INTERVIEW WITH ALI AKBER SOOMRO BY AYOOB GHAMDIL RAJPER 2K14/130/MC
LIFE IS IN FLUX
Few people live, fewer still think. Hardly anyone lives and thinks at the same time. And to keep living and thinking throughout one’s life is next to impossible. Fortunately, there are some people who go so far as to break this impossibility. Ali Akbar Soomro is one of those breakers.
Ali Akbar Soomro was born in a small village, Chiho, of district Naushahro Feroze in 1950. He studied from primary till masters in his district. He became a teacher at young age and remained committed to his profession until old age. In addition to teaching, he took a voyage through religion, politics and petty businesses. He never married and leads a lonely retired life now.
Q: You were a “nobody” first, then a religious person and then a political activist. How did you take on this zigzag path?
Ans: Honestly, I myself sometimes wonder how I did all this. But this is life and it goes on. Anyway, as far as my religious passion is concerned, almost everyone is more or less religious here. I became what we now call a “fundamentalist” through a company that circumstances forced on me then. My journey towards politics was an extension of this religious fervor. Actually, Sain G. M. sayed wrote a book “Jean Ditho aa Mun” in those days and we came to hear that it was against religion. I wondered how anyone can get away with this heresy. I collected some friends and we decided to write something in reply to the book. For that we had had to read the book completely, we were struck by the realization that whatever Sain G. M Sayed wrote was more or less right. So, this resulted into my shift from religion to nationalism. I wasn’t member of Jeay Sindh and my soft corner toward it lessened as soon as I came touch with communists. And then I completely involved myself in politics by joining communist party.
Q: you had joined PPP, hadn’t you?
Ans: Oh yes, but we can’t say joining or something. Everyone underwent Bhutto fever those days, so I also jumped into flowing Ganga. But, thankfully, the fever vanished and I became extremely disillusioned by Bhutto and PPP when Bhutto came into power.
Q: How about your communist experience?
Ans: The communist experience was the funniest as well saddest experience of my life. I still remember how highly we were charged by the intoxication of communist dream. We felt classless society, equality, end of exploitation, universal brotherhood was just around corner. We felt everything will be alright. But dreams are dreams. We came to know things aren’t that easy. We came to know society is extremely complex and all our parameters to judge past, present and future are very shallow. There were inner rifts in the party. We Sindhis fought non-Sindhi communists over national question. And then we saw the fall of Berlin Wall, the fall of Soviet Union. So many things happened to turn our beautiful dreams into scary nightmares and we had no option but to quit the party.
Q: Many of your comrades joined other parties as soon as they quit the communist party. Why didn’t join any party?
Ans: Because I couldn’t afford. I was broken. It was a nightmare, as I’ve just said. Agreed, some comrades joined other parties, some joined NGOs, and some became editors. I think the yok of sincerity and honesty was so fixed in my neck that I couldn’t join any party. I don’t know what to say. Those who went here and there for personal interests might be right. They have to earn money, they have to feed their children. But I think what they did was far lower than their status, than their integrity.
Q: How do you our country now? Are things going well? Is democracy getting strong?
Ans: What democracy, sir? There has been no democracy in Pakistan. We are been deceived in the name of democracy. Even if there was one, it was killed when Sheikh Mujib wasn’t allowed to form government even after winning the elections in 1971. We are being treated like insects. Can a ruler humiliate masses if there is true democracy? No, sir.
Q: You have tried your hand at different small businesses but you don’t seem to have achieved success at any. Why?
Ans: Someone has aptly said that you can’t be a millionaire through honesty. Nothing more to say.
Q: You are famous for changing your opinions from time to time. What is the point of not sticking to any one principle?
Ans: only dead people fixate themselves on something. Everything is in flux, so why get stagnant? Changing one’s opinion means realizing that one was previously wrong. Accepting one’s errors is no easy task and only the truly live people will realize and correct their errors. As for as universal principles are concerned, I firmly stick to them. I believe there should be justice, truth, honesty, equality, respect, trust, wisdom and so on. It’s only opinions that I don’t fixate myself on.
Q: Generally, people resort to religion at the end of their lives. Do you intend to do so?
Everyone has his own reasons. I don’t consider them wrong. As far as I am concerned, I still don’t feel any inclination towards religion.
Q: You are not successful in socially accepted terms. You are not wealthy. You have not married. You are mostly alone. Do you regret the way you have lived your life?
Ans: To hell with socially accepted terms. I am happy with my life. I think the best decision of my life is never to have married. Ask the married people whether they are happy or not. If they are honest, they will cry on your shoulder. And I feel too much peace of mind when I am alone. My success and my wealth is contentment with my life. I have no regrets and I feel myself lucky for that.
This practical work was carried under supervision of Sir Sohail Sangi
LIFE IS IN FLUX
Few people live, fewer still think. Hardly anyone lives and thinks at the same time. And to keep living and thinking throughout one’s life is next to impossible. Fortunately, there are some people who go so far as to break this impossibility. Ali Akbar Soomro is one of those breakers.Ali Akbar Soomro was born in a small village, Chiho, of district Naushahro Feroze in 1950. He studied from primary till masters in his district. He became a teacher at young age and remained committed to his profession until old age. In addition to teaching, he took a voyage through religion, politics and petty businesses. He never married and leads a lonely retired life now.
Q: You were a “nobody” first, then a religious person and then a political activist. How did you take on this zigzag path?
Ans: Honestly, I myself sometimes wonder how I did all this. But this is life and it goes on. Anyway, as far as my religious passion is concerned, almost everyone is more or less religious here. I became what we now call a “fundamentalist” through a company that circumstances forced on me then. My journey towards politics was an extension of this religious fervor. Actually, Sain G. M. sayed wrote a book “Jean Ditho aa Mun” in those days and we came to hear that it was against religion. I wondered how anyone can get away with this heresy. I collected some friends and we decided to write something in reply to the book. For that we had had to read the book completely, we were struck by the realization that whatever Sain G. M Sayed wrote was more or less right. So, this resulted into my shift from religion to nationalism. I wasn’t member of Jeay Sindh and my soft corner toward it lessened as soon as I came touch with communists. And then I completely involved myself in politics by joining communist party.
Q: you had joined PPP, hadn’t you?
Ans: Oh yes, but we can’t say joining or something. Everyone underwent Bhutto fever those days, so I also jumped into flowing Ganga. But, thankfully, the fever vanished and I became extremely disillusioned by Bhutto and PPP when Bhutto came into power.
Q: How about your communist experience?
Ans: The communist experience was the funniest as well saddest experience of my life. I still remember how highly we were charged by the intoxication of communist dream. We felt classless society, equality, end of exploitation, universal brotherhood was just around corner. We felt everything will be alright. But dreams are dreams. We came to know things aren’t that easy. We came to know society is extremely complex and all our parameters to judge past, present and future are very shallow. There were inner rifts in the party. We Sindhis fought non-Sindhi communists over national question. And then we saw the fall of Berlin Wall, the fall of Soviet Union. So many things happened to turn our beautiful dreams into scary nightmares and we had no option but to quit the party.
Q: Many of your comrades joined other parties as soon as they quit the communist party. Why didn’t join any party?
Ans: Because I couldn’t afford. I was broken. It was a nightmare, as I’ve just said. Agreed, some comrades joined other parties, some joined NGOs, and some became editors. I think the yok of sincerity and honesty was so fixed in my neck that I couldn’t join any party. I don’t know what to say. Those who went here and there for personal interests might be right. They have to earn money, they have to feed their children. But I think what they did was far lower than their status, than their integrity.
Q: How do you our country now? Are things going well? Is democracy getting strong?
Ans: What democracy, sir? There has been no democracy in Pakistan. We are been deceived in the name of democracy. Even if there was one, it was killed when Sheikh Mujib wasn’t allowed to form government even after winning the elections in 1971. We are being treated like insects. Can a ruler humiliate masses if there is true democracy? No, sir.
Q: You have tried your hand at different small businesses but you don’t seem to have achieved success at any. Why?
Ans: Someone has aptly said that you can’t be a millionaire through honesty. Nothing more to say.
Q: You are famous for changing your opinions from time to time. What is the point of not sticking to any one principle?
Ans: only dead people fixate themselves on something. Everything is in flux, so why get stagnant? Changing one’s opinion means realizing that one was previously wrong. Accepting one’s errors is no easy task and only the truly live people will realize and correct their errors. As for as universal principles are concerned, I firmly stick to them. I believe there should be justice, truth, honesty, equality, respect, trust, wisdom and so on. It’s only opinions that I don’t fixate myself on.
Q: Generally, people resort to religion at the end of their lives. Do you intend to do so?
Everyone has his own reasons. I don’t consider them wrong. As far as I am concerned, I still don’t feel any inclination towards religion.
Q: You are not successful in socially accepted terms. You are not wealthy. You have not married. You are mostly alone. Do you regret the way you have lived your life?
Ans: To hell with socially accepted terms. I am happy with my life. I think the best decision of my life is never to have married. Ask the married people whether they are happy or not. If they are honest, they will cry on your shoulder. And I feel too much peace of mind when I am alone. My success and my wealth is contentment with my life. I have no regrets and I feel myself lucky for that.
This practical work was carried under supervision of Sir Sohail Sangi
