There’s Providence even in the fall of a sparrow

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By Zakir Hussain – There’s Providence even in the fall of a sparrow

It is Zeeshan ‘s routine to roam around in his father’s garden, listening to birds , looking at flowers,seeing snowy peaks.His great Father , the first ever science teacher of princely State,had built this new garden from smothering Giant boulders.Zeeshan’s abode and garden located in a newly settled patch of land,here settled in the sense that it was a barren land newly irrigated under supervision of the then ruler of the princely State to which Zeeshan and his family belong since they migrated from a remote valley centuries ago .

Zeeshan ‘s father exchanged this rugged land with fertile lands of his ancestors despite the fact that his grandfather himself a revenue office holder of the then ruler of the princely State, felt offended because the latter loved the land which he inherited from his forefathers,tilled it,and was considered one of the landlords being the only son of his father no division in landholding inherited has been gone through division as per Islamic law of inheritance , Zeeshan’s grandfather initially was deadly against the said exchange of lands but he realized afterwards that was a good decision by Zeeshan’s father because they settled in a climatically friendly newly irrigated patch of land,here they could easily reap two seasonal crops,wheat harvest in July and maize harvest in November, sunshine in winters was another plus point which is a rare thing in mountainous terrains in winters.

The reasons of exchange of land by Zeeshan’s father were mainly two and obvious: first the native place was remote from school ; Zeeshan ‘s father would come on foot along with his cohorts upland about Three miles away down town to pursue his studies in the only primary school of princely State of those days.He realized he could at least save his kids from this hectic task in pursuing education by long to and fro journey in pursuit of knowledge.

Secondly, he native village though full of natural resources and jubilation of life,polo,music , shamanistic festivities but winters received heavy snowfalls making virtually the valley an inaccessible part of the world,the only comforts in snow packed long winter season were frozen meat to cope with harsh winter ;and forest wood piles stored for heating although it was causing deforestation of evergreen trees as the juniper and chilgozo forest was just at two to three stone throws distance.

This scenario depiction ,is of early sixties of twentieth century a decade before start of Zeeshan’s breath count ( birth).

Oh Zeeshan’s story of sparrow ! When he remembers that scene,shouted,” my heart bleeds even today when that reel does action replay. It happened that one fine sunny morning of spiring,l was toddling in the brim of my house garden,,next to our garden ,our neighbors houses were erected.A strange incident happens, which has imprinted indelibly in my subconscious, that,suddenly, my ears received a hiss of flying in front of me.lt was a sparrow dived from north with full of dreams towards a destination in back of its mind,a target for its endeavors, but it couldn’t guage its runway gradient and height of houses which were waiting to complete its( sparrow’s) breath count.l was astonished and stunning to see sparrows splashing with a shooting sound when the little soul faced the white washed wall before it’s flying zone.My naked eyes saw sparrow”s last breath. saying adieu to flying abode.death spoke to me as a living reality.death telling me which was flying was a creature without knowing when where will come last count of breath.”

Sometimes, in world of imagination Zeeshan plunges to apply mind on life and death as they are understood by lay man.

He thinks, ” one event required for death that is birth.you born so you must die, sooner or latter.timing of birth, conceiving in mother womb, planning of birth to an extent rest with your will when birth is pertaining to human.But death ! it’s a Giant,a final decree ,a living truth,a phenomenon which scientist couldn’t riddle out,the most famous physicians would never die if their science could stand before reality of death.”

What’s is in-between birth and death which we call Life ? He ponders,this is a recurring question coming to his mind.Then an echo strike his ears : “Zeeshan! what you call Life is nothing but a sojourn,a count of breath which we call years.Thanks to use of non organic food breath count (age) is on decline with godspeed.”

So, for him,” life is name of series of events comprisings for living beings, humans atop , that would need struggle to grow,study do a profession, make a shelter but this shelter is by the time next generation remains anxious to take over as breath count seems to exhaust and the builder of worldly shelter is shifted in a coffin to an underground shelter of hardly six feet length two and half feet height, with no light oh the guest consist of insects for whom the host has no option than offering his or her those parts on which he was boasting with the full control when he was at the climax of life.”

When Zeeshan was a teen ager he was roaming in the garden which his great Father had built from smothering Giant boulders.Next to their garden their neighbors houses had been erected.Suddenly, his ears received a hiss of feathers of a flying bird in front of him.Actually,it was a sparrow that dived from north towards South but it couldn’t guage her runway and height of houses which were waiting to complete its breath count.He was astonished and stunning to see sparrows splashing with the white washed wall made of cemented clay before his naked eyes.He saw sparrow’s last breath.Death spoke to him as a living reality.Death was telling him which was flying was a creature without knowing when where would come the last count of its breath.He stood still to see if the little soul had lost its consciousness by strong splashing might come around but it had bidden adieu to flying and chirping world to lying and decaying world for good to fill the bellies of anxiously waiting insects for delicious food oh,how powerful is the destiny .

Sparrow gave its last breath in an accident but it was full of lessons for Zeeshan.He left sparrow lying dead and brooded,he thought”Albeit it’s a tale of fall of a sparrow yet living souls of all species have their falls, their migrations without knowing the exact falling point.Oh ! death !what an equalizer you are,a balancer devised by Providence.”Zeeshan dreamt.

(About Author: Zakir Hussain a Civil Servant from Gilgit Baltistan)