Being a Memon myself, people are surprised when I speak disparagingly of Memons. This is because most Memons have become extremists and have given up reading. Whenever I'm in a gathering full of Memons, I don't open my mouth, mainly because I'm afraid I'll get lynched for expressing my views. I also can't understand why some filthy rich Memons prefer Imran Khan over other politicians, even though they accumulated their wealth when Nawaz and Zardari were in power.
So, I thought I might talk of two Memons who were very prominent in years past. One was the cardiologist Dr. Kassim (whose first name I've forgotten). I knew both his sons Rafiq (a cardiologist himself) and Yousuf. Dr. Kassim died of heart failure at the age of 44, his sons also died in their fifties. His daughter Shehnaz lived up to the age of 65 or thereabouts. Not only Dr. Kassim, his brothers and nephews also suffered from cardiovascular disease.
The other prominent Memon was Dr. Juma (a neurologist). He was so famous that people from all over the world used to consult him. The wives of Dr. Kassim and Dr. Juma were sisters. I used to hear some uncomplimentary things about Dr. Juma's greed. A young Memon was injured in a road accident, and Dr. Juma reportedly refused to operate until he was paid in advance. Another incident involved a woman who cursed him because he refused to operate on her son. Later Dr. Juma's own son died in a road accident, apparently this was due to the poor woman's curse, although I'm not certain if Dr. Juma was indeed as bad as they used to say.
There were other prominent Memons (like my maternal grandfather who died in 1951) who also deserve to be mentioned, mainly for their charity (in which Memons excel, even today). But suffice it to say that even though the Memon community is disliked for being obsessed with collecting wealth, occasionally it does produce heroes.
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