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 years down the road….
Zakia Aunty’s brother recently passed away in a terrible car accident on the highway to Hyderabad. Mummy went to sit with her a few days ago, came across a pile of old photographs in a plastic bag and was delighted to find pictures of herself. She was particularly pleased with this one π

Well, I think she looks gorgeous! But then again, I may be biased π


Zakia Aunty’s mother was my mother’s aunt, my grandmother’s sister and her name was Zehra. She had the distinction of having coloured eyes (a very unusual thing in our family) with the consequence that all her children have light-coloured eyes too. (Zakia Aunty’s are light brown.) Zehra Masi (‘masi’ = aunt ) was very fond of Mummy because Mummy was so very talented and full of great ideas and forever doing creative things. When Mummy developed asthma (around the age of 7 or 8) she was sent away to Hyderabad for a year or two so as to be in a drier climate compared to Karachi, and there she lived with Zehra Masi and her family. So when the time came for Zakia to be married, who better to be her sidekick than Khatija?

Both the necklaces Mummy is wearing in these pictures were brought especially for her by her father all the way from Paris. In an age when ‘real’ jewellery (i.e anything to do with gold) was ubiquitous, Mummy wore her funky Parisian jewellery with style! (Shall we take a closer look?)
Zakia was around 4 or 5 years younger than my mother (and still is, of course) so I guess she must have been impressionable enough to let Mummy make her a dress to wear at her own wedding! Mummy called her up a couple of days ago to ask her who made the dress and Zakia said ‘Why, you of course!’
(I still can’t get over it)
She even made her a veil and a little bouquet….just like in an ‘English’ wedding! π
awwwww … i love it MUn β€
Heheh…kamaal to ammi ki tasveeron ka hai π Love coming across old pics that I have never seen before!
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Thats so sweet
zakiya aunty i know personally
such an original lady she is!
N ur mom looks so trendy just like you guys !
In the mid sari pic she just looks like shirin apa!!!
Amazing post !
Xeynab
You can’t live in Shabbirabad and not know Zakia aunty :)) She’s all over the place! And so active (touch wood)
Glad you enjoyed the post Xeynab and thank you so much for your comment!
Munira …… I lΕve this post …. Love the photos ……Love the veiled dress that khadija aunty made for zakia aunty …… Two very graceful and lovable ladies ….. Who is the gentleman in the last photo , I’m assuming its zakia auntys dad?
Oh I’m glad you enjoyed the photos Shamoon, thank you so much for letting me know! Love getting feedback from family π
Such a sweet comment too, Mummy is going to love it when she reads it π As for the gentleman in the last pic, I’ll have to ask Mum….he very well could be!
Your Mummy was beautiful ! I guess she still is. Lovely post, Mun. I enjoy the history and the family times past.
Isn’t she though?! Thank you! Mummy will be thrilled by the compliment π Glad you liked the post Alan!
You know I love your blog. Thank you for sharing your Mother’s story and pictures. Now I know where all the loveliness comes from.
Awww, thank you Geetali π
mummy being the fashionable moral support is quite visible.she must have been so confident to stitch zakia aunty,s wedding dress.i will make her family read this.
My mummy’s name is Zakia, and she is quite creative as well, so I could see a blend of your mummy and Zakia aunty and relate it to my mother! π
Loved reading this post. I really want to blog about my own heritage, but haven’t been able to start doing that till now – your posts take me back in my history and heritage that I don’t know much about!
Keep writing! And as I wrote before, you can end up making a book out of it. It will be way too interesting, believe me.
What a lovely comment! π
Nanaji π wow
Your Zakia Aunty looks so young in that wedding photo? How old was she?
Indeed….I think she couldn’t be more than seventeen or eighteen.