Stories of Our Wise: My Nani

“We enjoyed life very much!” she exclaimed after finishing telling my sister and I about her life back home. We sat with her, watching her eyes light up with excitement as she told us her story. She was born in 1932, and is one of the few people I know who always likes to pretend that she is older than she actually is. Perhaps she knows that there is beauty in age.  

She was born and raised in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. She started by telling us an early memory of hers, which took place when she was about 12-14 years old. Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah (a.s.) was coming. It was his birthday, or a Khushyali, she recalls. The Jamat from surrounding regions was coming to Dar. Some had family, and stayed with them. The rest were welcomed warmly by the Jamat, who had transformed the Aga Khan Club into a place of residence. Tents were set up everywhere for families to use, and she would flock to the Club to visit with her sisters and friends. There, you could find people cooking for each other on open flames, people laughing and telling stories, and others playing raasra. I was captivated by her story of the festivities, where she painted the picture of large floats and colourful parades filling the streets as far as the eye could see. What she repeats many times throughout her recount is the generosity of the people. Everyone cooked for everyone. People offered supplies to help - sleeping bags, mattresses, and big pots and pans, to be used at this time. Anyone and everyone was invited to come and eat and celebrate. It was like a big family gathering.  

“The place was full of joy,” she said. “Early in the morning, you could find people making chai, and bakeries making cakes and bread for everyone.” 

She continued to share other snapshots of her life with me. One of my favourite stories was about a time that she was fortunate to be invited to a dinner with the young Prince Karim, before he became the Imam. The dinner was hosted at her grandparents’ house in Oyster Bay, and her grandmother had asked her to sit next to Prince Karim and talk with him. “I didn’t know what to ask!” she chuckled. She told us about the conversation she had as she fondly recalled the events of the evening.  

She also told us stories about her parents. She described them as quiet and generous, and caring towards those around them. She spoke about her grandparents, about their kindness and the lessons and skills that they taught her. She learned how to stitch from her Dadima, and eventually made her own wedding dress and began teaching sewing classes herself.  

When she started to tell me about what she did for fun, a huge smile came over her face as she remembered watching movies with her friends and siblings at “Chox Cinema”. “Chox” was owned by her father who was nicknamed “Chocolate” as he could always be found giving sweets to people.  

She then told us about her move to Canada in 1973. We delved into her life in Canada, but she never dwelled on the difficulties. Despite the many hardships that her family faced, it was incredible to see her optimism throughout her journey. As we wrapped up our conversation, I asked her what advice she had for us. She replied “Be good to everyone, that’s what you should do. Just be friends with everyone.”  

I’m lucky to call this beautiful woman my Nani. Her stories consistently remind me of the importance of kindness, generosity, faith, and family.   

Our elders have broad and diverse life stories, having witnessed civil conflict, apartheid, partition, and systemic religious and ethnic persecution. They carry the living memory of the Jamat. These are the men and women upon whose broad shoulders the foundations of the Canadian Jamat were built. Today, we flourish in Canada because of their courage and resilience.  

The first week of June marks Seniors’ Week across several Canadian provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. In the case of Ontario, June is celebrated as Seniors’ Month. It is a time to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of seniors in our Jamat. We encourage everyone to make a special effort this month to meaningfully engage in deep conversation with one of our elders – parents, grandparents, or other members of the Jamat. Learn these stories, not only because they need to be told, but because we need to hear them. 

Over the next month, we will be collecting and sharing stories of some of the elders in our Jamat. For more information or to share a story, please contact: raiya.suleman@iicanada.net