23 Oct OBITUARY: Yaqoob Muhammed Ghaznavi – Eulogy by Rev. Jonah C. Evans
(all poems are in his volume, “Under the Almond Tree”)
Yaqoob was born on February 9th, 1942 in Kanpur, India. Yaqoob was born into a loving, large and vibrant family. And even though he had a particularly close relationship with his older brother, grandmother and with significant cousins, Yaqoob didn’t talk much about his childhood. One had the feeling that Yaqoob’s childhood phase of life was something he carried deep within his heart- perhaps only to be truly glimpsed through his poetry.
The Ghaznavi’s moved to Karachi, Pakistan in 1947. It was there that he grew up and received a bachelor’s degree. It was there in Karachi where he first fell in love with poetry with his best childhood friend, Nasim.
The question of why Yaqoob left Pakistan perhaps only Yaqoob really knows. But one thing that he told Antje is that his older brother, Farooque, whom Yaqoob respected and loved, thought it would be a very good idea. And so in 1961 Yaqoob immigrated to England. Nasim, his best friend, went to Germany.
England didn’t work out. He saw very quickly the limits of what he could do there. He experienced all too clearly the painful reality of the term “Paki go home”. And in one of the last conversations I had with Yaqoob, it was this struggle, the struggle with prejudice that Yaqoob describes as his most difficult struggle in life.
So in ’62 he left England and went to visit Nasim in Hamburg, Germany. When he got there, Nasim very matter-of-factly told Yaqoob that he was enrolled in a German language class. And even though Nasim also told him that he should stay in Germany and go to University there because it was free, Nasim himself said that he was moving to another city – to Braunschweig. So Yaqoob went to University and got a master’s degree in a combination of Engineering and Economics. To make money, he mowed the golf course lawn of the American embassy. He fell in love with German literature, Lenz, Bõll, Frisch.
1963 was a turning point for Yaqoob. He decided to visit Berlin. And on one fateful night our dear modest Yaqoob, decided to go to a Disco!! It was there that he met the love of his life, Antje. Which began a relationship that would last over 50 years. And after a bit of resistance, some double dating, Yaqoob and Antje were married. Shortly after in ’66 Corinna was born and then in ’70 Nadim came down. I asked Yaqoob just before he crossed the threshold what was the biggest gift of his life? What was he most proud of – and he said, my relationship with Antje and my children. But when I asked the family what his most difficult struggle and hardship was, they all said Antje, Corinna and Nadim. It is so often the case that our gift is also our weakness. He crossed the threshold with deep love and pride for his family, as well as painful worry and concern.
In ’69 Yaqoob graduated from University and quickly was offered a position at Lufthansa tracking the repair schedules for Boeing 747 planes. This began a career at companies that would gladly hand over much responsibility into Yacoob’s hardworking and steadfast hands.
But while still in Germany, and because he was from Pakistan, the writing was on the wall, the family would need to immigrate somewhere else that would allow them to stay for more than 10 years. They tried Australia, Ireland, but in the end Canada would be there new home.
In 1972 the family immigrated to Montreal. Yaqoob went first to find a job. But somehow Yaqoob couldn’t get his tongue around the French language. So he hitchhiked to Toronto to find work there. It was there that he got a job for a very good company, Burroughs computers doing accounting. This began his career in accounting and financial management that became the family’s bread and butter until today. He also rented a room in Toronto from our dear Sybille Hahn and this began a friendship that would last the rest of his life. Meanwhile in Montreal, the family struggled. Yaqoob would hitchhike back and forth. They struggled with accommodation and money but members of The Christian community and Anthroposophical community really helped the family.
Yaqoob worked hard and rose up the corporate ladder at Burroughs. He was respected and loved. All his life Yaqoob was respected and loved. And, in 1979, he was promoted to a leading position but this meant they had to move to Detroit. And almost immediately after the move to Detroit, Yaqoob was asked by the company to become the financial controller for S.E. Asia. For this career move, Antje and Yaqoob decided to move the family to Hong Kong.
A rich life full of travel and new experiences was had in Asia, but after five years, in ’85, the company asked Yaqoob to take a position in Germany, Canada, or Detroit. After choosing Detroit again, they ‘restructured’ the company after only one year and Yaqoob was laid off.
As Destiny would have it, immediately when Antje heard the news, she called TWS. Allen Hughes picked up the phone. She asked for an immediate full time teaching position, teaching Eurythmy, with a bread winner’s salary. Allen said “Yes!” Now that is the way to apply for a job:)
Back in Toronto Yaqoob met James Gillen. Jim offered him a job managing his business accounting. Yaqoob took it and began a career in as an independent accounting and financial consultant which he loved. He said he would never work in the corporate world again. Every company that he worked for respected and loved Yaqoob even up to this day. He was highly valued for his financial abilities and steadfast peace-making. Not only the companies but our whole community benefited from Yaqoob’s willingness to help with our financial weaknesses that so often plague our communities. Without Yaqoob for example, some say Hesperus would not be a reality.
In 2002, Yaqoob began to seriously write poetry and joined a poetry group. His poetic colleagues admired Yaqoob for his “clarity of image, simplicity of language, maturity of content and they come ‘real’ to the page as it is with lived experience well expressed. ”
I believe that one could even say that Yaqoob’s spiritual path was poetry. He found his muse there. In poetry he found spirit and creativity and Angels… (pg.14)
“silver night
stand frozen
I sense angels
reaching down
stepping onto
my open palm
they melt
like prayers
warming
my soul”
Yaqoob’s Angels were found in words. But not only there. His religion was also family and modesty. He found light in literature and magic tricks he played with his children and grandchildren. In moments, he also had light in his eyes. Just a few days ago, I walked into his apartment and there he was, his body frail and half gone, sitting up, joy-filled face beaming, Angel light coming out of his eyes, reading poems to his granddaughters. His love and his joy in that moment sitting on his deathbed was like the sun. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
The other moment of this light I want to tell you about was also unexpected. It was unexpected because of what led up to it. I always had the feeling that Yaqoob was involved with Anthrophosophy and later The Christian Community because of Antje. And when I asked Yaqoob if he wanted to recieve the last anointing blessing, he said to me in characteristic fashion ‘well, I don’t see what difference it will make, I don’t really have faith, but who am I to refuse a blessing, it can’t hurt.’ I had the feeling this was actually not Yaqoob resisting, but his modesty, humility and authenticity. He was always the one to support our spiritual communities with his financial capacities and willingness to carry us. But now he was on the receiving end and wasn’t sure. Then the appointed time came to receive the blessing, there appeared out of the blue three pillars of our spiritual community, Renate, Ute, and Alexandra, who had no idea that the sacrament was going to take place. This karmic gathering including Antje, herself a spiritual pillar, strengthened the power of the blessing. And when I placed the holy oil on his forehead the unexpected light shone from his eyes with a strength of which I have scarcely seen. The graced presence of Ute, Antje, Renate and Alexandra was a testimony to Yaqoob’s importance to our spiritual community. He was not an Anthroposophist so much outwardly. Inwardly, however, he was the deepest kind. Because the true purpose the anthroposophical movement, the true task of The Christian Community is to bear one another, to bear one another in our karma with true tolerance and faithfulness in our weaknesses and strengths, never dismissing, always ready to carry. In so many ways, Yaqoob carried us.
Deeply modest, – he never wanted the spotlight.
Kind, – yet often single minded and stubborn to a fault.
Always with equanimity, – a true peace maker – calming down his fire-filled family
Deeply lonely, – and forever generous
He loved stories and storytelling.
And even though we all must walk alone, Yaqoob can remind us that it is only love that makes our walk bearable- meaningful… (pg.15)
“fresh snow
covers the trail
through the woods
footprints of wandering souls
countless impressions
crowd the white ground
immersed in solitude
I walk the trail
to the end
meeting no one
seeing nobody
looking back
my footmarks are gone
carried away
with tenderness
by the wind
my brother, my l
In the end, when his body failed and the cancer laid hold, Yaqoob was carried. He was carried by the love of this community, by the love of his Angels, by the love of his family.
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