Simerg is an independent initiative dedicated to Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan — their Hereditary Imam — and the Ismaili Imamat, and Islam in general through literary readings, photo essays and artistic expressions
Author Archives: Malik Merchant, Editor
Founding publisher and editor of www.barakah.com, www.simerg.com and www.simergphotos.com.
“The doors of goodness are many: enjoining good, forbidding evil, removing harm from the road, listening to the deaf, leading the blind, guiding one to the object of his need, hurrying with the strength of one’s legs to one in sorrow who is asking for help, and supporting the feeble with the strength of one’s arms.” And the Aga Khan has accepted this tradition of the Prophet Muhammad as a personal job description…Many prophets of the Bible recorded their prophetic lineage, just as Matthew and Luke in the New Testament stressed Jesus’s ancestry. In similar vein, His Highness the Aga Khan, is the 49th Imam directly descended from the Prophet Muhammad — Please click NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES BY ANDREW KOSOROK.
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“We are receiving you here officially and not just as a friend because you are an important leader of the Muslim religion…What we admire in you is that you have been able to integrate a modern outlook with religion so that religion has been allowed its true role which is not merely to provide an all-embracing explanation of the universe but also to furnish the fundamental solutions of the problems which life poses us.” —Please click LEOPOLD SENGHOR’S TRIBUTE TO THE AGA KHAN.
In 1954, at the invitation of the Mir of Hunza, a revered figure in the region, Mishal Husain’s grandfather, Shahid Hamid, made a journey to the northern reaches of Pakistan. He wrote: “Hunza is situated among a congress of great mountains, a concentration of lofty peaks, many of them unnamed, where the greatest folding of the Earth’s surface is to be found.”
Guided and inspired by her grandfather’s travelogue “Karakoram Hunza: The Land of Just Enough,” Mishal Husain, a BBC journalist and presenter of the ‘Today’ programme, embarked on a personal journey with her family, following in her grandfather’s footsteps. Precisely 70 years after her grandfather’s, she shares her unique experience in the Financial Times of London travel section. Please click Mishal Husain: Recreating my grandparents’ epic journey into remotest Pakistan.
In her piece, Mishal notes: “I reached Hunza after dark and walked through a small bazaar to our hotel, the Serena Altit Fort Residence — the first of three heritage properties we’d visit. All have been restored through projects led by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, and being able to stay in such places allows the visitor to appreciate the history of the region’s people and their craftsmanship alongside its natural beauty.” Please click FT Travel: Mishal Husain in Hunza.
Credits: The featured image at the top of the post is from Mishal Husain’s piece in the Financial Times. The two photos in the body of this post were published on this website earlier; they relate to some of the places Mishal visited in Hunza.
“The love of the Imam knows no physical boundaries. No mountain, no river, no desert, can stop the love of the Imam for his Jamat [community] worldwide” — Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, 49th Hereditary Imam of Ismaili Muslims (please watch video, below)
From Prophet Muhammad’s declaration at Ghadir-e-Khumm, after his farewell pilgrimage to Mecca, appointing his son-in-law Ali as his successor to the present 49th Hereditary Imam of the Ismailis, we invite our readers to watch the following video to learn about the Ismaili Imamat. Each Imam, from the past to the present, has been a Guiding Light to his followers, a source of inspiration and guidance through their changing times and circumstances. We present this video as two Aga Khan projects in Canada, the Aga Khan Museum and the Ismaili Centre in Toronto, are about to celebrate their tenth anniversary in mid-September. The most recent project, the beautiful Aga Khan Garden near Edmonton, is part of the University of Alberta Botanic Garden and will soon mark its 6th anniversary in mid-October.
It was heartening to read Kef Noorani’s table tennis success story, which is currently featured as the main story on The Ismaili, the official website of the Ismaili Muslim community. It immediately brought back fond memories of another fantastic Ismaili table tennis player, Faazil Kassam, who qualified to represent Canada in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. While Kef’s introduction to the game began in his parent’s car garage, with his father coaching him, Faazil’s introduction took place in the social hall of the previous Ottawa Jamatkhana on 991 Carling Avenue, with his father Nashir coaching him. The community’s recognition of Faazil’s Olympic qualification, which I initiated with the Ismaili leadership, was a significant milestone. Ottawa’s then Mukhisaheb Nazib Charania was highly supportive, ensuring that an announcement was made in the Jamatkhana, followed by a fantastic send-off for Faazil in the Jamatkhana social hall.
Upon his return from the Athens games, where Faazil and his doubles player lost to former Swedish champions, his parents, Nashir and mother Shaida (now deceased), organized a fantastic homecoming event at their Ottawa home. We watched his doubles match with great excitement and, of course, disappointment that he did not proceed further. We were each given a souvenir table tennis bat signed by Faazil. He then pursued a medical career in ophthalmology.
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I was introduced to the game in the mid 1960s in the home of our ground-floor neighbour, Abdulbhai, at Islamabad Flats on United Nations Road. He owned the famous Vega Radio store on Morogoro Road in Dar es Salaam. One day, while visiting his home, I saw his children, Alnoor and Shanawaz, playing table tennis on their large dining room table. I took up the game and was beating both of them within weeks at their own game. My subsequent success in Dar es Salaam was when I shockingly upset the top two seeds in the semi-final and final of the Aga Khan Table Tennis Junior Under 17 championship. It was inspired by the training I received from (Late) Mohammed Amersi (Kanji), who was the best table tennis player in Tanzania. Also a great badminton player, Mohammed would first come to my table at the Aga Khan Club in Dar es Salaam, located behind my secondary school, Shaaban Robert, and intentionally allow me to win games against him to encourage me. His coaching to me and his younger brother, Salim Kanji, who is now in Toronto, nearly led us to a shocking win in a men’s doubles match against top seeds Priyakant Patel and Subash Bharadia in the Dar es Salaam Open held at the Indian Gymkhana. I remember I had forgotten my mandatory coloured polo shirt at home and wore my regular white shirt for the game, to which Subash fiercely objected — and wanted a default win — before Priyakant stepped in and asked his partner to calm down!
Malik Merchant, with his doubles partner Salim Kanji, smashes a forehand return in a double’s match against Priyakant Patel and Subash Baradia, at the Indian Gymkhana’s 1969 open table tennis tournament in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Photograph: Malik Merchant collection.
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Malik Merchant’s current collection of table tennis bats that he uses in Calgary (Stiga, left, and two Palio bats, Master, centre, and Legend). Photograph: Malik Merchant collection.
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Malik Merchant proudly collects his trophy from “Mama” at the Indian Gymkhana for winning the Aga Khan Club Juniors Singles under 17 Table Tennis tournament a few months earlier. The tournament took place at the Aga Khan Gymkhana in Dar es Slaam in 1969. Photograph: Malik Merchant collection.
In the early 1970s in London, UK, I represented my North London Polytechnic in the inter college/university league.
With table tennis, my cricket batting improved dramatically. Bowlers were quick to note my fast reaction times. I saw the ball like a football, after leaving the bowler’s arms. However, no one could have excited me in London more than my friend Aziz Jetha, who defeated seeded players in the earlier rounds of the Fulham Broadway tournament before knocking out a strongly favoured and top-seeded Nigerian player. Jetha’s incredible defensive game, with sudden bursts of attacking play, was genuinely frustrating to the Nigerian and others he played earlier. As one my best table tennis friends, I lost 70% of all the matches I played with Aziz, whether at 5 Palace Gate or at the Imperial College’s table tennis room, where we would meet after Jamatkhana. In between my time in the UK and Canada, I was in Salt Lake City, Utah, where my doubles partner and I lost very narrowly in the city’s open finals in 1980.
Coming to Canada, Habiba Thawer and I won the mixed double for Ottawa in the Ismaili Games in the mid-1980s. My drawback over the decades I played the game was a weak backhand due to the wrong grip of the bat, which no one noted and corrected since my teenage years. I knew about this all along but only recently corrected my grip in Calgary. I have seen a significant improvement in my backhand game, even at my current retirement age! COVID-19 prevented my regular participation at the local CUSTTA table tennis club. The club has some fantastic players, but no one could match Faazil Kassam when he was at the top.
Table tennis is a quick-paced game, and the Chinese won all 5 individual and team gold medals at the recent Paris Olympics. Some of the rallies I watched were absolutely incredible. Homes with basements should have table tennis tables where children can start this beautiful sport, which will help them in other sports, including skiing, ice hockey, basketball and baseball, which require fast reactions and responses. I remember being frustrated with the Blue Jays batters some years ago. I even wrote a letter to the club asking their batters to play table tennis regularly to improve their batting. That’s not a joke! It had helped me in my cricket batting.
Ismaili boy Kef Noorani of California has dreams of making the US Men’s National Team and competing in the Olympics. Photograph: The Ismaili.
Kef Noorani’s inspiring story in The Ismaili reflects his keen interest and recent achievements, and offers a glimpse into his promising future. As he continues to develop and participate on the world stage at the Junior Level, I sincerely hope that he will qualify to represent the USA in the World Table Tennis Championships and the next Olympic Games, which will be held in his home state, California, in Los Angeles, in 2028. The members of the Ismaili community across North America and worldwide can’t help but feel a sense of anticipation and excitement for what’s to come for Kef Noorani.
Date posted: August 27, 2024. Last updated: August 28, 2024 (typos.)
Nature — and some of the best in the world — is so close to Calgary. But it need not be just nature. In Drumheller, we have a magnificent dinosaur museum — the Royal Tyrrell, where you are genuinely illuminated about Dinosaurs and the Universe! Banff’s Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies has beautifully curated permanent and temporary exhibits. The Banff Arts Centre is a must-visit place for its art gallery and learning programs, concerts in the theatre and the amphitheatre located by the MacLab Bistro, which serves excellent food with stunning views of the mountains. This past week, I enjoyed taking a friend from Ottawa to Drumheller, Banff National Park and the beautiful Aga Khan Garden, part of the University of Alberta Botanic Garden, near Edmonton. Please click HERE or on the Horsethief Canyon picture shown below for photographs of our trip.
“Ultimately, the art of teaching is a mission. Those who embark upon the journey of teaching seek to transform individuals and communities, inspired by a sense of purpose” — Mawlana Shah Karim Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, 2008, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The late South African statesman and leader Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” This profound statement underscores the transformative power of education, inspiring us to believe in its potential to shape a better future. Martin Luther King Jr. also emphasized the importance of education, stating that it teaches one to think intensively and critically.
Education is a powerful tool for building intelligence and character when done right. Teachers are the key figures in this process, guiding students to acquire knowledge, competence, and virtue. The Aga Khan’s quote on teachers further underscores their crucial role.
In the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, Mbeya, a small town situated in the Southern Highland region of Tanganyika (now known as Tanzania), was blessed with dedicated and enthusiastic teachers who changed the lives of many children of Indian origin who had moved to East African countries from India in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries to towns such as Mbeya.
A UN map showing significant towns and cities in Tanzania, including Mbeya neighbouring Zambia in the south-west of Tanzania.
During the British colonial time, separate European, Indian and native African Schools were established. The Colonial Government funded the schools for the Europeans and Africans; the Asians (or Indians from South Asia), on the other hand, had to build their own education and schooling system. This was a community effort, funded with donations from the community and fees collected from the students. In the 1940s and early 1950s, Indian Public School, a primary school, was the first such teaching institution in Mbeya for the Indian community. The medium of instruction was Gujarati. After primary education, the students continued their education in Dar es Salaam.
A photo of staff and students of the Indian Public School from around the late 1940s. Among those in the photograph are Haji Yusufmia (wearing hat), Mr. Hassam Somani, Mr. Sadru Bhanji Jiwa, Mr. Gulamhussein Mukadum, Mr. Hassanali Dhanani and other teachers.Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
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Indian Public School teachers Mr Almeida, Mr Lohar, Mr Jagirdar, Mr. Hassanali Abdulla Walji and Vigiabenji Talavia. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
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Indian Public School girl students with Vijiabenji Talawia. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
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Indian Public School girl students with Vijiabenji Talawia. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
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A photo from the early 1950s of the staff of the Indian Public School, Mbeya. Pictured are G. D. Talavia, Hassanali Abdallah Walji, Mrs. Vijiaben Talavia, K. R. Lohar and Abdulmalek Ali Valla. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
In the late 1950s, the Ismaili Muslim community, a group of the Mbeya Indian diaspora, built the Aga Khan Primary School, which would teach up to the tenth standard. It was part of the Aga Khan Education System and was open to all races. The medium of instruction would be English; it also had facilities to teach science subjects. This educational system, built and sustained by the Indian community, not only provided quality education but also instilled a profound sense of pride and empowerment among the Indian diaspora in East Africa.
Mr. Vallimohamed Sarani (Sarani Master). Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
From the scanty information I obtained for the 1940s, one of the first teachers at the Indian Public School was Mr. Vallimohamed Sarani (known as Sarani Master), who initially taught in Zanzibar. Sarani Master came to East Africa in the late 1920s or early 1930s, joining his uncle in Kampala. He got married in Kampala and then shifted to Zanzibar as a teacher. His children were born in Zanzibar. He left Zanzibar during the early 1940s and started teaching in Mbeya at the Indian Public School for eight years. In 1948, he moved to Nayasaland (now Malawi) and stayed there till 1975. He retired and moved to Texas, USA, to be with his children until 1982. His final residence was in Leicester, UK, where he passed away in 1987 at the age of 84 years.
Mr. Ayub Kassammia, assistant to Sarani Master. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
Another significant figure in the Indian Public School was Mr. Ayub Kassammia, the second son of the brother of Haji Yusufmia, a pioneer and successful businessman of Mbeya. After completing his studies in India in Kutch/Gujrat, Ayub returned to Mbeya. Initially, he taught at the Indian School organized by the local Indian community. The School was held in a rented house behind Haji Yusufmia’s house. After building the formal Indian Public school and hiring new teachers, Ayub left teaching. He joined the British Army in Nairobi during 2nd World War till the end of the War.
At the end of the 1940s and early 1950s, with the relocation of Sarani Master and his family to Nyasaland, Indian Public Schools hired new teachers from India. In 1949, a husband-and-wife team of Mr. G. D. Talavia and his wife, Vijiaben Talavia, joined the School. Mr Talavia was made the headmaster. The School continued with Gujarati as a medium of instruction, with lessons to teach English at the end of Standard 2 or the beginning of Standard 3.
Farewell to Zarinabenji Virji who left the Indian Public School for Dar es Salaam in 1952/53 after her marriage. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
Among other teachers were Miss Zarina Virji (commonly known as Zarinabenji), who taught briefly and moved to Dar es Salaam after marrying Mr. Malek Ratancy, a well-known cricketer; Mr. Kassim Rahemtulla Lohar (Mr. K. R. Lohar); Mr. Hassanali Abdulla Walji of Mbeya (commonly addressed at that time as Hassanali Master and later as Dr. Walji); and Mr. Abdulmalek Ali Valla also of Mbeya.
In the 1940s and early 1950s, children’s schooling started in Standard One. When I joined Indian Public School in 1952, Vijiabenji (as we addressed her) was my first teacher in Standard One. Sudha, the younger daughter of the well-known medical doctor in Mbeya, Dr. Carpenter, joined me in Standard One. Other teachers were also involved in my education, especially Mr. Lohar and Hassanali Master (my father’s first cousin). My mother used to complain to him if I got mischievous or was not following her orders. Hassanali Master was an excellent teacher, especially in health science subjects, but he was also strict. We used to be frightened of him. Sudha and I were only four and a half years old when we joined Standard One, and competing with other older students in early primary School was difficult. Thus, my father always made me take extra tuition from Mr. Lohar, and his help and guidance in those early primary school days can never be forgotten.
Mr. K. R. Lohar was born in Bhuj Kutch, India. He moved to Nyasaland in April of 1950 at the suggestion of his uncle, Sarani Master, who, as I already mentioned, moved from Mbeya to Nyasaland in 1948. Mr. Lohar taught at Zumba school in Nyasaland. In 1952, he married his cousin Khulsum, Sarani Master’s daughter. She was born in Zanzibar, where her father had once taught early in his teaching career. At the advice of Sarani Master, Mr. Lohar and Khulsum moved to Mbeya to teach at the Indian Public School. They have three sons; the eldest, Rhemutulla (Rhemu), was born in 1953; Rafiq in 1955; and the youngest, Hanif, in 1962 — all in Mbeya.
Mr. Dennis H. Noronha was the head teacher at Indian Public School and then at Mbeya Aga Khan School when the school first opened in 1957. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
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Mr. Dennis H. Noronha as Head Master with Mr. and Mrs. Talavia, Mr. K. R. Lohar, Mr. Hassanali A. Walji and teacher assistant Mr Abdulmalek Ali Valla. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
In 1953, Indian Public School received a new teacher who would become the new headmaster. His name was Mr. Dennis H. Noronha, and he was from India. His leadership and vision would end up being the catalyst for change in the Indian community of Mbeya, transforming the lives of many students. One of his main tasks was introducing English as the instruction medium. He and Mr. Hassanali Walji also introduced a physical program and sports into the school curriculum.
Physical education at Indian Public School, Mbeya with Mr. Hassanali Walji and Mr. D. H. Noronha. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
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Physical education at the Indian Public School Mbeya. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
Mr. Hassanali Abdulla Walji (later known as Dr. Walji) was born in Manyoni, a small town in the Singida district of Tanganyika. He was one of the earliest teachers at the Indian Public School after completing his studies in Dar es Salaam. His main subjects were health science and physical education. Before the closure of the Indian Public Schools and the move to the new Aga Khan School, this local young man decided to go to London, England, to study physiotherapy and Chiropody (podiatry). Studying overseas at that time was a privilege, especially in Western countries. While in Europe, he also had an audience with Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan, the 48th Hereditary Ismaili Imam.
Mr. Hassanali A Walji (Dr. Walji) with Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, His Highness the Aga Khan; mid-1950s. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
After completing his studies in the UK, he returned to Mbeya. On his return, I still remember that Dr. Hassanali Walji, as he was now known, gave us (the whole student group and the community) a talk on his travel overseas by ship and about the process of studying overseas. At least for me, he sowed the seeds for further education overseas after my studies in Mbeya, and I always remember that talk and thank him for it.
Mbeya is a small town, and for his practice in physiotherapy and podiatry, Dr. Walji moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he established a very successful practice. He, however, continued with his other main interest in Ismaili and Islamic studies through his extensive reading and self-studying. He was also gifted with a fantastic singing voice, and with his love for Ginans (Ismaili hymns composed by Ismaili Pirs and missionaries centuries earlier), he recited them regularly. Dr. Anil Walji, his son, an Anatomy Professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, inherited that from his father. Dr. Hassanali Walji also became an honorary Alwaez (missionary) in the Ismaili community and preached regularly. His sermons were very well received. It was a significant loss in 1978 when he passed away apparently from a heart attack in Nairobi, Kenya.
It may be noted that the Aga Khan Education Structure in East Africa had started as early as the end of the 19th Century; the earliest center to teach basic literacy and numeracy may have been initiated in 1895 in Bagamoyo, Tanganyika by Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III. In the 1940s and 1950s, under the chair of Princess Joan Aly Khan (the late mother of the present Aga Khan) and with the revised structure, more Aga Khan primary and secondary schools were established in Dar es Salaam in Tanganyika, Mombasa and Nairobi in Kenya, and Kampala in Uganda, first for girls and then for the boys. Later, co-ed schools for boys and girls were built for primary education in other East African towns and opened to all races and faiths.
One such School was constructed in Mbeya and opened in 1957 to replace the existing Indian Public School. This new School would cater to teaching from Standard One to Ten.
Mbeya Aga Khan School Education Committee 1957 with the teaching faculty. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
Mr. Denis H. Noronha headed the Mbeya Aga Khan School. He gained quick recognition and respect among students, parents and the school committee, given his tenure as the headmaster of the Indian Public School and his kind concern for the students of this small town, his leadership abilities and his forward thinking for the student’s further education. His advice and criticism were genuine. Indian Public School was closed permanently, and all the teachers from that School moved to the new Aga Khan School. The teaching faculty consisted of Mr. K. R. Lohar, Mr. Almeida, Mr. Jagirdar, Mr. Sadrudin Merchant, Mrs. Aramita Geraldine Narohna and Mrs. Shrin Ratancy.
With the new Mbeya Aga Khan School in operation and open to all races and faiths, Mr. Noronha, as the Headmaster, managed to attract more teachers, and his teaching faculty increased; Mr. and Mrs. Philips and a second, Mr. Philips from India, joined. The two male Philips were distinguished from each other by their heights, and the students referred to them by calling them “Tall” and ‘Short” Mr. Philips. Afterward, Mr. Rawat, Mr. Demelo, and Mr. de Souza joined.
Staff, Mbeya Aga Khan School, 1958-1960. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
With their hard work and dedication, this teaching faculty brought up the standard of teaching per the Aga Khan Education criteria, making it possible for the students to relocate quickly to other schools when they moved to other secondary and high schools in East Africa to continue their education beyond Grade 10.
In 1959/60, Mr. Denis Noronha retired as head teacher of the Aga Khan School. He and his teacher wife, Aramita, opened their own business, providing tuition for school subjects and accountancy courses. He became an insurance agent with an office in the Mbeya East African Airways building. In the 1960s, the Noronha family left Mbeya for good and relocated to Bangalore, India. They opened a private school there, which became quite successful and well-known. Aramita passed away in Bangalore on January 6, 1989. Mr. Noronha and his eldest daughter continued running the School there. Mr. Dennis Noronha passed away on December 7, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Noronha’s passing was a significant loss to his immediate family and the Mbeya people, who had come to regard them as their own family.
Staff, Mbeya Aga Khan School, 1960-1962. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
After Mr. Noronha left the Aga Khan School, Mr. Naidu took over the head teacher’s position. Subsequently, after his departure in 1962/63, Mr. de Souza became the head teacher. Unfortunately, just six months later, he died of an apparent heart attack. Mr. K. R. Lohar succeeded him.
Mr. de Souza, Head Teacher, Mbeya Aga Khan School, 1963. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
In 1971/72, the socialist government of Tanzania nationalized all the Aga Khan Schools, and they came under the government administration. Mbeya Aga Khan School’s name was changed to Azimo School. Mr. Lohar taught there up to 1972 and left to teach at another school in Mbeya situated in the previous “European” area of Mbeya. He, with his wife Khulsum, moved to Leicester, UK, to join their sons in 1990 and for the treatment of Khulsum’s cancer. She passed away in Leicester in 1990. Mr. Lohar lived in Leicester with his son. In April of 1997, he had a stroke, and two months after his stroke, he was found to have cancer of the throat (he smoked heavily). He passed away on December 1, 1997, at the age of 67 years.
Mr. K .R. Lohar, Head Teacher, Mbeya Aga Khan School, 1964. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
In the mid-and late 1960s, Tanzanian-trained teachers and teacher assistants joined the team. To name a few (who were from the Mbeya Indian community), they were Miss Gulshan Dharsee, Miss Nurjehan Karim Lalji, Miss Fatma Bandali, Miss Gulzar Razak Hirji, and Mr Sadrudin Ali Valla. Mr Salim Dawood, originally from Dar es Salaam, also took up a teaching position at the Mbeya Aga Khan School. He would later move to the Aga Khan Primary School in Dar es Salaam, where he taught maths. Mr. Dawood passed away in Toronto in 2019. The native African teachers also joined the team.
Local trained including African teachers at the Mbeya Aga Khan School in the mid 1960s. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
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Local trained including African teachers at the Mbeya Aga Khan School in the mid 1960s. Photograph: Dr. Mohamed Manji collection.
The population of Mbeya Indians by the 6th decade of the 20th Century was about one thousand. Practically all the children who attended Mbeya Indian Public School and then Aga Khan School were born in the Southern Highland region of Tanganyika, of which Mbeya was the main administrative town. With this small population, Mbeya produced eight Medical doctors, one lawyer, eight registered nurses, five Chartered/Certified Accountants, four engineers, two legal secretaries, one with an Agriculture degree, and many more with college certification. This proud result of the Mbeya student’s achievement resulted from good schooling and ongoing guidance during the 1940s,1950s, and 1960s, which were done by those mentioned above, very dedicated and committed teachers of Mbeya. They were our Mbeya’s education heroes. They sparked the value and importance of education for students and society. I should state that Mr. Denis H. Noronha played a significant part in this. He brought the change in the early 50s by making English the medium of instruction, changing the curriculum to a UK one, recruiting good teaching staff, and advising the students and their parents regarding further education. He groomed the students to think far ahead. With this foundation, teachers like Mr. de Souza and Mr. K. R. Lohar, who followed him as a head teacher, continued to use the same approach and policy.
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Aga Khan Academy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in May 2008. Photograph: Gary Otte/The Ismaili.
At the Foundation Laying Ceremony of the Aga Khan Academy in Dacca, Bangladesh, in 2008, His Highness the Aga Khan stated, “Ultimately, the art of teaching is a mission. Those who embark upon the journey of teaching seek to transform individuals and communities, inspired by a sense of purpose”. Secondly, in a speech at the Aga Khan University in Karachi in 2000, His Highness said, “Teaching is one of the most valued professions because it opens minds to greater self-awareness as well as to the knowledge that gives learners greater control over their destinies.”
This statement proved very true for the Mbeya students of the 1940s, 50s, & 60s when they had to emigrate to the West in the early 1970s because of the “mopping up” measures in the way of the “Acquisition of Building Act 1971” brought by the socialist government of Tanzania. Indian-owned buildings, farms, etc., were nationalized without compensation. The economic security of the Indians was jeopardized because of the Africanization of businesses and jobs. Things became difficult to live there, and thus, the Indian population left Tanzania in large numbers. The students were able to resettle in countries like Canada, the USA, the UK & Australia, and they have done well in their jobs, practices and businesses. Some of us have achieved good positions at various institutions and academic positions at multiple Universities.
On behalf of all Mbeya students and their parents, I want to thank the teachers who taught us and prepared us for the future. We students also pray for the peace of the souls of all our departed teachers.
Date posted: August 14, 2024.
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Acknowledgement: The author would like to thank Cynthia (Noronha) Mascarena, Mr. Vincent Noronha, Mr. Rhemtulla (Remu) K. R. Lohar, and Mr. Karim Nurdin Popat Kassam for their help and information for this article.
Feedback: We welcome feedback from our readers in response to Dr. Manji’s informative piece about Mbeya teachers. Please click Leave a comment or send your comment to mmerchant@simerg.com. We welcome similar pieces about your experiences studying or teaching in Ismaili educational institutions in any part of the world.
Dr. Mohamed (Mo) Fazal Manji
About the author: Dr. Mohamed Fazal Manji, MD, DMRT, DABRT, FRCPC, who is originally from Mbeya Tanzania, is a cancer specialist. He is a Consultant Radiation Oncologist at BC Cancer Agency of British Columbia, Canada, and Clinical Associate Professor, University of British Columbia. He graduated in medicine from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, and immigrated to Canada in 1972. He specialised in radiation cancer treatments at Princess Margaret Hospital (Cancer Center as it is called now) in Toronto. He obtained the Canadian Fellowship (FRCPC) and American Board Specialist Certification (DABRT) in Radiation Oncology. He also undertook special courses in Nuclear Medicine and Endocrinology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. He became the first Canadian trained Ismaili Radiation Oncologist in Canada and probably in North America. He has been working at BC Cancer agency since 1977. He spent time abroad, working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to help modernize the Radiation Department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center. He spent 12 years at this tertiary hospital for cancer and other diseases. He was also involved in the planning and development of Radiation Oncology Departments at the Aga Khan University Hospitals in Karachi and Nairobi and spent some time working at both places. He has contributed to many peer review publications, abstracts, book chapters and also lecture presentations nationally and internationally. Dr. Manji is also a recipient of 2022 Royal College of Physician & Surgeon of Canada’s M Andrew Padmos International Collaboration Award.
He is the son of Rai Fazal Manji of Mbeya Tanzania, who served as a member of Aga Khan Supreme Council of Tanganyika in 1950s and Raibanu Rehmat Fazal Manji, daughter of Alijah Mohamed Hamir who, in early 1930s, built an iconic Jamatkhana in Iringa, Tanzania, and donated to Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah unconditionally. Appointed by His Highness the Aga Khan, Dr. Manji served as the first Member for Health on the first Aga Khan Ismaili Regional Council of Ontario and Quebec in 1973 under President Riaz Jethwani.
Simerg’s introduction of “Books by Ismaili Authors” continues with Salim Rahemtulla’s “Namirembe Road.” We follow the same Q/A format as our earlier presentations of books, which are listed chronologically below. We encourage Ismaili authors worldwide to participate in this series, regardless of when their books were published. See details of the series HERE and submit your responses to Simerg’s editor, Malik, at mmerchant@simerg.com.
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“With empathy, honesty, and insight, Rahemtulla invites readers to accompany him as he dives into the past, unraveling significant world events, including the Expulsion, Independence, Western cultural influence in East Africa and 1970s immigration to the UK. Through all of these delightful stories and characters, Salim highlights the profound significance of family and community ties that binds us together across time and distance”
Simerg: What is behind the name and title of the book?
Salim Rahemtulla: Namirembe Road is the name of the street that my family and I lived on, in a small apartment facing the majestic Kampala Jamatkhana. My father ran a second-hand shop on the road, and we lived upstairs. Right up until we had to leave Uganda, my life revolved around this road and the many friends and community members in the neighbourhood.
Simerg: Why would you want me or my family to read the book, and what will we learn from it?
Rahemtulla: This book will appeal to people that have been displaced from their homeland and forced to establish themselves in far away countries. For Ismaili readers in particular, the life of the community, how so much of life revolved around the Jamatkhana and community, may also be resonant. For those from East Africa and Kampala, a lot of the memories and places recalled in the memoir will be familiar. It’s a Life Journey that many people in similar situations can identify with.
Simerg: What inspired you to write the book?
Rahemtulla: After I retired about five years ago, my children encouraged me to enter the Arts World. Reluctantly I agreed and wrote a play about the 90 Days that Asians were given to leave Uganda. It was successful, and I continued with another project in the literary world by writing my memoir. I wanted to recall memories of Kampala, a place that is so fond to me, memories of my big family, and of my parents.
Interview continues below
Front cover of Salim Rahemtulla’s “Namirembe Road” published by Friesen Press, June 13, 2024, hardback, paperback and eBook, 204 pp.
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Simerg: How can I purchase the book, and what are its available formats?
Rahemtulla: The book is available in ebook, paperback, and hardback format on my publisher’s website, FriesenPress and can also in these formats from Chapter-Indigo, Amazon, and Barnes and Nobles.
Simerg: Did you hire an editor, an illustrator or did you do all the work by yourself?
Rahemtulla: When I first started, I spent a few weeks with an editor but once I settled on which publisher to go with, they provided editorial feedback and cover designers.
Simerg: How did you find a publisher for the book?
Rahemtulla: Through online research, focusing on the types of books that had already been handled by the publisher.
Simerg:Which was your first book, and how many have you written?
Rahemtulla: My first script was 90 Days, a theatre production produced by Western Gold Theatre in Vancouver in September 2022. Namirembe Road is my first book.
Simerg: How long did it take you to write the book — from start to finish?
Rahemtulla: It took me approximately two years to complete.
Simerg: Tell us something more about your book (and its primary character).
Rahemtulla: The book is my memoir/autobiography from early childhood to present day. When my children were growing up, I used to tell them stories about my life in Kampala and how I went to University and then the expulsion which brought us to Canada. They remember some of the stories and often talk about it, and also tease me for all the details I remember. So, I decided to entrench it by writing my memoir for the family, for the grandchildren to come and for friends that were with me in some of my life experiences.
Date posted: August 3, 2024.
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About the Author
Salim Rahemtulla
Salim Rahemtulla was raised in Kampala as one of nine children in a deeply united family of modest means. In 1971, he received a partial bursary to study Computer Science at the University of Manchester, UK, which was meant to be a step toward a brighter future. Little did he foresee the tumultuous political landscape that would soon unravel and dramatically alter the course of his life. The dictator Idi Amin had come to power in Uganda earlier that year, and one of his first acts as president was to order the expulsion of some 80,000 Asians — most of whom, like Rahemtulla’s family, were of Indian descent. Salim completed his education in the UK and then reunited with his parents and siblings in Canada, a country that had opened its arms to thousands of fleeing Asian Ugandans as refugees. Salim — a husband, father, computer scientist, and hotel owner — has travelled to India and Uganda to rediscover his roots. His theatre production “90 Days,” telling the story of an Ismaili Muslim family’s forced departure from Uganda in 1972, premiered at the Pal Studio Theatre in Vancouver in September 2022. He also made an acting debut in his daughter Zahida’s widely acclaimed play The Wrong Bashir in Vancouver and Toronto in 2024.
Salim Rahemtulla lives with his wife, Nasreen, in Burnaby, B.C., enjoying the company of his large family and many friends. He spends much of his time writing and playing tennis, squash, pickleball, and soccer — the sport that he grew up playing on Namirembe Road.
Calling all Ismaili Authors
We encourage Ismaili writers to introduce their books in a similar format as has been done in the post above. Please also see the series launch article and submit your responses to Malik at mmerchant@simerg.com. All submissions will be acknowledged. If a writer has published multiple books, each book will be highlighted in a separate article, and not combined with other books into one post. All writers should include a brief profile with a portrait photo.
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Links to the Ismaili Authors’ Series (in chronological sequence, oldest article first)
Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah, dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, and Simergphotos.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan and India’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, perform a lamp-lighting ceremony to formally inaugurate the Humayun Tomb World Heritage Site Museum in New Delhi on July 29, 2024. Photograph: PIB/Government of India.
India’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, inaugurated the sprawling 100,000 square feet state-of-the-art Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site Museum at the Humayun’s Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage site in New Delhi, on July 29, 2024. The museum, equipped with the latest technology and innovative design, promises an immersive and enlightening experience for all visitors.
The inauguration event was graced by the presence of Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the oldest son of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, the Ismaili Muslims’ 49th Hereditary Imam in direct lineal descent of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him and his family). Ismailis number 12 million worldwide, and Canada’s highly organized and respected Ismaili community has more than 100,000 members. The Ismaili Imamat’s projects in Canada include the iconic Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, the beautiful Aga Khan Garden in Edmonton and the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa.
The Humayun Tomb Museum, a facility of the Archaeological Survey of India designed and built in collaboration with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), is a significant step in preserving India’s rich cultural heritage. It opened to visitors on July 30, 2024. Please click HERE to read a report on the opening ceremony on our sister website, Barakah.
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Hon'ble Minister for Culture & Tourism, Shri @gssjodhpur , along with Prince Rahim Aga Khan, and other key dignitaries from Ministry of Culture, ASI inaugurated the state-of-the-art Humayun’s Tomb #WorldHeritageSite Museum in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/NkJruGDeRQ
— Archaeological Survey of India (@ASIGoI) July 29, 2024
Simerg and its sister website, Barakah, are buzzing with excitement as we provide a brief background story of the Humayun World Heritage Site Museum, which is set to be inaugurated in New Delhi on Monday, July 29, 2024. The anticipation is palpable as we await the grand opening by Prince Rahim Aga Khan, eldest son of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims. Gajendra Singh, India’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, will join him on this momentous occasion.
The Humayun World Heritage Site Museum, as described by the Indian edition of Condé Nast, is a gateway to understanding the unique cultural significance of one of the city’s most notable Mughal-era monuments. Anuja Jaiswal, writing for the Times of India, includes a statement by the CEO of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. He says that each of the museum’s exhibits, meticulously preserved, has a unique and fascinating story to tell.
With its rich historical significance, the museum is a treasure trove of enlightenment for any cultural researcher. The Indian Express, in a thought-provoking question, asks: “Did you know that Humayun travelled three times more than Marco Polo, the famed explorer, covering 34,000 kilometres in his life? Or that he was so obsessed with astronomy and astrology that he wore a specific colour each day of the week to align with the planet of the day? Or that he was so fond of books that he used to carry his libraries on camelbacks during his travels?”
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Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, and the then Minister of Tourism and Culture, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, on April 7, 2015, laid the foundation of a site museum to be situated at the Humayun’s Tomb complex. Prince Rahim Aga Khan will inaugurate the sunken museum on Monday, July 29, 2024. Photograph: The Ismaili/Aziz Ajaney.
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Artist rendering of Humayun’s Tomb Complex Site Museum in New Delhi, India. Photograph: AKDN. Please click on image for enlargement
When His Highness laid the museum’s foundation stone in April 2015, he observed:
“This Museum, as you may know….is located at the juncture of three historically connected sites: Humayun’s Tomb and its Gardens, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti, and the Sundar Nursery. In connecting these sites, the Museum will also serve as a bridge between the present and the past — linking the modern city of Delhi to its remarkable heritage — and thus providing a Gateway to a truly extraordinary period of human history. That remarkable chapter in the human story extended over 170 years — the era of the Mughal empire. It was a time of enormous accomplishment — and enormous significance. Geographically it covered much of what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. In terms of governance, it included hundreds of millions of people, covering an enormous spectrum of religious faiths, cultural practices, and ethnic identities. It was led by men whose talents in statehood and in military affairs were remarkable — and their impact was felt in virtually every dimension of human existence, both within the empire and outside. Many of the Mughal rulers, perhaps most of them, were also exceptional leaders in the acumen and insight which they brought to their leadership roles. They were statesmen who would have excelled in any time.” — For full speech on the Ismaili wesbite, click HERE.
For the latest news, articles and literary pieces about His Highness the Aga Khan, members of his family and the Ismaili Imamat, please visit Barakah.
Date posted: July 27, 2024.
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A different version of this story appears on Simerg’s sister website, Barakah.
[This post has two components: In the first piece, Professor Karim H. Karim examines the Aga Hall Project currently under construction in Mumbai, India. His inspiration for the piece comes from His Highness the Aga Khan’s advice to his Ismaili followers to ask hard questions about issues affecting the community. Dr. Karim inquires about the $365 million Aga Hall project’s luxury 54-storey Mumbai skyscraper. His soul-searching article examines the site redevelopment in the context of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) ethics, Ismaili Muslim values and the current program to address ultra-poverty that designates India as a high-priority country.
The next piece, submitted by an Ismaili Canadian visitor to India, is a disturbing eyewitness report of some terrible social habits and health issues within the Indian Jamat as well as the physical state of the Karimabad apartment complex and two historical Mumbai Jamatkhanas.
The post underscores the crucial role of the Ismaili community and its institutions in addressing pressing social and ethical issues, empowering them to take action — Ed.]
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(I). Asking Hard Questions about the Aga Hall Project: The “Iconic” Mumbai Redevelopment Raises Troubling Social Justice Concerns
The author, Karim H. Karim, has shaped this piece based on in-person and online Aga Hall Estate redevelopment team presentations, related documents, social media discussions, and communications with several individuals. The views expressed here are his.
The superlatives used in selling luxury apartments at the Aga Hall Estate in India will make even the most unrestrained publicity agents blush. Marketing presentations speak of the building as “exceptional,” “breathtaking,” “at the heart of everything,” “most exclusive,” “state-of-the-art,” “world-class,” “pre-eminent,” “ageless,” “ultimate,” “infinite,” “better than best,” “perfect,” “iconic.” Consider these boasts in the light of the following two translated passages, the first a verse from the Holy Qur’an and the second from the Ismaili Ginan (hymn) “Maal Khajina Bahotaj Bhariya” attributed to Sayyid Gulmali Shah:
The servants of the All-Merciful are those who walk in the earth modestly — Qur’an (25:63)
Wealth and treasure abound But you will not keep them This lovely palace will be forgotten And your place will be the jungle In what slumber do you sleep? Recall the Lord, recall Mawla — Ismaili Ginan
Many decades ago, a religious education teacher cautioned me against carelessly using absolutes because perfection does not exist in the material world. But that does not seem to apply to the South Mumbai Aga Hall redevelopment project, which has endowed itself with a heavenly aura.
Its promoters say that it is inspired by descriptions of paradise, claiming that “there will be delight, luxury, and comfort at every square foot” of this heaven on earth. Furthermore, it will have fabulous views of the Arabian Sea, which they declare “represents infinity” (an attribute of God).
This over-inflated balloon of self-congratulatory hype dropped to earth when an audience member at a presentation asked whether the building’s sightlines would always remain unobstructed. A project spokesperson was compelled to admit that such a guarantee could not be given because “in Mumbai, anybody builds anything anywhere, anytime.”
The glorious visions of all-pervading luxury and Eden-like delight also make for a jarring contrast with the reality of the grinding poverty of 2.5 million of Mumbai’s residents. Muslims are disproportionately the most deprived in the megapolis. Many Ismailis in Mumbai and around India are also among the country’s ultra-poor, whose upliftment remains the responsibility of the community’s leadership in India. The Aga Hall developers constantly speak of the accolades that the project has received for being environmentally friendly and “iconic” in design. However, the criteria for such awards and certifications do not account for the social justice values relating to poverty alleviation, which is a major concern of the Ismaili Imamat.
Aga Hall Estate’s current redevelopment is led by the Prince Aly Khan Hospital Charitable Trust, with the logo of Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), a body within the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), also appearing on the project’s brochure. The AKDN is an organization that has become well-known since the 1980s for its institutions’ innovative and successful initiatives to raise the quality of life of Ismaili Muslims and the communities among whom they live.
However, the Rs. 2,000 crore ($365 million Canadian) Aga Hall redevelopment does not appear to fit into AKDN’s dominant models of funding and operation. Notwithstanding the rationale that the “profit” from this project will go to the hospital, the promotional discourse of the project has drastically shifted course in making the wealthy its primary focus.
This article is concerned with the ethical and social justice implications of the Aga Hall Estate’s prioritization of the interests of the rich.
What is the Aga Hall Estate Project?
The 46th Nizari Ismaili Imam (Hasanali Shah, Aga Khan I) established his residence at Aga Hall (also known as Wadi) in South Mumbai’s Mazgaon locality in 1848. (His beautiful marble and sandstone mausoleum is north of this site at Hasanabad). Aga Khan II (Imam Shah Ali Shah) and Aga Khan III (Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah) also resided at Aga Hall. The Wadi Jamatkhana was built in 1900 on the estate’s lands that occupy several acres.
Additional community buildings were constructed over time. Ismaili Housing Society residences, the Diamond Jubilee School, and the Aly Khan Hospital have graced it since the mid-20th century. (There was another Imamat residence nearby in Malabar Hill, west of Hasanabad, which the present Imam, Aga Khan IV, Mawlana Hazar Imam, donated to accommodate housing for the poor in the early 1980s.)
Under the current redevelopment, the hospital is being remade into a “state of the art” medical facility, and the school will become an International Baccalaureate institution. Wadi Jamatkhana will be reconstructed. The housing society’s structures are being demolished to be replaced by a 45-storey “tenant” tower that will stand next to the project’s 54-floor commercial skyscraper, whose 373 freehold apartments are for sale on Mumbai’s real estate market. Mughal-themed gardens will intersperse the buildings designed in Islamic and Rajasthani architectural styles. The 140-year-old gates and fountain are being preserved for reinstallation. India’s “highest green building certification” has been obtained for the redevelopment.
The rationale provided for the project’s luxurious commercial tower is that its “surplus” will be used to upgrade the Aly Khan Hospital. Sometimes, the word “profit” is used at presentations, even though surplus and profit technically mean different things. The preferred audiences for the Aga Hall redevelopment’s promoters are well-off Ismaili and non-Ismaili Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).
Asking Hard Questions
“In dealing with the issues that lie ahead of us, we will look at them straight in the face, we will ask the hard questions. If we cannot find immediate answers, we will go on asking the same questions until inshallah, we are inspired to find the answers, but we will not give up. We will not go back to an obscurantism, to a form of intellectual retreat into something which is neither beneficial for the present and certainly not constructive for the future.” — His Highness the Aga Khan, November 11, 1986
Many questions remain unanswered despite the project team’s international publicity blitzes.
Why is a development network building luxury apartments?
Why is an institution that describes itself as endeavouring “to realize the social conscience of Islam” foregrounding the interests of the rich?
Why is a habitat agency whose mandate is to “work with communities to help them prepare for and respond to natural disasters and the effects of climate change” involved with the construction of investment property?
Has there been an unannounced change in the long-standing policy that has focused solely on providing homes for the lower and middle classes?
Why is one Ismaili housing society being upgraded to “world-class” standards while many others in India and elsewhere have languished for decades in varying states of disrepair and neglect?
Does this apparent change in direction signal an overall shift in the priorities and modus operandi for the entire AKDN organization?
There are larger questions about the effect of this development on the Ismaili community:
What impact will the seeming turnaround have on the way Ismailis conceptualize some of their fundamental values?
How will those who are feeling disaffected with the community’s institutions respond?
Wealth and the Quality of Life
Like other branches of Islam, the Ismaili faith does not prohibit the accumulation and enjoyment of private wealth, including real estate. However, sacred teachings emphasize moral responsibilities and ethical behaviour in acquiring income. Believers are expected to avoid excess and ostentation and to be humble and modest. Thoughtfulness and kindness towards the less fortunate are integral to the faith’s practice. Philanthropy is strongly encouraged, and there has long been a tradition of generous giving. These values have been beneficial for setting up Ismaili infrastructures under the guidance of the Imamat.
The establishment of health, educational, financial, and social facilities that began in the last century led to substantial material advancement of the community. Proper housing in many places of Ismaili presence became a major priority for the Imamat at the Golden Jubilee of Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah (1936), with the objective of improving and safeguarding the quality of murids’ lives. Flats were built in “colonies” (a term used in India and Pakistan) for members of the Jamat in the middle and lower socio-economic classes.
Ismailis are encouraged to contribute monetarily (and with service) to the network’s institutions. Whereas a significant proportion of the community donates to numerous causes, the most consistent financial donors are certain wealthy community members whose generosity is vital to the institutions. Fundraising has been highly systematized.
The social development programs of the Ismaili Councils and the AKDN have sought to improve the quality of life of the less privileged. Jamati members of various socio-economic classes benefit from mixed-use sites with adjacent housing, schools, and/or medical facilities.
It does not appear that any previous residential buildings were designed only for the benefit or use of the wealthy, who already have material access to high living standards.
However, the current construction of apartments in the Aga Hall complex’s commercial tower requires substantial financial resources beyond the reach of the less well-off. Whereas the “tenant” tower is being purpose-built to accommodate residents of the former buildings of the housing society, this is probably the first time the community is raising a separate structure exclusively for the rich.
Shifts in Perspective in Last Decade
The Aga Hall Estate has been under consideration for redevelopment since the mid-1990s. A 2014 design report for the AKDN stated that the estate, “including its buildings and adjacent areas (footpaths, access roads, gardens), are in a state of disrepair and require significant upgrades in terms of infrastructure.” The document’s proposals highlighted the site’s religious ethos and the Mumbai population’s socio-economic and cultural diversity. It described the Jamatkhana as “the jewel of the redevelopment complex.” There was an emphasis in that plan on blending “the spiritual and the material aspects of life that promotes a balanced way of life within the Islamic context.” The designer’s website refers to the movement from “Shariah to Hakikah.”
However, significant shifts in perspective appear to have occurred over the past decade. Whereas the 2014 report spoke about the balance between the material and the spiritual, the current brochure only speaks of “work-life balance.” Dunya (the material world) has become dominant,and din (faith) seems to have receded. The brochure boasts of the location’s “ultimate spectrum in urban living” that includes the “most desirable shopping destinations,”; “selection of international brands,”; “the trendy ‘Socials’”; “the exclusivity” of a racecourse and sports clubs; and “state of the art business district.” It declares that “With a Gross Domestic Product of US$2.7 Trillion in 2019, India is now the world’s seventh-largest economy” and invites prospective Ismaili and non-Ismaili buyers to “live at the heart of everything!”
However, these enthusiastic statements omit grim truths about the country’s deep and growing inequalities. Oxfam International’s 2023 report, “Survival of the Richest: The India Story”, notes as follows:
“Following the pandemic in 2019, the bottom 50 percent of the population have continued to see their wealth chipped away. By 2020, their income share was estimated to have fallen to only 13 percent of the national income and have less than 3 percent of the wealth. Its impact has been exceptionally poor diet, increase in debt and deaths. This is in stark contrast to the top 30 percent, who owns more than 90 percent of the wealth, with the top 10 percent owning more than 80 percent of the wealth concentrated in the top three deciles.”
It is not certain what proportions of the Jamat in Mumbai fall into the categories of rich and poor, but Mawlana Hazar Imam has instructed institutions to address the needs of murids who live in “ultra-poverty” during his Golden and Diamond Jubilees. He has indicated inadequate housing as a major problem and has identified India as a priority country for this international program. In late 2023, a Talika (a written message) reiterated his concern for the ultra-poor again. The Ismaili Leaders’ International Forum reviewed progress on the program to deal with the elimination of poverty at it meeting in June 2024. This issue is clearly not the focus of those selling Aga Hall Estate apartments.
It seems noteworthy that the book The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness was prominently displayed alongside a spokesperson during a video presentation on the project. Also interesting is that the commercial tower caught the attention of the online Indian newspaper Money Control, which wrote about it glowingly for a readership attracted to luxury and conspicuous consumption.
Ethics in Action?
The AKDN has described itself as endeavouring to “realize the social conscience of Islam” and its projects are called “ethics in action.” Unfortunately, not everyone in the vast network seems to understand what such an institutional position entails. There are multiple layers of problems in the manner that the promoters of the Aga Hall redevelopment have situated their project with respect to ethics.
In misinterpreting the Institute of Ismaili Studies’ document on the network’s ethical framework, they refer to “AKDN’s eight ethics”. Neither IIS’s nor AKDN’s materials state that the ethical principles are only eight in number. Various publications of the IIS identify additional ethics that are also important to the network’s ethos. Nevertheless, the Aga Hall project has designed its logo to represent the supposedly eight-fold ethical structure of AKDN. We are told that the symbol is based on the eight-petalled flower called Dryas Octopetalia. As it turns out, the flower is not native to tropical Mumbai, where the redevelopment is located, but to the arctic-alpine regions of the world. Such incongruities appear to underline the conceptual shallowness of the project.
The Aga Hall promotors state that the first of AKDN’s ethics is “inclusiveness.” Yet, the project’s own promotion materials, including its brochure, contradictorily emphasize the words “exclusive” and “exclusivity” to describe the nature of the site. The nullification of inclusiveness is embedded in the character of the commercial building, which is financially exclusionary. Indeed, the brochure, videos, and presentations about the project are pitched only to upper-class audiences.
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Cover page, Aga Hall brochure.
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Page 26, Aga Hall brochure.
In many of the community’s decrepit housing societies in India, governance (one of the other “eight ethics”) has been a sore issue. However, the Wadi housing society’s political economy seems to be intriguing in its distinctness. Among the current occupants of the colony are elite Ismaili individuals, including a high-ranking member of the Aga Khan Council of India and a Maharashtra state politician. It is unclear how decisions will be made on applications from less privileged Jamati families in Mumbai who want to reside in this highly desirable “tenant tower.”
Prince Aly Khan Hospital is to be converted to a state-of-the-art facility. Unfortunately, upgrades to some other AKDN health institutions, including Aga Khan University Hospitals, have made them more expensive and inaccessible for middle — and lower-class families. The Diamond Jubilee School will be transformed into an international baccalaureate educational institution. However, it is not clear what arrangements will be made for the neighbourhood’s children who do not meet its elevated entrance standards.
The Aga Hall project’s promotional materials strongly imply that Ismaili presence in Mumbai began with the arrival of Aga Khan I and his entourage of Persian followers in 1846. This would be patently incorrect. Documents from the celebrated Aga Khan Case (1866) reveal that the Khoja Jamat was well-established in Bombay before the end of the 1700s. The community’s wealthy members assisted many who migrated from Gujarat to the city, especially during periodic famines. Whereas the word “heritage” is used to promote the Aga Hall redevelopment, it is applied in a very exclusionary sense that erases the long-standing Khoja presence from the city’s pluralist history.
“Community” is a term used in the redevelopment’s materials to refer to all the future residents and users (Ismaili and non-Ismaili) of Aga Hall. It is presumed here that everyone will have shared access to the site’s open areas. However, the sales team does not explain how potential disagreements between the commercial tower’s occupants and others will be navigated. Experience has shown that those who have purchased property at premium prices tend to demand exclusive entitlements and privileges.
What is the Road Ahead?
“… an exclusionary narrative can deepen tensions and divisions between groups. These dynamics shape societal interactions for generations and can be challenging to change.” — Princess Zahra Aga Khan, Global Centre for Pluralism, May 19, 2021
Wealth generation has been important to the Ismaili community in ensuring services for the Jamat. It has helped to build Jamatkhanas and secular institutions that have embodied the faith’s values. Central to these values has been the improvement of the quality of life of those who are less fortunate. The generosity of the Jamat’s wealthy members has been a source of strength for the community. Whereas donors have been given certain recognitions and advantages, the community has generally sought to be inclusive of all socio-economic backgrounds and has hitherto not structurally supported class divisions in the Jamat.
A long-existing for-profit sector in communal institutions now mainly operates under the Aga Fund for Economic Development. It is mandated to remain distinct from the social development activities of institutions such as the Aga Khan Foundation. The major funding sources for AKDN’s social development programs are the Imamat, international development aid agencies, private foundations, and Jamati members. For-profit activities have not been given as overt a place in the network’s social development sector as is currently happening in the Aga Hall project. This tendency appears to be creeping into non-profit sections of the Network.
The change at Aga Hall is not merely the injection of commercialization in redeveloping the mixed-use site but the remarkable shift of prioritizing the people who purchase apartments in the 54-storey tower. Regardless of the rationale that the “profit/surplus” from this structure will flow to the hospital, the promotional discourse of the project has made an overt qualitative change in making the rich its main concern. Its language emphasizes exclusive elite access and conspicuous consumption. It subscribes to the materialist values of an opulent lifestyle that appears contrary to the AKDN’s and the Ismaili faith’s normative stance.
Whereas one could argue that there is a place in society for the high life and that there is nothing inherently wrong with such a sales pitch whose ultimate aim is social development, the unintended and insidious danger is that the Aga Hall project’s commercial discourse normalizes and reinforces the divisions between rich and poor. It is troubling that the context in which this is taking place is the severe shortage of affordable housing in India and the sharply deepening gap between the haves and the have-nots.
Adherents of the faith have been nurtured on beliefs of gaining entry to heaven through spiritual endeavour. But the Aga Hall’s materialist promotions promise paradisical happiness through a monetary transaction. This appears contradictory to Jamati members, who wonder if the value orientation has changed. Concerns in this regard are often raised by the community’s intelligentsia, and among youth in social media discussions.
I end this article by asking some additional questions that need to be addressed.
How is the apparently new focus on the interests of the rich to be explained to the community for whom a central Shia Ismaili value is social justice?
How are those who are struggling to find adequate housing for themselves and their children to rationalize the institutional construction of luxury residences?
How will the Aga Khan Council of India explain to the underprivileged in their Jamat the special advantages that are being proffered to wealthy resident and non-resident Indians?
How will fund-raisers for AKDN and Jamati projects justify the Aga Hall Estate’s “most exclusive” development?
Aga Hall’s commercialization appears to be sending mixed messages. The luxury apartment tower will be the highest building constructed in the community’s history. What will this Ismaili “icon” signal to the world about the community?
What will the project say to future generations of the Jamat about Ismaili values?
It is worth recalling that “The servants of the All-Merciful are those who walk in the earth modestly” (Qur’an, 25:63).
Date posted: July 22, 2024.
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About the Author
Professor Karim H. Karim delivering his remarks on March 23, 2024, at the Ismaili Centre in London upon being presented the Institute of Ismaili Studies inaugural Alumni Recognition Award. Photograph: Institute of Ismaili Studies/via Karim H. Karim.
Karim H. Karim is Chancellor’s Professor at Carleton University. He has served as Co-Director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) and Director of Carleton’s School of Journalism & Communication and Centre for the Study of Islam. Dr. Karim has held visiting scholarly appointments at Harvard University, the Aga Khan University (AKU), and Simon Fraser University. He has also been a senior advisor for the AKU and the Central Asian University and has served as a member of the AKDN’s Higher Education Forum. Professor Karim is an award-winning author who has published numerous critically-acclaimed and globally-cited writings. He and his wife have established The Karim and Rosemin Karim Prize that recognizes research excellence in understudied areas of Ismaili Studies. Karim received the inaugural IIS Alumni Recognition Award in March 2024.
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(II). Quality of Life of Ismaili Jamati Members: Is it a Reality or Myth?
The following is an eyewitness account by a Canadian Ismaili who spent several weeks in India. The writer is known to the editor and wishes to remain anonymous. We honour his request.
There has been a lot of emphasis on improving the quality of life (QoL) of the global Jamati members. The QoL was even a Diamond Jubilee Project. May I also note that the elimination of poverty, an integral part of QoL, was raised by Mawlana Hazar Imam during his Golden Jubilee Year, which began on July 11, 2007. He repeatedly stressed about its elimination by the end of the Jubilee year, which concluded on December 13, 2008. Subsequently, he has raised the same matter over and over again.
Every country where our Jamati members reside has a specific goal-oriented methodological approach to improve the lives of its members. Quality of life or well-being refers to the wealth and comfort of individuals, communities, and society based on material and non-material factors important to people’s lives, such as health and social connections. Four domains common to QOL in health have been defined as physical health, mental health, social health and functional health. Other relevant domains include::
Material living conditions (income, consumption and material conditions)
Leisure and social interactions.
Economic security and physical safety.
Governance and fundamental rights.
Natural and living environment.
On my recent visit to India, I made a few specific observations about some aspects of QoL that I would like to share. I had the opportunity to visit Jamatkhana in four cities: Bhuj, Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad. I observed specific conditions and behaviours affecting our Jamati members’ QoL in each city.
It’s urgent that we address these issues to ensure the well-being of our Jamat. I observed that most youths and some senior members were chewing packed tobacco in all these cities. Tobacco chewing has a characteristic aroma; the smell disturbs the peaceful and serene atmosphere inside the Jamatkhanas. These packets are readily available and at an affordable cost. Health research findings have proved that this addiction is the leading cause of oral cancers and many other problems related to oral hygiene, like darkening of the teeth and premature loss of teeth. Thus, the QoL of our Jamat in India is at a potential risk. I sincerely wish the leadership in India is aware of this and has a preventive program in place. If not, it is time to study this health issue and address it appropriately.
Another issue that caught my attention during my visit was the prevalence of obesity among our Jamati members. This chronic lifestyle metabolic syndrome is a growing concern that we cannot ignore. We need to understand the extent of this issue: what is the prevalence of this health problem compared to national data, and what are the specific interventional strategies for the Jamat? Data and strategies are crucial in addressing this issue, and a systematic approach is needed to tackle this epidemic.
My visit to Mumbai also brought to light the state of our housing complexes. The Karimabad complex is in a run-down state. We must provide safe, modern, and acceptable housing for our Jamat. Even the Jamatkhana in that complex is dire, with falling window frames, depilation, etc. Similarly, the Darkhana (Dongree Jamatkhana) is in dire need of repairs. The urgency of improving our living spaces and places of prayer cannot be overstated.
I was told that the new Ismail complex in Hyderabad was built to accommodate members of the Jamat from Bhuj (the Jamat is at risk due to earthquakes). When I was there, this relocation had not taken place, and perhaps there is a need to investigate this, as it could significantly improve the safety and quality of life for the Jamat members.
“Historically and in accordance with Ismaili tradition, the Imam of the time is concerned with spiritual advancement as well as improvement of the quality of life of his murids. The Imam’s ta’lim lights the murid’s path to spiritual enlightenment and vision. In temporal matters, the Imam guides the murids and motivates them to develop their potential.“
The Jamat and its institutions must catch up based on the Imam’s concern, continuous advice and motivation to develop our potential and rid the Jamat of poverty. This will require a comprehensive approach that addresses not only the immediate health and housing issues but also the underlying social and economic factors that contribute to the overall quality of life of our Jamat.
Karim H. Karim. (2022, Nov. 23). Contemporary Nizari Thought’s Pragmatic Turn and the Centrality of Ethics. Ismaili Studies Conference: State of the Field. Institute of Ismaili Studies. London, UK.
Karim H. Karim. (2014). The Aga Khan Development Network: Shia Ismaili Islam. In Stephen M. Cherry and Helen Rose Ebaugh (Eds.), Global Religious Movements Across Borders. London: Ashgate Publishers.
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