LIFE AND TIMES OF NASIRALI
By: Zehra Nasirali
Date: 13th January, 1999
(From
an ambitious young son of a wealthy merchant to a
professional
risk manager of a multimillion dollar corporation)
FORMATIVE
YEARS
I was born in November of 1945 just after
World War II, into a wealthy business family. I was the fourth child of a
family of 8 brothers & sisters. Mother was a graceful, home-oriented figure
with high moral and spiritual values. She inculcated these values in us with a
serene but firm sense of strength. Impeccable manners were the rule of everyday
living, including table manners and respect for elders which were ingrained in
us. Household servants were respected, with a full sense of gratitude for their
services. Our bed time was 9 p.m. sharp and no "its' and "buts"
were entertained. It was not all as morbid as it sounds. We had our games with
friends and other family members but all had timings and seasons.
Surnames were mainly indicative of a
family's vocation or trade. We were referred as the merchant family. In fact in
my formative years, I thought my surname was 'merchant" but later learnt
the reasons of the suffix. My ambition took roots in very early childhood when
my father, on return from his long business travels, would narrate his encounters
with the people of far and distant lands. These brought about a secret
fascination within me to get ahead and be like my father. I would often go to
the Airport or the Docks
to see
off my father or to welcome him home. I remember that families were allowed to
the extent of going up to and inside the aircraft or ships to bid farewell to
the travelers. I recall distinctly that the famous propeller-engined aircrafts
then were Dakotas and Super Constellations Propellers, and not the Jet Boeing
or Concordes of today.
Schooling was an important part of
everyday life. A teacher was a "revered parent" and my parents
believed in Missionary Schools, where the standard of education was not only of
the highest calibre, but character building was high on the agenda. Smoking in
school was a complete taboo. Life was simple, disciplined, and fun prioritized;
it had a certain sense of daily directions and highest of values had to prevail
at all times. Life had a clear meaning and each student had secret ambitions
and role models. I had my father, whom I saw as a very dedicated, well-dressed
man and I wanted to be like him. Schooling came to a point where a decision of
further studies was mutually decided upon by my parents and I.
FIRST
ENCOUNTERS WITH LIFE
Then came a time to pursue further studies abroad, away from the
cocoon of family shelter and anyone looking over your shoulders. I was sent to
London, England to pursue my further studies in accounting. At first I was
introduced to a family with whom I had to put up as a paying guest to pursue my
studies. Money was sent to me and I had to perform certain chores to learn how
to make a living on my own as part a plan that was devised by my father. This I
came to know later. I was opposed to the idea and feared living away from the
home, but once I overheard my parents saying that it was part of my grooming
for taking life on. It sure was an ordeal at first. But I can emphasize that
the yesteryears of
disciplined
living and holding onto values and morals saw me through these times. To phone
from England to Asia was an expensive affair. Letter writing was a more normal
method of communication. The problems I was faced in life - socially,
educationally and even monetarily - proved to be almost devastating. There also
came a time of illness where I insisted on being allowed to return home till I
was well. However, my father was a far-sighted man and was determined on making
a man out of me. I weathered the storm and each fall made me more cautious and
yet more confident. I started to make decisions on my own and acted upon my old
secret fascinations of being successful like my father. I physically grew
stronger and in time came to feel I was turning into a man who wanted to now
prove himself to his parents. A sense of awareness started to dispel the fears
and I came out to know myself, and what I wanted out of life. During one of the
accounting audits, I started to see myself getting interested in only one
specific area of accounting. I kept on pursuing this secretly, closing an eye because
I was really shifting away from my originally planned accounting career. After
considerable thought I wrote to my father and explained that I had found
interest in a certain area of accounting during my audits and wanted to branch
out into a sphere called risk management. I received support from my father
after a few explanatory letters. Not only did this prove to be tougher, but it
also took a considerable length of time to achieve. In the 10 odd years of my
stay abroad in England, I traveled to many places in Europe and returned home
for holidays twice.
NOTICEABLE
CHANGE OF VALUES OF THE WORLD AT LARGE
One Sunday morning while waiting for a
delayed money-order from home (a common way of receiving money from overseas at
that time) I was told that my father had had a tremendous business loss and I
had to fend for myself for my education in full or return home. After having
given it thought, I decided to stay back and complete my studies, which were a
great struggle now from a financial point of view. I started to offer tuition
and teach the young students whose parents had voiced a lot of concern. This is
where I encountered the change in general values; lack of etiquette, a lost
sense of direction, a strong sense of "hanging around". Idle talk had
started to become a norm. Not meaning to be critical but this came as a shock
because I was still living in my world of strong values; this was now
considered "out of fashion". Everything in the name of advancement –
like violence on television - had abducted the minds of the youngsters. They
started to mimic violence, use course language and picked up other adverse
traits that gradually became a reality. A sense of direction was falling apart.
In fact it had started to reach such a proportion that it was falsely
considered norm. I decided to do my best not just to assist my students
educationally, but even morally, and met some of the finest minds in the
children I encountered. With a reduced income and more work to do to make ends
meet, plus pay education costs, I struggled for another three years till I
finally attained my objective and received my degree with distinction. It was
not too long before I got myself a job as an assistant and worked my way
through to a point where today I am the risk manager of a multi-million dollar
corporation. I have been able to look after my parents with a great sense of
gratitude for my upbringing also. There is only one thing I can take credit for
myself, and that is not losing sight of my goal to pursue my studies. This is
what eventually got me to where I am today.