Yasir Fuad – December 27, 2020
^{Edited by Rabhia Shuja}

“What color is it today, Baaba?” Shahida asked.

Hussain Sheikh’s 10-year-old daughter was eagerly waiting for his response. Hussain pulled out a sunflower from his pocket and adjusted it behind her ear. Hussain used to bring flowers for his family from a garden in the lush green valley. He happened to cross it while returning to his house from the Nawab’s Palace.

The muscular 32-year-old lived in a small cottage hilltop in Bannu along with his wife and children; a daughter and a son. It was the time of pre-partition in the subcontinent.

Nawab Daaim Shah ruled the northern areas, which in the current times fall under KPK in Pakistan. Hussain was a simple person belonging to a very humble yet religious and Sufi family. He used to work as a personal assistant to Nawab of Bannu, in his Palace. Hussain accumulated his daily income (that was two paisas) saving up enough money to move to the city one day. He wanted to leave this life of slavery and go somewhere to the city to start his own business someday, however small or common it would’ve been.

The beautiful valley of Bannu was enriched with splendid colors, consisting of trees laden with ripe fruits, mountains of majestic grandeur, and a river flowing through it. Life, in general, was as peaceful as it could get on earth; putting aside those few riots from the rebels who called themselves freedom fighters. They wanted to break the shackles of British oppression and lead their life with freedom.

Shahida was the elder one and used to help her mother with daily chores. Gathering woods, washing clothes on the bank of the river, and cooking food was some of the routine tasks. The majority of the girls around belonged to Hindu families, her parents asked her to avoid them, so she mostly passed her time on her own. So, gradually she developed a habit of being a keen observer of nature around her. She used to ask many questions, many of which seemed quite deep coming from a mere 10-year-old child. She was always encouraged by her father as he himself was a curious person. He mostly believed that God Almighty told humans to observe, think, and reflect on the surroundings, so it was a part of his faith to find hidden meanings and messages in worldly things. Hussain himself had a mentor, Aziz-ud-din, from whom he used to take words of wisdom and guidance.

Shahida looked at the sunflower and asked, “Baaba what lesson does yellow color give us? What’s the yellow color for?” Baaba took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Hope, I guess,” he replied. “I know it doesn’t serve justice to your question but I’ll try to give you another perspective too, soon.”

Next day, after Hussain offered his prayer he sat with Aziz in the prayer room and asked the same question from him. Aziz remained quiet for a moment, then replied with a smile; ‘I think yellow color is for guidance, clarity & strength. To break the streak of night’s darkness, nature blesses us with the Sun. The yellow light guides us in the day, everything becomes visible and clear to us. We perform our tasks in this light, plants die when they don’t get enough of this light. This yellow light, whether it’s from the Sun in the morning or through the lantern at night, in my experience and observation, is the sign of guidance in the sea of darkness we are floating in, a source of strength for life to fulfill its purpose. That’s how yellow makes sense to me”.

That night, when Baaba added to the meaning of yellow, Shahida could feel the immense darkness of the sky as the flickering stars dispersed away just like the pearls woven on her mother’s black shawl. Living in a small cottage at the hilltop made her experience an imagination that was original and untouched. 

This practice now became a routine for Hussain, to look and reflect on nature in this way. He felt alive and close to God, while observing nature and thinking about reasons of how and why things exist. Sometimes he asked questions to himself and at times, answered little Shahida’s questions. One day, Bibi Maahtaab (Hussain’s wife), told Hussain that she was very concerned about Shahida’s habit of asking weird questions. She told him that during our visit to the river, Shahida usually asks “Why do we use the same path to get up or down the hill?”.

Hussain pondered over it for a little and then looked back at his wife. “Someday I might be able to answer her. I will surely take guidance from Aziz Saab.” Mahtaab was visibly concerned over her husband’s response. “How could you not be worried about her curiosity to explore other routes on this bushy hill? She might get lost while doing so. “ She replied in frustration. “I’m amazed that you’re thinking about finding an answer to her question.” 

“She won’t do that. Believe me, our girl is wise.” Hussain replied calmly.  

“Why do we walk the same paths that are already carved out of this land? Why don’t we build new ones? Do we lack passion or are we afraid of the change?” Hussain asked Aziz. “When you’ll change your destination and burn the bridges behind, only then you’ll get your answer.” Aziz replied.

Time passed, Shahida had seen so many colors, smelt many of the different scents, observed different designs of flowers and wondered what made one flower’s shape different from the other one, when the soil is the same, the plant by its outlook and base material is the same. Hussain had gathered enough money to afford the boat ride by the river Kurram that led to the point of the city. So before his voyage to the city he took counsel of Aziz for the one last time.

Hussain: I am moving to the city.

Aziz: My best wishes for you.

Hussain: One last question for you.

Aziz: Yes, go on.

Hussain: I have always been fond of collecting different flowers, but I was unable to find one with my favourite color.

Aziz: You see it every day, then why go on the search for it?

Hussain: I mean the blue color.

Aziz: I meant the sky. Nature has beautifully designed things around us, color combinations, shapes, order & infact disorder too. All the colors of the trees, flowers, mountains, fruits are dark and in contrast with that of the sky. Your favourite color is right in front of you all the time, how could you not notice the worth of the sky. Maybe you are busy finding beauty as if it were a stand alone parameter. While beauty lies in co-existence of diversity. When you are relishing the beauty of this valley, you are ignoring the background of the beautiful sky, it’s playing a huge role in your experience, even though it isn’t something physical that you could touch or feel. Try to see the beauty in nature’s entirety or the entirety in its beauty.