Maya jaal na toda jaye
Loobhi man mujko tarsaye
Mil jaye to rog hai duniya
Mil na sake to jee lalchaye
Zarina Sani, 1937-1982

This is a couplet from one of mom’s ghazals which she wrote when her 13 year old suggested that she should perhaps write for the common man (Read – me exasperatedly trying to convey “Mom! I don’t understand your Urdu”)

Day before someone called up and said that she is doing PhD with mom as her topic of research. Sigh! finally … …

BUT again this lady is 2 years too late … …

Had Dad been around he would have been able to tell many more details – besides he would have been so very happy – he always wanted something like this but was too proud to even suggest it to someone. He felt that mum’s contribution to Urdu literature in the region should be recognized on its own merit. No amount of telling him that all the bodies who are noteworthy in Urdu language are riddled with petty politics.

His contention was that mum never asked / canvassed for her awards… …

The curse of it all – I don’t even know how to read Urdu