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 […]
Monthly Archives: February 2012
The Agha Khan
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. […]
Mumtaz Annexi
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 […]
Knowing the Answers
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 […]
From Khanpur to Aligarh
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 […]
My Father’s Brother
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 […]
What My Mother Said
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, […]
What My Brother Said
My brother came to town. On Sunday, half-way thru the day, he looked at me and asked, “Is this what your Sundays are usually like?” “Yes,” I said. Either he was envious at our slow pace of living and the amount of time we spend working in the yard. Or he was horrified.
Mallory and the Red Witch
1. The Red Witch “Did you try to check in at the kiosk?” she asked when Trudy and her husband stepped up to the counter. She was wearing a read coat with a silky, poofy scarf tied around her neck. She looked straight at the fair and industrious Trudy. No smile. A grim, blank stare […]
You Are With Me
We return now to an event from our trip to Ottawa. I’ve just about blogged myself out on that trip, but I left this one out. So here it is, out of sequence and a few weeks late. We stood behind him in line when we were waiting to rent ice skates. He was returning […]