Reminiscences

Reminiscences

By

Junaid Wahid Jokhio (M.A, B.ED)

Table of Contents:

1. Preface 

2. Special thanks

3. Childhood memories

4. Friendship

5. Friends

6. Career as a teacher

1. Preface

The booklet, reminiscences, covers almost all my life events portraying my childhood, boyhood, adulthood, and my career as a teacher. I have tried my best to give a mirror-like reflection of major incidents that I once experienced as a kid; as a boy; as an adult and as a professional.

It was during my stay at wah Cantt, where I am currently rendering my services for FGEI as a teacher, that I hit upon an idea about embarking upon writing such a booklet that reveals everything to its readers about my life . |An autobiographical work requires a fine memory and I am really thankful to Almighty Allah that He has really endowed me with this.

The key purpose of jotting down this trivial booklet is to motivate all those youngsters who really strive to achieve heights of triumph in their lives by never falling prey to disappointment and frustration.

By: JUNAID WAHID JOKHIO 

(Author $ Editor) 

Cell:03033579334

2. Special thanks

I would really like to extend my thankfulness to my parents who have always stood by me through thick and thin; my teachers who have always guided me well; my friends who have always motivated me to do something special in my life; and Mr. Majid, who gave me his precious suggestion to make this booklet possible. 

Fear not for the future, Weep not for the past (P.B Shelley)

3. Childhood memories

There are so many memories of my childhood that I am going to share here with you. I was born at Nodero, the hub of PPP. It is eighteen kilometers away from Larkana. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his worldwide renowned daughter, Benazir Bhutto belong here. There is their house at Nodero which is called as prime minister's house after both of them became premiers of the country. While I was just three years old, my dad, who is an engineer, took our whole family to Khairpur to stay with him there as he was working in a factory there. I spent three years in Khairpur along with my mommy, my daddy, and my sister. Almost everything in mind pertaining to my stay in this city has blurred except for a few matters. It so happened that once I was playing in my neighborhood with other children that a rickshaw driver ran his rickshaw ( a three-wheeled vehicle driven to pick passengers) over my fragile foot which started bleeding and while I was crying loudly due to pain in it, one of my relatives suddenly came out of his home and saw my condition. He not only got angry at the rickshaw driver but also asked him to rush me to the hospital. Afterwards, he got my foot dressed and left me at my home. I was totally unable to walk for a few days because of feeling lots of pain when keeping my injured foot down on the earth.

It was a kind of routine that I used to go to a children’s park prominently called Phool baagh ( A garden of flowers). It still exists in the same condition. There were our relatives in our neighborhood who took me and my little sister to the park in the evenings on daily basis. They were sister and brother to each other but they were older than me and my sister. And since we all were children, so we went to the park to play and enjoy ourselves there.

I can even recall from my memory the structure of my home which was on rent. It consisted of two adjoining rooms, a kitchen, a compound, and a bathroom. It was a cemented house that belonged to our relatives.

Abu went to his job regularly and I and my sister stayed at home with our mother. My mother used to be very strict in her nature, She beat me a lot when I did anything wrong. She explained to both of us to be good children. She always cared for us as we were too little to understand matters of life plainly. Once she beat me owing to my mischief. Therefore, I went to sit on the staircase at its topmost step crying loudly until my dad got back from his job and asked me the reason behind my weeping. Then he brought me around and took me inside a room where mommy was already sitting. He took her to task and warned her to never repeat this act. I was just four or five years old when living in Khairpur with my family. Once I happened to visit my rented residence after twenty years when I came to stay in Khairpur city with the purpose of my study at SALU back in 2013. Much had changed. The streets, the lanes, the neighborhood, the houses, and the people. Everything had changed considerably. Even the relatives who once lived there had left to live somewhere else. Nothing was the same. Even the bazaar and market had extended to a great extent. The shop and the cabins had increased in number. The city’s infrastructure had developed a lot. Many new educational institutes had started facilitating students as well but twenty years ago there was nothing like this. It was not so developed as it is today. There was another relative of my parents who used to work in a sugar mill with my dad. He was a very witty man. He loved and cared for us. He was a very interesting person. He left this world back in 2007 while I was only a student. After my childhood, I spent a complete month with this relative of mine in Karachi back in 2006. He used to say his prayers five times, eat too much of everything, crack nice jokes, too. He passed away from this world soon after one year as he was in a very critical condition. His kidneys had stopped functioning properly due to which he had to be cured by means of dialysis which separates urine from blood but this treatment is the final stage for such patients.

There was a tomb of a saint in my neighborhood around which all children used to run. I also played under its mausoleum as a child. People came and went but we, the children, played with one another not knowing anything about its importance. It always used to be a calm, serene, and peaceful place. My mommy often prohibited me to go and play with children of the neighborhood but I never listened to her.

Afterwards, all of us moved to our hometown again as my dad got a government job in steel mills in Karachi. I would love to share here my first day at my school in my hometown. It so happened that my father took me to the school and admitted me there. There was a teacher teaching in the first standard. He was a kind and caring person. While he was busy teaching all students in the classroom, a naughty boy scared me away by putting before me a lizard made of plastic. I got so frightened that I started crying noisily. The teacher scolded that boy a lot for this act of scaring me and then he brought me around. The boy still meets me and even he remembers the incident till now.

I was a very sensitive boy in my childhood. I was neither too studious nor too dull but mediocre in my studies and I have clung to this peculiarity in me till now. My schooling up to the fifth standard took place at a government school which is still ongoing with almost the same staff. My teachers have now become old but they still work hard to teach kids sincerely. Another incident that I would like to share here is that once I took my younger brother to school while I was still in my fifth standard. It so happened that when it was break-time, I went out to purchase fritters for him but as soon as I got back I could find him nowhere. Not finding him there where I had asked him to wait for me, I got very much worried as he was too young to go anywhere. But when I reached home, I found him there and then I got my breath back because before that I had become breathless. There was a charming girl in my class to whom a bad boy from the class wrote a letter. The girl got angry after she read it and complained about him to a teacher. The teacher beat that boy a lot and asked him to promise to never repeat such an act. Seeing him being beaten harshly, all of us got so much scared that nobody out of the whole class ever dared to even talk to any girl.

I was very poor at the subject of Mathematics. Therefore, my teacher beat me a lot for never showing him the sums given by him incorrect form. Mathematics has been my weakest subject. And it is due to this subject that I got punishment up to my matriculation. I hate this subject even today because even after trying hard to outdo this subject, I have never been able to be successful in it. Though it is considered a game by those who really enjoy doing sums, yet I have always found it to be very much complicated for me. And it is also owing to this subject that I did my intermediate in a medical group for this field was devoid of the subject of Mathematics. The time went on elapsing and I went on studying and getting bigger and bigger in my size and mentality.

During my college days, I took a very solid decision about my career that I would make myself a lecturer. This matter struck my mind while I noticed the lifestyle of all lecturers at my degree college. I chose English as my favorite subject to excel in it for which I started my hard work and went on going through various grammar books, doing exercises from them myself, and finally, along with self-study, I started teaching at the academy of maternal uncle of my dad. The academy is still being run by my cousin. I not only taught there but also learned a lot. With the passage of time, teaching became my lifelong vocation. After teaching at the academy, I was at least as much capable as could apply for a teaching job at an educational institute. Hence, I became an English teacher after my intermediate but I also continued my own study by seeking admission in Arts and Commerce degree college Larkana.

Teaching proved to be a great occupation for me as it gave me a way to progress in my life. It went on grooming my skills of reading, writing, speaking, etc. I think had teaching not been there in my life, I may not have got any job till now.

4. Friendship

Friendship plays a major part in our life. Sometimes, life seems to have stopped without friends. However, it has rightly been said that every hand-shaking person is not your friend.

Friendship and friends in my life have to do a lot with me too like others as I have also had lots of friends since my childhood. Some of whom have been obscure and blurred in my mind, others have stopped being friendly to me while a few ones who really have great affinity, proximity, attachment, and closeness to me are still my good friends. We share each and every matter with one another. Our friendship has been great. Our chemistry in friendship has also been wonderful.

As far as friendship is concerned, it requires integrity, sincerity, veracity, honesty, affection, and true feeling to understand each other. It is the name of being pure from within for your friend. It is the name of respecting each other by heart. It is the name of suggesting and helping each other whenever there is any such need. It is not the name of criticizing each other. It is not the name of disrespecting and being jealous of each other. It is not the name of avarice or greed but purity.

Friends in our lives are just like a blessing for us. A friendless man cannot be happy in this world because it is only our bosom friends who laugh with us when we are happy and who weep with us when we are sad. They help us when we are in trouble. They motivate us when we are disappointed and disillusioned.

Although we know that friends are never in our blood relation, yet we, sometimes, love them more than those who have blood relations with us. There is no surprise in it because it is rather a natural feeling. I would say that it is their souls and not them themselves who make friendship which is why they seem related to each other just like the people related to one another on the basis of blood. Hazrat Ali (R.A), the last caliph of Islam, has explained friendship by differentiating between a brother and a friend. He said, ‘ A brother is like gold which can be forged and given a proper shape again but a friend is like a diamond which, if once cracked, could not be reshaped the way it is.’ Therefore, friendship is a sensitive plant that, if not watered properly, could fade swiftly.

I have also friends like others. They are sincere and respect me a lot. I understand their disposition and temperament and they understand mine. I know everything about their lives just like they know everything about mine. We see one another whenever there is any get-together. We, sometimes, disagree with one another on some points, too, but we sort out them by discussing and not by arguing with each other. They are as important to me in my life as I am in theirs.

5. Friends

My friendship circle consists of Salman, Amir, and Raja. Salman has been my closest of all friends while Amir and Raja have been my best friends. All of these buddies have been in my friendship circle for about 15 years. 

Salman became my friend while both of us were teaching and learning English at an academy. The academy belonged to my father’s uncle, so I was having a direct family link with him. Salman and I became very fast friends with the passage of time. His cool, caring, loving, kind, calm and broadminded temperament is enough to attract people to him to be his friends. He is a disabled person with a single arm by birth, but his disability has never hindered his way in terms of advancing in his life. He dreams big and asks others to have big dreams in life. He has proved it by doing his degree in computer science. He has really put himself as a model and an example before others. Whatever he has dreamt in his life he has achieved that with his incessant and unflinching interest and endeavor.

He operates a computer much better than a normal person. His typing speed is fine, too. Though it is really very hard to be working with a single hand, yet, I would say, that his disability is his power. I do not know from where he gets such a passion to strive hard to excel in this world. But all of these qualities in him not only make him a fine friend but a good human being as well. A friend like Salman cannot be found everywhere because there are very few who are as transparent and genuine in friendship as water. Sometimes, he becomes so imaginative in his thinking that we don’t even think about that happening in reality. But this man has got such power and commitment that he can even do such things that seem impossible to others. He is able to swim, ride a bike and cook delicious dishes, develop computer programs and dance, and much more. A friend like him in my life is not less than a blessing for me. He cares about me. He always offers something good and beneficial to me in terms of study and work.

He has always tackled challenges as challenges. He has never been troubled by any impediment coming in his way because of being committed, and relentless to his lifelong goal. He did his degree in Computer Science from Sindh’s most popular university named ‘The University of Sindh Jamshoro.’ After completing his degree, he went to Karachi, the hub of software houses, where various softwares are developed. He joined a company offering him a handsome salary. His plan was not to stop at a station but to keep moving ahead in order to reach his desired destination. As I have already mentioned above that one cannot control him with regard to his imagination as his thinking starts where ours end. Hence, he kept changing companies until when he was getting paid one lac and twenty thousand. Now with that much pay in one’s own country, no person would ever think of leaving his job and going abroad to do a higher degree. Can you guys just imagine? what Salman really did. He left his job and his country and went to Germany to make his dream come true of visiting Europe and doing his higher degree in ‘Computer Science’ from there.

Isn’t it pretty amazing? Yes, it is. And you just cannot imagine that he has been in Germany for the last one year doing his degree. He is so committed to his life that he surprised us all by going to Germany after managing everything by himself. He is a very intelligent person. He has developed a Sindhi website that provides a platform for learning various subjects like computer, general knowledge, video and audio lectures related to computer, English grammar, and much more. He loves his nation tremendously which is why he has provided a platform for learning in the Sindhi language as well. Although there are other languages such as English, Urdu used on the website but the Sindhi language has, especially, been utilized to facilitate Sindhi students residing around the globe. It is really very difficult to think that a village boy with a single arm could reach such heights of success. His confidence, commitment, and endless efforts have really taken him to where he really desired to go. His bright future is waiting for him and it is hoped that after the completion of his degree from Germany, he would soar even higher in his life.

Amir is my best friend . His disposition is a bit different from that of Salman’s. He is a tad sharp, strict, skeptical, and easy-going fellow, but he always gets on with all his friends politely. His caring nature for all buddies is mind-blowing. He is always there to help everybody out in their difficult times. His views about this world are quite practical. He supports his family well. His family background is also rather better. His only wish is to see himself working in a bank as an officer for which he has been working hard for long. Since he is the only boy at his home, all responsibility of every sort of chore comes upon his shoulders. He has become so engrossed in his home tasks that he rarely gets free time to even see his friends these days.

He and I have been in friendship for the last fifteen years but it looks like that there is still a big vacuum between us in terms of understanding each other. Perhaps, it is due to our different stars that govern our lives. I have gone through some books pertaining to stars and their discrepancies as well. The books tell that if stars match, the natures of people also match else there will be no matching at all. Amir is a very ambitious person but his goal in life is pretty obscure. He used to dream about working as a bank officer in past but these days he is after every kind of job. Once, I had suggested to him to take a single direction in order to come up with a positive result. He works hard these days and wants to get a government job.

He is clever, smart, intelligent, and assiduous but his inconsistent temperament and chores of home do not let him be what he wishes to. Our friendship is getting stronger and deeper with the passage of time. We have been so close to each other that we have even shared our love affairs with girls. He has been involved in love affairs almost all his life and I would say that there may not be such a question related to flirtation, crush, and romance of which he may not have the answer. I consider him a love Guru in this case as he has long been attached to matters of love and affection. His cognizance of girls’ demeanor is also admirable.

He is artful in it. He talked to lasses close to him on the cell phone in past but nowadays his priority is to first get a job and then get married. His philosophy about not getting married without a job is also very commendable. As I have already stated about his pragmatic approach towards life. He says that he does not want his elders to bear more burden on him after his matrimony because he is a jobless person. Although his parents are ready to afford the expenses of his family, yet he is not ready to get married as he thinks it is not a matter of one or two days. I like this peculiarity in him a lot since it is true that nobody will be able to take the burden of the life of anybody on their shoulders forever. My well-wishes and prayers are always with him. I pray that he might get what he is striving for in his life.

Raja is another best friend of mine. He is a bit braggart, fop, witty and considers himself to be more than others in terms of his cracking jokes, and pulling legs of friends particularly when we are all together. He does not get scared of anybody. His habit of talking too much and discussing a topic is a negative trait in his character. He has always tried his best to get a job in 17th grade which is a seat of not less than an official who has got so many privileges, too. But unfortunately, whatever he has put his hand in he has seen the face of failure. It is, I would say, his fault because he has never taken his life seriously. He gave a test of MBBS to become a doctor but could not get through it. He also tried CSS- the biggest and the toughest- of all exams in Pakistan. His two brothers are already doctors but he could not be like them at all.

He is caring, loving, and kind, too. He cares about all his friends. He stays in touch with us on mobile as well. We have been friends with each other for about the past fifteen years which is not a short time. His garrulous character makes him witty-minded. He is sharp enough but he has also gone through a few tragedies in his life related to his study. While he was a student at Shah Abdul Latif University, he was dropped out of his degree owing to his less numbers in the examination. Therefore, he had to take admission to Sindh University but there also he was unable to finish his degree. The good news about his career is that he has a government job in the army where he is rendering his services properly. He is basically a clerk in the army but his will to excel in life has never come to an end. He keeps applying for various posts in SPSC and FPSC.

News of any kind related to politics and country is the field of his interest. He always keeps posting the material in his friends’ group. He also watches variant news channels and evaluates from his own mind the happenings and incidents going to take place in the country in the future. His fine and evaluating personality wins over people. I, myself, am really interested in his assessment of our homeland. However, not everything he avers or says happens all the time but it can be inferred that a bit of what he discusses is always as important as an idea. His evaluation of many affairs pertaining to politics has provided me with a lot of information to look into the matters myself as well. He is a nice friend in my friendship circle and I pray for his bright and wonderful future, too.

6. Career as a teacher

Life was ongoing without any stoppage surrounded by many challenges ahead of me in order to settle myself by getting a job that must at least fulfil conditions of security. There was already a private job in my hand, but it was not enough for proper survival as it could either end without any prior notice or the same was not secure at all. One thinks himself to be pretty secure when one gets a public or a government job in our Pakistani culture since it gives both security and relaxation and after retirement, money in lump sum form is also gotten. Well, it was now my turn to be able to get one which almost seemed hard in my case after observation of Sindh’s critical and very poor situation where only people with great sources, recommendations and money can easily get jobs in the public sector whereas those lacking in any such stuff always keep waiting in queues before the doors of politicians till they become overaged and ineligible. Anyways, I was a tad lucky as I never knocked at the door of any politician nor did I, anyway, get confused in terms of applying for a number of government jobs on my own.

Applying for a job gave me at least experience as well as the confidence to improve myself by going through several informative books. My career as a teacher shone as soon as I became one at an educational institute. From there it struck my mind that teaching must be continued as a profession. But the question was this that it was just a private job with a very low salary and the work burden looked more than the money being paid to me, so I thought to switch my school as soon as it was possible for me. The responsibilities of my first school included English subject teacher up to eighth grade; PT teacher during break-time and class in-charge of third standard and the pay, I think, I must not make its mention here. But so far as it was my first institute, so I did not mind that I was getting paid such a low amount of salary which could be spent within a wink of an eye.

Never mind! I worked for that institution sincerely without feeling f any challenge and trouble. Afterwards, my own interest in teaching diminished owing to the low pay package but I was optimistic enough to leave this institute and be working for the other. It is really well said that if you wish to get something, this whole universe conspires in helping you to get that. Luckily, I heard the news about the opening of a new school which was going to hire teaching staff after conducting written test and interview. I became excited to hear this good tiding and then started preparing myself for getting that job at any cost. I was almost sure that if I give my written test there, the chances of my being a teacher there will be more. By chance, my test was appreciated and my interview was also successful. I was selected as a teacher to teach there in that institute whose salary was much better than the former. Now, the school was nice enough, built on a hilly spot with air blowing from all directions. First of all, I happened to be a subordinate of such an old man with a white beard and hair who had once been a lifelong teacher in a government job.

The experience of whom was quite enough to guide me in the vast sea of teaching. I also used to ask him about his service and lifelong duty as a teacher. He never minded telling me anything I asked him. Now I was feeling amazing since I was getting paid a handsome salary. The days kept elapsing. Summer took the place of winter and the winter changed to spring at a great pace. My teaching experience also went on improving so much so that now I could claim myself to be a teacher but while comparing myself to a lifelong teacher, I considered myself nothing and nobody. My time in this institute lasted for two years after which I had to continue my own study. It had always been my dream to do the degree of MA in English literature from a well-reputed university and pursue my career as a lecturer. So I quit teaching and started my lifelong struggle. Now it was the time for preparation to go and seek admission at a university after proving myself in the entry test taken for admission in universities. My first choice was ‘The university of Sindh’ but unfortunately, I could not be selected there in the English department due to the very less number of seats which not only shattered me but I was utterly devastated and disappointed as well.

I stayed at Allama II Kazi hostel with my finest friend, Sadiq Odho, in his room for about seven days hoping to see myself getting selected in the English department but I was not fortunate enough this time. I spent all my seven days waiting for my selection but all I got was nothing but despair and disappointment. I was completely dejected and it looked to me as if my life had ended. One day while I was at my home, my friends came and asked me not to worry about my rejection in the English department at The University of Sindh. They, straightforwardly, asked me to join Shah Abdul Latif University in Khairpur. Since I was already absorbed in disappointment, I could neither say yes nor was my reply in negation. They both encouraged me and told me about the condition of the English department at SALU. I was convinced and agreed to their suggestion. Afterwards, my entry test was successful at SALU and my admission to the English department was easily done.

The first six months of my university’s learning and study gave me so much tough time that I ran away from there back to my home but as I was crazy about my MA’s degree in English literature, so I gathered courage and joined the university again but this time I promised to myself to work harder to get the degree of English literature with flying colors. With the grace of Almighty Allah, I got my MA’s degree in the first division right after the completion of two years in 2013. Now whenever I look back and recall those days of university, I feel like weeping. School days, college days, and university days are always unforgettable. During school days, we are always dependent on our parents, our teachers, our relatives, and so many other people; during college days, we start considering ourselves something. Though in reality, we remain completely dependent on our parents, yet college life makes us a bit more independent. So far as university life is concerned, this time period is the ripest and mature time of one’s life. At this stage of life, everybody gets independent enough to take decisions in their life. And the university is such a place which not only gets everybody ready for their practical life but the same is seen with great respect in terms of teaching all the lessons of life, too. I learned, I studied, and I became mature enough to tackle practical problems of life at university. It is really the university where you can make or destroy yourself since it is a mixture of bad as well as good people. If you are good yourself but your friends are bad then your getting bad like them would not take any time. With the grace of Allah, all my friends were good and there was none to misguide me as well. The time at university elapsed so speedily that without any indication there was our farewell day which means the doors of the university for us were going to be shut forever after our degree. University days still make me lugubrious whenever I recall those free and independent days of enjoyable life. It is rightly said that you really miss your comforts when they are gone forever. University is both a place for learning and a place for becoming utterly perverse. You can choose either way yourself as there is none to tell you this. It has been observed that many students who come to study at university either successfully complete their degrees and get to the heights of their life or degenerate there wasting and ending their lives at university. Life at university can be tough as well for deserving and good students in case they fail their papers even after their working hard to pass with flying colors. It only happens to deserving students when they ask hard questions from teachers during their lectures. They simply note the names of such students and show that they are unable to pass their papers even after writing correctly and according to the requirement of the question paper. I was lucky in this case as I had never been failed in any paper based on such reasons.

2013 was over now. My MA’s degree at university was over, too. It was the final day of bidding farewell to each one of the classmates with tears in eyes, hopes in hearts, and goals in minds. University life was no more. I had to leave university unwillingly. I had to get back to my home without my wish. I had to do everything against my will to begin my practical life which teaches all lessons that were left untouched back at the university.

It had been exactly a month since I left my university that I felt suffocated in my life as I had never thought anything about my future. Anyways, as I had taught in my past, so I took a decision to resume a teaching job. This time I applied to a reputable institution in my hometown which facilitated students up to matriculation. I went there and gave my interview to the then principal. He asked a few technical questions related to my degree from me and made sure whether my being a teacher at the school would be beneficial or not. After my interview got over, I asked him eagerly about my selection as I was in dire need of money. He gave a positive sign and I was called to join the school after two days.

The first day of everybody at a new place always remains memorable and the same is the case with me, too. On my very first day, I got my timetable consisting of English, Urdu, and Sindhi subjects. I got the ninth standard to teach English there, and the responsibility of being the class in charge of the same class came on my shoulders as well. Sindhi subject was assigned to me to teach the pupils of eighth class while I got Urdu subject to teach the mature class of matriculation, particularly girls who turned out to be too studious and laborious. I can still recall from my memory that first period of Urdu subject in the class of girls who were totally unknown to me and I was also not known to them. But the way I got responses to my questions from them was marvelous. They seemed pretty equipped and active in terms of their performance. This experience of my life was quite nice because before this I had thought completely wrong about girls and their being talented. I had never thought that even girls could be so much hardworking and assiduous. My mind about girls changed altogether after that incident and I decided to work harder in order to teach at the institute with great interest and passion. The days went on elapsing and I went on teaching at Bakhtawar high school, but along with my teaching, I never quit my own task of applying somewhere else where I could at least be financially stable as I was getting paid only three thousand here in this institute.

The amount of the remuneration was not more than my services for the school. Although it was just the start of my career, yet I got fed up with that much pay with which I could not even suffice the basic needs of life. I was very lucky that I was never forced by my parents to give them the share from my salary to run the household. They have always been so kind and polite to me that I don’t even have such commendable words for them. I never stopped my struggle and kept applying for a teaching job whenever the vacancies in any institute offering a handsome package were announced. Once, one of my university mates sent me an advertisement for the School of Excellence Sukkur, a well-known institute of Sukkur, which required teaching faculty for different subjects. Luckily, there was the requirement of English lecturers, too. Therefore, I did not want to miss this great chance in my life. I applied for the post without any delay by sending my curriculum vitae to my same friend who had sent the advertisement to drop it in the institute. After a few days, I received a call from that school about a written test which I gave successfully. I passed that test with flying colors. The interview for the same post had been kept during the last ten days of Ramadan which made it impossible for me to be present there to give it as I had to sit in Aitkaf ( sitting in a Masjid to pray to God during the last ten days in the month of Ramadan). Before going to observe Aitkaf, I prayed to God and soliloquized that if this job is written in my lot then I will definitely get it spontaneously. I got the interview call one day before the commencement of Aitkaf while I was travelling to Sukkur. I asked the man of management that I would come to give my interview tomorrow but no sooner did I get back to my hometown, than I observed Aitkaf on the very next day on which I was supposed to give my interview. I cut myself off from this world and began my meditation in masjid without knowledge of an interview ongoing at ‘School of Excellence.’ After Aitkaf had been over, I received a call from a best friend of the university called Mr. Waseem Shah who had also passed the written test for the same post. He told me that he had been selected there but candidly opened a way for me, saying to me that he would definitely be in touch with the principal to remind him of my good result in the test so that whenever there was any vacancy created after going of any English teacher I could be rung up. I would never forget the efforts of Shah Sahab who had struggled for me. Finally, the day came when I got a call from the principal. He asked me to join the school. Now I realized that I was fortunate enough that I was going to get that job that I had sacrificed for Aitkaf. This is called the magnanimity of Almighty Allah that I got my desired post of English lecturer. I insisted the principal assign me the first-year class to teach students English. I was assigned a first-year class of most talented girls to teach in order to check my knack to be able to make students learn English in that class. And when it was my very first period in the first year I managed to deal with pupils by answering the questions asked by them. I can still recall the name of the unit and it was none other than “The wolves of Cernogratz.” It is a fascinating unit in the first-year book of Sindh text board. After that first period, my journey lasted teaching that class till all of them had passed and left the school. Apart from the first-year class, I go to the ninth class to teach English subject. My first day there is even much more memorable as I glimpsed a few mischievous girls dancing, clapping, and singing during my entry into their class. Perhaps, it was, I would say, the worst class ever in my life because before this I had never encountered such naughty lasses in my teaching career. However, I won’t be able to forget those merry-making pupils. Managing these kinds of girls inside classrooms becomes tougher when one is not trained. I often lost my control and took them to task because of their very bad activities of making fuss and fun during my lecture. Teaching is a field of tolerance and patience. If someone is not patient, he must not choose teaching as his occupation. I would be very clear in my words that there were two or three girls from amongst the whole class who were morally immoral. Now, this was again a kind of additional experience that I got by being part of the teaching field.

Furthermore, I was also assigned yet another class of first-year boys to teach English to them. This class was so nice that they all became friends with me. Since these boys of the first year class were so hardworking that I didn’t have to put my more effort to make them understand new things during my lecture. They listened, got my lecture, and asked me questions pertaining to the topic. I also felt utterly free and comfortable in their class. It is the nature of human beings that they always feel comfortable with their own gender, males with males and females with females. Maybe, I am not right in this regard but it is pretty true at least in my case as when I took the class of girls I felt a little less comfortable. It was because I had to be careful enough in the selection of my language and my actions whereas when I took the class of boys, I never felt uncomfortable since I was at full liberty to make use of any sort of vernacular within norms of the teaching field. It was a five-story building and gave a fantastic look. Its rooms were very airy and spacious but its management was not that much co-operative with its teaching staff. The principal was a very angry old man with a long white beard. He was always doubtful about teachers and made them realize that all of them were his servants but thanks to Allah that He saved me from his annoyance and wrath and kept me away from his vicious gaze. School of Excellence offers a very strict atmosphere in terms of its management, work, and holidays. The workload on teachers was massive and the holidays were very few. The principal called staff members to attend school in July even before the end of summer vacation. I went on working for this school diligently. I was financially so stable that I started supporting my family back at home. I stayed at Bihar colony in society in Sukkur with my friends-cum-colleagues. Sukkur is a very beautiful city with loving people. Rohri is its twin city. Both Sukkur and Rohri together offer many visiting sites such as Landsdown bridge, Satyun-jo-thaan,(seven sisters), Sukkur barrage, Lab-e-Mehran , walking track, Sindhri hotel etcetera.

I enjoyed every minute during my sojourn in Sukkur. Now that I was having my desired job as a lecturer I never wanted to leave it or lose it at any cost. Nevertheless, I had to apply for a government job as this private job never gave me job security. I was afraid and always thought in my leisure time that what I will do if I am ousted from my job all of sudden. Now I was fully dependent on this job but due to the strictness of the school management, I never stopped myself from applying and this thing in me made my life a kind of struggle. I spent four years of my life there in this institute stretching from 2014 to 2018. It is a very long time span but it was not worthy of respect for school management. Anyways, I had to prepare myself for my upcoming tests dwelling in a hostel there in Sukkur. It was a government job and I never wanted to miss my opportunity. I passed the written test but my interview went bad. I became a bit shattered and depressed. But soon I overcame my despair and tried to convince myself that failures are also part of life. Our life does not end with our failures at all. Instead, it keeps going ahead without stoppage.

Opportunities in our life come and go like tides in sea and ocean which kept coming and going back. My life’s four years spent at school of excellence will always be memorable as it had a lot to do with my own improvement and learning as well. I gained in return lots of new things by teaching at a higher level to mature minds in this institute. This school gave me identity, respect, and recognition. Being in Sukkur , I commenced giving tuition, too. This give me extra financial support. While working for the school, I did my B.Ed’s degree on the basis of which I became eligible to apply for teaching jobs that required it. The most memorable day of mine at the school of excellence is the farewell party of intermediate students who not only arranged it well but also thoroughly entertained everybody. The party organizers were the same students whom I had taught English in their first-year class. I did not know they could be so much talented in their extra-curricular activities, too. One of my finest students of the same class presented an act playing my role on the stage. He performed it well in front of everybody. Even I appreciated him. This boy had taken my permission prior to my imitation. Another boy played Ali Gul Mallah’s ghost teacher. All these guys turned out to be geniuses in their performances. Now they are all studying at different universities in our homeland. They are also in my contact by means of Facebook. It is a matter of pride for a teacher that his students excel in their lives. It is also very true about a teacher that he himself remains a teacher whole of his life but those whom he teaches reach heights of success. My prayers are always with my students.

Life of school of excellence elapsed so fast that I did not even notice that the four years which I spent at the institute, teaching in classes came to an end when I got a government job at a Federal department of education. It happened to me that I had given a written test for this government job in Karachi only six months ago in 2017. My marks in that test were 67, so I was called for the interview. I shared this good news with my closest fellow -my Abu. He encouraged me and asked me to prepare for the interview. I was not aware of the passing ratio of candidates at all but when I came across so many aspirants at the time of the interview I felt a bit nervous because almost all of them seemed much more than me in every aspect. But still, I did not know how my selection out of such a big number of candidates was made. Afterwards, I got this point that it is not our struggle but mercy of Allah on us on account of which we are blessed with certain things which we need the most in our lives. And it is none other than Allah from Whom we get what we run after in this world. Getting a government job in Pakistan and particularity in Sindh is not less than a blessing. All my family members were really happy to hear this good tiding about my job and even I did not delay in joining it. But to join it, I had to leave my job from excellence which had given me love, respect, name, etc. It was not a less surprising moment for me as I was going to quit this institute forever where I had passed four years and four years is not a short time period. But since it was a private job, so I could not sacrifice a government job for a private one.

Therefore, I did not think much and asked my dad that I would join this job. I knew that I will have to stay all alone without my family at my posted place but yet I decided to start my new journey. My posting was made at a very beautiful spot called Wah. It is 35km away from Islamabad and 24 hours far from my hometown. My basic pay scale in this job is 14 while the name of the post is EST. It is a federally managed department of education. As soon as I joined this job, I became completely relaxed. All my worries seemed to be coming to an end. Afterwards, this job opened my eyes because the workload on teachers in this department was much more than their services. The facilities for the teachers coming from far-flung areas in this department include salary only which is not also sufficient for better survival. The department must think about teachers’ facilities before making their posting away from their hometowns. I faced a lot of hardships at the beginning of this job. I had to reside at a private hostel with unknown people and all I got from my job was just insufficient pay which supported me from hand to mouth. I adhered to this job because it was a secure job with a pension at the time of superannuation and due to this single benefit I had to leave my family, friends, relatives, and hometown where I had spent all my life. But it is rightly said that one has to lose something to get something. Anyways, it was destined for me, so I got this job as an Elementary school teacher. Life at the school is good enough when a teacher is bound to take his period properly.

Other than teaching, there are a number of tasks handed over to teachers to perform. I would just say that the job in this department is more concerned with management than with teaching . I don’t think I have done more work anywhere else than in this setup. This job offers very less pay but if we talk about tasks taken by the school from the teachers then we shall be able to find out a clear difference between this and other departments of government. A teacher in this department has to collect a monthly fee from students, maintain register work, see problems related to examination, etc. The list of duties is very long. People will definitely die but work in this setup would never stop. Apart from hardships, I also observed the lush and green, neat, and clean milieu of Wah. I happened to see beautiful scenes before me. The atmosphere over here attracted me to continue my job. Another factor that encouraged me to stay and do my duty in this department was all those friends who belonged to different parts of Sindh. I love teaching and I would love to teach till my demise comes and takes my life but I am quite sure that as long as I am alive, I’ll surely make my numberless students in this world who will never let me die even after I am no more on this earth.

I am working as a teacher these days. I have been teaching for the last eight years and I do not know how I have rendered my teaching services for a few private schools. I have taught up to intermediate class and it has been a wonderful experience. I have learned a lot teaching at different levels. All books I have gone through while teaching, have been of great use to me. And this, I would say, has only happened to me because I have been determined and committed to myself and to my profession that I still am a teacher clung to the teaching field. I teach English up to the eighth standard at my school these days. English subject is not only a subject but a sport for me because while teaching English to my students, I have never felt tired or bored. As I have already mentioned that I love teaching, so I never feel any boredom in it at all even if I have to stand teaching my students for a long stretch. I enjoy my job here at wah a lot but I won’t stop applying for the upper posts especially for the post of a lecturer which is close to my heart. And as soon as I achieve my goal, I will definitely let you know about it by means of writing. I am as crazy about getting a job as a lecturer as a beetle that hovers about a sweet-smelling thing. But as long as I am a teacher at my present institute, my services for it would never be less. I’ll be teaching as honestly as I have taught for a long time in my life.