Daily Times

The dynamics of human responses to grief are strange, and perhaps something that qualifies to the rank of inexplicability. At times, it is relatively easier for us to suppress painful thoughts from our consciousness as if nothing associated to them had occurred in the first place. While on the other hand, there are moments and instances when all attempts at obliterating memories or even repressing those fail, and those melancholic indicators remain etched forever in our cognition, becoming a part of our collective memory.

The tragic demise of Abdul Sattar Edhi is one such shocking loss, scarring the Pakistani nation for times to come. His demise has not only orphaned the frail state of Pakistan but has also generated an inexplicable void, a void that cannot be defined, described or attributed.

How do you reflect upon a person who taught others to live, to embrace life despite its afflictions, and who dedicating his life to instilling hope and faith in humanity died in the process? How do you revere a person who died pursuing his singular goal of providing social services to the needy, the disenfranchised segments of society, the quarters shamelessly ignored by those at the helm of affairs?

Born in 1928 in Bantva, Edhi since a very young age displayed a positive interest in aiding the afflicted segments of society since suffering was something he witnessed closely. It was his personal contact with tragedy at a malleable age that instilled in him a sense of realisation, a sense of doing something good for mankind. One such perturbing episode was the grave shock that the 11-year-old Edhi had to go through when his mother became paralysed and mentally unstable. Her untimely demise in 1947 when Edhi was only 19 years old came as a severe blow to him, making him ponder upon the transient nature of life and the exigency of rendering something for humanity itself.

During the same year when Edhi along with his family migrated to the newly created state of Pakistan, and witnessed the harrowing state of affairs of the migrants, was the moment that further pushed his resolve to devote his life to serve those whose agonising eyes looked up for assistance amidst turbulent times, whose countenances reflected a terse maturity brought about by the painful realisation of the apathy of the larger populace in the face of their destitution.

Edhi moved by grim manifestations of suffering had an intense yearning to bring smiles to pain-filled countenances. Starting off from setting up a free dispensary in Karachi, he went on to lay the beginnings of Asia’s largest voluntary service foundation, the Edhi Foundation more than six decades ago. Since then the Edhi Foundation has been engaged in spreading smiles, in bettering lives, in inducing tolerance for a happier Pakistan, a happier world. Be it the jhoolas (cradles) installed at various points in the city where unwanted babies abandoned by their families are taken possession of and taken care of by the Edhi foundation, or the Apna Ghar project that aims at providing shelter to mentally challenged individuals and runaways, or be it through their rather extensive Field Ambulance Service, the Edhi Foundation speaks of the legacy of man who refused to be bogged down by the apathetically intemperate human attitudes. It speaks of the resolve of a saint who contended on serving humanity as a whole, without any social or religious tagging or barrier, since he believed that humanitarian work loses its significance when you discriminate between the needy.

Being a man of his words honouring his commitments we saw Edhi working tirelessly for the social uplift of Pakistan. In his autobiography A Mirror to the Blind Edhi reflects on his approach towards life when he remarks, “Work is accomplished by doing it, not thinking about it.” This spirit of activity as opposed to passivity in the face of turbulent times is what Edhi advocated throughout his life as is evident from his body of work.

While our seasonal leaders fought political debates, held protests, mindlessly investing billions in building glossy Metro buses and Orange trains, it was Edhi, our real leader, who sat on pavements collecting money for feeding the hungry, for cladding the destitute, for sheltering the abandoned. While the political parties engaged in blame games over natural disasters — floods, earthquakes — or national disasters — terrorist attacks — the Edhi ambulances were the first ones to rescue the populace awaiting the forever delayed majestic responses of the government. Such was his vehement commitment and messianic resolve.

I have always maintained that it takes something special to be hailed as a leader. Not everyone can assume the posture of a leader since it is a cachet earned through sheer hard work and heroic spirit. Edhi was our leader and ideologue, imparting treasurable dictums of love, peace and austerity, the leader who others could not dream of becoming. Each and every aspect of Edhi’s personality reflects his tenacity that speaks volumes about the munificent soul he possessed. His was a richly resonant soul that believed in resolving differences, in uniting mankind, and in generating ripples of peace to erase hatred, bigotry and intolerance. He believed in seeking peace from within that curbs the violence from without, a peace only attainable by resorting to simplistically altruistic modes of behaviour.

A strong advocate of the humanitarian basis of all religions, Edhi highly disapproved of the reduction of Islam to a series of mere mechanical rituals beyond which it tends to lose its significance. Islam for him was a way of life, of austere simple humanistic gestures that provide one the solace of heart and mind. Instead of breeding hatred by holding differences over what posture one needs to assume while performing different rites and rituals, religion for Edhi centred around its essence and spirit.

Pakistan is in mourning today, a country in pain that lost its father, its saviour. Today as we stand bereft of all the munificence that Edhi stood for, the nation mourns the loss of a messiah, who not only inspired many but also restored their faith in humanity. It needs to be realised that no justice can be done to the philanthropic services that Edhi rendered by naming places after him or awarding him with posthumous honours. This just trivialises his efforts. He was above it all. He did not need any of this to validate his work since his was an odyssey of selflessness, altruism and leadership, a story that kindles hope in an otherwise dark and dreary world.

Following the legacy of Edhi it is time to convert our pain into practical energy. Let us honour the ideology that he espoused, let us try to emulate his efforts and strive to become conscientious human beings. For that is the only sagacious manner of paying tribute to the legend that Edhi was.

The author is a freelance columnist