1962 PNS Bahadur Naval Base on the Islet of Manorah off the coast of Karachi.

I am running all alone on a black-top parade ground, as fast as my legs could carry me.  Suddenly I fall. Both my knees are scraped. It hurts a little, but I am used to it. Calmly I limp home and try to hide my bleeding knees from my mom.

'Ammi', I call her. 'Nomi,' she calls back 'What happened?' She already knows though as she had been watching me from the window all along. ‘Nomi, how many times have I told you not to run so hard?’ Not waiting for the answer, she takes me to the bath room and washes my knees and then she applies a stinging yellow substance. It burns.

Then she pulls be towards her with both my arms. ‘Nomi you are almost four now, When are you ever going to stop running so hard?’

My next memory is that I am in an ambulance, riding along with Ammi. ‘Where are we going?' I ask. 'Why are we going there Ammi. Are you okay?’

‘Yes I am fine, Nomi and no more questions, do you understand?’

‘Yes Ammi’ I say and look out the window. The ambulance stops at a place; we call ‘Sick Bay’. Ammi gives me a hug a then says, ‘Today, Abdullah, the driver will take you will take you for a long ride all over Manorah.’ I ask her 'Where is Abu?  She says, 'Oh your dad is working and he will be here soon.'

I want to wait for Abu but then Abdullah says. 'Come on Babu, would you like to see a ‘Langri Butuck’ (Lame duck)?' I love ducks, how did he know. He is smiling and I trust him.

So off we go in the Naval Ambulance to do sightseeing of Manorah.

 My Abu is an Instructor in Pakistan Navy and wears a cool white uniform with black epaulets and golden stripes. I have learnt to say his name too, all of it. He is Lefty-net-kumander Jameel Akbar Mufti.

Ammi is a teacher in the girl’s school on the Naval Base.  She teaches for a few hours while Masee the maid keeps us company. I have an elder sister who is 6 and a younger brother who is very little and needs help with eating etc.

We have stopped driving now and Abdullah is finally going to show me the Langri Butuck. As we get off the ambulance, Abdullah says ’Ek Langri Butuck Ka Unda Aur Woh Bhi Gunda’ (A lame duck’s egg, and that too…bad). I roll over with laughter. He says the phrase again and tickles my tummy. Now I am laughing so hard that I am on the ground laughing. All my clothes are covered with dirt but I don’t care. I laugh and laugh.

On our way home we stop at the Sick Bay. Abu is there with Ammi and I see that on a cot there, is a little baby. Ammi says ‘Nomi you are now a big brother of younger sister and a younger brother.’ For a moment I feel big.

Abu asks Abdullah to take me home, where my other brother and sister are waiting.

On the radio they are playing my favorite song, ‘Aau Bachon’. I do not understand the words too much, but I love the music. Suddenly I start dancing, or so I think. I am jumping up and down and running as fast as I can and dodging the furniture and siblings. Life is good and I am in heaven.

Aau Bachon—Children, come… Aao baccho sair karayain tum ko Pakistan ki Jis ki khatir hum nay dee qurbani lakhoan jaan ki Pakistan Zindabad Pakistan Zindabad Children come, let’s take a tour of Pakistan For whom we sacrificed thousands of lives Pakistan Zindabad Pakistan Zindabad* Towards the East is Golden Bengal1 with greenery everywhere The Jute from here is worth its weight in Silver and Gold Pakistan Zindabad Pakistan Zindabad Here is our Punjab2, decorated with glorious Durbars3 Awakened by Iqbal4 with slogans of independence Pakistan Zindabad Pakistan Zindabad On the other side is Kashmir5 which reminds us of  Paradise And these are Ravi6 and Attock7 with waters pure as Amrit8 Pakistan Zindabad Pakistan Zindabad        * Long Live Pakistan. 1.        Former East Pakistan, very much part of Pakistan at the time of song 2.        Punjab, the largest province of Pakistan. Punjab means the ‘Land of Five Rivers’ 3.        Durbars, a reference to glorious Mughal architecture. Durbars were the royal courts at the time of Mughal rule. 4.        Allama Iqbal, from Lahore, Poet, Thinker, Philosopher, Galvanized the Muslims to seek their independence from the British. 5.        Kashmir. A beautiful land, to the north of the plains of Punjab 6.        Ravi. One of the five Punjab Rivers. Passes through Lahore. What Thames is to London, Ravi is to Lahore. 7.        Attock. Another river that flows through North West Frontier Province. 8.        A mythical substance is said to have health enhancing qualities.