A persona tribute to Col. B. K. Narayan
By Rudra Narasimham, Rebbapragada
I was in college from 1962 to 1965 which I remember as the Golden Age of immortal Mohd.Rafi whose melodies still fill my ears. I obtained an undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Science from Osmania University, Hyderabad. I grew up in this cradle of Urdu language Culture and had acquired my love for ghazals and qawaalis. I had spent time in Lucknow, a crown jewel in the Urdu speaking world, where you meet in the market place, ordinary folks who speak in tones that have made the language famous. I am taking this opportunity to write about a great person I had met in India in 1971.He passed away on Sunday May 2, 2004 in Bahrain where he had worked for over 20 years as the head of the translation department at the Bahrain Archives. This is not a tribute about his academic accomplishments, the books that he had published, and his military career or about his famous friendly relationship with President Gamal Abdel Nasser and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt. I am writing this tribute to recognize his personal qualities and the values he had promoted. He represents a symbol of hope and the light he has shown may guide us on to a path of peaceful co-existence.
I met B.K.Narayan, a South-Indian who belonged to the State of KARNATAKA, who grew up as a Hindu, while he served in Indian Army in the Olive Green uniform. I had the opportunity to converse with him for extended periods of time and came to know his admirable personality. It is not the knowledge of Arabic language that has made him unique and sets him apart from all other language experts. He is special because of his love for Islamic Culture and his ability to project the deep understanding of that Culture when he spoke to others. He had performed the holy pilgrimage of hajj and had observed all the rituals of that spiritual journey like a true and devout Muslim. When he had described his journey, I could know the sense of joy he had experienced. He was not like one of those “Netas” you may meet in the Indian sub-continent who say things to impress gullible voters. His hajj experience was genuine, real to its core.
Narayan was able to quote Quran from his memory and would convey his understanding of the verses with great clarity. I had personally witnessed his amazing performance in a little town called Kaptai of Rangamati division of Bangladesh. He had conducted the worship service for the local Bangla Muslims and delivered a sermon which was received with great appreciation by the worshipers. His job in Uniform did not impose any obligation to organize such an event. He held that prayer meeting entirely on his own initiative and it was purely an expression of his love to worship in the Islamic tradition.
I knew Narayan’s great admiration for Arab people. He had always described them as peace loving people. He had strongly supported the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their home land. He had supported President Anwar Sadat’s peace initiative. I had lived and worked in The Sultanate of Oman for nearly three years and had acquired first hand knowledge of peace loving Arab people.
It is important to remember and to give our respects in memory of God’s humble servants such as Col.B.K.Narayan. We can achieve true peace through understanding of each other’s Culture.