Razia’ sees new awakening

FOR devout Muslim Razia Ahmed the month of Ramadan is a time for sacrifice and prayer. Inspite of her busy schedule, everything falls in place for Eid. As the Agency Manager of CLICO, Siparia, Razia works long hours and has achieved great success in the insurance field. A notable feature of Razia is the way she smiles when she speaks. It is the mark of a person who has conquered the odds and is settled on the greater things in life. “One must introduce a perfect balance to his or her life. Success in the corporate world is one aspect of life. If we don’t have value systems in place then we are unfulfilled and this can lead to other disasters in life,” she said.

Razia has four children, ages 16 to 25, all attaining academic excellence. Her oldest son works with Ralph Lauren in the US, her second child is pursuing a law degree and the others are doing ‘A’ Levels. Through the years Razia worked hard to ensure success in her family life and career. She attained a Diploma in Insurance Management at LOMA Insurance Management Institute, Atlanta Georgia. She also has an Associate Degree in Customer Service. She was the Rookie of the Year at CLICO in 1990 and Top Female Agent in the years, ’94, ’95, ’96 and ’98. She became a registered Financial Consultant in 2003, after completing her CFF Education Modules at UWI. Razia also attained certificates in Islamic Studies from Haji Ruknuddeen Institute of Islamic Studies.

“This course helped me to understand the teachings of the Quran. I was able to look at the verses of this holy text from a whole new angle and it has helped me to improve in religious ways of thinking further still,” she said. Razia grew up in Palo Seco and is the only daughter of Shaffina (now 80 years old) and the late Zianool Baksh. She has three older brothers. Reminiscing on her childhood days she said that her father was the owner of the only shop in the village and she was doing business at an early age. “We all had to spend three hours of our time in the shop. I remember pricing goods and packing shelves at the grocery,” she said. The best time of the year for her back then was Christmas. While the shop got much more busy, she was involved in gift wrapping for customers.  “My father would go into Port-of-Spain and buy lots of gifts, which we would wrap and label to be given out. We spent many days wrapping gifts and we did not get to keep any for ourselves. My father was such a charitable man. He believed in giving charity as a part of being a good Muslim,” she said.
 
She remembers her Sundays as a child selling newspapers outside the family shop. Of course she was popular at her father’s shop and he taught her by example. “He was so disciplined when dealing with the business. Everything was always in place and I learnt to do the same in order to have success in my home and at work. I believe that discipline is the key to having success within a short period of time,” she said. Her early days as an “unqualified” accountant helped her to understand money matters. Razia also believes there is a new awakening in Islam in the world today. “Since the Sept 11 episode, people have taken to Islam. Many are able to see that real Muslims do not commit such crimes. Muslims are against violence of any kind. Especially against innocent children and people on the whole,” she said on a sad note. She boldly says that the people who were behind these incidents are not true Muslims.

Razia prepares long in advance for the month of Ramadan. She keeps the fast from sunrise to sunset and does devotion three times. She noted that this sacrifice really helps the individual to think about God and to attain peace of mind. On the day of Eid  she goes to the mosque and then to her grandmother’s  house where all the members of the Baksh family would gather. Although her grandmother is no more, her uncle Shaffick Baksh has kept the tradition of providing lunch for the family members. This has been the custom for many years and it is something the Bakshs look forward to each year. While many of family members are away, those in Trinidad will make the journey each year on Eid. In the afternoon, Razia returns to her home to join with her neighbours and friends for dinner and sawine.