Swaranlata -- A Family Remembers

[Afzal A. Khan]

Here is an article that appeared in the Pakistani newspaper
"The Dawn" on the 18th February this year :

> Swaran Lata, known to the world as the ‘tragedy queen’ of her time and known to us as our beloved grandmother, passed away at the age of 83 in her family home in Lahore on February 8, 2008, in the early hours of the day.
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> Although a lot has been written about her in the media, her strength of character, her discipline, her loving nature and her beautiful smile are seldom mentioned. We in her family knew her as a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, whose home was always a hub where the entire family would get together on various occasions and were received with open arms.
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> I distinctly remember the traditional seviyaan dessert that she would cook herself every Eid, labouring over the stove for hours before any of us got up. If it was one thing she was proud of it was her cooking skills as they were really something to write home about.
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> Swaran Lata had four children — three daughters (Ismet Murshed, Iffat Rashed and Talat Abbasi) and a son (Aslam Nazir) — along with eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Each generation felt connected with her at their own level as she would make us feel that she understood us all.
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> Swaran Lata was born into a Syal family in Rawalpindi as the youngest of many siblings. She lost her mother at the time of birth and was brought up by her eldest brother, who subsequently also gave her permission to start her acting career. Her childhood was a tough one from the stories she told us which explains her disciplinary lifestyle. We grandchildren would love collecting around her when she started reminiscing about her childhood and how she became the shining star that she was in the film industry both in India and Pakistan. She had many a tale to tell about famous personalities she met during her life as a film actress.
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> She was described as a ‘tragedy queen’ because of her intense presence on screen and her apt dialogue delivery. However, at home, we knew her as a cheerful soul whose laughter could often be heard. She loved to crack Sardarji jokes and we would all laugh over a cuppa.
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> She married Nazir Ahmed, a famous actor, director and producer at the time. Those who knew him then regarded him with utmost respect and described him as the most stylish person of his time. A tall man of over six feet, his children remember him as kind hearted and a visionary.
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> The Swaran-Nazir pair was a very creative ensemble, churning out many movies together both before and after Partition. Theirs was a love marriage and although they had a difference of 20 years between them, their relationship was a stable and loving one. Swaran would tell us of the tough times they had at the time of Partition when they left everything they had behind in Bombay and shifted to Lahore.
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> It was Bari Malik, still a great friend of Swaran’s, who gave them refuge when they arrived in Lahore. The duo had to start from scratch and in the process became one of the pioneers of the Pakistan film industry. Swaran converted to Islam, which also meant a lot of adjustment on her part. Once again the sheer strong will that she possessed helped her to face the adversity which she was up against.
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> She survived the death of her husband, youngest daughter and her son-in-law with the same grit that she displayed throughout her life. Her sheer love for life and strength acted as a source of inspiration for us as well. I did see her shed tears, but she would always get right back up again and immerse herself in her daily routine. After her husband’s death she faced a lot of hardships which she countered with dignity, displaying the mettle that she was made of.
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> She would get up early every morning, a common characteristic of people from her generation, exercise regularly, cook and clean. As entertainment, she enjoyed watching both English and Indian movies on TV in the afternoon after doing all the house work, and regularly visited the few good friends she still had. When the family visited, Sundays would be a day when we would go out for lunch; her holiday from cooking. Chinese was a hot favorite of hers.
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> Since our family is spread out in all main cities of Pakistan, the travel between Lahore and Islamabad, and Lahore and Karachi was oft made by her. Many a time we would pack our stuff in her car and drive off to Islamabad. She would always sit in the front seat, almost like a symbol of her role as the head of our family.
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> Being a reserved person by nature, she avoided public gatherings and mingled just with her good friends who had stood by her through the good and bad times. Whenever she was forced into the limelight, in the shape of interviews or the recipient of an award, she always appeared dignified and straightforward, not being afraid to voice her opinions about anything. She was also a good Samaritan and helped many families with their children’s education. She enjoyed good music, both Western and South Asian. We would hear the sounds emanating from her stereo every morning during her exercise routine. We her grandchildren used to record tapes and help her buy CDs of the latest dance music.
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> Swaran was the glue that kept the family together, and the pillar that we would converge towards. We, her family, will continue this tradition set by her as our way of honouring her memory. Although we mourn her death, we will also celebrate her life and would also like to thank all our friends who showed their support at the time of her death.
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> Although the media has also been very supportive of us, we would appreciate if they were to undertake some amount of research prior to publishing anything about her. Here’s hoping the facts stated above help to refute some of the misrepresentations which were found in the media about Swaran Lata. Join us in praying for her soul.