Fatim

Our car is hurtling towards the Allah Wali Chowrangi in Karachi — Bajia is behind the wheel. Passersby on the road who glance at us look back in surprise. They wonder who is driving the car; Bajia might be navigating the car expertly, but her small and fragile figure, crouched up on the seat, is easy to miss.

My lips are dry, and I am praying to God: please let Bajia and I reach our destination safely.

Spending a decade in the company of Fatima Surayya Bajia habituates one to the most reckless kind of driving seen by an 80-year-old, and also leaves imprints that cannot fade with time.

Also read: Bajia — the lady with old-world charm

Bajia’s house in Karachi’s Bihar Muslim Society was a place that taught me everything: there I learnt how to write, but I also learnt about life, how to forgive people, and how to live for others.

 

 

a Surayya Bajia — The mother, the ment