It is always beneficial for the younger ones to listen to what elders have to say to them. For example when the intellectual Ashfaque Ahmad speaks about the simplicity of life of his youth to those present as his audience in his PTV programme ‘Zaviya’, some message is received by the viewers. Similarly when Sheikh Maqbool Ellahi talks of his experiences of his life and presents his views on various issues pertaining to the society in particular and to the nation at large, it has some positive effect. We are talking of the book titled ‘Gul Hai Rang-a-Rang’ published recently by his brother Sheikh Maqsood Ellahi, currently settled in Bradford, UK. Sheikh Maqbool Ellahi recalls the days when in 1946 Quaid-e-Azam visited Anjuman Islamia and Muslim Club in Simla, Maqbool managed to make his younger brother Maqsood shake hands with the Quaid. He not only shook hands but also told Maqsood that he should work hard in his studies. This incidence is deep imprinted in the mind of both brothers.

The book comprises the writings of the author earlier printed in various magazines and newspapers. Born in Gujrat the author graduated from F. C. College, Lahore and then went for Masters in English from GC. Though he did a lot during his job in the government where he retired as Deputy Secretary, Commerce, his contributions to the ‘Pay as you earn’ scheme are remembered even today. He got Government’s award for the best idea presenter in this regard. He also remained consultant to UNCAD. Then he initiated a movement in support of the promotion of parks and play grounds. About Maqbool’s love for parks, he once wrote that whether it was Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Mir or Ghalib and whether they wrote on the Mother Nature or on wrote various love stories with nature’s backdrop; the importance and use of gardens and parks was witnessed. In 1971 he held an exhibition on this theme that was very successful. When in 1986, CDA decided to hold a week to grow grass in Islamabad then an International Fair held in Liaquat Memorial Hall, Rawalpindi exhibited movies to the delegates from abroad. Maqbool’s efforts on his passion led to a national seminar held on July 23, 1973. Here this scribe must mention some of the objections to the current attempts to make Islamabad look like Lahore. The beauty of Islamabad lies in the wild greenery as presented by Mother Nature. Many articles on this aspect of the author have been reproduced subsequently in this book wherein he impresses upon the creation of playgrounds for the youth.

Currently Maqbool resides in Islamabad. In June 1986 Sheikh Maqbool Ellahi visited London and wrote about his family re-union, about England’s roads, houses and about how Eid is celebrated by Muslims in UK. He was very skeptical as to how a movie would be made on Quaid after he had seen the movie Gandhi in September 1986. The he speaks about his beloved ones Sheikh Aziz ul Haq and his family who reside in Honslow. While traveling in PIA and residing the newspapers he comes to know of Qudrat Ullah Shahab’s death. It was October 1986. Maqbool was sad and remembered simplicity in Shahab Saheb.

The author then gets deviated to some of the other issues. He touches upon them in his other articles. He speaks of some strange incidences of his life in January 1987. He speaks on the concept of telepathy. He mentions of an incidence when a daughter takes his parents to the kitchen, away from the drawing room and minutes later a truck getting wild on the road and bangs right into the drawing room. This move saves the parents’ lives. In another article he emphasizes on the concept of inculcation between the parents and the teachers for the betterment of the kids. He then deviates his efforts to the well being of the senior people, the retired ones. In February 1992 he wrote on his research on this important issue on which not much is being done in our country, he believes. At that time he thought that those above sixty were above eight percent in our country. The question Maqbool raises is that if we are ready to encounter this community when we come across them and look eye to eye to them! Maqbool started writing to such people trying to get their views on how to make their situation better.

Maqbool discusses the contributions of Muslims in the development of sciences much earlier to that claimed by the other scientists. He refers to the book titled ‘The making of the Humanity’ by Robert Brefalt who states that it was Muslims who invented things that baffled the world. If the Greek created principles and suppositions, Arabs were inquisitive, observant and dependent more on the correct data. Muslims created filtration and extraction methods in the field of Chemistry, discovered alcohol, sulfuric and nitric acids etc. Newton is known to have discovered the force of gravity. It was Musa Bin Shakir, the mathematician and his sons centuries ago who had found out that earth revolves around sun in an oval manner. It was them who measured the increasing and decreasing heights of the moon. They also managed to calculate the volume of earth. At that time Christens believed that earth was flat. Similarly many examples can be quoted where Muslim scientists had excelled. Comparing then and now Maqbool blames Muslims to be too much impressed by the West in the field of sciences. Maqbool’s articles written in June 1992 are an eye opener.

In July 1992 Maqbool diverts his attention to his analysis of the PTV programmes. He is aware of the old artists and the new ones too. In the same month he talks of another dimension of the various sects in Muslims called fundamentalists. He criticizes the West for humiliating when the Muslims desire to keep a beard. Talking of the craze for Westernized way adopted by some factions of our society and the making their views public without enough study on issues such as religion makes him worried. In August 1992 he writes about his memorable meeting with Allama Iqbal. He remembers his teachers such as Ahmad Shah Patras Bukhari, Professor Eric Dickson, Professor Siraj ud din and Soofi Ghulam Mustafa Tabassum.

Overall the book comprises Maqbool’s impressions of some dignitaries who had contributed to some extent in their fields of interest and his views on how to improve our society to make our country a better place to live.

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Title: Gul Hai Rang-a-Rang
Author: Sheikh Maqbool Ellahi
Publishers: Maqsood Ellahi Sheikh, Islamabad
Price: Rs. 150/-

(19 Jan 2007) Unicode