Thread by @sophiaahmed

My beautiful Nani (sitting on right side of bride) with all her siblings & parents

A picture of countless memories & countless stories.

Post partition Nana Abba (my maternal great grandfather) decided to leave their ancestral home in Shimla & moved to Lahore. He was given an evacuee property of Geeta Bhawan in Lahore. He should have claimed more but he decided this was enough for his family's needs

I believe so many defrauded the government on evacuee properties. Glad we stayed on the right side of history on this one.
Thank you Nana Abba.

He was a father to 9 children, 2 boys & 7 girls, my Nani, Kulsum Begum, the eldest & his most beloved.

She was married early, pre partition engagement & had to go live in Kanpur & India whilst her entire family moved to newly formed Pakistan. Married into a rich UP household, with it's rigorously kept purdah & different lifestyle, Nani handled it well.

But going back to the picture. Nana Abba Kh Mirajudeen & Nani Amma, Fatima Begum in the middle. The two sons on either side. One an army officer, served in the two wars. And the other an engineer who spent years on rigs in Saudi Arabia.

My Nani passed away, taking some heart beats from mine, a few years ago. But her sister Rehmat Aunty, our most beloved of her sisters, for gentle, loving passed before her from breast cancer. Rehmat Aunty had spent so much time with us, years ago when Ami was unwell & Nani

Couldn't come to take care. She used to make a badaam & kashkash milk for Ami. What love she showed us three girls. An obligation I can only return with asking Allah to reward her with highest place in heaven.

Sadly Uncle Bayo passed away too in 2020. The younger of the brothers & my Nani's favourite. She adored him, and always worried about him, as eldest sisters do about siblings much younger.

Now she has him, keeping her company.

Of the 7 sisters, 2 have left us. Aunty Kishwar, a strong woman all her life, is now struggling with poor health. I've not seen a woman more mentally & physically strong so up close than her.
May Allah grant her good health. Ameen.

There's Aunty Parveen, the youngest of the siblings & we share the same Birthday. She's hearty, laughs a lot. Was never married and took care if Nana Abba & Amma & later taught at Peshawer University till she retired.

My Nani's favourite too & was

With her in Edmonton when Nani had an unfortunate accident & never recovered and passed away. Parveen aunty would visit Edmonton from Pindi for months on end to spend time with Nani & look after her, although she had a full time house help. But the spirit of khidmat in these

Siblings runs strong. She was also with Rehmat aunty,and Uncle Bayo.

She visited my sister @Qwintessentwit last week and although she can't hear much she spoke to me & we loved just looking at each other from afar.

The bonds of love, tug your heart strings like no other.

Parveen aunty travelled all over many years ago. I was in school then. Germany, London, Edmonton, Toronto.

I'm glad she had the option of experiencing the world. I always wanted her to visit me in Dubai. Sadly it never happened. Who knows in a few years.

A picture of Nani & Uncle Bayo (Kh Ismael) at Lake Louise, Banff National Park a few decades ago.