Tweety Talks !

TWEETY TALKS !

 By Haania Khan 

With his love for crisp and white eastern-wear, the very straight and median “maang”, the toothbrush-y mustache, and that ever green, ever kind smile, that’s Tweety aka Javed Iqbal uncle for you. You may know him as the one guy who’d punctually and dutifully recite verses from the Holy Quran first thing in the morning or from the sharp tap on your desk when you are talking during class or that stern-ish look when you have just plugged in your ear-phones.

Appearances. There is always more to what meets the eye. How completely lost we are in our fussy little lives that we are completely unaware of who the person seated next to us really is. What’s their story? What are they beyond our superficial, meaningless interpretations of them? 

So I decided to break the ice and approach this ‘ordinary’ prop, a back drop in “MY STORY”.

Uncle, I’d like to take your interview…

Haan! *perkily*
Ajain, main forensic museum main hota hon.
(The office, it’s such a comfy 4 by 4 cabin on the left side of the hall, sealed in glass and wood with chairs and sofas, *swag* I dare say!)

Do you know what everybody calls you? 

*grins*
Tweety bulatai hain mjhe
*smiles a little*
Ab acha lgta hai, bachon ka pyar hai

(And then it hit me, the clear resemblance, the rounded head, button eyes and the tiny beak ling of a mustache, yeah! I see it :D)

So how long have you been at K.E?

24 years. *affirms*
(that’s longer than I have been on this earth, that’s a lot a lot of time :O)
Pehla lab attendant tha ab lab technician hon, 9(nowan) grade hai.

Tell me about your family, who do you go home to?

Maa Baap, chota bhai, choti behn aur biwi hain, khanewal main rehtai hain. Bachay nhi hain. Yahan akaila rehta hon. Har 15 din bad jata hon milna.

And do you have an evening job?

Aik doctor ka clinic main kaam karta hon, dispenser hon. Ab itna time hogaya hai ka jab won na ho to patients main hi dekhta hon. Aik din ka 40-50 patient dekh laita hon. 

(while I made my Quack-sensing-face, he assured me that he knows what he’s doing. *ahan-sure*)

How do you spend your free time, any favorite movies?

Namaz, Quran aur kaam. Movies ka shauq nhi.

"Jo time milta hai Allah ko khush karna mai lagana chahyai, hum dunya main kyun ayai hain. Khuda ko nhi bholna chahyai, Maut ko nhi bholna chahyai."

Why do you cut proxies? 

Jo bunda ghar sa na ayai, hostel mai soya rahai ya class hi na attend karai, bahr baitha rahai, uski kuon lgai proxy.
Asool pai chalta hon, mera liya sub barabar hain. Kabhi (beshak kisi sa poch lo) paisay nhi liya.

(*interrupted* a phone rings and he fishes out a fatigued Nokia 6100, then he later extracted a brand new Samsung galaxy duos and said: “yeh dekhain, naya liya hai, mjhe both shauq tha, abhi use karna nhi ata”)

What has changed in K.E over these years?

Pehla log izat both kartai tha, ab wo bat nhi. *tearful*
95’ se lecture theatre main hon, tub ka bachay ab A.P lug gayai hain, wo aj bhi both izat se miltai hain. 

"Ab bachon ka pas mobile-laptop hai, na kisi bara ka pas baithay, na koi tarbeeyat li."

(Betay, kuch mangwaaon? Chai hi pi lo. )

Uncle, any regrets?

Nhi baitay, shaid matric se zaida parh laita to kuch behtar naukri hoti, Allah ka behad shukar hai, abhi bhi both sa logon sa behtar hon. Bus baitay pehla 900rs pai itna acha guzara hota tha, ab 26k ka pata nhi chalta kahan jatai hain.
(kuch kha lo plz, mera dil nhi man raha)

Koi Message sub students ka liya?

Namaz parha karai, maa baap ka ehtraam kiya karain. basically jo emaan hai. ka hum Allah ko yad karai, aur namaz quran parhain. wo hum bhol gai hain aur angraiz ka pecha parh gai.
Then in a dialogue about spirituality and deen in which he pointed out that : 

" ab paisa sub kuch jogaya hai. Insaniyat boht kum hoti jarahai hai. Insaniyat jb kum hogi to yahi hoga." 

And narrated this inspiring allegory that moved me for seconds later:

Aik dafa 2 dost ja rahai tha, aik bara aalii-shaan mehal dekha to aik dost na dosra sa kaha, jb Allah yeh kisi ki qismat mai likh raha tha to mera kuon nhi socha. Dosra dost yeh sun kar usa apna sath hospital lai ka gaya, wahan mareez dekha, jo bemaar, bechaain, takhleef ki halat main tha. Phir wo dost bola, yeh kuon nhi sochta jub Allah inki qismat likh raha tha to tumhara kuon nhi socha.

Javaid Uncle, I can’t get myself to call him “tweety” anymore, is a true picture of perseverance ,belief and above all hope  you don’t see that every day. He reminded me of “Doodh pati”, yes the distorted version of tea, but how its white ,sweet and pure and free from punching details ; worldly details, that ruin the sweet essence and purity of the simple hot beverage.

( Feel free to post your comments/views/any interesting encounter with Tweety Uncle in the comments section below ! )