memories from the past - Posted on May 10 of 2024 updated May 15 of 2024 by { (male) Khalid Mahmood}

I was born in 1956 which was just 9 years after the country Pakistan was established as a independent nation in 1947.

History followers would know that time period right after this event (i.e. establishment of Pakistan in 1947) was very difficult for people, there was no well esatblished infra structure, no established facilities, not enough schools, no established supply chain, not enough housing etc. and it was not just about having or not having money, rather there was a scarcity of necessities due to many other issues, it takes time to establish/build a country.

So I grew up in those tough environments, my parents made every possible effort to provide me a better life and prepared me for better life as a grown-up by not allowing me to waste my time in worth less activities and did not allow me to play with street kids. This made me focus on my studies and always got good grades. Eventually after 20 years of schooling, I became an Engineer in Pakisan and because of my top grades I became recipient of Philips Scholarship in 1981 for higher studies in Netherlands in my field of studies. This gave me an opportunity not just to learn the academics but also better living and path to prosperity after tough 24 years of my tough life in Pakistan. My other two siblings which were younger than me were born in better times and were given better opportunities by my parents, better schooling etc but they did not have the aptitude to learn science and engineering and did not get good grades in school and were different than me. They did not have the aptitude to learn worldly knowledge and did NOT pursue higher education, due to natural tendencies and own limitations and interests.

Those were the times when universal criteria (in family circles, relatives, neighbours) for children of  good or bad was getting good grades in school and follow parents wishes. That determination remains true for the rest of the life and reflects on persons character regardless of what others say about good or bad. Life is not a game of plucking petals from a flower saying loves me (good), loves me not (bad) repeatedly untill all the petals run out. Absolutely NOT. Parent's determination about good and bad is the ultimate reliable unbiased determination, good and bad determinations by others will be bogus, fraudulent because they will have their own agenda and malicious intents in giving wrong assessment. Because they will want to promote their own candidates/work horses/donkies (or mules) and suppress others by wrong determinations, to flex their muscles and influence on naive people. And even if the people know the truth they will still exert their lies and deception on naive people to assess their level of loyalty and acceptance of lies and deception. I was never offered and never accepted the position of receiver of such meaningless messages from unknown people. I appointed myself receiver of assets/money as Chief of Technical Army, but not receiver of such meaningless messages. This is a physiological technique to demoralize/supress people, because if someone was trying to determine good or bad at this age, means there has to be a questionable report about some one's character, otherwise why ??. I was a immigrant in Canada (became Citizen after due process),  born and raised else where and before immigration to Canada went through scrunity and eligibility criteria, so good or bad should never be a question for legally landed immigrants in Canada.

Many times people said around me when I was Canada that "you are good" at the age of 60 plus, I responded to them that my parents said that to me in my early age.

Now in the year of 2024 I am 67.5 years of age by the Gregorian Calendar and 69.5 years of age by the Lunar calendar. I wonder what was my parents vision to put me through such tough life without any reward for it.

(I started formal schooling at the age of 04 years and traveled to Eindhoven Netherlands after the age of 24 years, 20 years in between, learning in schools and collages, learning at family business helping my father and workers, helping my mother with outdoor errands, daily trips to markets and stores in the area in Karachi to buy the supplies for the daily use, buying in bulk was not a common practice and was not the way of living at that time.

Following was my picture taken at a Studio in Karachi in 1998 or 1999 during my previous visit to Pakistan from Jubail Saudi Arabia when I was on a contract with SABIC/IBN Sina during Y2K. 

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{Khalid Mahmood}

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