A Befitting Celebration of Mother’s Day in Dallas

May 13, 2014

By Saeed Qureshi

Our dear and soft spoken friend Javed Samuel Gill and his remarkable family invited their friends and well wishers to a magnificent evening to celebrate the Mother’s Day on May 11 at Shamianah restaurant in Plano region. I am writing to applause and compliment this exceptionally sociable and cordial family for observing this great day to honor and remember our mothers whether alive or deceased for their boundless love and care they proffer to their children. 

Although the Mother’s Day is a western social event yet it is one of the most laudable days that every race and religion ought to cherish and observe every year.

 It was a solemn evening bathed in a galore of music, poetry and thoughtful yet moving speeches about the divine profile of a mother that is also a creator like God: the lord of the universe. The figure of mother comes before us as an embodiment of unstinting sacrifice, ideal love and absolute dedication of her life for the well being of her children. 

Although God in his infinite mercy loves mankind yet God also punishes the deviant and sinners among the human-beings. But a mother would not even think of inflicting any harm on her children no matter how disobedient and unworthy they might be.

 We have yet to come across any literature or folklore that may have reviled or discounted mother. The succeeding thinkers, writers, academic,  prophets, seers, saints, kings, high and low, rich and poor everyone have been full of respectful praise and profound honor for mother; a figure so adorable and so blissful. 

We the ordinary mortals too are the sons and daughters of mothers who might have been poor and in rags but who fed us not only with the milk of human kindness but in real sense as well.

A mother would sleep without a sheet in biting winter but would cover her infant child to save him or her from the cold. She would not eat herself but would spare the piece of borrowed bread from the neighbors for the child. 

The sacrifices and affection of a mother is beyond the grip of a pen and the best of orator and an eloquent writer because her love infinitely transcends and outpaces every other love in this material world. A mother would rather embrace death to save her child. Such is the   priceless quality and sterling character of her abiding love.

 The above narrative was a willful or conscious digression from the main theme of reporting about that memorable evening that was dedicated to a mother who is like a human picture or glorious glimpse of almighty God. But let us now proceed to unfold how the Mother’s Day was celebrated with characteristic dignity, sober solemnity and commendable decorum in Dallas.

was a most pleasant evening that the guests had thoroughly enjoyed and perhaps look forward to a similar celebration next year, again to be hosted by Javed Samuel and his illustrious family consisting of himself, his wife Iram, his son Bakhtawar and his young daughter Suman. It is a fantastic family and I would wish you meet them.

This wonderful family plays harmonium, Tabla and Sitar and musical instruments with absolute finesse and skillfulness. Bakhtawar is an expert in Tabla, Iram plays Sitar and Javed himself can play both Tabla and harmonium. They play these musical instruments in the church as part of weekly service.

The poets in that graceful gathering recited their Kalam (composed poetry) paying glowing tributes to mother and highlighted her attributes as symbol of love and dedication. There were singers and lyricists who sang to glorify this unique yet lovely social assemblage.

The children too expressed their sentiments rather emotionally for their mothers who brought them up against odds and difficulties. The children’s’ presentation was touching and emotive.

Let me conclude by highlighting the dinner served. Perhaps without exaggeration it was fresh, fantastic and delicious assortment of various Desi (not western) dishes. It was one of those sumptuous feasts that one tends to remember for a pretty long time.

Let me now mention a pleasantly redeeming happening of this special evening. An iconic personage Saghier Ahmed Jafri and his distinguished wife and famous poetess Sahiba Saba had also come to grace this distinctive evening. This couple has been serving the cause of promotion of Urdu poetry and literature with exuberant passion and utter dedication for decades. 

They have a blog ‘Urdu Manzil” that carries a treasure of information about the Mushairas and literary activities sponsored and patronized by this graceful couple for decades. They recited their captivating poetry  that was warmly appreciated and reciprocated by the audience.