The Project Manager's Life 25

Today’s sher is about talent, हुनर / ہنر.

A team member who has successfully completed another project can up date his curriculum vitae with the documentation of his latest accomplishment like placing another flower in a bouquet. Unfortunately, this is only valuable when it can be seen and after being viewed may fade from memory.

The talents, however, of a top professional who truly excels consistently in his project work are not propagated merely via his CV. His reputation spreads like a pleasing fragrance in the air and he is sought out and remembered. Many more people than those who may have seen his CV will know of his skills and remember him. Moein Nazar captures the essence of such a professional in the following sher:

Flowers will remain as memories in their vases
I, however, am the fragrance that will spread throughout the atmosphere!
— Moein Nazar —

फूल रह जाएंगे गुलदानों में यादों की नज़र
मैं तो ख़ुशबू हूँ फ़ज़ाओं में बिखर जाऊँगा
— मोईन नज़र —

फ़ज़ा or फ़िज़ा = atmosphere

پھول رہ جائںگے گل دانوں ميں یادوں کی نظر
مین تو خوش بوہوں فضاؤں مین بکھر جاؤںگا
— معين نظر —

This reminds me of the English expression “stop to smell the flowers” which we generally use in the context of taking a break from an intensive focus on work in order to appreciate the life that is going on around us. Urdu ghazals full of shers that make allusions to flowers and gardens. Maybe we will take a break from all of these work oriented shers ourselves in order to stop and smell the flowers.