The Last Meal of my Grandfather

The Last Meal: My Grandfather
Originally uploaded by Ameer Hamza

Via Flickr:
Yes, you read it right. It was my grandfather's last meal. After this soup he was taken to the Jamal Noor hospital for checkup. When his condition worsened he was taken to Patel hospital. He passed away on 10th December, 2011, just before 3 PM (P.S.T). His namaz-e-Janaza was held at Memon masjid, Pahari walli, Shaheed-e-Millad road, Karachi, at 8 PM. He was finally burried at Mehwashah graveyard.

When I was shooting this photograph my grandfather (dada in Urdu) asked me why I wanted to shoot more when I had already shot 4. I, off course, did not have any immediate answer so I kept my camera and had last lunch with him. Little did I know that it would be the final time any of us present there would be having our last meal with him. He was 85 or 86 years old, was born at Bahwanagar, Gujarat province, pre-partition India (British Raj). He, along with his family, immigrated to newly born state of Pakistan in 1948 (Pakistan came into being in August, 1947, ostensibly as an Islamic state). In India he had run a chai dhaba with his elder brother, Ahmad bhai. In Pakistan, he had an edible oil shop at Jodia Bazaar, Karachi. He also had Noor Electric Co., which he had begun with his brother in 1973-74. It was later split in 1984 when Ahmad bhai decided to leave. (Ahmad bhai was my nana and he had begun Bombay Light House).

Haji Moosa Adhia was his full name. He was expert in Indian herbal medicine, what is generally called 'Hikmah' and is practiced by hakims across India and Pakistan. He wasn't educated in this field but through his immense interest he knew almost all the local herbs by their traditional names and knew what uses each had. This allowed him to treat everyone for free, whoever came for his advice. I never saw him charge a fee for his expertise. Many women came from afar for treatment of their knees, a common ailment nowadays among many women. For men, there could be anything from stress to heart disease. He almost always recommended use of honey ('shehed' or 'madh' in Urdu) in one or the other form for many of the diseases. His breakfast almost always had honey as an important component in it. It is to his enduring legacy that I also adore honey and try it with various meals. Another favourite of him were the dry fruits - almonds, cashew, walnuts, dried figs, pistachio, and others. Every winter we would receive some of these from his as his gifts. As I write these lines I can see on my table some of his gifted dry fruits for this winter.

May his soul rest in peace and Sadqa of our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (salahu alihi wasalam) bestowed on him and all of us by ALLAH. Ameen.

To Wakhan : Day 3 / Mithramdan school

Mathramdan Government school, Pakistan
Originally uploaded by Ameer Hamza

You may call it Mathramdan or Mithramdan but it is a place to reckon with. It is a small Ismaili village from where the famous Wakhan trek begins officially. I mean all trekkers intend to begin their trek from here. And this was the school where we had slept the night before, instead of putting up our tents.

The teacher writing on the blackboard is Mr. Bul Bul Khan and he was from a nearby village. By religion he was also a Ismaili but ethnically he wasn't Wakhi. All his students are Wakhi so the students and teachers conversed in Urdu, which none understands any better. Though the teacher knew it pretty much better than even our so-called educated trekkers.

These girls were blonde, which surprised me a lot. But if you look closely they all have very European features - light coloured eyes, fair skin and so on.