Saturday, December 26, 2020
From Ishrat
People often say that I have my mother’s eyes. I’d like to
think that I also inherited her vision. She did not see herself, or the world,
as limited. Her commitment to higher education, her passion for service, and
her love for her family had no bounds. She saw possibilities for her future that
no one else did.
She was the original feminist in my life. I was told that
her childhood nickname was “beda” (egg) because although she was a soft
compassionate person at heart, she had to be quite tough on the outside to
achieve her goals. She fought for her right to be treated equally, ignored
harassment from people in her own community, and sacrificed her reputation
while she pursued her studies.
I remember her as being strong-willed, bold, fiery, and
opinionated. I am certain that she would be proud to be remembered as a
rebellious spirit. I also remember her as incredibly generous, kind, loving,
and protective. By all accounts, she was an incredible nurse and helped many
people during her career. She also took great care of her family and friends
and made sure that everyone was always comfortable, happy, and fed.
My mother broke the rules to live a life less ordinary. In
her honor, I’ve promised to live every day to the fullest. A life full of
travel & adventure. A life dedicated to education, art, community, &
service. A life blessed by love & family. I hope that her story will
inspire you to do the same.
Ishrat Kundawala - Sara's daughter.
From Ishaq
I had the honor and pleasure of knowing my mother, Sara
Kundawala, for almost ten years. I was
born in 1977 and she passed away from cancer in 1987.
Many memories of my mother have faded away with time, but
certain memories of her have stayed with me throughout my life and have also
shaped my life. My mother was the
strongest and most courageous person I have ever known. She struggled long and hard for her life,
but I never heard her complain about the terrible situation that life had dealt
her. I never saw fear in her eyes. She was incredibly tough.
She was also very generous of herself, even in her time of
illness. She was not concerned about receiving
anything in return for what she gave. I
wish more people could emulate this level of generosity, especially in these
tough times.
While I never knew her as a nurse, I think all of her
qualities and values must have made her an incredible one. Her qualities certainly made her a wonderful
mother.
I will never forget the life lessons I learned from
her. Respect others, work hard, give of
yourself, be strong and show some compassion for others. I wish the best for each of you. I know my mother would be very proud of this
program.
My Bhabhi
My Bhabhi
My Bhabhi Saraben Kundawala was a unique woman
in so many ways. Besides being a great woman, she was a pioneer, educator, care
taker, guide and a helper for anyone who needed help…..help of any kind. On a
social equation, she added up to be a loving wife, caring mother, best friend, effective
teacher and of course my loving sister-in-law. But above all, my Bhabhi was a
survivor and a fighter.
She was the first woman from Dahod to go out of
town to get advance education. True to her unyielding passion for helping and
caring for others, she chose a profession of nursing. In her profession as RN,
she was the most loving and caring nurse you will ever find. She touched so
many lives with her tender loving care and a beautiful smile.
She played a vital role in my life. At the budding
age of 20….in 1980, when I came to USA, I was overwhelmed with the hustle and
bustle of American way of life. The cultural shock was almost unbearable. The
food, the dress, the bigness of Texas, the roads, the distances, the driving,
cooking…..everything had to be learned. My Bhabhi helped me merge in this
society and taught me how to live the American way of life while still
maintaining the Indian culture and values. Among other things, she showed me
how to improvise…cooking Indian food using American ingredients.
Sara bhabhi helped me during my first
pregnancy. Not knowing what to expect, she took care of every little detail in
welcoming Rehana to this wonderful world. In 1982, I had to undergo a surgery.
Once again, she took care of me and my family……..treating Rehana like her own
daughter.
Bhabhi……..Thank you.
In Marathi language, there is saying that “Shahanu Manus Labhat Nahin”…..meaning
nice people don’t last in this world. Mighty Allah calls them early. That is
what happened to her. Some time around 1980, we learned that she was battling
cancer. In 1984, the cancer reappeared. What is remarkable is that during all
these years of her suffering, she never complained, was always cheerful and
instead of us consoling her, she was reassuring us that everything will be
fine. At last, in 1987, she lost her fight with the cancer. Still today, as a
breast cancer survivor myself, she is an inspiration to me and others in USA
and India. She taught us how to survive…….the biggest and most important lesson
of my life.
May Allah bless her soul in Jannat.
Fatema
Taiyab Kundawala
Dallas,
Texas, USA
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Sara, one of the fragrant ever-smiling beads of the Panchmala (garland of the five beads) pg. 11 translation
The five of us, Sara, Amelin, Saifee (Lukhadia), Yusuf
(Kundawala), and I (Mannan Ranapurwala) were known as Panchmala amongst our
friends. We all used to study together during our high school years. We
frequently had a lot of fun meeting on Wednesday evenings at Amelin Christian’s
house to hear our favorite radio program “Binaka GeetMala” and used to have
lots of fun. Those were the days of studies, fun, and mischief. Our fragrant
bead of Panchmala was lost in 1987 but her fragrance has stayed forever in our
minds.
Approximately 55 years ago, Sara was the first Bohra girl to
matriculate from high school in Dahod. In those days the girls never used to
graduate. In spite of people throwing stones at her, she was never afraid, and
continued her studies.
In the last year of high school all the members of the
Panchmala acted in a play. Sara and I had major roles in the play. Our
friendship became even closer through this experience.
In 1959 Amelin decided to go to Baroda Nursing College for
further studies. Sara wanted to go too but she had problems to face. In those
days the Bohra society was not ready to accept her becoming a nurse but Sara
made a bold decision and headed to Baroda to study nursing also. Yusuf went to
medical college in Bombay and Saifee and I used to go to Baroda regularly to
meet her and encourage her in her studies.
In 1962 she came back to Dahod with a nursing degree and
joined the Railway Hospital as a staff nurse. People used to throw stones at
her when she bicycled to work. I used to frequently drop her off at the
hospital, especially for her evening duties.
I saw Sara last in 1986 when she came for her final visit to
see to her friends and relatives. Sara knew that the cancer would not let her
live much longer and she wanted to have her wish fulfilled to meet everyone for
the last time.
Mannan
Ranapurwala
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