‘Brilliant but difficult, Cowasjee had a language of his own’

Friends and acquaintances share stories of the writer who passed away in November.

KARACHI:

“I’m sure Ardeshir Cowasjee is busy trying to find some flaws in the way Heaven has been designed,” Javed Jabbar laughingly said as he reminisced about the veteran columnist and philanthropist, who passed away last month.

A roomful of Karachi’s known faces gathered at the Marriott Hotel on Saturday afternoon to pay tribute to Cowasjee, at a memorial  organised by the Rotary Club.

Apart from the anecdotes and usual platitudes, the speeches also reflected the bittersweet and difficult relationship many had with the straightforward writer.

Brigadier (retd) AR Siddiqi, a former director-general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, said that Cowasjee was a “unique” man who “had a language of his own.”

Siddiqi said Cowasjee was the kind of person who would do anything for his friends - but if relations had soured, would go right off the friendship.

Narrating an account of Cowasjee applying to be a “member’s son” at the age of 60 to Sind Club, Siddiqi said that his application was rejected outright, before he reapplied as a member. But he was in trouble with the colonial-era club’s management soon after, for the way he would speak to bearers. Jabbar, too, recalled that he was a “difficult person to relate to” since he was “constantly upset at him for his lack of civility.”

Siddiqi did recall, with a considerable degree of fondness, the “well-stocked bar” at Cowasjee’s residence, the sumptuous meals, and his ability to criticise those who deserved it.

Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi described her first encounter with Cowasjee and Amina Jilani at the high court. “He always stood for the good of the people and the country,” said Rizvi. “He always stood against corruption and was supported by legal facts and relevant documents - saving himself from contempt of court proceedings, except once.”

Many of the speakers, including Rizvi, recalled running into Cowasjee at diplomatic events and workshops, as well as repeated quotes of his from television interviews and his knack for naming people - ‘Gilbert’ Naimur Rehman, Jeddah ka Jadugar, Rangeela Raja and the ilk.



A loss for Karachi

Literary critic and writer Ghazi Salahuddin highlighted Cowasjee’s contributions to Karachi, noting that “whatever has happened today and whatever we are able to think, is also linked to Cowasjee.”

According to Salahuddin, Cowasjee’s biggest commitment was to the city. “There is a sorrow that there is no one left to fight Karachi’s battle anymore - which I think we have lost.”

He noted that most people reference to the lines ‘you are free to go to your temples and mosques’ from Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s speech on August 11, 1947 as proof that Pakistan is a secular state - Cowasjee, however, would stress on the sentence “the first duty of a government is to maintain law and order, so that the life, property and religious beliefs of its subjects are fully protected by the State.”

Salahuddin said that Cowasjee was not a journalist but a columnist, who could afford to take on the powerful with a confidence that journalists couldn’t.

Nazim Haji, a founding member of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, also highlighted Cowasjee’s beliefs and values. “He didn’t believe in suffering in silence like we all do,” Haji wistfully said, clutching a copy of Vintage Cowasjee, a compilation of the late columnist’s work.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2012.

Correction: An earlier version of the story incorrectly denoted Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi's gender. The error is regretted.