A Comment from The Hindu upon 'A quiet triumph for humanity' - 19th September
This is a wonderful story that gives us hope in hard times. I have been fortunate to be married to a Pakistani for 20 years. We have a daughter,Mira Husnara Ahmad, who is, as we somtimes joke,a proud "MUSDU" (Muslim/Hindu).
My husband's family left their home in Gaya District in Bihar during partition. I know how much they still miss their traditions, their language, their neighbors, and their home. My mother-in-law, Husnara Begum, has three daughters in law - an American Jew, a Pakistani Muslim, and an Indian Hindu. She loves each of us and has welcomed us into her home as her own daughters. She has never once asked us to change our faith, our names, or our traditions. The 3 of us are good friends with one another and with our 2 sisters-in-law, although we live apart from one another in New York, Karachi, Montreal, Islamabad, and San Francisco. My parents have three sons-in-law, a Pakistani Muslim, an Indian Hindu, and an African American Baptist Christian. They joke about their "Amar, Akbar, Anthony" status. Our family has visited Pakistan and the Pakistani side of our family has been to India, despite all the hassles of visas and police registration. But, most importantly, our children, the next generation - there are 10 first cousins in all - are proud to be cousins and to be part of a family that believes in an inclusive, tolerant humanity. We dream of a day when India and Pakistan will not need nuclear weapons, armies of millions, and border patrols. We dream of a day when our children can easily celebrate Eid and Diwali with one another and with their extended famlies in both Pakistan and India. We dream of a time when we can give up our American passports that now make it easier to travel to one another's countries.
My husband's family left their home in Gaya District in Bihar during partition. I know how much they still miss their traditions, their language, their neighbors, and their home. My mother-in-law, Husnara Begum, has three daughters in law - an American Jew, a Pakistani Muslim, and an Indian Hindu. She loves each of us and has welcomed us into her home as her own daughters. She has never once asked us to change our faith, our names, or our traditions. The 3 of us are good friends with one another and with our 2 sisters-in-law, although we live apart from one another in New York, Karachi, Montreal, Islamabad, and San Francisco. My parents have three sons-in-law, a Pakistani Muslim, an Indian Hindu, and an African American Baptist Christian. They joke about their "Amar, Akbar, Anthony" status. Our family has visited Pakistan and the Pakistani side of our family has been to India, despite all the hassles of visas and police registration. But, most importantly, our children, the next generation - there are 10 first cousins in all - are proud to be cousins and to be part of a family that believes in an inclusive, tolerant humanity. We dream of a day when India and Pakistan will not need nuclear weapons, armies of millions, and border patrols. We dream of a day when our children can easily celebrate Eid and Diwali with one another and with their extended famlies in both Pakistan and India. We dream of a time when we can give up our American passports that now make it easier to travel to one another's countries.
from: Kavita N. Ramdas
Posted on: Oct 10, 2009 at 21:32 IST
