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KGNA hails from an illustrious family of
Saharanpur, UP in India, stemming from the
descendents of the erstwhile Multan governorate. His late father Dr.
Khwaja Ali Akhter Ansari was a Ph.D. in Mughal
Architecture from Berlin and Vienna back in the
1920s. On his return to British India, he was
appointed a minister in Alwar State for B&R. Later
on, he was inducted into the Indian Civil Service
(ICS). During the years before the creation of
Pakistan, he was appointed Dy. Director General in
the Archeological Survey of India under the famous
archeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler (1944-1947). Dr.
Ansari did all the work in the remote and wild
regions of India, and Mortimer Wheeler took all
the credit as the head of department and being
British by origin. Dr. Ansari was also Professor
of Archeology at the University of Delhi, and has
several archeological excavations to his credit
including the Badrinath Temple and Kedarnath
Temple which are located in the Himalayas in the
Garhwal Hill Tracts - over 10,000 ft above sea
level.
Another memorable
public task entrusted to KGNA’s father Dr. Khwaja
Ali Akhter Ansari was the restoration of the
famous Badshahi Masjid of Lahore during the same
period as the work done on the Himalayan temples.
This historial mosque had been substantially
damaged in past years due to crossfire on the
Lahore Fort (which stands opposite the mosque)
during the Sikh wars. Dr. Ansari's work included
almost complete professional rebuilding and
restoration of one of the most damaged minarets to
bring it back to its original form. His secret was
his research into identifying the remnants of the
stonemasonry artisans of yesteryear who had
preserved the art within their families through
generations, locating the Rajhastani red sandstone
quarries for the exactness of colour & vein-flow,
and structural strength to match the original
remnants. In addition, he had to locate the
suitable site-supervisory engineering staff to
oversee the job. Dr. Ansari’s name and signature
are inscribed on the final drawings and blueprints
of this entire restoration work as the Supervising
Engineer, Architect, and Civil Engineer.
KGNA's mother was a
professional in her own right.
She used to work
from home as a District Representative for the now
Internationally renowned Pharmaceutical Giant
"CIPLA". She would also provide medical
care and treatment to the neighbouring villagers
who were day workers at the construction of the
Garden Bungalow on the fruit farm site in the
precincts of Durnkari village on Chilkana Road.
Their love and dedication is exhibited in the fact
that the construction of the house (material and
labour) was so robust that decades later it stood
in its majesty as late as 1978/9 when KGNA made
his last visit to that area. The mango orchard
which she had planted next to the house was also
in full bloom.
His childhood was
spent mostly at the ancestral base at Saharanpur,
which is located in the valley just below Simla.
His father was based at Simla during summers in
particular being a government employee. The old
ancestral home and mosque were attached to the
"Nabi" Building which was in commercial use, and
not far from their fruit farm - a 45 minute tonga
ride away. The mare attached to the tonga was
given the name "Minna" by KGNA's eldest brother
late Capt.PN(R) Kh. Fazle Haider Ansari, who also
used to ride it around the farm and the area.
Upon the birth of
Pakistan, his father Dr. Ansari moved to Karachi
in 1947 along with his family which included the
young KGNA.
KGNA was admitted to
St. Patricks Boys High School in Karachi in 1948.
He remained at this school until 1957, when he
joined Cadet College Mirpurkhas (later on to be
known as Petaro) among the first batch of the 30
cadets.
K.G.N. Ansari was one of the best athletes from
the first entry. He was twice the champion in 800m
race. He was recognized for his
leadership capabilities, and was appointed the
first College JUO (equivalent to an
SUO) while he
was at CCP, i.e. from 1957-1959.
He was a member of
the Photography Club at CCP, and Senior Scout
Patrol Leader to National Scout Camp at Ghoragali
in 1958 under the patronage of Mr.
Abdullah Khadim
Hussain.
After a little over
2 years at Mirpurkhas and just around the time
that the college moved to Petaro, KGNA left the
college. He could not cope with having compulsory
Sindhi or Arabic learning, and decided to move on
in life. So he completed his Matric privately
after leaving Petaro in 1960 from Karachi and then
joined SM Science College to do his FSc. However,
he got an opportunity and left for Germany from
where he obtained his Industriekaufmann degree
(equivalent to MBA in Industrial Management) in
1965 from Siemens Lehrgemeinschaft at Munich.
He started his career with Siemens AG in Germany
in 1965 soon after his graduation, and moved on to
work for the same company in East Pakistan between
1966-1970. He then joined Esso Pakistan Fertilizer
Company (now known as Engro) as District Sales
Manager between 1970-1973 followed by his job with
Kohinoor Group (Saigols) as Export Manager between
1973-1978.
That year, he moved
to Saudi Arabia, and became the Project Manager
for "Purolator" OEM Automotive Filter Plant in
Dammam. He worked with them from 1979 to 1987.
In 1992-1993, KGNA
worked for the German government "TreuhandAnstalt"
as Project Consultant to develop projects from
concept stage through Profit and Loss Prognosis
including Feasibility Studies and MBO/MBI Studies.
From 1994 onwards,
he worked with different renowned trading
houses in Pakistan as General Manager Operations
and Exports. Products dealt in included
pharmaceuticals, textiles and other goods,
exporting to Nigeria, Male, Sri Lanka, Jordan,
Yemen, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Myanmar.
During 2005-2006, he
set up his own business Shamrock Inc for water
filtration systems and hazardous element removal
techniques.
Between 2006-2009,
he was employed with Popular Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd as
General Manager Corporate Affairs and New German
Markets. His expertise was primarily in the areas
of Foreign Bad debts resolution & related liaison
with Ministries, Banks, Law Practitioners &
Agencies in foreign country. In addition, he was
assigned to extend export business in the German-speaking
regions.
Since 2009, he is a
working Partner in a textiles sourcing firm
IKTEX, Karachi
for international
clients.
KGNA spent many years in Germany and is fluent in
the German language. He is also fluent in Bengali
and Arabic in addition to other native languages
of Pakistan like Sindhi, Punjabi and Urdu.
His sports activities continued after Petaro as
well. He was quite a marksman and won a Gold Medal
in Open Sight 100m Rifle Shooting at the Pakistan
National Games in 1988. He also won the Silver
Medal in Rapid Firing Pistol Shooting in 1970.
Talking of how he got into becoming a marksman, he
wrote the following fascinating narrative to me:
"I will share with
you, how I came about to becoming a much
decorated marksman. Actually, the makings of it
started since childhood when I was an avid
shooter, mimicking my elder siblings, and having
dabbled in shikaar as a youngster, shooting
migratory starlings (Tillyar) which were
uniquely different in coloring (Pink-Breasted,
as opposed to black with white speckles, as in
the Punjab). We used to "halaal karo"
these great-tasting birds as per the dictates of
my late parents, who both exhorted upon us to
"Never kill / shoot that which you cannot eat;
and only shoot that quantity which you can eat
after having helped to cook the downed game at
home". Ever since I was a small toddler in our
home garden house in Saharanpur, I actually saw
my own Dad returning home from Shikaar
with ONLY one hind leg (Raan) of the deer
he'd shot. And when I asked my Mom about the
reason, she most kindly explained that it is
incumbent upon the successful hunter to
distribute the downed Game amongst the
"not-so-lucky" members of the Shikaari
pals, after he has taken his just share.
"So we used to make
a small "Choola" (stove) at home in the garden, with the
help of three available bricks, pillaged Ghee &
Spices and borrowed utensils from Mom's kitchen,
and got on with our nocturnal pursuits.
"We'd clean the
birds, and thereafter have a nice
co-conspiratorial & brotherly snack-meal, in the
firelight from our makeshift choola!
- "The above
led me to steadily upgrade to a better
shooter. I evolved into an average marksman,
and in early 1957, won the 5th position in
the "Men's Group" in the national small bore
25mtr open-sight rifle class event.
Commissioner Karachi gave me my merit
certificate, plus a special prize of an air
rifle as a consolation prize because I was
the youngest in that (Men's) category. The commissioner's son too wanted to be
obliged, but could not do so until my transfer to
the "Mens' Group" from the boys group, where
I had excelled amongst our age peers!
Hence I shot with my "Newly Assigned Peers",
in the adult men's group, and acquiesced
with my yet earned second choice.
- "In the
meantime, in early 1957 my revered father
expired at Karachi, and I left the St.Pat's
High School from the Junior Cambridge 9th
Class, to join CCM in Mirpurkhas, after the
customary tests and checks.
- "After I did
my private Matriculation from Karachi, that
was ultimately delayed up to 1960, due to
Urdu, I enrolled into the PAF's Shaheen Air
Corps, and started my love to fly in their
Glider Corps. Again, yet in August 1960, I got
my "Triple-Gull wing" Gliding "C" Badge from
President Gen. Ayub Khan, on the Samungli
(Quetta Military Airfield), where all the 120
Air Scout Cadets were encamped for the then
annual "C" wings award parade. I won the
word-of-command and "Leadership" capability,
thanks to ample practice at CCM, now
CC-Petaro. I led the wings parade that
eventful day, after presenting the President
with the Guard of Honor, which he inspected
with my accompaniment, (despite my beret
almost slipping down!). AVM Asghar Khan and AVM
Nur Khan, (our epitome of heroes!) were there
too, behind myself and Gen Ayub Khan during
the Guard-of-Honor inspection.
- "I joined the
37th GD(P) course of the PAF in 1962, after
finally clearing my "Appeal Medical Board"
despite the newly discovered ailment of trachoma in the eyes, as a result of exposure
to dust. This was later overruled. The
tests were
held in the CMB at the CMH in Peshawar.
- "Here, in
Risalpur I had the early honors of being the
"Right Marker" of my part of the contingent
accompanying the senior Graduating Wings
awardees.
- "I also held
the unbroken highest score record of
PAF-Risalpur Shooting (Big-Bore .303
bolt-action, Enfield rifle) whilst I was there
in the GD(P) group of the 37th entry.
-
"Nevertheless, after (late) Sultan Afridi,
kit no.33 joined in, and left from the 38th GD(P),
to attend other duties that he was entrusted
to, I left the PAF due to a small mishap in the third term, after having already
started to fly the gliders there, on the
basis of my previous flying experience in the
PAF's sponsored Air Scouts wing. I still hold
a renewable Private Pilot's License for
C-150/152 Cessna!.
- "After I left
Risalpur, I was at a real loss about what to
do, after my "Martial World" literally
collapsed accidentally.
- "So, Again,
in 1962, my late Mum re-directed my attention
to completing my education abroad with the
sponsorship of a German multinational.
- "There I
completed my studies and Articleship, and in
1965, and passed (Just scraped through!)
with a 2.5 grade point result in the 1.0 - 5.0
Scale, where 1.0 was supreme!
- "Due to my
(apparent) fluency in English, I got a related
supplemental endorsement on my final report to
that effect. This 'License to Practice' was
then the so called epitome of respectable
study and articleship of the day for that
point in time."
Among other hobbies
is his love for flying. He has been into private
single-engine aircraft and glider flying. He loves
outdoors trekking.
And he also won the Distinction Shield in Art
Work.
KGNA has been very active with the
Petarian
Association as well, and has served on its
Managing Committee, and has also chaired the
Elections Committee.
While KGNA moved on
into business, his father's tradition has been
inherited by his eldest daughter Zarminae, who
specialized in Islamic Architecture with her
Masters degree from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT).
KGNA presently has
his home at Karachi.
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