A MEMORY

It was before 2002 when after completing my graduation in English Literature, I started rendering my services as an English Lecturer at Govt. Gulshan College Karachi. I also joined another English institution as a visiting faculty to test my true mettle and capacity of teaching from dawn to dusk. The alternation of days and nights made no change in my temperament except on weekends. At the weekend, there always arise in me some aspirations to enjoy a good company of flowers, visit the seaside, dine sumptuous food with the gregarious company of amiable friends at all times ambitiously visit the food streets of Hussainabad, attend literary festivals and art exhibitions and even watching blockbuster movies like “Titanic” in the renowned cinemas like Capri or Nishat.

As far as enjoying the jocund company of colorful flowers was concerned, it was abundantly available at university road Karachi. There are always fine nurseries decorated with pretty flowers like roses, black-eyed Susan, peonies, petunia, carnation, mogra and many more. I used to enjoy it every day as Gulshan college is situated on university road Karachi.

It seldom happened when I could not satiate any of my passionate desires on a certain Saturday night or Sunday evening. At such a situation, I used to be contented with sitting outside my home at night with my bosom friend Sajjad Mehdi enjoying cool breezes and imagining the sea.

Visiting the seaside always fascinates me as it does to every nature-loving soul. How beautifully the sea changes its mysterious shades. Sometimes it looks grey then it turns to blue crystal water and sometimes in somber Evenings, its shiny waves tell the forlorn stories of seafarers like the launching of a thousand ships by the Greeks to destroy the land of Troy just for the sake of the most beautiful lady of the time, “Helen of Troy” as was dramatically depicted by Thomas Marlow in his epoch-making drama, “Dr. Faustus.”

Was this the face that launched a thousand ships,
And burnt the topless towers of Ilium

One day, on a salty afternoon in August, the head of an English institution invited me to go with them to have a picnic on cape mount (A beautiful seaside resembling Egyptian Pyramids due to its brownish up-hills) It took me no time and gladly accepted his Lucrative offer.

At such a beautiful site, everyone made a couple and enjoyed it accordingly. I found myself all alone reciting the lines of Coleridge’s poem “The Ancient Mariner”;

Alone, alone, all, all alone
Alone on a wide wide sea!
And never a saint took petty on
My soul is in agony.

Only swift blue crystal sea offered me his company. I must say, we (the sea & me) enjoyed it a lot. Sometimes I lost my existence during swimming beneath the surface of the water and became an inseparable part of the sea. It made me much happy and jubilant like J.J Rousseau (Genevan Philosopher)who spent his happiest days at St.Peter’s Island(Switzerland)watching translucent sea waves for hours. The day waned and the sun was drowning in the sea. When I said farewell to high rising tides I felt the sea had fulfilled me to the core! It’s a memory that can never be forgotten.