This was a lot. Wow. So much family history. How sad is it that so many can relate to your father's experiences. My own gramma had to flee Burma with my dad and some nearly 10 children at that time (she had 14 in total), all alone while my grandad tried to wrap up things and followed soon after. Fortunately for them, they actually got to go back home to India.
Fleeing conflict with 10 children! These are the stories we need to be writing about so they aren’t forgotten and so we stay connected to our roots. Playing the victim has never been the culture of Muslims, alhamdullah. We are resilient, we suck it up, put our trust in Allah and get on with it. But sometimes this means colonial injustices are swept under the rug of history, while the history writers promulgating their propoganda against Muslim civilisations, and we become passive consumers of their narrative. I for one don’t know what was going on in Burma at the time your gran fled. I need to go find out now. We all need to find out.
Well said! I need to make it a point to get the story in recording from my dad. It's one he's shared many times, so some fragmented version I have memorized. But I should ask for the details and document it.
Thanks Ambata. Went to Cyprus for the first time last year after growing up with my dads stories, and the trip was a real mixed bag of emotions where I came away feeling more sad than happy - which I didn’t expect. Writing this was cathartic.
This was a lot. Wow. So much family history. How sad is it that so many can relate to your father's experiences. My own gramma had to flee Burma with my dad and some nearly 10 children at that time (she had 14 in total), all alone while my grandad tried to wrap up things and followed soon after. Fortunately for them, they actually got to go back home to India.
Fleeing conflict with 10 children! These are the stories we need to be writing about so they aren’t forgotten and so we stay connected to our roots. Playing the victim has never been the culture of Muslims, alhamdullah. We are resilient, we suck it up, put our trust in Allah and get on with it. But sometimes this means colonial injustices are swept under the rug of history, while the history writers promulgating their propoganda against Muslim civilisations, and we become passive consumers of their narrative. I for one don’t know what was going on in Burma at the time your gran fled. I need to go find out now. We all need to find out.
Well said! I need to make it a point to get the story in recording from my dad. It's one he's shared many times, so some fragmented version I have memorized. But I should ask for the details and document it.
A STUNNING poem mashallah, dripping with remembrance. Mabrouk!
Elest, so vivid and beautiful, MashaAllah. Thank you.
What an absolutely beautifully written piece encapsulating your family history, and so much more❤️
Thank you. It felt like one of those things where someone’s gotta write it down before it’s forgotten for good
Thanks Ambata. Went to Cyprus for the first time last year after growing up with my dads stories, and the trip was a real mixed bag of emotions where I came away feeling more sad than happy - which I didn’t expect. Writing this was cathartic.