Stories of Our Wise: Shakar Hussein Lalani

Written By: Shelina Adatia

Shakar Hussein Lalani, my nanima (grandmother), was born on May 15, 1926 in Devaria, India.

As the second oldest of five children, she spent her days playing with and caring for her younger siblings. By the age of 16, she was married and had moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh. My nanima was now a housewife, supporting my nanabapa (grandfather) while he completed his studies in accounting. Soon after marriage, she became a mother, having 10 children in total; however, given that prenatal care was not as advanced as it is today, my nanima lost four of her children to miscarriages and still-births.

Despite these tragedies, my nanima stayed strong, putting her energy into caring for her family and doing seva for the Jamat with her fellow volunteers. Little did she know that tragedy would strike once again.

While my nanabapa was working at a factory in Dhaka, a bomb struck the building. Eventually, this led to my nanabapa losing his eyesight and becoming completely blind. Although my nanabapa had always been independent, the additional care and support he needed now fell upon my nanima. My nanabapa passed away in 1994, and I can say with certainty that my nanima happily cared for him until the very end.

In the years between my nanabapa losing his eyesight and passing away, my nanima experienced several other hardships. One of the most significant was the 1971 Bangladesh genocide, during which my grandparents and their family fled from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to West Pakistan (now Pakistan) with the support of Prince Sadruddin and the Red Cross. Once again, my nanima helped my nanabapa and their children to settle into a new life in Karachi.

While listening to my nanima and my mom recount these stories of my nanima’s past, I asked my nanima what her most important piece of advice would be to her fellow Ismailis – particularly during a global pandemic. Her response: himmat rakho (stay strong).

I am truly in awe of my nanima’s strength and resilience throughout the many hardships she has faced. She is a role model whose words of wisdom I look forward to applying in my own life. After all, when faced with particularly difficult challenges, it can be tempting to give up out of fear, fatigue or frustration. For me, my nanima’s words are a reminder to persevere – by working hard and simultaneously holding strong to my faith.    

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Stories of Our Wise aims to capture the incredible stories and life journeys of our Canadian Ismaili seniors. Each week, we will be highlighting a new story. We encourage all individuals, particularly youth, to have these meaningful conversations with their loved ones, and contribute their stories to this collection. To submit a story, please use the Story Submission Form.