Words cannot adequately do justice when describing the awe inspiring legend my father was… but i will try.

My dad was such a constant in my life that I always thought he would live forever and I would never be without him. He always had time for me and guided me through every good and bad decision I made. He always had an opinion or advice and never thought he was wrong. Usually he was right, but I didn’t always listen to him which drove him crazy sometimes. But he never got angry with me, or anyone, for that matter.
He believed that anger was not a good use of your energy. He never lashed out or yelled. He could talk to anyone on topics that he didn’t necessarily agree with, especially hot button topics like politics, and have a meaningful respectful discussion. He was a gentle force of nature, persuasive, engaging, with the brightest most memorable smile, and was forever a teacher of how to be the best human.
On my wedding day before going to the church he told me the most important thing is your brain- always keep learning, your health-exercise to stay young, take care of your heart and mental health, and always strive for happiness.

My dad was not what you would call a religious person in the traditional sense. But you could call him a scholar of all religions, a historian, a philosopher, a teacher, a guru. In his life he embraced the most valuable tenants of many different religious teachings, the same tenants that many people, who claim to be the most devout, struggle to put into practice everyday, but he did it with ease; he embodied acceptance of everyone, openness, kindness, patience, generosity, forgiveness, joy, and love.

Above all my dad was a healer and a mentor to so many.

He was raised in a Muslim family but many of his closest friends were Hindu or Jewish and he could tell you the history and lessons from the Torra, Mahabarata, and Ramayana because he loved reading and learning about all religons.
He met my mother, and fell head over heals in love with that spunky irish girl, and tried to whoo her with his Indian cooking served straight fromnthe stove in a little sauce pan. She was not impressed at first, but quickly fell in love with his kindness and heart. Who couldn’t love my dad! He married into that good Irish catholic family and embraced them. In return he was adored by them. As a result, he probably went to more funerals and wakes than most catholics do in their lifetime!
He did not go to the mosque often, but his generosity of wealth and more importantly heart was much more than most. My dad always said, “you never miss money you give away.” And he was so generous with his time, his wealth and his heart.
To name a few things he built a school in india, he donated a radiology wing to Backus hospital in Norwich. Set up scholarships, and he supported the buisnesses and education of many of his family and friends. He put many of his neices and nephews through college as he believed education was the key to success and fulfillment. His famous saying was, nerds rule the world.” As for my college education, he used to joke that the baseball cap from my alma mater, Holy Cross, was the most expensive thing he owned!

He was such a presence in every room he graced and made it more bright and lively. He was able to connect with people of all ages. He loved telling stories and educating people on any topic – except for maybe hip hop and pop music. Opera and classical were his love but he was always willing to learn and would still engage with people on their interests.. with my cousins he was fascinated with the band names like Lynard Skinard and didn’t quite understand how they could listen to that “noise!” Nora introduced him to Lana Del Ray and he listened on his own and did his own research so he could have a discussion with her. He would say something like “she has a wonderful voice I really like her. He also would tell me, hey I even listened to the country station for one song today! And we would laugh knowing that we both didn’t like the twangy sound of country music!

With the little kids he would teach them origami or how to make foil cups from the andies candy wrappers. One time I remember him giving us paper airplane folding lessons in a restaurant and as he started flying them around the dining room the kids were amazed that an adult would encourage such bad behavior. As the other patrons were looking on, so disaprovingly, we all laughed and carried on.
With adults he was always the smartest person in the room and wasn’t shy to let them know it! He was so knowledgable about history, poetry, and geography and could talk to almost anyone about where they were from with emense detail. He especially liked to engage with every cab driver he had and quickly made friends with them by having an in depth conversation about where they were from and the political situation in their home country.
He also loved to have fun! Once he had an in depth conversation with some PhD scholar about how chaos theory applies to the heart muscles. This happened at a chaos convention party that he and my mom crashed and the whole conversation was fabricated, unbeknownst to the scholar.
We crashed a lot of parties when I was growing up. One time we crashed a wedding reception and ended up dancing the macarana on stage in front of the guests while my dad made up a story as to how he knew the bride, which might not have been too far of as she shared the last name of one of his closest friends.

He always knew how to have fun with everyone and make every situation more memorable.

My dad touched so many peoples lives in a positive way but his greatest accomplishment was his impact on my daughter, Nora. He was instrumental in shaping who she was as a kid and who she has become as an adult.
When she was little, before school age and through kindergarten, he brought her to New York every weekend to a class at the Metropolitan Meuseum of Art. He fostered in her a love of art, culture, and reading. He would often save for her interesting articles from the financial times. I love remembering them sitting on the couch together while both reading a different section of that pink newspaper.
Then he was insistent on her becoming a sailor. I don’t know why because he was not a boater and would easily get sea sick. But he joined Ram Island Yacht Club so she could take sailing classes from the age of 5.
After that, almost every year he would have us visit our dear friends in the desert in CA.. I didn’t realize it then, but he was prepping her for college. His failed attempt to get me to go college on the west coast worked on her because she is now a Freshman at San Diego State University.

He was proudest of her and in his final days he said, Nora will be fine…

I know she will be fine dad because whereever you are in the cosmos I know you will be watching over her and all of us with love and light. Always our protector and guide. We will all remember you with amazing stories and joy. You have lived the most wonderful life and have been an inspiration to all of us as to how to live the rest of ours.
His final words of wisdom to all of us were to “be kind” and if we all try to live by your example the world could be a better place. We are all so lucky to have known you and to have been graced by your love.
I love you forever dad.