Seven Minutes With The Saint

Seven minutes with the  Saint

Through the narrow, winding and crowded streets of Mithadar, fascinated by the colours and smells of the wholesale market, we walked with a sense of urgency and excitement. Some where amidst these most ordinary shops and dwellings lives the most extraordinary person of Pakistan, some one who has single handed contributed more to the cause of suffering humanity  than his entire country put together.  There are no distant signs or boards, and you do not discover the place till you are actually there. There are no guards,  peons, or servants  and the door of his office is  wide open. As you enter and ask for the ‘Maulana’, you are simply pointed towards the room he uses as his office. There  are no questions asked as to who, what and why we want to see him. There is no secretary, no receptionist, no PA and no aide. Behind a small table,  with a register and a few basic items of stationary, sat  the living  Saint, the Messiah of the modern times. The simplicity and functionality of the man, his dress, his office, his surroundings and  his approach to work is utterly demolishing for those  who are used to the artificial corporate world. He has no HR managers,  strategy developers or media consultants.  He listens gently, understands immediately, speaks softly  and decides instantly. He speaks very little. He is not philosophic in his conversation, nor does  he  dwell on past achievements or future plans. We thanked him for letting us come and see him. He smiled and thanked us for coming. We explained that we wanted on behalf of citizens to present to  him the ‘Dr. Iqbal Ahmad award’  for the year 2000. His first reaction was to mention his happiness on the fact that this was being done quietly, simply and without a ceremony or a seminar. He did not quite read the eloquent inscription on the plaque. He has no time for citations. Within the next few moments, he  shook hands, received the  plaque, and  was back to answering his  phone,  talking about the next  dispatch of ambulance,  the next truck of medicine,  and the next hospital in Kabul.  His world of humanity knows no religious, ethnic or political boundaries.  We knew we must leave.  The seven minutes with ‘Maulana’  Edhi  were a life time  experience.

Naeem Sadiq

2003