​

 

​

​

​

​

Apa was a housewife and looked after/ managed the household.

​

BhaiAbba and Apa had four kids, in order,

 

Syeda Anwar Fatima nicknamed Anno

Syeda Anzar Fatima nicknamed Achho

Syed Mohammed Hadi Rizvi nicknamed Bade Saheb &

Syed Mohammed Saeed Mohsin Rizvi nicknamed Achhe Saheb

​

​

All of them were born in Lucknow. The family returned to Sitapur after the retirement of BhaiAbba.

​

BhaiAbba was a family man and family honor was a big deal for him as would the below mentioned episode indicate:

​

This incident was narrated to me by Bhai, my elder brother Pervez. The incident was something like Bhaijan and Bhai were once going to the Eye Hospital where Apajan was admitted due to some infection. On the way they saw this mango tree with mangoes on it in one of the compounds on the way to the hospital. Bhai was as usual trying to bring the mango down with a rock. Apparently the owner of that house was a prominent Thakur of the area. The thakur’s son was close by and he came outside the compound using Gali (foul) words. Bhaijan who was closer to that kid and gave him a series of slaps and the kid ran back crying and calling for help. At this point, Bhaijan and Bhai both took off for the hospital. This whole episode was witnessed by Hashmat Mamun, one of our close relatives. Hashmat Mamun straight away came to BhaiAbba and narrated the episode in his own way also mentioning that the Thakur is a crooked person and it is not good to pick-up fight with such rogue person. We don’t know what was BhaiAbba’s response to Hashmat Mamun but when on return from the hospital, Bhaijan and Bhai were summoned to him, he told them this: dekho beta chahe hamen Pipri (or wherever my nanihal’s property is located) se kitne hi aadmi bulana paren, tum log peechhe nahi hatna. Thakur ho ya koi bade se bada badmash koi bhi hamari family ko Gali de kar bina pite nahi rah sakta hai.

​

My last memory of BhaiAbba is when he visited us in Biswan just for a day. As per the family tradition when a father visits his daughter, he brought lots of my favorite sweets and fruits. BhaiAbba died in 1962.

 

Apa was a strong personality. But she was a very loving grandmother to all of us. After retirement, the family lived in the house that Apa had inherited from her parents being their only child.

​

My memory of Apa is having to go with her to Bada Imambara and on the way, every second or third person, male or female, greeting her with Apa Salaam, Apa Salaam and when I will ask her how could they recognize her despite her burqa and her casual wave off – are mua (some name like Rahman Halwai) tha.

​

Apa was very entertaining and full of life as could be surmised from her box-full collection of Jasoosi Duniya novels that only I had access to during her absence. That was the time when Apa was visiting Khalajaan in Bombay and I was living in Sitapur completing my High School.

​