Shabbir Zaidi of Jinnah Rafi Foundation left us three years ago. His passing away has left an eternal void in the life of all those he knew. He was their companion, guide, morale-booster and altar ego. Shabbir Zaidi longed for a life of ease and elegance but destiny did not relent till it was too late. He passed away quietly in his modest room in the Empire Centre. Had he lived, I am sure decline of the Jinnah Rafi Foundation would have deeply distressed him. Most people held him in high esteem for his great sociability and cheerfulness. But Shabbir Zaidi was different for different people. He was a pundit and a guru to some, a shrewd judge of character to others and just a very likeable gentleman for still others. In death, Shabbir Zaidi may have, at long last, found the life of luxury he always craved for. A great bon vivant, I am sure he must be enjoying his heavenly diet of grapes, milk and honey in paradise. May his soul rest in peace. Amen. -PROF R.A. KHAN, Lahore, via-email, October 28.