English & Urdu Text : Khalid Iqbal

Presentation : Shoaib Sobani

The veil is just slipping from the face, slowly and slowly,

The sun is coming out of its phase, slowly and slowly.

The above couplet is part of a historical Ghazal composed by maestro Ameer Minai.

Ameer was a creative poet popular for his romantic and devotional poetry. He was

trained in languages (Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit), philosophy, logic, religion,

jurisprudence, history, geography, astrology, and the science of Hadith and the art

of numerology. Our personality Arjumand is the great grandson of the legendary

Ameer Minai.

Arjumand Minai, was born in PIB Colony, Karachi to Ismail Minai and Zehra Minai,

dedicated parents who brought up their children on the firm scholastic base,

meritocracy and with capabilities to survive under pressing circumstances. They

studied at Government schools, grew up without any ill will, malice or nepotism.

Ismail Minai, one of the early “City Fathers”, devoted his career to build Karachi on a

tangible master plan. Political victimization never dissuaded him to look for any

softer avenue in life. He always preferred straighter though difficult options and his

descendants loved to follow suit.

Arjumand had secondary education at Cantonment Public School and then went to

Government Commerce College Karachi. After B.com he joined A.F. Ferguson & Co.

Fortune favored and he proceeded to England. After nine years of stay in the UK,

and equipped as a Professional Accountant with added experience in Information

Technology, Arjumand returned to Pakistan in 1982 and worked for major multi-

nationals like Exxon Chemical, Burroughs Welcome and Standard Chartered Bank.

He was very happy to study Islamic Finance and be part of Modaraba and Islamic Banking at Standard Chartered Bank, and later managed their leasing services. He is now a volunteer for Professional Education Foundation, a Not For Profit, engaged in funding the professional education of bright, needy students across Pakistan. Arjumand is also a visiting faculty at the Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance. The early eighties brought Dr. Fauzia Nasim, an icon of Dow ‘79, in matrimonial alliance with Arjumand. This was an arranged marriage though Arjumand’s family knew Fauzia’s circle well. He found a true life companion and was genuinely impressed by her academic pursuits and steadfast personality.

He takes pride in the fact that Dr Fauzia is continuously growing professionally and

loves to learn and progress. Both have a lot of common interests like the passion

for music, poetry, broad based reading habit and socialization. Voices of Amanat Ali

Khan, Mehdi Hassan, Iqbal Bano, and Farida Khanum enchanted them. They enjoy

music of all genres: Classical / semi classical, qawwali, contemporary variations and

also has a liking for selected western music. They are members of a private music

group, “Amateur’s melodies”.

Arjumand loves Urdu poetry: Meer, Ghalib, Aatish, Momin, Daagh, Iqbal, Jigar, Firaq,

Adeeb, Suroor, Qamar, Fana, Faiz, Faraz, Waqif, Figar, Zareef, and the list goes on.

He has a mini library at home and is an avid reader of both Urdu and English books-

Current Affairs, History, Religion, Fiction, Social Issues and Satire are all there.

Arjumnad and Fauzia are the proud parents of daughter Naveen and son Kamran,

both well-educated and nurtured in a special way. Arjumand is very fond of

animals, a trait that he acquired from his mother. Both Naveen and Kamran are

fond of animals and Kamran is a true animal lover.

Naveen has a PhD in Gender Studies from UCLA and is holding a faculty position at

IBA Karachi. Karman, with a master’s degree from York, UK in Environmental

Science & Management, works in Islamabad. Like any other human being,

Arjumand’s life was also affected by health issues. The tremendous support from

Fauzia and the children, and his up-front attitude to adapt to the challenges, has

saved him from the morbid effects. He plays golf and keeps fit with regular

exercise.

Over the years Arjumand has developed special interest in the subject of Emotional

Intelligence (EI). He is impressed by the pioneering work of Daniel Goleman. EI is

the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle

interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. EI is the key to both

personal and professional success. “Self-Actualization” is the real motivator for

Arjumand. The more he learns about EI, the more he becomes aware of his

deficiencies. He quotes a couplet:

High ambition, winsome speech, a passionate soul

This is all the baggage for the leader of the caravan

He quoted the names of Adeeb Rizvi and Abdul Sattar Eidhi as

glorious examples of self-actualization. Both personalities are

beyond any temptations and rewards for fame or recognition.

Probably they are the best examples to define empathy. Empathy

is the ability and experience of understanding another person's

condition from their perspective. Arjumand Minai is a believer

that self-respect is a supreme force which should preside over the

life of an individual. Without self-respect, one will never be able

to have respect for others. He says “I am never too old to learn

and you are never too young to teach”. Learning and questioning

are the building blocks of 'self-image and respect', which is the key

to personality development and human behavior improvement.

William Faulkner is quoted to have said. “Always dream and shoot

higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better

than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than

yourself” . This looks perfectly applicable to Minai’s own life.