learned to wear many faces
like dresses – homeface,
officeface, streetface, hostface,
cocktailface, with all their conforming smiles
like a fixed portrait smile.
And I have learned too
to laugh with only my teeth
and shake hands without my heart.
I have also learned to say,’Goodbye’,
when I mean ‘Good-riddance’:
to say ‘Glad to meet you’,
without being glad; and to say ‘It’s been
nice talking to you’, after being bored.
But believe me, son.
I want to be what I used to be
when I was like you. I want
to unlearn all these muting things.
Most of all, I want to relearn
how to laugh, for my laugh in the mirror
shows only my teeth like a snake’s bare fangs!
So show me, son,
how to laugh; show me how
I used to laugh and smile
once upon a time when I was like you.

By : Gabriel Okara

After a deep thought of around 2-3hours, and listening to him keenly with the golden word, which I commit that day I will ink them up soon, and before I left his place, he told me to stay with him, as he love to converse with me and his heart unburdened from the yoke he carried into his heart.
As i rose from my seat to depart, Tahir Muzter Sb, came to me soberly and said. Now my son, since you know your way to this house, you should come often and feel that you are coming to your father's house, consider me as your grandfather or father, and this house your own house.
I left the house. The Muzter Sabhib, accompained me to the edge of their house, and say GOD BLESS YOU my son....