Imagine you are Amir and you are to give a eulogy during Baba’s funeral. Write your eulogy (a speech in praise of a person who has just died usually delivered during the funeral).
As I look around from my where I stand, I see many faces; familiar and unfamiliar. We are all gathered here for one reason: to pay tribute to my Baba; Agha Sahib to most of you. I am aware that most of you have travelled long distances just to be here and this sheds light on the kind of man he was. For those of you who aren’t acquainted with me, my name is Amir and this is my father.
Baba was the most hard-working person that I have ever met. He worked hard at his career, at being a good father, friend and member of the society. Growing up, I always feared that I didn’t make my father proud and that I would always be a failure in his eyes. Luckily for me, before he died I got to hear him say he was proud of me. My father had the highest expectations of me being his son, but he never imposed his will on me. He allowed me become the man that I wanted to be.
He was also a very stubborn man. His stubbornness is part of the reason we are all here today but it is also why he is well respected by most of you. He never took no for an answer and when he was told he couldn’t do something, he went the extra mile just to prove that wrong. I remember that when I was a child, my father built an orphanage in Kabul. Although he had no architectural experience, he drew the blueprints and when he was told to hire an architect, he refused. Dare I say, the orphanage was a huge success and I am proud of my father?
Once I saw my father almost lose his life for a lady he didn’t know. These are the kind of experiences that make me surprised he lived till this age. As people entered this place today, many walked up to me offering their condolences and mentioning all the various things that my father had done for them. Some said he was a brother to them while others hardly knew him. That’s the charm about my father. You didn’t have to know him before he sacrificed something for you. I used to dislike that side of him as he hardly had time for me. It wasn’t until we came to America that
Baba was the most hard-working person that I have ever met. He worked hard at his career, at being a good father, friend and member of the society. Growing up, I always feared that I didn’t make my father proud and that I would always be a failure in his eyes. Luckily for me, before he died I got to hear him say he was proud of me. My father had the highest expectations of me being his son, but he never imposed his will on me. He allowed me become the man that I wanted to be.
He was also a very stubborn man. His stubbornness is part of the reason we are all here today but it is also why he is well respected by most of you. He never took no for an answer and when he was told he couldn’t do something, he went the extra mile just to prove that wrong. I remember that when I was a child, my father built an orphanage in Kabul. Although he had no architectural experience, he drew the blueprints and when he was told to hire an architect, he refused. Dare I say, the orphanage was a huge success and I am proud of my father?
Once I saw my father almost lose his life for a lady he didn’t know. These are the kind of experiences that make me surprised he lived till this age. As people entered this place today, many walked up to me offering their condolences and mentioning all the various things that my father had done for them. Some said he was a brother to them while others hardly knew him. That’s the charm about my father. You didn’t have to know him before he sacrificed something for you. I used to dislike that side of him as he hardly had time for me. It wasn’t until we came to America that