A life forever

It does not matter how many years have gone by. What matters is what a person leaves behind.

The duration of life is indeed written in the heaven, but the quality is what we make of it.

Saadia Khan was one of those bright souls who made every minute count. She groomed herself, her mind and her heart and left a legacy in all those whom she touched. That is where she continues to reside even today despite her leaving this world 18 years ago. Many remember her for the love and affection that she extended to them. For me Saadia was a vivacious young girl looking to conquer all that came her way. As she grew up and developed the many incredible talents, she had been gifted she blossomed into a mature, compassionate, intelligent soul who wanted to make a place for herself.

I came to know the real Saadia whilst making a documentary on her life in a Condolence video which was held at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) after a few days of her passing away. We felt honoured when Serendip Productions was asked by NUST to produce a short documentary on her life but were worried whether we would be able to do it in a short time of ten days. Other constraint was getting the records of her achievements and photographs from her parents who were completely in shock and devastated.

As my husband Dr. Farooq Beg and I started to develop the film we immediately started contacting organisations where she worked and educational institutions where she studied. Dr Beg did it superbly and even managed to get in contact with her close friends who were now living abroad. Interviews and conversation with her teachers, friends, class fellows, colleagues and relatives revealed that though Saadia died very young she lived an exceptional life. She had achieved academically from being an outstanding student of Pakistan’s best institutes: Burn Hall, Kinnaird College, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIKI) and National University of Science and Technology (NUST). Her interests in the outdoors were groomed by both her father Brig Akram Khan and institutions like Adventure Foundation Pakistan (AFP) along with PAF Survival School Naltar. She also made full use of army water-sports facilities at Khanpur lake and was probably the only Pakistani girl at that time who could do water skiing on one leg. I remember how we did a story for state run television channel whilst she showed her water sport prowess and inspired many girls to come forward. That was not all, Saadia started skiing at the young age of eight years and was on snowy slopes ever year, as her school at Abbottabad used to be closed for winter holidays. For advance training in skiing she went to Geilo, Norway and Vorarlberg, Austria. She was adjudged the best skier of the country.

Back in Pakistan it was very thoughtful of Pakistan Winter Sports Federation to name the skiing girl’s event as ‘Saadia Khan Cup’ after her demise. Saadia was an extraordinary child, a spirited girl, a young woman of diverse talents and exceptional elegance. I will give a lot of credit to her parents who did place trust in her and allowed her every opportunity to shine. Saadia on the other hand did justice to all her parental support. Her friends relate stories of their deep love for her narrating incidents of her helpful attitude to those in distress. They recall incidents where her quick assessment solved difficult situations. In her they found a very tender heart who was always willing to deeply listen. She was so caring and affectionate towards girls at GIKI Hostel that they nicknamed her ‘Nani’.

It was not an easy task to cover all her character traits in a short documentary, but it was made possible with the help of her friends and institutions who provided pictures and videos of various events and incidents. Earlier we had contacted state run television channel, Islamabad and Peshawar and they graciously shared copies of programmes in which Saadia had participated. AFP, PAF and United Nation Information Centre (UNIC), where Saadia worked, also obliged with useful material for making the documentary. We are thankful to all who shared her life with us. On the ‘Remembrance Day’ after recitation from Holy Quran the proceedings of the Reference started with presentation of the documentary. The hall was full of grieving friends and family who watched the film in complete silence.

Poignant scenes of Saadia’s childhood days began the story as Dr. Farooq narrated how precious this life was. The hall was overrun by emotions with tears flowing from many sad eyes. There was no shortage of glowing tributes to Saadia at the Reference. Many were tearful as speaker after speaker rose to say a few words on the deep association they had developed with this extraordinary girl. Many speakers were overwhelmed by their emotions and broke down sobbing before finishing. When God gives so much to someone one wonders why take them away so quickly. She had so much to give and so much to do. Maybe, the lesson to learn for us is to understand that it is how we spend moments rather than spin ambitions which may or may not come true. A life is never judged by its time but of its value in the eyes of those who remember it.

Our film ‘A Life Forever’ is simply a gift of love to someone who deserved it. Though short, it tried to cover all aspects of her life and included most of the activities in which Saadia outshined the rest. Hopefully, the documentary will keep inspiring all those who continue to share her life virtually. My last memories of Saadia are spending many hours walking in our garden near Rawal Lake at night and talking of marriage. It was the next big challenge of her life, finding someone who could be the perfect match. I told her that marriages are made in heaven...little did I realise that heaven is where she will head to meet her match. I often wondered what true achievement is! Is it the worldly success and wards or is it a human’s ability to live in the hearts of others? Saadia did both. That is why it is said that people like Saadia live on, long after they are gone! As heaven shines on her, we pray from the depth of our hearts that her family finds peace in the fact that Saadia will continue to live in hearts even if absent in body.

Founder & CEO Serendip ww­w.s­er­endip.tv Ministry of Cha­nge AKHO www.AKHO.org.pk