This weekend saw the funeral of a colleague of mine Murtaza Talawala or affectionately known as MT. I first met MT just before I joined VMware at a virtualization event in September 2007 around the time of GITEX. It was odd for me attending. I knew I had the VMware job at the time but I had to keep confidential until I had tendered my resignation.
I spoke to MT that day about a couple of projects I had been involved from a sales perspective and I was surprised to find out that it was actually MT who had been the engineer implementing the solution. I instantly thought I would get on well with MT as he certainly knew his stuff and gave an entertaining VMware presentation to the audience that day.
About six weeks later, I was on board with VMware and I met MT along with the rest of the team at Magirus for the first time on my third day of the job. His enthusiasm of the opportunity surrounding VMware was infectious and I enjoyed working with him on numerous projects.
I then discovered he had been almost a one man army driving the VMware message out across the Middle East. Not only was he doing the implementations, but he was also doing the pre-sales, the sales, the channel management, the design and even the VMware training. I was in awe. He was truly a flag carrier taking the message out into new territories. We now have six or seven people performing these roles, he really did the work of six strong men.
After about six months MT choose to leave Magirus and joined the local EMC team where he eventually became the “VMware champion” and we continued to work closely together up until the 16th July 2009 when he suddenly passed away.
The circumstances over his death are unclear and I certainly am not going to speculate over it. Suffice to say my thoughts are with his wife and daughter whose loss and grief I am saddened for.
Murtaza was a dear colleague, gentleman and a friend. Ultra reliable and with a wealth of knowledge his passing away has been a difficult thing to deal with for myself for a very tight knit IT community in the Middle East.
While I may have been the first VMware employee in the Middle East he had been pioneering the way for virtualization years before this. I intend to honor Murtaza’s memory by picking up the torch he bore for this technology and ensuring that the passion he had for it remains burning.
Murtaza may you Rest in Peace.
I am sorry to hear about your friend, and think your pledge to carry on his work is a thoughtful and fitting tribute. Best wishes, ~Natalie
By: Natalie on July 26, 2009
at 11:30 pm
Murtaza was a wonderful and sincere person – very passiontate about his job. His cheerful character will be greatly missed. You are in my thoughts and prayers. -Peter
By: Peter on July 28, 2009
at 1:36 pm
Hi
Thanks for the tribute you plan to give my brother.
He surely will be able to rest in peace. Just pray for his soul and that he gets his space in Heaven and his wife , Kid and parents have the courage to move on in the difficult path of life without him.
By: Tasneem on July 29, 2009
at 10:20 am
I am really sorry to hear that. I was actually shocked to read this post, & really hope he will get a great peace in heaven. I have attended his VMware class at once & worked with him on few incidents. He was such a great talent & personality.
By: Eiad Al-Aqqad on July 29, 2009
at 6:19 pm
Hi aaron,
yesterday there was an article newspaper about the construction of silverene ,still it look great at this moment http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093262309
ciao yves
By: BORGHS on July 31, 2009
at 4:28 pm
Dear Aaron,
The entire Digital Equipment india Ltd Team were shocked to know this untimely demise of one our
ex-collegue Murtaza Talawala. He was very popular among our collegues.
We pray to god to rest his sould in peace and give
strength to his parents, Sister, wife and daughter to face this difficult situation .
The life has become very unpredictable.
By: Ramesh on August 2, 2009
at 7:33 pm
I share the same thought as you Aaron, as he truly was a one man army for the Vmware in the region, even before Vmware office came into existence in the region. I just came to know today about the news, as i was away on a vacation and i had spoken to him few days before i left. I was really aghast to know he was no more.
Truly i remember him and the days when we worked on handful of vmware projects in kuwait and dubai. He was a person with a sense of humour while @ work, which kept him going and handle pressures of work with a smile.
God bless his soul and give enough strength to his wife and daughter and come out even stronger out of this sad incident.
By: Manish Dawda on August 28, 2009
at 1:12 am
I will really miss a dear friend of mine and may God give enough courage to his wife and daughter to face life ahead in his absence.
Murtuza may your soul rest in peace
By: Anthony Panvalkar on September 4, 2009
at 1:03 pm
Hi Aaron,
Just been going through your blog to find any new leads about VMware opportunities in dubai and was saddened to find this blog about MT. I met him on a course him in bracknell, for upgrade to esx3.5 and thought he was a really nice guy. He was a true champion of virtualisation and had spoken to him about moving over to dubai. may his soul rest in peace.
what a small world of virtualisation
By: bheki on January 4, 2010
at 1:50 pm
@bheki – it is very sad indeed
By: Aaron on January 4, 2010
at 3:12 pm
Posts like this bhirgten up my day. Thanks for taking the time.
By: Stella on May 11, 2011
at 5:42 am