“I’m afraid I have some awful, awful news to share. Our dearest, most beloved Mo passed away today on New Year’s Day, Tuesday, January 1, 2013, at approximately 2.30 a.m. in our home here in Chiang Mai, Thailand” — Lisa S. Keary….Read More
Mohezin Tejani – author and humanitarian
There is one writer Simerg would like to single out just before 2012 ends, and the person is Mohezin (Mo) Tejani for his thought-provoking contributions both in prose and poetry. Tejani, a global nomad who has lived and worked in humanitarian aid in five continents of our planet, writes with insight and brilliance on many themes and topics including nature, social issues and travel narratives.
“Ute Visions” – a great piece by essayist Mo Tejani. Please see links on this page
The award-winning author’s latest piece is based on Shakespeare’s The Seven Ages of Man and looks at the life of an Indian, African, and American in 2012 in contrast to Shakespeare’s man of 1538. An earlier piece was dedicated to Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan for Simerg’s special series, “Thanking Ismaili Historical Figures”, which portrayed the late Prince’s life-long contributions with warmth and affection.
One of the many superb pieces by Tejani on this website. See links on this page.
We invite our readers around the globe to get to know Tejani through the following fine pieces which Simerg was proud to publish in 2012 (and earlier):
2012:
“The Seven Ages of Man Redux”
Thank You Letter to Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan – “A Man of Multiple Visions”
“New Hampshire Twilight” and “Iguazu”
~~~~~
A thank you letter to Prince Sadruddin, an affectionate portrayal by Mo Tejani. See links on this page for Tejani’s fine contributions.
More 2012…
Ute Visions
Inca Gods
A Nature Poem
Exploring Belgium: The Modern and the Medieval
_________
Pre-2012:
A nature piece by Tejani which appeared in 2011. Please see links on this page for Tejani’s great essays.
A Letter to Charles Darwin from Galapagos
Singida
Childhood Games
….AND A MESSAGE ON HOPE BY THE 48TH ISMAILI IMAM,
HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN (1877-1957)
“You must remember that life will have for you many disappointments. If one-fifth of one’s hopes are realised, one is extremely lucky and fortunate, so do not be discouraged by disappointments. Failures should be forgotten and new efforts made. Despondency is a sin, and hope a necessary part of iman (faith) both for material wealth and, above all, for progress to spiritual enlightenment.”
NINE STORIES OF FAITH, HOPE, LOVE AND COURAGE
1. Please click: On Meeting the Noorani Family – My Voyage to Europe
This is an extraordinary account, blended with unique photos, of a remarkable voyage to Europe in 1957 by an Ismaili youth. Badrudin Adatia’s first-hand narrative, lyrically told from a story-telling perspective, is full of rich and colourful detail and nostalgic vocabulary as he recounts his meeting with the late 48th Ismaili Imam, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan, and members of the Imam’s family.
~~~
2. Please click: “Mawla Fulfilled My Wish”
Sakerkhanu Gulamhusain was only 6 when she was selected to recite a poem at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of His Highness the Aga Khan in 1946. She received an incredible ovation during her recital before the arrival of the 48th Ismaili Imam, and by public demand was requested to repeat her recital. But Sakerhanu’s wish – along with that of the audience – was that she should recite it in the noble presence of her Imam.
~~~
3. Please click: “Shukr Mawlo, Shukr Mawlo” – When Hope is All You Have Left, a Story for Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Salgirah
From a summer vacation of despair in the 1990’s, Gulnor Saratbekova takes us to the days of hope as she recounts her early life during one of the most dangerous phases in the modern history of Tajikistan. “…I remember clearly when I saw our Mawla on TV for the very first time. I was at my uncle’s and there were about 15 of us living at his house. I didn’t understand why suddenly all the grownups started to cry and say SHUKR MAWLO, SHUKR MAWLO…” Gulnor’s warm story will touch the heart of Ismailis and non-Ismailis alike.
~~~
4. Please click: Loving Tales of our Beloved Imams: (I) Farazdaq’s Praise and Support of Imam Zainul Abideen (a.s.)
Please remember the name, Farazdaq. This tale belongs to ages past. It goes back to the era of Hazrat Imam Zainul Abideen (a.s.), our third Imam, from whose veins was to ensue the Divine Line of the Imams. He was the Imam who, on the battlefield of Karbala, received the nass of Imamat from his father, Hazrat Imam Hussain (a.s.) with the blessing: “Through you, the line of Imamat will continue till the Day of Judgment.”
~~~
5. Please click: Remarkable Voices of Ismaili Women from Shimshal, a Remote Village in the Karakoram
Pam Henson of New Zealand has visited the remote Ismaili village of Shimshal in the Karakoram four times, either as a trekker or a volunteer teacher. During her last visit she invited women to talk about themselves, and documented their remarkable and candid revelations in a ground-breaking book called Women of Shimshal. The three-part series starts with two stories as told by Guljon Bibi and Roshan Noma.
~~~
~~~
6. Please click: Baba Ismail: The First Shamsi Convert in the History of the Gupti Ismailis of Punjab
Khizar Hayat’s story is from 1910 about a young man who, in his twenties, went to see the 48th Ismaili Imam, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III (1877 – 1957), in Bombay at his Walkeshwar bungalow. Fortunately, he got the opportunity to have a personal audience with the Imam of the time. When asked for the purpose of his visit, he said (in Urdu) “Ya Mawla, I am a Shamsi Ismaili from Multan and wish that Mawlana Hazar Imam give me a Muslim name.”
~~~
7. Please click: An Opportunity of a Lifetime – Recitation of Qur’anic Verses in the Presence of His Highness the Aga Khan
This is a a story of determination and hard work by a youth who took a keen interest in his religious studies. Ahamed Ismail recounts how he got an opportunity to recite Qur’anic verses in 1957 in Dar-es-Salaam in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan.
~~~
8. Please click: Fond Memories of Salamieh, 51 Kensington Court, and Yakymour
An Ismaili youth, Abdul Mamdani, travelled through the Middle East and Europe in a motorcycle and arrived in London in 1953. He soon had an opportunity to meet with the 48th Ismaili Imam, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan at 51 Kensington Court. He informed the Imam about his earlier visit to Salamieh, Syria. On being ‘prompted’ by the Imam, Mamdani remembered an instance from his Syrian visit concerning a devout Ismaili woman.
~~~
9. Please click: The 1979 London Didar: The Setting and The Experience
“We all looked towards him, perhaps with different attitudes and varying emotions, but we all gazed in the same direction. Some considered him with awe and humble reverence, others with frankness and sincere curiosity, some looked for the fulfillment of aspirations and dreams, others simply looked,” wrote Farah Ramzan in an essay as a young student on Mawlana Hazar Imam’s weeklong visit to the UK in 1979.
Special to Simerg
Mo Tejani’s trilogy of poems is based on Shakespeare’s The Seven Ages of Man and looks at the life of an Indian, African, and American in 2012 in contrast to Shakespeare’s man of 1538.
PLEASE CLICK: “The Seven Ages of Man Redux” by Mo Tejani
Please click for Trilogy
Loving Tales of our Beloved Imams: (I) Farazdaq’s Praise and Support of Imam Zainul Abideen (a.s.)
“…This tale belongs to ages past. It goes back to the era of Hazrat Imam Zainul Abideen (a.s.), our third Imam, from whose veins was to ensue the Divine Line of the Imams. He was the Imam who, on the battlefield of Karbala, received the nass of Imamat from his father, Hazrat Imam Hussain (a.s.) with the blessing: “Through you the line of Imamat will continue till the Day of Judgment…”
Please click for story
Simerg - Insights from Around the World 