Remember him gently! Muzaffer Kola - a merchant of good!

By Shafaat Shahbandari

Can you imagine a warm glow in the nights of bitter cold? A warmth that comforts you when there is cold apathy all around? He reminds me of that kind of warmth - endearing, soothing, calming! Always attracting people around him, like a lamp that attracts moths.

His soft big palms like woollen pockets, his embrace like you are wrapped around in luxuriant blankets.
Though, I haven’t known him for too long, neither have I spent much time with him and my meetings with him have also been never too long. But, those fleeting moments were enough for me to endear him.
There was something about him that always intrigued me and I took a liking for him from our first meeting some 14 years back and that has never changed.

His deep searching eyes that said more than his lips. His measured smile with a hint of mischief that gave a glimpse of a child in him. His poking, terse lines reflected on his sharp wit and gave a peek into his personality that his nonchalant, easy demeanour sought to cover. 

There was much more to his personality than what met the eyes. He was not just any merchant from Bhatkal. He was Kola Muzaffar, unlike any Bhatkal has produced - extravagant, generous, humble and kind.
As children, his name would draw admiration among us and as youngsters we were in awe of all that he did. Whether you liked him or not, you couldn’t ignore him.

Whoever met him once would sing praise of his generosity forever. Anyone who left his majlis would leave totally satiated, nobody would return hungry.

Whether in Dubai or in Bhatkal, his spreads were known for their extravagance and richness, but my memory of him goes beyond a few dinner meetings. It goes beyond the lingering taste of finely cooked meals.
Every time I met this gentle giant I took away with me lessons, lessons of a lifetime of hard-earned experiences.
Lessons of respect, humility and kindness. Every time I met him, he made me feel I was one of him. Just as his lips, his eyes betrayed true love. I have come across only a few genuine men in life, only a few men who loved you for who you are, only a few men who are not two-faced, and he is certainly among them.

I don’t remember him as a merchant of goods, but a merchant of good. His success never seemed to have infiltrated his golden heart, he always wore his wealth and fame gently on his shoulders, never strutted them. 
His wealth never became a hindrance or a source of disconnect with his people. It made him more accessible, more easy to find. It brought him closer to people. 

It’s as if he said through his actions that wealth was his slave and he was only Allah’s. 
This was his true wealth, his true legacy, one that his loved ones should carry forward. The purpose of a merchant is to be a merchant of good!

His Bagh-e-Rahmath was indeed an abode of mercy for many and let’s hope and pray it becomes a source of mercy for him and his family in the hereafter!

This is my memory of him - gentle, kind and humble!
I remember him fondly, gently, like his soft hands and warm embrace. Like his inviting smile!
I remember him gently! Let’s remember him gently!

Shafaat Shahbandari is a writer, poet and documentary filmmaker based in Bengaluru. He is the founder of a popular offbeat media platform Thousand Shades of India. 
Find his work on Facebook and Instagram at @thousandshadesofindia or YouTube at https://youtube.com/c/ThousandShadesofIndia