Dear Rimsha,
“They have taken you away from us but failed to tear your
memory.”
It has been five days since you left us in a state of
bewilderment and ever since, a moment has not passed by when you visit us: your
laughs, your jokes and your voice all cling to my mind every now and then.
Rimsha… We got acquainted through Palwasha; your elder
sister and my confidante. But now, when
I look back it was never an arduous ordeal for you to become friends with
anyone. Your smile did the charm!
For a short while, you served under me as the Blue House
Captain in the Student Council and believe me, the level of responsibility,
sincerity and maturity displayed by you was well beyond your years. I wish you
could hear me say that. Alas!
The day I first saw you, repaints itself on a canvas in my
mind. It was in the hot, scorching summer heat of Lahore in the month of April;
you were bustling with your peers indulged in “Pakran Pakrai” (Hide n Seek).
An aura of magnanimity always surrounded you, but, what drew
my attention towards you was your “tomboy-ish” demeanor. It was an anomaly to see a girl like you in
all girl institution.
Your hair trimmed perfectly in ‘Afro-style’, your sleeves
all rolled-up, your sash… simply hang around your neck, you did not care much
about it. Your blue cap: you wore it in your signature style, turned backwards.
Was it just me or many girls felt the same way, will now
remain a mystery… It seemed an oddity to
have you among us because I perceived you as a boy! You even talked like one! But underneath that
boyish ‘exterior’ of yours lay the heart of an angel.
Whenever, Palwasha was in pain, she ran to you and poured
her heart out. Her head resting on your shoulder and you stood there consoling
her.
O! How much I envied Palwasha, God had blessed her with a
beautiful soul in you. Both of you were a perfect duo: Palwasha being the volatile one; whilst you,
the rational one.
Unfortunately; that could not last for more than sixteen
years. The fateful evening of 2nd November 2014 arrived and you
departed from this world forever, leaving us in despair.
My friend let me assure you, we are proud of you. You always
wanted to be a martyr and God granted your wish on the eve of 9th
Muharram, when you died in the Wagah border bomb-blast.
Today, you do not live among us but in your short life span,
you earned a special place for yourself in our hearts, your undaunting spirit
and courage are beyond the reach of any terrorist.
With every passing day, I yearn for your jokes and chuckles.
This heart bleeds deeper and redder for you.
Love,
Hareem
Behatareeen..
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