
Ardeshir Cowasjee (1926-2012) – Source: Herald
One of the most illustrious, colorful, vibrant and daring freethinkers in the Pakistani history, Ardeshir Cowasjee has passed away. He was 86. He was a columnist, primarily for Dawn , a businessman and a philanthropist.
I can’t say I know a lot about him but he has always been a huge inspiration for as long as I have known about him. And I am sure I am not the only one. Everyone likes someone with great clarity of mind and zero tolerance for nonsense.
It was his outspokenness towards nonsense in a nonsensical country that earned him his reputation and made him an inspiration for so many others who want someone to take a stand.
I believe that despite the fact that he had extraordinary charisma, what further enhanced his status was that he lived in Pakistan. I think most people would easily say that he was probably out of place for the country, a misfit, but then again, it really was Karachi.
Of course I never met him and have no experiences to share but I find it fascinating to read how he touched other people’s lives. Nabiha Mehr Sheikh wrote a particularly impressive eulogy that actually celebrated him more than it really mourned his death, something inevitable for almost anyone, let alone a man of his age.
But what really is a concern is that probably there is no one around to fill his shoes. Simply no one who could carry forward his legacy.
That sounds a bit like an overstatement considering that he had remained inactive in the recent years, but then again being inactive is not the same as being dead.
Still I take acknowledging a man of his stature a religious duty and can only hope that his impact lasts for as long he is remembered.
I hope we never forget him.
Filed under: Commentary | Tagged: Ardeshir Cowasjee, columnist, Dawn, death, eulogy, Hearld, Inspiration, Journalism, Karachi, life, Nabiha Mehr Sheikh, Pakistan | Leave a comment »
RIP Ardeshir Cowasjee
Ardeshir Cowasjee (1926-2012) – Source: Herald
One of the most illustrious, colorful, vibrant and daring freethinkers in the Pakistani history, Ardeshir Cowasjee has passed away. He was 86. He was a columnist, primarily for Dawn , a businessman and a philanthropist.
I can’t say I know a lot about him but he has always been a huge inspiration for as long as I have known about him. And I am sure I am not the only one. Everyone likes someone with great clarity of mind and zero tolerance for nonsense.
It was his outspokenness towards nonsense in a nonsensical country that earned him his reputation and made him an inspiration for so many others who want someone to take a stand.
I believe that despite the fact that he had extraordinary charisma, what further enhanced his status was that he lived in Pakistan. I think most people would easily say that he was probably out of place for the country, a misfit, but then again, it really was Karachi.
Of course I never met him and have no experiences to share but I find it fascinating to read how he touched other people’s lives. Nabiha Mehr Sheikh wrote a particularly impressive eulogy that actually celebrated him more than it really mourned his death, something inevitable for almost anyone, let alone a man of his age.
But what really is a concern is that probably there is no one around to fill his shoes. Simply no one who could carry forward his legacy.
That sounds a bit like an overstatement considering that he had remained inactive in the recent years, but then again being inactive is not the same as being dead.
Still I take acknowledging a man of his stature a religious duty and can only hope that his impact lasts for as long he is remembered.
I hope we never forget him.
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Filed under: Commentary | Tagged: Ardeshir Cowasjee, columnist, Dawn, death, eulogy, Hearld, Inspiration, Journalism, Karachi, life, Nabiha Mehr Sheikh, Pakistan | Leave a comment »