Friday, September 8, 2006

Remembering Ehtesham U. Raja

                                                                   

                                                              Ehtesham U. Raja

                                                                      

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to seek, and a time to lose, a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace…    

Ecclesiastes 3:4

 

Ehtesham U. Raja loved a good time…

One thing that stood out in my mind while searching for a glimpse into the life of Mr. Raja was that he loved to sing ~ especially in the shower...

Mr.Raja was a Muslim, orginally from Lahore, Pakistan.  He had been living in Bloomfield, NJ where he worked for TCG Software. 

He loved Hindi movies and was especially fond of Hindi movie star Amitabh Bachan.

Although Mr. Raja was a Muslim, he deeply disapproved of Fundamentalism, believing that religion was a more personal and spiritual journey.

He followed his heart, and while in the states he met Christina ~ the love of his life.  While Mr. Raja was well known for "partying the night away", he had plans of settling down and marrying her.

His prized possession was his $70,000 BMW!

The weekend before he was to attend a conference at the World Trade Center, Mr. Raja and his best friend had their last "guys night out", painting the town till a new dawn emerged.  His friend holds on to this memory and countless others.  He remembers a fun loving man who cared for many and was cared FOR by many. 

There is so much more to Mr. Raja's life that I could share, right down to the very moment the first plane struck and the moments following.  I have chosen to keep those details private.  When I first decided to take part in this tribute, I really felt ill equipped to take on such an entry... How could I possibly write a deserving tribute to a man I never knew?  I understand now.  I have come to know Mr. Raja through writings of other's... family, friends, his former employers... I hope the "good" memories will always over shadow the bad.  Through the blessing of this opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of this tragedy, I pray their memories will live on for always.

And I pray for peace....

Amen.

 

 

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

beautiful entry! well done.  tina http://journals.aol.com/pippa1116/SteelMagnolia

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes...beautiful tribute indeed.   I felt similarly when researching to write about the guy I was assigned to...but we are doing a great service in honoring them.  I love how you did it.  I'll be posting mine on Monday.

Nancy
http://journals.aol.com/nhd106/Nancyluvspix/entries/2006/09/07/nostalgia/1260

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes...beautiful tribute indeed.   I felt similarly when researching to write about the guy I was assigned to...but we are doing a great service in honoring them.  I love how you did it.  I'll be posting mine on Monday.

Nancy
http://journals.aol.com/nhd106/Nancyluvspix/entries/2006/09/07/nostalgia/1260

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful tribute. So well written, Michelle.

Anonymous said...

A wonderful tribute! I have cried so many tears today looking thru all the tributes, & will again tomorrow I'm sure.
TY for this glimpse into a fine man's life.
Sugar

Anonymous said...

You Honored him perfectly! You should be very proud of your dedication to a man you have never met. He loved life and you shared that with us all!