( * What makes Governor Dr. Qureshi Angry? )
Dr.Aziz Qureshi
The other day I was thinking of sharing with
the readers an aspect which is different from the traditional ones only to
realize the need to capture the spirit of a “karamyogi” (English: One
who live in inner peace and act with love for the happiness of all beings). I
could not think of a better name than the first citizen of Uttarakhand, Governor
Dr.Aziz Qureshi. The paragraphs below give a glimpse of his personality and why at
times Governor Dr. Qureshi Ko Gussa Aata Hai (English: What makes
Governor Dr. Qureshi Angry?). With
due respect to Dr. Qureshi, I am attempting to share few of the many sides of
his multi-dimensioned and larger than life personality.
Rarely one notices a man like the first citizen
of a State who engages so much emotionally and physically for the cause of its
people like the Governor Dr.Aziz Qureshi. I can say this as I have noticed his
many humane qualities and his typical style of conversing so casually with one
and all that he looks more like a commoner than the first citizen of a State.
So what is it that stands him apart even being a commoner with his people? A
good human being is what one sees in him. A no non-sense approach man, his
empathetic attitude towards all, both in political and public life looked upon
with respect and dignity not only by his party leaders but even by the leaders
of other political parties. With a distinguished political career which has
spanned over six decades having joined politics as a student leader in the year
1951 as Congress Seva Dal member, he is a seasoned politician, master of his
profession and undoubtedly a true leader of men and a statesman!
His intellectual grasp of any subject is
amazing. Today there are only handful politicians who have the intellectual
power as that by Dr. Qureshi. A human knowledge bank with triple Master’s in Political
Science, Arabic and Urdu Literature, LL.B. and a Ph.D in Political Science
along with D.Lit stands him high in order. A fine teacher besides being a
politician he has once been the Head of the Department of Political Science and
Principal, Aurobindo Arts and Law College, Bhopal besides shouldering countless
number of political and social responsibilities. Presently also in his
ex-officio capacity as the Governor he is the Chancellor of various
Universities in the State. A perfect fit!
My first face to face seeing Governor Qureshi
was when I was an invitee at the Raj Bhawan for a Public Relation Society of
India function where he was the Chief Guest. This was sometime when he took
over the office of Governor of Uttarakhand. Having heard a lot about Dr. Qureshi
as a doyen of Indian politics and a great human being, I was eager to listen to
him and finally offered my obeisance and respect for his many great thoughts
and clear vision on whatever he conversed. I got amazed to see his vast
knowledge on a non-political subject like public relations and its importance. He
narrated how public relations can make or break an issue. In a very brief interaction
with him post event, on my asking how he knew so much of the subject, he
smilingly said this was nothing new to him for he has practiced the profession
way back in the year 1961-62 when he was In charge of Publicity and Public
Relations Department, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee. I got zapped to hear
this after having known the long list of his academic qualifications, political
achievements and public standing.
I am referring to the Public Relation Society
event for a simple reason as this was the first stroke of knowing him that speaks
volumes of Dr. Qureshi’s personality. The organizers during the event as a
token of appreciation presented a sapling of “Tulsi” plant in a pot to all the
eminent speakers and welcomed Dr. Qureshi with a bouquet of flowers. While
accepting the bouquet with all humility, he in his typical straight-forward
manner snubbed the organizers for making him an alien among the gathering. Red
faced and taken aback the organizers and the audience came to a pin-drop
silence not knowing the reason for Governor’s annoyance. For Governor Qureshi
he was at par with other eminent speakers of the function having an equal right
to get a Tulsi plant. I remember him saying he knew significance of Tulsi and Hindu
ethos as much as he does of other religions. The silence in the auditorium saw
a thunderous applause by the audience as Dr. Qureshi accepted a Tulsi sapling brought
by the organizers of the event. The sequence greatly enhanced him in the eyes
of many as a nationalist and up-right man; I am sure reading this makes you
feel the same.
Such is his aura and encouraging attitude that
non performers become active as seen and heard of him on many occasions. His
feelings are rightly reflected when he says, “We must awaken in our hearts the
light of virtues like humility, love, compassion and forgiveness to remove the
darkness of anger and greed. We must also take a collective initiative to
create a better society by helping the under-privileged people and spreading
the light of happiness in their lives.’’
Governor Qureshi offers his whole-hearted support
for uplifting of weaker sections of society, particularly rural youth, physically
challenged and promotion of adult education. His feelings for the poor,
down-trodden and helpless not being deprived of proper health care in the State
shows his humane side. His mission of life in his words is to wipe out every
tear from each eye and serve suffering humanity.
Rising above politics, Dr. Qureshi has always
advocated that for any cause of national interest we should all work together without
branding ourselves with our petty affiliations or on the basis of caste and
religion. The nation for Dr.Qureshi comes first.
A true crusader for preservation of wild life
and forests and for green technology for Dr. Qureshi the future for the
humanity lies in preserving our environment and green technologies. I heard him
stress recently on reduction of carbon emissions, enhance energy efficiency and
prevent the loss of our precious biodiversity and ecosystems. Preserving nature
has always been an integral to the Indian ethos Dr. Qureshi feels.
Strange but the first ever three days
International Conclave of Sanskrit scholars organized by the Sanskrit
University, Uttarakhand during September this year was also a brain child of
Dr. Qureshi. The conclave saw emergence of around 200 scholars from eight
countries including US, Germany, Japan, Belgium, China, Bangladesh, Nepal and
Bhutan besides from every corner of India where Sanskrit is either learned,
taught or researched. The Uttarakhand government resoled during the conclave to
make the State an international seat for Sanskrit education and learning with
setting up of an International standard Sanskrit University here. Needless to
say, Sanskrit is the mother of all languages with its linguistic ancestry back
to Proto-Indo-Iranian and ultimately to Proto-Indo-European. If Uttarakhand
gains an international recognition as a seat of Sanskrit learning and research,
it will go down the annals of history as sole efforts of Dr. Qureshi.
Dr. Qureshi often shares an interesting
anecdote of how when he came to take over as the Governor of Uttarakhand he
wanted the oath ceremony in Sanskrit language, but due to unavailability of a
Sanskrit language oath draft it could not be fulfilled. One can only imagine
the Governor’s love for the subject which even perplexes his critics many of
whom look at him as a Muslim with unimaginable tolerance for all religions.
Undoubtedly Dr. Qureshi is a patriot, great statesman, a man of principles with
high values.
As
a representative of the Central government, Governor Qureshi like his predecessors
has held the political and socio-economic developments of the State in high
order. Long live the righteous Governor!
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