My name is Nizarali R.V. Makan. I am 73 years old and a recently retired Dermatologist and Skin Surgeon. I was born in Zanzibar, and attended the Aga Khan Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools there, followed by post-secondary education in Dar es Salaam. I received my college, medical school education and postgraduate specialty and fellowship training in the United States, and practiced medicine for nearly forty years in Orange County, California, and Bellingham, Washington.
I started painting during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, never having used a paint brush before, except for a single course in painting at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, B.C.
Over the past several decades I have been blessed to serve Ismaili institutions in the United States and Canada. As a young physician in the pre-TKN days (1987), I served as guest consultant in dermatology at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, and visited Gilgit and Hunza under the auspices of the Aga Khan Health Services Pakistan. In latter years, I served as both Regional and National Convener for the Institute of Ismaili Studies London. My wife Nazira is from Kampala, Uganda, and we have three children. My hobbies, besides painting, include piano and astrophotography. I am pleased to share a selection of my modest works of art with readers of Simerg, and invite you to view more of my paintings on my Facebook page.
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Please click on images for enlargements
Paintings by Nizarali Makan
Artist’s note on “My Street”: I was born and grew up in Stone Town, Zanzibar, down the narrow alley from the Ismaili Jamatkhana, and a stone’s throw from the Bohra Masjid and the Mehfil e-Abbas of the Khoja Shia Ithnasheri community. That is why my late mother, who passed away at the age of fifty-two when I was 15 years old, used to make fun of me when I was little — that my faith was Ismaili, my shortcut to the other side of the Zanzibar streets went through the alley of the Mehfil-e Abbas, and with a Maulidi cap at Idd I could easily pass as a Bohra.
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Artist’s note on “Cosmic communication”: It is said that God endowed Prophet Dawud (David), a shepherd, with the most beautiful and melodious voice, such that when he sang the Psalms, birds and animals would pause to listen. This painting is a rather simplified representation and reminder of that mystical communication and cosmic bond between all of God’s creatures. After all, we are all interconnected and made up of the same stardust, and our physical bodies are like garments to be shed some day.
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A note by the artist on “AKDN”: Each AKDN, Jamati and Apex agency or entity within the Ismaili Imamat has its own unique logo that powerfully represents its goal and objective. In this painting, I have sought to artistically render the logos that I have come across over the past several years onto the Ismaili Flag. I hope to provide meaning of logos in a future piece. Hyperlinks are provided for logos whose meanings have already appeared in Simerg or its sister websites Barakah and Simergphotos.
Column 1 (top to down): Aga Khan Park (Toronto, Canada), Focus Humanitarian Assistance, Aga Khan Health Services, Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance; and Aga Khan Music Awards;
Column 2: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, The Ismaili Centre London (UK), University of Central Asia, The Ismaili Centre Lisbon (Portugal), and Aga Khan Agency for Habitat;
Column 3: Personal Standard or Crest of Mawlana Hazar Imam (top portion), The Ismaili Centre Vancouver (Canada); The Ismaili Magazine, Crest (repeat), and Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development;
Column 4: Personal Standard or Crest of Mawlana Hazar Imam (full), and World Partnership Walk (an initiative of The Aga Khan Foundation);
Column 5: Crest (repeat), The Ismaili Centre Dubai (United Arab Emirates), information about the logo not known, and the Seal of the Aga Khan University (also see HERE with explanations of 3 other logos);
Columns 6: Aga Khan Museum (Toronto), The Ismaili Centre Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Aga Khan Foundation, The Ismaili Centre Toronto, and Aga Khan Centre London (UK); and
Column 7: The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London (UK), Aga Khan Education Services, Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, The Aga Khan Academies, and Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
External Links: For more works of art by Nizarali Makan please visit his Facebook page.
Date posted: August 16, 2022.
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The editor invites Ismaili artists to submit a selection of their paintings and other works of art for publication in Simerg. Please submit images, preferably a maximum 8 objects in Jpeg (1200 x 900) along with your profile to the editor Malik, at mmerchant@simerg.com.
Simerg - Insights from Around the World 
I have known Nizar since he was five years old in Zanzibar, as his elder brother was my fast friend throughout our school days. His dad was very fastidious in making sure that both the boys finished their daily homework assignments before being allowed to go and play outside.
I followed Nizar’s educational endeavours in the USA, and his successful career graduating from some of the most prestigious medical institutions in North America and Europe. But he has remained true to his Zanzibari upbringing in being modest in life and ever helpful to our Jamaat. And now, to see him turn into a painter, what else can I say, but kudos to you, Nizar. You make all us Zanzibaris feel very proud of your achievements.
Salim Hameer.
Excellent paintings. So proud of my fellow Zanzibari. I have known you since we were kids. We met again in New York in the early seventies when I lived in Connecticut.
Here we meet again in Vancouver. Keep up the good work
Beautiful paintings, Nizar. Makes us all Zanzibaris proud of your achievements.and services to our community.
Well done Nizar, good artistic work my friend. Hobby like that is always very therapeutic for us medical professionals. Keep it up.
Dr. Moh’d F Manji
Dear Nizarbhai, thanks so much for sharing your art. The paintings say a lot about your gentle soul. You are truly multi-talented and a noble individual. I feel honoured to know you. Thanks for reaching out to me during this year’s Imamat Day celebrations.
I am impressed by the vivid colours that Dr. Mayan used in his paintings. Keep up the work!
I am from Stone Town too and I am a painter. Enjoyed looking at your paintings.
Nizar Makan is one of the notables in our community and also part of our chat group of Class of 1966 (Form 4, Dar). We are blessed and proud to have him in the group.
Excellent job Nizar!
Kurbanali Juma
Toronto,
Aug 16,2022.
“My name is Nizarali R.V. Makan. I am 73 years old and a recently retired Dermatologist and Skin Surgeon. I was born in Zanzibar, and attended the Aga Khan Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools there, followed by post-secondary education in Dar es Salaam. I received my college, medical school education and postgraduate specialty and fellowship training in the United States, and practiced medicine for nearly forty years in Orange County, California, and Bellingham, Washington.”
The above preamble by Dr. Makan himself on this very informative article and eye-pleasing paintings is from a brilliant individual who I have known for the past many years. In fact I know the Makan Family from Zanzibar for many decades and I kept up with the progress and achievements of Dr. Makan for many years of his medicine career in the USA.
Without any doubt, these paintings by Dr. Makan will be viewed by a great number of readers across the world.
Malik please keep up the great work of posting works by Ismaili artists. Your initiatives are greatly appreciated.
Kamrudin A. Rashid
Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
August 16 2022.