Keamari - Good ol' days

Note: Following are blips of recollections from cousins, Salmana Ahmed and Adnan Asar, also eldest grandchildren of Dr. and Mrs. Ikram

Salmana:

Adnan, Noaman and Meena we had so many lovely memories. Do you people remember “khatti metthi goli” from Nana abba’s clinic I still remember old water hand pump and nani amman’s “nemat khana”.

Adnan:

oh yes the khatti mithi goli was our favorite and nan abba always let us have a few; not sure exactly what they were 

the hand water pump is something i clearly remember because i used it to pump water on many many occasions. i also remember boiling water over a the stove for friday showers before prayers in winter in Keamari. For some reason, winter was unusually cold in those days too. and talking of stove, one of my fondest memories are sitting down, chukku mukku, with nani amma in the kitchen kneading the dough and flattening the dough to make chapatis. 

And the stove wasn’t anything fancy that we have these days but a simple (gasoline i think) burner that served as the cooking stove. Just thinking back i am just amazed how naani amma kept the kitchen going every single day and had fresh lunch and dinner served daily at 1pm and 9pm. the 1pm lunch and 9pm dinner cycle is so embedded in my biological clock that even today when its 1pm or 9pm, i think back that its meal time somewhere in my past life (i have always been focused on food  and then obviously the day was not over until you take all the dishes out to the tap outside the house, near nana abba’s dispensary office, and wash all  the dishes. 

I remember many evenings sitting with Nani amma and Naila baaji washing dishes … Naila baaji would do it grudgingly (just kidding). i am just amazed at the hard work ethics that Naani amma  had and in spite of all  the work she always had energy to make us all laugh with her zesty personality and attitude in her younger years. what a joy to be around. 

I love her and miss her very much.