Toronto: Toronto’s well-known personality Zaki Ahsan passed away on Monday, October 2.
According to Mohammad Ayub Khan, a researcher and activist of Indian origin, Ahsan was a cheerful and gregarious personality. He maintained his humour till the end as he bravely faced fall in his health.
Ahsan would go out of his way to help people. He was instrumental in raising funds for Canadian Blood Services, homeless shelters and other charitable causes in India and abroad.
Originally, from Malakpet, Hyderabad (India) he came to Canada via Malaysia where he started a computer supplies company. He had a thriving real estate practice in Mississauga where he helped many newcomers with their first homes.
An alumnus of the famous Aliyah School in Hyderabad, he was the key person behind organizing its reunions in Toronto and other cities across North America. He was also an early member of many Hyderabadi organizations including the Hyderabad Deccan Foundation of Canada, and Charminar Connections, among others.
I had a chat with him in July when he was in pain but did not display any of it in his conversations. He joked. He had a joke for every occasion and laughed when I once called him ‘Shahenshah-e-Zarafat or the emperor of comicality.
His last rites were held at Jame Masjid Mississauga on Coopers Avenue and his burial was at Meadowvale Cemetery in Brampton.
