Since I am writing this family history I felt I must tell you and my other grand children about some early tragedies in our family.
I think I have mentioned before that my father had two brothers one elder and the other younger to him. The younger brother, Mohammed Mahmood Sahib, died much before my father and the last to go was the eldest brother our Taya Abba.
Our uncle's (Mohammed Mahmood Sahib) first wife Halima Bi was the younger sister of our mother and as long as she lived we continued as a joint family and it was she who managed the whole house. My mother had very little to do during her lifetime. Even all the children of both families used to look to her for any assistance.
Aunt's personality was unique as all the children not only loved her but they also got scared of her when they did anything wrong.
She gave birth to ten children. All but one of them, late Nisar Ahmed, were daughters. Four daughters did not survive their infancy and three other daughters expired after they had grown up. Our aunt left us after a protracted illness when we were still very young. My mother told me later that I was the one who cried most sitting by the side of her dead body. I was about 12 years old. I still recall that she used to treat me as her own son and I can never forget her noble face to this day.
Like somebody said, "they all come in a sequence and do not follow it when leaving this world".
A few words about my aunt's three grown up daughters who died when they were very young.
Bibi Jan was the eldest daughter who was married and lived happily with her husband in Malur about sixteen miles from our place. She had two children a son and a daughter. Both children were very attractive and many of our relatives used to envy Bibi Jan for giving birth to such lovely children. Particularly her son Qamar was like a prince. Our maternal uncle Mr. Mohammed Yakoob used to call Bibi Jan as the Aya of her children, not their mother.
Qamar was about two and a half years old when Bibi Jan came from Malur to participate in the marriage of her younger sister Chotima.
Just two days before the marriage Bibi Jan's son Qamar had a stroke of dysentery which resulted in his getting severe fits. Within hours the same day he collapsed and expired. Everyone in the house including the doctor were shocked to witness the tragedy. Qamar's father had gone to Bangalore to fetch a very expensive dress for his son to be used in the marriage. He returned at 10.30 P.M. and fainted as soon as he saw the dead body of his son. He did not believe what he saw as he had left his son in the best of his health.
Anyway the burial took place the same night and Chotima's marriage took place as scheduled.
This worst tragic incident of our family left deep scars on the minds of both sisters. Bibi Jan for loosing her lovely son and Chotima for being the cause of the tragedy as she used to say. Both of the sisters fell victims to the most hazardous disease TB. Those days effective treatment was not prevalent for that kind of disease. Both sisters were sent to TB sanatorium in Mysore where they remained for about six to eight months. Bibi Jan's infant daughter Bilqees was left with Bimumani who always came to offer assistance in such events.
Bibi Jan's condition deteriorated and she was released from the hospital as there was no hope of her recovery. She remained in Bangarapet for sometime before breathing her last. She made a declaration that her lovely daughter Bilqees would follow her in about a fortnight's time which turned out to be true. That was the end of her family.
Chotima also was sent back from the sanatorium with no hope of her survival and she succumbed in a few days time.
I still recall visiting both sisters in the Mysore sanatorium and seeing their faces gleam with hope of survival. Both of them expected me to be in Bangarapet as a permanent member of the joint family instead of in service in Lonavla so that we could revive some of the past history. Alas! they did return to Bangarapet one after the other only to go to their last abodes.
I was not even present on those occasions and I was told later as to how much they missed me.
Abida the third sister also became a victim of the same cruel disease a few years later.
This meant that the core of our uncle's family left this world when they had not passed their young ages. Yes, I remember them very much even to this day.