“Do you remember when your father died?” “Yes,” my father said, looking up with wide eyes. “That was two days before my master’s results came in. He never got to see them.” “That was May 1950,” he added. “My father was very old. In his 80s at least, perhaps more.” He was quiet for a [...]
“Hah!” my father chuckled. His eyes sparkled and he was smiling. “All these details come back…” “When my family took me to the train station, they took me in a bullock cart.” He looked at me with wide eyes when he said the words, bullock cart. “And I was very tired when the left me. [...]
We wanted Abdul Khaliq to go to school . We wanted him to go the the same school I had gone to. To the government high school that was taught in English. But the headmaster said no. He said there was no room. We decided to take our case to the Secretary of Education, because you [...]
Sunday, February 26, 2012
1. Crossing the Border So my father decided to leave Aligarh Muslim University to study at Forman Christian College. Forman sent a him a permit that would get him across the border. “Without that, I couldn’t go,” he said. “Indian muslims were no longer allowed to cross into Pakistan.” 2. What Forman Paid He was there for [...]
Sunday, February 26, 2012
In his fifth and sixth years at Aligarh, my father worked on his master’s degree. After that, you could do research, but it took years to get a doctorate. My dad wanted a doctorate. Sometime near the end of his sixth year, he was offered a scholarship to study at Forman Christian College in Lahore. [...]
Saturday, February 25, 2012
There were 10,000 students at Aligarh Muslim University when my father started there. It was the only Muslim college in India. His first year there, the dorm was full, and he stayed in Mumtaz Annexi. (I wonder if that’s Google calls Mumtaz House, today.) The students in the annex were evidently packed several students to a [...]
Saturday, February 25, 2012
1. Black Hat Colonel Heather taught chemistry at Aligarh Muslim University. My father sat in the front row when classes began. “He used to call on me,” my father said. “Even back then,” he said, “there were people who were envious if you were smart, if you knew the answers. (I think you have this now.)” And [...]
Saturday, February 25, 2012
They started the academic year in Khanpur in June. My father had left his family village and was there on a scholarship, but they only had liberal arts and no sciences. He wanted to study science. Some fellow students told him about Aligarh. They said he should go there and study science. And Aligarh started [...]
Friday, February 24, 2012
My father was sitting on the couch. I was sitting across from him. Trudy was sitting next to me. Khadija was sitting on a chair nearby. “My younger brother was smarter,” he said. I have heard him say this before. Although I don’t know anything about his brother, I’ve heard my dad talk like this [...]
Thursday, February 23, 2012
My mother came to town. One day we went to a sandwich shop to get some lunch. It was busy, and there was no clear path to the spot where you order. “Excuse me,” I said as I squeezed around a woman standing next to a chair. I walked quickly by and got in line, [...]
