Some of those legendary Marvi family outings that my mother always reminisces so nostalgically about….three families loaded on to three cars, then off for a day long picnic somewhere far away from Marriott road, old Karachi….happy, youthful times, of simple values and easygoing abundance, a very-young Pakistan of the 50’s. Most outings and picnics happened … More Those were the days..
Flexing my nostalgic bloggy muscles by putting up some pictures I had saved what seems like a long time ago. Sometimes I yearn to go back in time….and so I will.
19th September marked the 50th anniversary of Mummy and AJ’s wedding. The year was 1964. A young good-looking man, on his way to work, would pass by a certain balcony on Marriott Road. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of shapely eyes would wait to catch glimpses. No words nor glances were ever exchanged. So imagine … More The Protagonists
Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere was appointed the Commissioner of Sind in 1850. He issued a decree in 1851, making it compulsory to use Sindhi language in place of Persian in Sind. The officers of Sind were ordered to learn Sindhi compulsorily to enable them to carry on day-to-day work efficiently. He went on to … More What’s the connection between Bartle Frere, AJ and Mummy?
The Sessions Court of Mehsana ordered AJ and Nanima to leave Sidhpur with immediate effect…….this meant that they could not even return home to collect their belongings. What if they were arrested…..? Deeming it too risky, they abandoned all thoughts of going back to Sidhpur, travelling instead directly to Ahmedabad from Mehsana….with only the clothes … More Fugitives!~1952….a story of migration (2/2)
My father’s Uncle Hatim was born in 1921 to the Rangoonwala family in Sidhpur, third in a line of five. He went away to Poona to study medicine, but when he was done, coming back to a small inconsequential town like Sidhpur to practice was not an option. The subcontinent had been divided, and Pakistan … More Consequence of a trip in 1948…..(1/2)
Mummy was Zakia Aunty’s best friend at her wedding, and they’re also first cousins. She was 22 at the time, and was the fashionista of the family, loved to make clothes, wear sarees and high heels and absolutely adored jewellery, the funkier the better. Some things never change and Mummy is still the same 50 … More Mummy the ‘best friend’ ~ 1962.
This evening I found myself humming an old ghazal. Show me one self-respecting Pakistani who grew up watching PTV who does not know of or heard Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, and I’ll show him/her this: And of course, one of my favourite patriotic songs. Ustad Amanat Ali Khan (1922-1974) moved to … More Insha ji utho…
The Debate Society.
Mummy was transferred to The Mama Parsi Girls Secondary School in class III. Before this she went to the Saifiyah Girls School, a Dawoodi bohra community school. I guess she didn’t really learn the English language all that well there, because she and her sister Maimuna had to be sent to Amy, Gooly’s sister, for … More Mum in Mama school….late 40’s, spilling over into the 50’s
Days Of Yore 