The Journey of Abdul Qayyum; The Media Gentleman

The journey of Abdul Qayyum, Aka Abbey began at the age of 11 when he moved to the UK. Many years went by and he went through the usual school system and later dropped out of college to begin work to fulfil his family responsibilities and obligations. He initially worked on the buses, as a conductor/driver.

Though he was a simple man, he was very ambitious, creative and a deep thinker also. When he entered into marital responsibilities, he realised that he had to change his ways and take risks into a more meaningful and stable career, he needed a new challenge.

He met a man called Alan (Director of Abbey Life), who after spending some time with Abdul, saw his potential which resulted in him inviting Abdul to join the financial world which was crying out for dynamic and charming employees. Alan believed Abdul was the very man for this, so he became a Financial Advisor for Abbey Life. This is where a journey of a beautiful friendship and success began for both.

The story is almost like the adaptation of Cinderella, which I say very confidently due to the stories having the same principle. Once Abdul had completed his training course, he turned upon his first day, well dressed, in a very expensive suit. As he walked across the room, people saw a 6ft 4-inch, well-kept man, dressed to impress with charismatic yet gentle mannerisms. This combination of Character, wit, and style quickly elevated him to being recognised as a high performing financial advisor, who had only been a transport worker, a few years prior and came as a child migrant from Azad Kashmir.

His lifestyle soon changed, from living a basic day to day life to a life of comfort, despite which didn’t deter Abdul from his roots. This only reinforced him to develop his mind and to go back to studying and qualifying as a charted.

Parallel to this with the change to his life/style, he began socialising and meeting new people through networking events which was a very new concept in the 80s. During that year he met a gentleman called Chris, who worked for BBC Radio Sheffield, and they became good friends. Later Abdul became involved with the BBC as a broadcaster and producer. He became the first Asian man to be able to provide a platform for his community to voice their concerns and to entertain them through music and sports activities such as cricket; magically coming alive through the airwaves.

He used his skills, knowledge, and experience in the financial world, together with his humour and eclectic musical selection in media, and combined this to educate the community in learning to protect their investments and the future of their children. He would entertain and raise awareness of daily struggles and cover social issues via his work through the BBC. His philosophy was;’ if you rise, then rise together with peoplesurrounded by you. Learn how to learn, earn respect and serve back to the community with your knowledge and experience to enhance and build better relationships through this with your loved ones, friends your community and simulate this with people from all walks of life’.
He often said to his son ‘when you leave home to go to university remember that a degree is not a substitute for common sense or a sense of humour. That is developed through traveling and life experiences. This registered with him and to this day he remembered his wise words. So, traveling and learning new things became an integral part of his life, for self-development/growth purposes.

Abdul established BBC Asian radio Sheffield in the days of Network east, based in Leicester. He worked tirelessly for the greater good in forms of charity work, educational, and community projects. Abdul was the first Asian man to create an Asian segment and a first-ever Ramadan program on BBC Radio Sheffield during that period. Though Abdul, wasn’t directly part of the rich Asian history during the 80s in Leeds, what he had achieved and set a precedent within the region of Yorkshire and the whole of the North, as an early ethnically Asian broadcaster. This was later to become a solid foundation for Abdul to work successfully to support/contribute to the Leeds Pakistani/Kashmiri community for the years to come. This Spanned over the decades (1990 to 2018- 28years).

By this point, he had become established as a Wealth Management Consultant and visionary, who was ahead of his time and had worked in the Media and Financial sectors respectively over the 1970s and 1980s. Through his connections, he raised in social status, however, he utilised this to form strategic alliances and partnerships with key businesses, Councillors, MPs, MPs, Community leaders from all faiths and nationalities to come together and converse through networking events and charity functions which he organised very successfully with his peers in the community.

He went a step further by educating the younger generation of the Pakistani/Kashmiri community in culture, creative arts, and identity through inviting heavyweights of Pakistan/ Kashmir, such as the movie/soap actors and artists- singers, comedians, presenters (from 70s/80s) who were ground-breaking and popular at the time.

This Included the likes of Akhlaq Ahmed who was the Mohammed Rafi of Pakistan and had Sonu Nigam dedicating an album to him after many years. Nadeem, Mustafa Qureshi, Omar Shareef, Moin Akhtar, Benjamin Sisters, Sheikhi, Alam Geer, Sajad Ali, Imran Khan, and many more. This soon became such a hit that Abdul joined forces with the infamous Akhlaq Ahmed to begin a UK National tour show in the 80s raising money for charity for children who suffered from Cancer. But this also became a cultural event in spreading amazing music, poetry, entertainment, fashion for all ages and groups/communities’, people would feel overwhelmed with happy memories of home (Pakistan/ Kashmir).

Cross over from Sheffield (South Yorkshire) to Leeds (West Yorkshire) move for Abdul and his family was not until 1990. Being part of an already rich history of Pakistani/Kashmiri community in the cosmopolitan city of Leeds was a very exciting time and prospect for Abdul. It was a new chapter and turning point on many levels.

Big families such as the Mir and Kotia and many more became not only his clients but good friends. He shared and worked alongside one another on many community projects. This included Interfaith and racial projects stretching from Education to Community Cohesion.

His involvement in many charitable organisations over the decades inspired him to set up a parent charity company, Kashmir Education Foundation in the UK (KEFUK) https://www.kef.org.pk/. The purpose was to set up British style primary schools and teaching training centres throughout Kashmir, educating children from less fortunate background.

A member of the Mir family, Ishtiaq Mir was also heavily involved, as well as being a member. This included a consortium of Pakistani/Kashmiri Businessmen and educators from the UK who took the charity to the European Parliament level and this recognition set a precedent for the next 20 years. Thus creating affiliations with well known colleagues and universities in the UK to work along side the schools in Kashmir. The inclusion of such great work by Abdul and his peers fuelled his passion for the underprivileged to have a right to a high-class education.

On the back of his success in the world of business, Media, Politics Abdul had helped and assisted many ventures to succeed over time, as well as Inspiring the young generation from his community. Most importantly he bridged the gap between different communities in Leeds, aspiring people to learn about his heritage as a British Asian (Kashmiri).

The beauty of Abdul was that he was involved with different communities, however, he managed to stay off the radar. meaning he was very much at the forefront of things and situations, but very humble in sharing the success collectively by standing in the background and letting others succeed and move forward. He Inspired and motivated people, especially the younger generation to move forward into further/Higher education and professions where the ethnic minority was very much needed (positive discrimination to positive action) from the mid-70s to date.

Abdul often said that; ‘when you come across storms (metaphorically) in your life, it’s not necessary to destroy things or situations around you but simply to clear your path. That was his way of turning a negative thought into a positive one, as it was very important to have a brighter outlook/mindset, no matter what.

He sadly passed away at the age of 64 in 2018, unfortunately at his son’s wedding during a speech. He died at his happiest moment surrounded by his friends and family and on stage where he belonged and what he was best at- public speaking. He was a devoted husband, loving father, an amazing friend, an inspiration for the younger generation, but most of all a rare human being who had a generous giving heart.