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| Sunday, 5 September 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Jimmy Engineer : In pursuit of a passion by Suresh Mohamed He mixed powdered colours in water, dabbled his fingers in the liquid, and doodled on a large white paper, creating abstract images. He was only five then. It was the beginning of his artistic career and now he is one of the top-ranked artists of the world.
Tall, light-complexioned, mustachioed, beard and spectacled, Jimmy is a typical Pakistani in constitution, yet with an unconventional and almost unprecedented passion for the service for his fellow human beings. His humble demeanour, subtle sense of humour and savvy observations, leaves one marvelling at his personality. Soft and polite in speech, Jimmy speaks bitter truths and harsh realities that many find difficult to stomach or even to fathom. His spiritual thinking, philosophical observations, practical solutions, are a few things among many that tower him over an average human being. He believes in pragmatic philosophy than in demagogic monologues, which are self-glorifying and meaningless. "We can talk all our life, keep talking in drawing room, sitting room, conference and press conference, hotels and everywhere. But it is just a statement. It has no meaning in it. Words can't solve problems. Unless you become part and parcel of the problem, you don't solve the problem," he says. Born to a middle-class Parsi family in Loralai Baluchistan in 1954, Engineer completed schooling from St. Anthony's High School, Lahore. After a brief interlude at the Forman Christian College, he spent three years with the National College of Arts and turned professional in 1976. Since then his achievements have been innumerable. His art has received acclaim nationally and internationally. In spite of his achievement, he is in pursuit of a greater passion triggered by his inner voice. In the beginning, he started to help people using his reputation as an artist in the country, as he is recognised by both the public and the private sectors. "To become a Superstar and not be able to help others is a sin, because a majority of people are so poor and do not even have clean water", he says. Then later he realised unless "you become part and parcel of the problem, you can't solve the problem". So he began to help people directly, especially by creating social awareness about current issues that required immediate attention or mediation. The goal of his mission is to set examples and inspire others to do better things. He began to walk for various causes, such as cancer, leprosy, human rights, peace and child labour, thus creating the 'walk culture' in Pakistan. He organised different campaigns for social awareness, sometimes using different methods. Recently he began a novel way of reaching the public by leading 20 odd huge trucks behind him. He walked every road in Pakistan. "I think it's going to create awareness if you do it on the roads. On the grass-root level, you must make people understand. So I started this walk culture." He embarked on an anti-beggary campaign for the rehabilitation of the deserving handicapped beggars at centres that would provide them their day-to-day needs and also teach them skills to enable them to lead productive lives. Soon other Provinces followed suit. Similarly, he started a campaign for the rehabilitation of drug addicts. Then he launched a program, where every month the blind, handicapped and special children would have free lunch at restaurants or hotels. "I started going to the organisations and I told them that you are calling them special, but what is the special thing that you do for them. "You don't give them any special love, you don't give any special facility, you don't take them to any special place, so what the use of calling them special children. Then I decided to take them to posh restaurants, make them sing there, and provided them with music, lunch, magic shows." And that gave birth to the "Food and music" program for the special children. His passion for mankind in fact was born out of a miracle. When he was six he was diagnosed with a severe form of nephritis that affected both his kidneys. The doctors gave up hope on him and said he would live only for another six months. But miraculously his kidneys were cured and suddenly he became normal. The doctors, were taken aback and they vowed that these were not the same kidneys, but 'brand new' ones. And Jimmy believes that these were given to him by nature, which is his first inspiration of all. He also began to realise that he had a particular purpose and calling to fulfil in the new life endowed upon him. Nature continues to inspire him. As a child, his father's own generosity for the needy impressed him. As he grew, he was inspired by the teachings of Jesus and Buddha. Sufi Barakat Ali was also one of the greater influences in his life. Even as a child, he was all out for charity. "From childhood my philosophy was to give. "People used to ask me, what you mean by give. I would say when you put your hand into your pocket and take out what you have and give everything away and tell me how you feel about it is what "giving" means. That is how I myself started." Jimmy believes, as long as the world is in existence, violence, poverty, evil, miseries will not end, but that one should do practical things to minimise it to the maximum and leave the rest to God. "We can't eradicate these for good. "We can't eliminate anything. I think when one talk of elimination of things, it is just making a fool of everybody." At home with any person from any religious background, Jimmy makes these observations that have telling lessons for everyone "I was born in Zurastrian family, but I accepted all religions. I am a Buddhist, a Christian, a Muslim, a Hindu, a Parsi, and I belong to all the religions. Because I found out that differences come with religion. And if you are to make difference in the life of human beings, then you should accept all religions as your own. Because how can I embrace a Christian when I have no feelings for his religion." His campaign had been quite effective in Pakistan in terms of social awareness and positive response to issues in question by the relevant authorities, yet he sadly notes "Good things always take some time to take effect on people. If a person is dancing in a lobby, it will take a quicker effect. If you are sitting there and talking of good things, telling people not to do this and not to do that, it will take a longer time." Some of his art were sold at $500,000 per piece, and while he could spend a luxurious life, he has opted to live an ascetic life. He lives in a small rented house in Pakistan and the studio he works in is itself given to him to be used as long as he lives. Most of the money he raises out of his art is donated to the welfare of special children. "If you want to do charity, do it out of your pocket" had been is motto all along. Engineer who is in Sri Lanka for a special program to help underprivileged and disabled children has organised six 'Food and music' programmes for special children. Almost 530 children participated in the feast, in star hotels across the island: Browns Beach, Kandalama, Earl Regency, Tea Factory, Galadari and a restaurant in the World Trade Centre. The special guest in each of the programmes is one of the special children. "To me, they are the most important people on this earth" he announces proudly. During his stay, his mission is to create awareness among the people of Sri Lanka and encourage them wake up to our problems here. When asked about the greatest achievement in his life, he confesses with a grin. "In such a violent world to keep yourself alive is a great achievement in itself." His future plans are to travel to other countries, especially in the South Asian region to work for and create awareness about special children. |
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| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
Jimmy Engineer has painted over 2000 original paintings, over 1000
calligraphies. Over 20,000 prints are in private collections in more than
50 countries. And he was acclaimed as one of the fifteen top artists of
the world in 1989. Yet, his true passion in life lies in something else,
in something humane. In being a humanitarian.
