40,000 Bohras from all over world attending their annual congregation in Karachi, Pakistan

[N.Siddiqui]

KARACHI: Just a day before the Muharram moon was officially sighted in Pakistan, the roads in Saddar were crowded with men, women and children of the Dawoodi Bohra community. They were all headed towards one direction, the Taheri Masjid.

The buses, cars and motorcycles all had men in crisp white clothes and women distinctly dressed in those pretty and colourful Bohra burqas called rida.

Karachi this year is hosting some 40,000 Bohras from all over the world for their annual congregation, or Ashra Mubaraka, which takes place in different cities every year. There are visitors from India, Sri Lanka, Iraq, UAE, the rest of the Gulf region and the Far East, Malaysia, UK, Canada and the US. The hotels are full as are many Bohra homes who have welcomed members of their community with open arms.

“It is after about 21 years that we have so many people from our community visiting. It is the first time also that head of the Dawoodi Bohras Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin is holding the Muharram majlis series. When the gathering was held 21 years ago here the sermons were conducted by [the late 52nd leader or dai] Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin,” said Mustafa Tawawala, a senior member of the community in Karachi.

‘Our surnames say a lot about our family businesses’

Since the Bohras follow the Egyptian calendar, the Muslim year for them commenced a day before everyone else in Pakistan. And the first day was marked with the birthday of the thaal or the huge stainless steel serving platter placed on a kundli or wooden stool around which some eight people can sit cross-legged to enjoy the dishes.

Usually, there are about 53 dishes on each thaal. Fifty-three because the present leader of the community happens to be the 53rd one. But that’s not all, the variety in dishes is according to the concept of sakhan, which is a wish to be blessed in as big a variety of ways are there are dishes on the thaal. The more the dishes the more the blessings.

There is all kinds of food including the popular Bohra khitchra, a rice and meat dish, chicken, fish, vegetables, pickles, salads, raita, savoury dishes, deserts and fruit on the thaal. Every meal begins and ends with the tasting of salt but on the birthday of the thaal on Muharram 1, it is customary to first pass a coconut over the thaal seven times in clockwise motion. Then after the tasting of salt it is time to have the sweetened rice. As a shukrana or thanksgiving every happy occasion within the community begins by having the sweet dish first.

On Sunday, Sakina Bookwala and family, who crossed over to Pakistan from India by train a few days ago, were on their way for the majlis in Saddar. “We are travelling from Mumbai in a group. We first arrived in Lahore before coming to Karachi,” said Sakina, surrounded by her immediate family which includes her little daughter Sarah, who is wearing a very pretty cap with sail boats, steering wheels, anchors and lifebuoys embroidered on it.

The family is also accompanied by the extended family comprising cousins, aunts and uncles. All could be spotted from afar in their traditional attire. The women are wearing different coloured rida and the men the three-piece white kurta, pajama and saya, a long matching coat worn over the kurta. On their heads they are wearing white caps with golden embroidery. Some also wear golden caps with white embroidery.

When asked if she suggested the design on her cap, Sarah smiled shyly before nodding. And how many caps did she have? “Three,” she said. “This and two more, one decorated with lace and the other with ribbons,” she added.

“The caps serve as training headgear for when they are old enough to adorn the rida. They also prove as encouragement to dress decently,” explained Sakina. All the little girls going to attend majlis wear similar caps. One girl has different colour fish on her cap, another has beads on hers. The caps match the clothes. “We have plenty of cap makers within our community. They are experts in their craft,” said the mother.

Some of those experts can be found at the nearby Najmi Market, too. There are shops there catering specifically to the Bohra community as they are also owned by Bohras. Unstitched rida sellers, rida tailors, shops selling lace for the borders of the pleated rida capes with hoods and the long skirts and shops which sell Bohra menswear. There are also shops selling other things of daily use such as the wooden slippers, or kharawein, as they are called, attar, bukhur, the short, fat incense sticks, thaal, kundli, etc.

The visitors to Pakistan though don’t really have time to shop. Sakina and her family said that they would be leaving around the 12th of Muharram. “Wish we could stay longer but the children would miss too much of school then,” she pointed out.

With so many Dawoodi Bohras around all of sudden others want to know more about them, which is not easy to do as they are a very peace-loving, quiet community who keep to themselves and don’t like to fuss or attract attention towards themselves. “We are commonly known as ‘Bohri’ here, which is a distortion of Bohra. We don’t even call the bazaar, commonly known as the Bohri Bazaar that. We call it Bohra Bazaar,” Mr Tawawala said.

“The word ‘Bohra’ means traders, by the way,” he said. “Our community has been associated with various trades,” he added.

“For instance, if you come across a Bandukwala, you can be certain that he is a progeny of someone who traded in hunting rifles. Similarly, up in the family tree of a Sadriwala there must have been someone involved in the trade of selling or making umbrellas. So our surnames say a lot about our family businesses,” he said, adding that such names are common in Gujaratis, who happen to be business-minded people.

Coming back to their attire, one wondered if it could also be an issue as it sets them apart. “It gives us an identity, too,” says Mr Tawawala. But what if that identity makes them a target for troublemakers? “We are a peaceful, non-political community. Why would anyone target us?” He wondered aloud upon which he was reminded about the bomb blast outside Saleh Mosque in 2015 and the worst of all attack on Bohri Bazaar in 1987.

“If we become afraid of some isolated incidents that happened over the years and don’t wear our traditional clothes or stop going to our mosques, or jamatkhana, then we also lose our culture and out identity,” he concluded.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2017

 

[N.Siddiqui]

Karachi and Mumbai have the largest concentration of Bohra community in Indo-Pak.

https://www.parhlo.com/things-need-learn-bohra-food/



1. THE THAAL
This many people do know about. Bohra families eat their meals together in one large metal plate, instead of eating in separate plates. The act stands representative of solidarity and unity, and propagates the value of sharing with others.

3. FIRST COURSE: DESSERT
The Bohra community eats dessert before they move on to their appetizers and then the main course because it is thought to be auspicious. Halwa and Malida are few of the desserts that are common, especially on occasions such as the first day of the Bohra calendar.




4. TASTING THE SALT BEFORE AND AFTER THE MEAL
It’s a Bohra tradition to taste a pinch of salt before meals. Not only does it help clear the taste buds, but it is believed to prevent and cure many prevalent diseases. According to one tradition, it helps cure around 72 diseases.

https://www.parhlo.com/things-need-learn-bohra-food/

https://www.dawn.com/news/1358747/bohra-community-members-from-40-countries-to-attend-ashra-in-city

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Looking at it purely from Muslim POV the partition of 1947 was a unmitigated disaster for the community. It divided the muslim and left huge chunk open to abuse by Hindus. Indeed if the idea of partition was to secure Muslims of the sub-continent it had exactly the opposite effect. The splintered Bohra community is reminder of this.

 

[jetray]

Looking at it purely from Muslim POV the partition of 1947 was a unmitigated disaster for the community. It divided the muslim and left huge chunk open to abuse by Hindus. Indeed if the idea of partition was to secure Muslims of the sub-continent it had exactly the opposite effect. The splintered Bohra community is reminder of this.

We are quite happy that it dint become another middle east. In fact even our enemy chinese would be happy having us as neighbor rather than a muslim country. But any way it was elitist muslims who claimed that they are different from us and seeing the events around the world that is certainly true. Would thank Jinnah for saving India for eternity.

Being shia's bohras would certainly favor India over other countries in south asia.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

We are quite happy that it dint become another middle east.

That is the song your singing now. After the "bird flew" from the nest. In 1947 your people did everything to prevent the partition so please don't now colour it after the fact. My question is more directed to the "2NT" supporters. Did they get what they wanted?

 

[El Sidd]

I have been to Karachi.

They are a flourishing community who have established your average typical class market.

Peaceful community and never i have ever seen them quarrel with anyone.

hardworking as any other Pakistani and loved their cuisines.

Looking at it purely from Muslim POV the partition of 1947 was a unmitigated disaster for the community. It divided the muslim and left huge chunk open to abuse by Hindus. Indeed if the idea of partition was to secure Muslims of the sub-continent it had exactly the opposite effect. The splintered Bohra community is reminder of this.

Why are you blaming India's poor treatment of the minorities which is more to do with the system of corruption derived from caste system with the partition?

the only open chapter of partition still open is Kashmir.

We are quite happy that it dint become another middle east. In fact even our enemy chinese would be happy having us as neighbor rather than a muslim country. But any way it was elitist muslims who claimed that they are different from us and seeing the events around the world that is certainly true. Would thank Jinnah for saving India for eternity.

Being shia's bohras would certainly favor India over other countries in south asia.

so you admit that sectarianism is also having a root in the terrorism you export from India.

nice

 

[Indus Pakistan]

We are quite happy that it dint become another middle east.

India still is. The real issue for India was never the Muslim majority provinces of the Indus region. They could never have been "tamed" by India and could have broken off at any point post 1947. The real issue for India is the huge dispersed Muslim communties across mainland India where they form minority but still significant minority. That was the crux of the issue and that was not resolved by 1947 - that event only sorted the "Muslim majority region" problem.

 

[H!TchHiker]

We are quite happy that it dint become another middle east. In fact even our enemy chinese would be happy having us as neighbor rather than a muslim country. But any way it was elitist muslims who claimed that they are different from us and seeing the events around the world that is certainly true. Would thank Jinnah for saving India for eternity.

Being shia's bohras would certainly favor India over other countries in south asia.

And we are too quite happy otherwise in India " Though heavily urban, Muslims had a particularly low share of public (or any formal) jobs, school and university places, and seats in politics. They earned less than other groups, were more excluded from banks and other finance, spent fewer years in school and had lower literacy rates. Pitifully few entered the army or the police force.”
"Almost half of Muslims over the age of 46 cannot read or write. Muslims account for 40 per cent of India’s prison population. They hold only 4.9 percent of government jobs and only 3.2 percent of the jobs in the country’s security agencies, thus creating a new set of ‘untouchable Indians’(excluding dalits) in the modern, democratic republic of India."

 

[Indus Pakistan]

Muslims had a particularly low share of public

I am not too sure whether these are consequence of other issues rather then being Muslim. In other words could being Muslim just be be a symptom of something deeper? For instance the Christians in Pakistan are at bottom of the pile. That is nothing to do with Christianity. Look at the worlds most advanced block - the West. It is all Christian.

The reason why Christians are at bottom of the socio-economic ladder in Pakistan is attendant to their past. They were dalit or unitiuchable or lower order Hindoos who converted to Christianity. Their low social station was just transferred to being Christian. Could this be the case for many Indian Muslims also?

 

[jetray]

And we are too quite happy otherwise in India " Though heavily urban, Muslims had a particularly low share of public (or any formal) jobs, school and university places, and seats in politics. They earned less than other groups, were more excluded from banks and other finance, spent fewer years in school and had lower literacy rates. Pitifully few entered the army or the police force.”
"Almost half of Muslims over the age of 46 cannot read or write. Muslims account for 40 per cent of India’s prison population. They hold only 4.9 percent of government jobs and only 3.2 percent of the jobs in the country’s security agencies, thus creating a new set of ‘untouchable Indians’ in the modern, democratic republic of India."

Almost 50% in prisions comprised of Muslims plus Dalits..

you are welcome to take them to your paradise , no one is preventing that.

India still is. The real issue for India was never the Muslim majority provinces of the Indus region. They could never have been "tamed" by India and could have broken off at any point post 1947. The real issue for India is the huge dispersed Muslim communties across mainland India where they form minority but still significant minority. That was the crux of the issue and that was not resolved by 1947 - that event only sorted the "Muslim majority region" problem.

They would just splintered like ME , BD is a good example of it.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

For example if the 300 million untouchables in India converted to Islam. The statistics for untouchables terrible plight would just be tabulated as "Muslim".

They would just splintered like ME , BD is a good example of it.

Not sure what you mean by that?

 

[jetray]

Their low social station was just transferred to being Christian. Could this be the case for many Indian Muslims also?

good luck with your view. head of wipro is a muslim , one of the biggest pharma is owned by muslim. Southern state of kerala which has more than 95% literacy has 30% muslim who are doing well. In fact muslims in southern states are more prosperous than north. Its got to more do to with attitude. Muslims in northern are more communal and religious who end up in riots than jobs.

 

[N.Siddiqui]

Looking at it purely from Muslim POV the partition of 1947 was a unmitigated disaster for the community. It divided the muslim and left huge chunk open to abuse by Hindus. Indeed if the idea of partition was to secure Muslims of the sub-continent it had exactly the opposite effect.

Partition was good for the Muslims of current area of Pakistan and could be a disaster for the Muslims now living in India.

Looking at the pros and cons of partition, from a Muslim perspective if you retrospect the conditions and the subservient and disenfranchised/marginalized minority group that was Muslims in pre partition era, it was good for the select group of Muslims who are in Pakistan in general, nothing is in black and white, whole lot of gray areas here.

Similarly if look at the conditions of Muslims in India today vis a vis wealth, education, land holdings both rural and urban, properties and businesses, there wealth is minuscule compared to the all the denominators I have mentioned above, if you talk about India and Pakistan having the same Muslim population numbers.

"Almost half of Muslims over the age of 46 cannot read or write. Muslims account for 40 per cent of India’s prison population.

Agree with all the facts about Muslims living conditions in India, Sachar committee report has pointed out to that anomaly.

Condition of Muslims worse than Dalits': Heptullah

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-pape...rse-than-Dalits-Heptullah/article14751786.ece

 

[punit]

Looking at it purely from Muslim POV the partition of 1947 was a unmitigated disaster for the community. It divided the muslim and left huge chunk open to abuse by Hindus. Indeed if the idea of partition was to secure Muslims of the sub-continent it had exactly the opposite effect. The splintered Bohra community is reminder of this.

But pakistan has 98% muslim population secured from hindu .. right ?

 

[oOo]

That is the song your singing now. After the "bird flew" from the nest. In 1947 your people did everything to prevent the partition so please don't now colour it after the fact. My question is more directed to the "2NT" supporters. Did they get what they wanted?

The champions of 2NT must open the gates again, afterall they have the obligation to make their belief achieve the goal.

I am afraid they will be the first to chicken out with their tails between their legs.