As a weekly routine on Saturday evening 18-11-2023, when i reached home after attending my duties at Ganderbal, a tragic and distressing incident happened in the form of Jamal Maam’s untimely and unfortunate death. It was a bolt from the blue when my father received the phone call from his lone son Gh Hassan Kumar about his suddenly deteriorating health condition. Though he too was bedridden for last couple of days due to fever and chest infections, but when the news of Jamal Maam’s worsening condition reached him, he didn’t control his emotions and straightaway went to enquire about his condition. Upon reaching there he found Jamal Maam who earlier would speak like an iron man a mute dead body now. I had just finished my dinner and when I too heard this displeasing and heartbreaking news, tears rolled down not only through my own eyes but the eyes of my spouse and my only daughter too were moistened abruptly. With in few minutes men, women and even children of the mohalla reached their residence to console them and stand by them during the testing time. It was hard and difficult to orchestrate the last rites of the diseased during chilly night time therefore a unanimous decision was taken that Jamal Maam would be laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard of Berigam next morning at 10am sharp. All nears and dears, relatives and friends were informed telephonically about his sudden death. I along with my family members and other people of the mohalla stayed up all the night there to share their grief and melancholy. Son of late Gh Mohd Kumar, Jamal Maam had a loving, pious and noble sister Mukhti married at nearby Mondhol village, elder brother Ali Kumar settled at Tanjloo village of Qazigund and another brother settled at Hillar Shahbabad of Doru tehsil. My paternal grandmother Khadija was his cousin sister married to Habibullah my grandfather originally from Kewa village of Qazigund but settled here at Berigam. Jamal Maam was so attached to each and every member of his family and the extended family members that they would undoubtedly enquire about his wellbeing and feel pleased to listen his entertaining and humorous talk. He would never call his daughter in-law as Noush which Kashmiri’s customarily use to refer the new comer of the family instead he inveterately called her as Shakil Koor. He was really a pious and noble soul who would always pray for the betterment, longevity and good health of everyone whether he or she was in his acquaintance or not. I myself had a deep attachment with him as he would love me like his grandchild. Till my twenties I would call him as Naata Baba because of the reason that whenever he would go to attend a feast or invited function, the share of the cooked meet pieces like Rista, Kabab, Rogan Josh etc he would get there were dispatched to none other than me because there wasn’t a child except me in the family that time. When his bodily strength was upto the mark, he would go to meet his sister at Mondhol almost on daily basis. After marrying his son Gh Hassan at Banihal he would fortnightly visit there to take the review of their wellbeing and aiming to strengthen the bond of relationship. Intense traffic jam, frequent closure of the national highway and Jawahar Tunnel barely restricted him to have a visit of Banihal. He would frequently come to me and enquire about the National Highway status and Jawahar Tunnel which was almost a lifeline for him. His unwavering commitment and dedication to synthesise healthy relationships helped him to become a guide of the young generation. He always respected his elders and loved his juniors. He deeply loved his grandchildren Imran and Aqib to the extent that he would eat or drink only after ensuring that they too have eaten or drunk. Though he had lost his spouse decades ago in a very young age and didn’t remarry, still he didn’t give any opportunity to anyone to raise a finger against him over his character and uprightness. It is indeed a testament to his integrity, trust and sincerity that he has solemnised the marriages of tens of local men at Banihal. All those couples are presently living a contended and happy post-married life. Son of one of them is presently pursuing internship of MBBS at esteemed Govt GMC Srinagar. Whether it was noon, mid-day or dusk time, people eagerly went to meet him at his residence. Pottery was his age-old profession which he had inherited from his father and forefathers and remained associated with it till he possessed bodily strength. He would go to Dialgam, Akhal, Brinal, Lammar and other far-flung areas of the district by foot to sell the baked pottery vessels there. It is through this making and then selling of pottery that he earned his decent and permissible livelihood.

Although he is no more with us now, his memories, affection and love will continue to help us in reminding and keeping him in our hearts. Through his departure we have indeed lost a helping companion, a philanthropist and a loving and caring person of our entire family. The void created due to his passing away is challenging to be filled as he was so amiable a person that such selfless people are seldom found in today’s inhuman and materialistic world. There is a well-known saying that death keeps no calendar, this is what we have felt and observed. We didn’t believe he would leave this mortal world so soon but everyone is helpless before almighty’s plans and it can’t be averted by any means and everyone has to accept this universally accepted reality. A couple of persons of the village were so close and attached to him that they used to spend the whole day with him and preferred not to attend even a consequential function of theirs. Instead they got pleasure and contentment in his company. This indeed are virtues of a pious and God gifted noble person. Jamal Maam, you have left a big extended family who will deeply miss you now. So it is time to pray for your better hereafter. May your soul rest in peace and may almighty Allah grant you highest ranks in Jannah. May you be offered the sacred drink of Hawzi Kawsar through the holy and blessed hands of dearest Prophet (phub) on doomsday alongside his intercession.