Javed Akhtar, who is our son-in-law, has said several times with great pride, ‘He is the greatest poet of this age.’ Kaifi always addressed his daughter-in-law as, ‘Dulhan Pasha’, because this is how a daughter-in-law is addressed in Hyderabad. He really enjoyed visiting Baba and Tanvi’s home. He wrote his poem, ‘Doosra Banwas’, in my son’s house. Speaking about Kaifi in an interview, Tanvi said, ‘If you praise Abba, or if he is being given an award, from his expression it seems that it’s being given to somebody else and not to him.’

Kaifi was a caring father, an ideal husband, and a man who loved ordinary human beings. His love for his village was like that of someone possessed. He could not bear to hear it criticized, and he loved the Communist Party in a similar manner. He had faith in socialism. He always carried his party membership card in his briefcase, and would often take it out with great pride and say, ‘This is my precious capital.’ He loved collecting books and Mont Blanc pens. His library has several thousand books, many of which are rare.

People like Kaifi are not born every day. They say people like you do not die, they live forever, but when will I believe this, Kaifi?

Seven Years Later . . .

Shabana has just returned from Mijwan full of excitement at the rapid progress the Mijwan [Welfare Society] has made. Namrata Goyal, the daughter of Jet Airways owners Naresh and Neeta Goyal, has now taken over as President MWS Youth. Namrata has brought on board with her many young people from all over the world on Facebook, Twitter, etc., (I don’t even know what that means), but when I see her radiant face bursting with enthusiasm at all the future plans she has for Mijwan, I feel fulfilled.

I remember the last New Year’s Eve that I spent with Kaifi in Mijwan. Shabana and Javed were with us. It was a far cry from the boisterous New Year celebrations we used to have in Mumbai. There were just a couple of people from the village gathered around the bonfire in the freezing winter’s cold. I cajoled the shy villagers to sing songs by boisterously taking the lead. Soon the others joined in. Someone sang a folk song off-key much to the amusement of the others. Javed cracked jokes which made everyone scream with delight. The shyest person of the lot suddenly opened up and regaled us with the most amazing mimicry.

Kaifi, who was too ill to join us, sent a message with his nurse Maria to Javed: ‘Please sing “Aye meri Zohra Jabeen” from the film Waqt for my wife from me.’ This is a song that Balraj Sahni sings for his wife Achala Sachdev in the film which has become an anthem for older people expressing sentiments of romantic love. Trust Kaifi to always hit the right note, even when seriously ill!