24/07/2020
God had gifted him with a very kind heart.
Abdul Khaliq Tak Zainigiri devoted his life to the welfare of the poor people. He considered it as his duty. From early on in his life he had made up his mind to help the needy.
Born on 19th May 1924, in a poor family of, at village Hardishiva, zaingeer, 10 kms from Sopore, Tak was very sober, passionate, humble and submissive. He received primary education at a local school. Later he went to Sopore, walking almost 10 kms everyday, to pursue his secondary school education. Having limited sources Tak couldn’t continue his studies. He got a government job in revenue department and served for 30 years. During this period he got a chance to serve the far flung and remote areas of Kashmir valley. God had gifted him with a very kind heart; heart that felt the pain and sufferings of the downtrodden. He took voluntary retirement from the government service and devoted his life for social service.
His efforts and contributions towards the society were endless. He made up his mind to work for the rehabilitation of orphans, widows and disabled. Tak started his noble mission with an orphanage in a rented house at Sopore; it was later shifted to Shaheedgunj, Srinagar with five or six inmates. He took all the responsibilities of these orphans on his own shoulders. He had to go from place to place, collecting money to run this orphanage. It was in 1972 that he laid the foundation of the J& K Yateem Trust. He worked very hard and with the passage of time, the number of orphans in his orphanage increased. He then had to shift the orphanage in a building , at Makhdoom Sahib. This building was allotted to him after great effort.
Tak was a poet of great repute as well. He has also written poems for children, depicting his love for the orphans and the weak. Tak Zainagiri has many publications to his credit. Myoon Aalaw and Aziich Kashir are well known. Myoon Aalaw is a collection of Na’ats and Gazals. Azich Kasheer highlights the inequity and the discrimination that the poor people face all through their lives in our society. He had conducted a survey and analyzed how a particular word is pronounced differently across the state. He published a book named “Kashiriuq Allaqband Pheri” on the topic. He was honoured with the Sahitya Academy award for this book.
Tak felt inner satisfaction in social work. From morning to evening, he would remain busy in his work for the people would come to meet him, get their needs fulfilled. There was always a rush of people at his home. But he never looked tired or fed up. Tak worked enthusiastically till the last moment of his life for the welfare and uplift of the poor, needy and the helpless. He worked for the betterment of the orphans, widows, disabled and other downtrodden communities of this land.
I remember one orphan girl from Kashmiri Pandit family who often used to come to our home. The girl lived with her mother and grandmother, both widows. There was no male in the family. All their requirements and needs regarding studies were fulfilled by Tak Zainigiri. The girl did Masters from Kashmir University. Not only she, many such families were looked after by him. Tak mentioned in one of his poems..
Hoo kari kari wadi kul kasheer
Ach yali wati choon Tak Zainigeer
It was the night of 25th July 1989 when this noble soul breathed his last, leaving not only his own family but thousands of orphans and widows crying. The news of his death spread like a wild fire. One of the newspapers had written…
“Yateem Trust aaj khud yateem hogaya”
The J& K Yateem trust is a living tribute to the life and noble work of Tak Zainigiri. May Allah bless him with Janat-Ul-Firdous..Ameen..!
"Greater kashmir 2015"
