KARACHI: One of Karachi's most prominent citizens, Ardeshir Cowasjee, passed away on Saturday.
He was born on April 13, 1926 in Dr Kanga's Hospital in Saddar to Rustom Faqir Cowasjee and Mucca Rustomjee. His legacy is a fairly straightforward one. The scion of a wealthy Parsi family, he completed his schooling at Bai Virbaijee Soparivala (BVS) Parsi School and later pursued further education at DJ Science College.
After World War II he joined his family business - primarily merchant shipping, among other interests. In the later years of his life Cowasjee tried to keep it as lively as possible often seen cruising the streets of Karachi top down in his metallic powder blue convertible Mercedes.
Cowasjee had documented the country's history for generations to come through his outspoken columns.
He is survived by two children, his son Rustom and daughter Ava.
Cowasjee was the eldest of three brothers. His younger brother RF Cowasjee passed away in 2011 and the youngest brother Cyrus R Cowasjee along with Ava, who replaced R F after his death, are trustees of the philanthropic Cowasjee Foundation. He also has a sister Zenia who lives in Canada.
Cowasjee the columnist, however, was a different man.
He spoke up and wrote against what he perceived to be wrong, in the country at large and on the developments in his beloved Karachi in specific.
Cowasjee voiced his blunt opinions over 30 years through his columns in daily Dawn.
Cowasjee was also a man of extreme likes and dislikes. He had a good friendship with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) but later on he developed differences with him.
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Rest in peace sir.
I attended his funeral rites this morning and saw his remains. He looked very peaceful and serene. Perhaps he had the satisfaction of doing his bit for this country and did not carry any guilt luggage with him. Ironically I also saw Irfanullah Marwat there, one of his countless victims. RIP. Yes we are mourning. "Mard Ka Bacha Tha"
@naeem khan Manhattan,Ks:
Naeem good to know that you are still active. A. Cowasjee will be missed.
@K B Kale: He used to write for DAWN. If you google his name and put DAWN you should have no trouble in finding his columns.
He was from the ilk of Jinnah and expressed likewise. He loved his country and could not stand the leadership intellectual corruption which led them to unabashed moral corruption.. His death coming in Muharram is symbolic of his sacrifices to clean the motherland; GOD bless him always and he will be immensely missed
This is great loss to the nation. He was a great Pakistani, who refused to leave Karachi/Pakistan when he had all the oppurtunites to live anywhere.He was a man trying to voice truth without fear and compromising his integrity.I wish we have more intellectual writers like him.
Where can I read his old columns? For whom, for which newspaper did he write? Are his contributions available in digital form as "links"? Thanks, K B Kale
A Sad day for Pakistan. We have lost an outspoken and honest citizen who was talented, forthright, capable and loved his country and particularly the city of karachi. A living legend in his times, he will be missed for a very long time. He was a beacon of light in this sea of bigots and hypocrats. May Allah Bless his soul in heavens.....
Rest In Peace Cowasjee Sahib. You tried to wake them up but they did not listen!
I ran into him once in 2004. He was his jovial self. Will Pakistan ever produce another
like him? A great Pakistani and Parsi has passed on.
He shall be remembered as a man of Principles, an upright and honest journalist. A patriot who felt it incumbent upon him to be a "Good Samaritan" and bring evil to the fore. He shall be remembered for his bold scruples.
His death is an immense loss for Pakistan.
Rest in peace, Sir.
RIP Cowasjee, a great loss to Pakistan in general and Karachi in particular. May his soul rest in eternal peace! Aamen.
R.I.P. Ardeshir Cowasjee.
A great human being. Enjoyed his columns at DAWN.
A great, colourful man. Another chain link broken in the chain connecting us to old Paksitan! Go with peace, Cowasjee. You will be missed sorely.
Ardeshir Cowasjee through his writings and efforts spoke for the voiceless of Karachi and also Pakistan. Another like him, will be difficult, but we can hope someone will try to follow in his footsteps.
@Anon: i think you care more about spelling then the what man trying to say,
Sad day. I was a fan.
RIP - He was a good writer ... but hamaari dheet quom ko ye jaga na sakaa... dosra eska language bohat dirty thaaa....
Inna Lillahhay wa inna elalhay rajaon. A great bold man. A great loss to Pakistan. RIP.
No No!! I loved him , I liked his columns and always waited to see his new column..Cowasjee you were a great person..And a great loss Indeed..RIP and May God give his fmaily the courage and patience in this time of sorrow.
Deeply saddened to learn about the passing away of a conscientious man who was not afraid to speak his mind. I always enjoyed reading his columns. He will be sorely missed. Rest in peace.
Rest in peace, Mr. Cowasjee. Loved your colourful personality and your courageous spirit. You were truly a son of Karachi!
Man of courage and wisdom. Exposed corruption without any fear.A great writer who will be long remembered. A great loss difficult to fill the vaccum
What will happen to his property. Please give me some I will take good care of his dog.
A true loss. RIP Cowasjee
RIP.....
It's a sad day for Pakistan....I don't see anyone else like him. He was a rare Karachi-ite with a unique combination of social activism and wry humor. I had the privilege of meeting him for lunch at his invitation at the Sindh Club when I visited Karachi in 2009. May his soul rest in peace.
R.I.P Sir
I am really really saddened and almost reduced to tears. He was one of a few gems in Pakistan. My heart felt condolences to his family and his readers, Pakistan as well as the world. Sir you and your pearls of wisdom will be sadly missed.
Cowasjee was a truth seeker, blunt but insightful. He would slap us in the face but we never learnt the lessons. Rest in Peace Friend.
A grave news in this Muharram but I feel proud that he was ours. I remember that he had great love for animals and there was an old script of Persian hanging outside of his house that means "A person hating animals shall not tread in this house."
RIP Cowasjee.
ET shared video of Cowasjee, despite knowing that YouTube has been banned in Pakistan, ET is constantly sharing Videos of Youtube domain. Kindly use some other Media for Videos.
Today Pakistan lost a great intellect.A person with honest approach who never hid his true opinions and feelings infront of anyone.R.I.P. Mr. Cowasjee
First time I discovered AC was when I read his article Tree Mazar. He was a true patron of Karachi. Exposing all the ills. Yet no one heeded. A great loss for US. RIP Sir, all your troubles are now over.
RIP
Years ago my father introduced me to his writings and ever since, I used to read his columns regularly. A great man. Many of his writings will live for ever. May his soul rest in peace.
He was one of the best Pakistan had. May his soul rest in peace.
RIP!! COWASJEE.
Salute him for his commitment with his writing and his country. May his soul rest in Peace!
RIP....great loss for the nation
He was a true son of karachi...undeterred and unintimidated...Its parks and playgrounds, animals and birds will miss him..
RIP Cowasjee Sahib
A very sad day for Pakistan.A man who did the best jihad .i.e kalm-e-haq against jabar sultan, is no more among us.What a end Cowasjee, you lived with grace you died with grace.May your soul rest in eternal peace.We will miss you..
Mr. Cowasjee was a great man indeed! May his soul rest in peace..
Today Karachi not only lost its true son, A part of Karachi is also died. May God rest your soul in eternal heaven.Rest in peace Mr. Cowasjee
What a big loss for this nation.. Sad day
A true Pakistani hero!!! He will be missed greatly...
Rest In Peace. A brave, insightful, and courageous man. An early favorite of mine among Pakistani columnists, although I stopped reading him after a few years. Yet that doesn't take anything away from his as a person or a columnist. Pakistani is quite the poorer without him.
straight forward, anti-establishment, candid, fearless is how i would define you my dear sir Ardeshir Cowasjee. Every sunday i used to jump to the op-ed page of Dawn to read your article. I wish your soul peace.
My heartfelt condolences to all of his family members, colleagues and friends.
He was one of the most strongman's and a renowned columnist of Pakistan who fought against all sort of evils in the country.
Having known to him personally, I think that Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee's death is a great loss of Pakistan.
There are very seldom people in the country who can stand in the same manner as Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee did during his life time.
May God rest his soul in peace and give strength to the nation to bear irreparable loss of a outspoken person who are born once in centuries.
I sad loss for Pakistan. An exceptional human being and a true Pakistani. RIP Mr. Cowasjee you will be forever missed.
I always liked his frank and forthright writing. Always considered him a useful asset to Pakistan.
Whether one liked him or not, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that this man loved his country and the city where he grew up from the bottom of his heart. From his writings, he was opinionated and judgmental but has done great service to his readers by keeping them informed and apprised. An environmentalist whose heart bled at the sight of Karachi being turned into a concrete jungle with total disregard to its natural surroundings. He advocated tolerance and was not slow in giving credit where credit is due.
A blunt realistic journalist who spoke truth all his career. May his soul rest in peace and God grant him a lofty place here after. Amen.
Another voice of reason is silenced. A very sad day. I had exchanged a few emails with him and found him to be a warm, humorous man. His insights on Pakistan and especially Karachi will be missed. RIP and may the Gods smile upon you.
A great man and a model Pakistani. There shall never be one like him. RIP Mr. Cowasjee, it is your time to rest now, you have done your part!
Sad. I really admired his writings in the Dawn.
We loved him for his honest & frank opinions! We will miss him a lot. Nobody can replace him. I salute him!
Wow.... that's not good! A great loss to our nation..... sad...
Rest in peace Cowasjee.
What a great loss for Pakistan. The saner voices in this country are fading away.
He was a great columnist, historian and philosopher.. He will be missed a lot.. RIP..
He spoke up and wrote against what he perceived.
Sad to hear of his passing. Mr. Cowasjee was a national treasure. The proverbial gadfly is no more.
Rest in Peace a great principled Karachiete has left us
So sad. A history ended with him hitting the daisies and a struggle passed away with him. R.I.P.
yo! RIP
very sad news, pakistan lost another brilliant mind. I didn't agree with lot of his thoughts but I always respected his integrity. RIP
RIP a great loss to our nation
For He Was A Man....
Its our loss, Its Pakistan's Loss...
For We Shall Miss Him Forever...
May Peace Be Upon You...Dear, Dear Mr. Cowasjee...
Sorry to hear.
But who wrote this monstrosity of an article? I have never read such bad English in an English news site.
Sir, May almighty bless his soul. Ameen
Stood for truth in times when truth was equated with blasphemy , was a beacon of light
when forces of darkness prevailed , and his word was a medicine for our mangled
minds and sick souls . We will miss you , Cowasjee .
May his soul rest in peace ,
Truly a great loss for the nation.
A great man and a true and model Pakistani. It seems highly unlikely there will be another like Mr. Cowasjee! RIP!
Cowasjee voiced his blunt opinions
Truly sad to read about our great loss. Really enjoyed reading his opinions, and cherished the one evening that I got to spend sitting in front of him, hearing about Karachi's history as seen through his own lenses.
Rest in peace. He was the representative of Pakistan's living conscience, I hope and pray that there may be others who can keep this conscience living.
RIP Sir!
A legend like him shall always be missed.
Really Sad news Another gem of a soil dead. RIP Mr. Cowasjee
The last of the gentlemen warriors in this land of the pure.
He was a brave and bold writer. RIP.
Inna Lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un.
Pakistan, and Karachi in particular, is a much poorer place today. May you rest in peace, Cowasjee Sahib. We will miss you.
A sad day for all Pakistanis.Cowasjee was a great man,not just a great columnist but was a philanthropist too.This is a loss for all of pakistan. May Allah grant him a place in heaven.RIP Cowasjee.