Spring Festival in Rose and Jasmine Garden:
I thought I had missed the spring this year. With all that was going on in my life, I suppose it was natural. So, when I heard of the Spring Festival in Shakarparian, I took my mother and daughter along with our domestic help.
It was important for us to go for an outing.
I’m so glad we went. Nature has such a healing quality to it. It brings joy to a person’s heart and life. It makes one realize that after winter, you have spring. Out of the stark branches of trees and shrubs you have these beautiful blooming flowers. So, if these flowers can bloom from all that desolation of winter, Insha Allah, our lives too will bloom! This is why I love to do landscape paintings. We need to be close to nature most of the time.
As we walked along, I couldn’t help remembering much larger flower shows herein Shakarparian, as well as in Jinnah gardens , Lahore, several in PAF colony Sargodha. There used to be such unique flowers there, as well as amazing stalls displayed with great glory. These would be so many in number, that one would get exhausted seeing them all.
Though the flowers here at the Jasmine garden were beautiful as ever – but too few in number. I was shocked to find stalls of artificial plants and clothes too! There were some garden paraphernalia stalls with essentials of gardening like fertilizers, manure,seeds, flower pots etc. I loved a sculpture of a cocker spaniel with her pup,it was just about seven inches in length, and priced at Rs.7000/- so we took a‘U-turn’ and came back!
Afterwards, we visited Abdul Rahim’s home, as we needed to give them his pay and my mother also took along some things she wished his family to have. I suggested taking along bakery stuff like eggs, bread, rusks and cake. My dad’s cadet and dear friend Gen. Saeed -uz-Zafar had brought us so many bakery stuff, after my father passed away. I found these very useful, as there were many guests at home. So, for Rahim, we got groceries and fruits too. It was sad. After all, it was just a week since passing away of their father. (- It was just over a month after losing my father.) I remembered meeting them in happier times.
Art classes at Shireen’s Studio:
Somehow, I forced myself to continue with the art classes in my studio, in order to ‘get back to normal life’. In spite of unexpected rains and freezing weather my students came. The enthusiasm of Shabnam Riaz and Shagufta Zafar was so heartening. So, naturally, I continued with the painting that I had begun earlier.
We would listen to music and work. During the tea break, we would chat our heads off!
Shabnam’s painting gets sold:
We continued painting regularly, and I kept posting our sessions on Instagram. Suddenly I found people getting interested in Shabnam’s second painting. I had asked her not to sell any of her early work, as it is important to keep a record of one’s work. But then, an offer was so good, that I felt she needs to seriously consider it. This was the painting, she herself had not believed she could make. So, when it was completed she was totally in love with it. The offer to buy it almost broke her heart. Finally, I convinced her, and here you see her handing over the painting:
This scene held many flashbacks for me. How, in college one of my paintings got sold, and I cried so much that my friends, convinced the buyer not to buy it! It was supposed to be our ‘Low income sale’, so then my friends made a tasty eatable and sold that for gaining cash! (Yes, I told you, I’ve always been blessed by great friends, Alhamdolillah.) But, here I convinced Shabnam to accept the offer and let it go, so that she can work harder at her upcoming paintings and come out with more work. Of course, my daughter, took a good picture of it, so she could have the memory of it.
Meanwhile, my painting got completed:
As my cousin Shahbaz Khan says, ‘You should never have your best work with you!’ he continued, ‘then you will continue to prove yourself!’
The sale took place at this time to bring a sparkle into our lives. The recipient was so excited; he shared this photograph with me!
Yes, he was truly thrilled. (I’m so glad Shabnam was there to see his excitement, when he came for the painting!) I’m sure that made her feel really thrilled, and she knew it was the right decision. to visit the Farm house.
Our visit to Shahnaz Jafar’s Farm House:
So this morning, I took my mother to the farm of my angel Mrs. Shahnaz Jafar. We had coffee and delicious snacks as I enjoyed these beautiful views.
The flowers were in full bloom, reminiscent of so many happy occasions we had spent right there, with my father and my uncle, and rest of family members. Though they were no longer there, but in a way they were. We planned on having a gathering in memory of our loved ones. Here. Next Sunday, Insha Allah.
I know we all are fighting different battles in our lives. So, as long as spring is here, let us make the best of it. Let us work on the inbuilt message within spring.
Stay blessed. 🙂
