Didi aap ko bhi

Imtiaz bhai and Benita

During my stay in ahmedabad, I stumbled upon various people . Imtiaz bhai our tailor then, worked closely with me on our project post earth quake . even as he observed roza he would never deny for any work that was required. I also happened to meet madeena, parveen hafeeza ben,saira, thofeeq, rehan a never ending list of these lovely names etched in my memories. Looking back at these pictures who invited me to their iftaar party during the time of ramzaan i learnt a lot of things . The concept was failry new & as usual i was curious to know more about it…..

After offering prayers they would break their fast with three dates followed by home made delicious Indian snacks veg & non veg (i remember the veg as i am a vegetarian) fresh fruits, sweets & phirnis, dahi wadas, samosas, bhajiya, chole, this continued for a month. The entlire old city of ahmedabad has a new & vibrant look just like a diwali or x-mas…On the final day they would wait for the full moon & after prayers would hug each other by wishing Eid Mubarak ho !

neha ben , didi (sister apko bhi eid ki bahut badhiyee…….this echoes in my ears till date ….

As i continue meeting more powerful muslim rural & urban women through my work in India who are either t victims of the 2002 carnage, ahmedabad,gujarat witnessed the mumbai riots of 1992 i realized & foundsomething common. Their spirit to fight back.

Somewhere my beliefs became more stronger and I regained my strength, confidence,respect against all odds of life which is extremely uncertain…..