dostaan-i-giraamii aadaab 3arz hai.

In early 2006, I came across ALUP through sheer chance while looking for answers to my queries concerning Persian grammar. Reading through some of the posts I formed the opinion that Jamil, Afzal, Nagesh, Raj Kumar, Yogesh Sethi, Zafar, Fuzuli, Amir Minai saaHibaan (as well as a few others) knew Farsi and I should pose my questions to them. I managed to find emails and posted my request for help. A number of emails bounced back but I did get a reply from some of the people. The most helpful reply (with due respect to others who replied to me) came from Jamil Ahmad SaaHib in the following words..

"I am willing to assist as best as I can, but I am noscholar of classical Persian. Whatever I know I knowfrom my own reading, which is not that extensive.

Having said that, there is no harm in trying. I will be glad to share what I know."

I started communicating with him from March 2006 onwards and along with Raj Kumar SaaHib and Afzal SaaHib, I would regard these three gentleman as my closest ALUP friends. At this time he was living in Botswana and very early in our acquaitence (in 2006) he invited me and my family to visit him and stay with him. I of course replied, "Insha Allah, one day we'll do this" and never seriously thought this would ever take place. Ten years later in 2016 we, as a family went to South Africa and from there to Botswana and spent around a week with him. We stayed with him in Gabarone, then travelled to the north (Chobe Park) for a Safari including going to Zimbabwe to see the Victoria Falls. Then we travelled west to Okawango, returning to Gabarone and onwards to South Africa. Our host accompanied us to these locations (apart from Victoria Falls) and we had a once a life time unforgettable experience. This was not just sight seeing but the gem of a person Jamil SaaHib was. We got on with him (including our children) like a house on fire. We took over his house basically and felt we had known this man all our life!

In the winter of 2018, my wife and I visited Pakistan and coincidentally Jamil SaaHib was visiting his family in Islamabad. We went to see him there and over the next 2-3 days, he and his brother drove us round some of the most beautiful northern areas of Pakistan.

On 28th September 2022, Jamil SaaHib visited us in England, travelling from USA where his children reside. Apart from our home town, we took him to Stamford, Derbyshire, Leicester and Cambridge. He left us on 3rd October 2023 to visit his nephews in London and Surrey. In his company, we had the most wonderful time over these 5-6 days.

Those of you who knew him as a participant in ALUP, will know that he was, like Afzal and Raj Kumar SaaHib, a lover of Urdu poetry and extremely knowledgeable in it. His favourite poet was Ghalib although he loved Faiz as well. If you check out his posts you'll get an idea of his true worth. More than anything else, he was an "anmol-ratan". I never heard him say a bad thing about anybody! In one of his emails he mentioned the following gathering.

""Once a few Ex-ALUPers (as we called ourselves) had a get-together in America at Sana’s house. Raj Kumar, Nita, Abida, Khursheed and I were there. Those were wonderful two or three days."

He return from the USA to Botswana on 09/11/2023. He had a sudden heart attack on 23/11/2023 and passed away. Allah ta3aalaa un kii maGhfirat kare aur un ko jannatu_lfirdaus meN jagah 3ataa farmaa'e. Here is a quote from Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, from one of his letters.

"18 Sitambar [1857] ko Dehli aur Qal3e par aNgrezoN kaa qabzah ho
gayaa. GoroN ne shahr meN daaxil hote hii be-gunaahoN aur be-navaa'oN
kaa ko qatl karnaa shuruu3 kiyaa. haa'e itne yaar mare kih ab jo maiN
maruuN gaa to meraa ko'ii rone vaalaa bhii nah ho gaa. bichhRe hu'e
qiyaamat hii ko jam3 hoN to hoN. so vahaaN kyaa xaak jam3 hoN ge.
Sunnii alag Shii3ah alag. nek judaa, bad judaa..."

I haven't heard from Afzal SaHib since May of 2021. We have not heard from Kala SaaHib either.

I was devastated at hearing this news from his brother. "bichhRe hu'e
qiyaamat hii ko jam3 hoN to hoN.."

Naseer

Naseer sahib,

aadaab,

Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories about our old friend Jamil sahib. I can only imagine what a shock it must have been for you to get the news of his sudden passing so soon after his visit with you. I remember him fondly from the golden era of Alup. He was one of the pioneers of the group, so knowledgeable and articulate. Please pass on my condolences to the family.

Just like you, I too think about the other regular participants from the past, and hope they are doing well. Maybe some of them will visit here again some day, meantime let us cherish their wonderful contributions preserved in the Alup archives.

Regards,

________Zoya

may the departed soul rest in peace.

On Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 10:25:05 AM UTC+5:30, Zoya wrote:
> Naseer sahib,
>
> aadaab,
>
> Thank you for sharing your wonderful memories about our old friend Jamil sahib. I can only imagine what a shock it must have been for you to get the news of his sudden passing so soon after his visit with you. I remember him fondly from the golden era of Alup. He was one of the pioneers of the group, so knowledgeable and articulate. Please pass on my condolences to the family.
>
> Just like you, I too think about the other regular participants from the past, and hope they are doing well. Maybe some of them will visit here again some day, meantime let us cherish their wonderful contributions preserved in the Alup archives.
>
> Regards,
>
> ________Zoya