Portrait of a captivating mind |
THE image of a captivating human being rises before the eyes, fades amid the noise of life and then, in a quiet moment, suddenly becomes vivid again.
A whisper follows: “Knowledge that is easily understood is hardly knowledge at all.” These words belong to the master scholar, Professor Dr. Manzoor Ahmad, spoken during one of his lectures. With his characteristic elegance, he first untied a subtle philosophical knot and then looked at the students with questioning eyes. A young man hesitantly raised his hand and said, “Sir, I didn’t understand this.” Dr. Sahib replied calmly, “That is a good thing—knowledge that is easily understood is no knowledge.” He then explained the point once more, in a different manner.
The world knows Dr. Manzoor Ahmad as a philosopher, but for me this description is incomplete. I was his listener. He would speak continuously and I would listen with bated breath, until I felt myself carried far away, as if flowing with a gently rippling river. I often wondered why no one else could speak the way Manzoor Sahib did. Once I asked this question of my respected teacher, Professor Dr. Tahir Masood. He smiled and said, “My........