Day 19 - Salma and Zaheer Lakhani

A letter to our Grandson from his Nanimaa and Nanabapa (his maternal grandmother and grandfather) 

Our dear grandson: 

As we celebrated your 3rd Birthday earlier this year it occurred to us how far removed your life ahead will be from the ones we, your  Nanimaa and Nanabapa , knew from our own younger days decades earlier in East Africa, thousands of miles away from here. 

Indeed it will be as different as our lives were from those of our own grandparents who grew up in India before making their own journeys in their teens and twenties across the Indian Ocean,carried by the monsoon winds from Gujarat to the East African coast.Looking back we both wish we had taken the opportunity while growing up to learn even more about their younger days and the challenges that they no doubt faced both during the dangerous journeys as the dhows carried them across the “Kala Pani” or “dark waters”, and their early days making new lives in a part of the world so very strange, different and far away from what they had left behind and where countless previous generations of their families had etched a modest living. 

It would be no exaggeration to say that your life journey began long before you , or even your parents-both Canadian born- saw the light of day in the only country you all are blessed to know as home. 

Our family journey began in a part of the world where one of our worlds few global heroes for all times was born, a man who at his death had few personal belongings or material possessions, yet still continues to inspire all who yearn for global peace and justice , decades after his passing. 

Gandhiji set in motion an unstoppable movement that eventually brought independence not only to the country our grandparents left behind, but eventually, as we were growing up, to their adopted homeland in the East African countries of Kenya Uganda and Tanzania over the coming decades.Millions were finally freed from the burdens of colonial subjugation by a movement that he inspired. 

During a short visit to India when your mum was not quite 10, we saw in so many little towns villages and cities in Gujarat and Northern India, statues erected in honour of this beloved and much revered soul, one whose teachings continue to light the path forward for all who aspire for global justice. 

Although he grew up in India, his moral compass was without doubt influenced by his time in South Africa. While his work kept him grounded in India for much of his life, and that country was his home,Gandhiji belongs to the world. 

As you grow up we hope you will read some of his writings and his aspirations for a fair and just society for ALL regardless of where they live. It was a very different world then to today’s world, but yet even as you grow up you will see around you the persistent injustices that continue to confront so many in this world that we share. 

For instance the knowledge that the wealthiest 2 dozen individuals in the world have more collective wealth than the poorest 3 billion who work so hard to merely survive brings to mind Gandhi’s saying, “ There is enough in this world for everyone’s needs but not enough for everyone’s greed”. 
He went on to remind us to “ live simply so that others can simply live”. What profound words that need to be appreciated by more of us, to help guide us on how to live more thoughtful and considerate lives. Lives which are more considerate of the needs of those we share this common space with, and of our fragile environment, the survival of which can no longer take for granted. 

We hope as you grow up, that you will always have gratitude in your heart for the pioneering spirit of your great- great grandparents whose journey from Gujarat to East Africa well over a century back was, in a way, the first leg of our final trip across other lands and water masses to Canada! They endured much in hopes for a more comfortable life for future generations of their family, and deserve our eternal thanks. 

There are 2 other messages we wish to share with you: The first one is this: 

You are very fortunate to be born in this extraordinary country. It is one that regardless of your background, your income levels or what you choose as your life’s calling, allows you the luxury of a good public education system and access to health care from “ womb to tomb” in addition to the freedom to live your life as you choose as long as you are respectful of the rights of others. Your future life journey depends on YOU and the choices YOU choose to make. 

But remember that while thousands would give all they have to be in your shoes, never take all of these freedoms and privileges for granted.Much has been sacrificed by many- including the peoples who were here well before the settler communities came here from other parts of the globe-as over time, through the efforts of so many, these rights and privileges continue to became more accessible to all.

Our Canadian National anthem reminds us to “stand on guard for thee”. Perhaps one can choose to interpret that narrowly from a literal perspective. But a wise Edmontonian told us “No- it is a reminder to stand forever on guard for the fundamental values that make us the unique country that we are”. 

Remember a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian- whether you were welcomed here a few years ago from another part of the world or whether your family has been here for generations.But with privileges come responsibilities- you cannot have one without the other,and remember that as long as we have ongoing disparities of income and opportunity for whatever reason in our communities, we have work to do.Yet we remain a beacon of hope in a turbulent world and yes, we do believe that the “world needs more Canada”.To quote the Right Hon David Johnston “Canada can be the anchor to a world that has lost its moorings”. We truly believe that.

It has been said that “ much is expected from those to whom much has been given”. We live in a world where billions live in abject poverty with no support, billions are subjected to daily indignities and violence with little access to justice and freedom, where Might is Right.Your responsibility as one fortunate enough to be born in this special place is to keep those in need- locally and globally- in your mind and in your heart in all that you do.  

Our second message: 

In his recent book “ Moral Ambition” author Rutger Bergman (also the Reith lecturer for 2025)laments all the talent that the world looses every day in its bright youth who after acquiring the best education accessible, end up working for multinationals and large law firms, essentially geared to making the rich even richer yet.What a waste of valuable talent that could potentially make so much meaningful  difference for so many who would genuinely benefit from their drive  and abilities.  

You, like others of your generation, will have many choices ahead of  you. Remember that Mathma Gandhi with his training , could have  chosen to indulge all his material wishes as a successful lawyer, given his professional credentials.Instead he chose to use his education and  learnings to take on the worlds greatest colonial power at a very  challenging time and spend his life fighting for justice.His life was his  message - the pursuit of a simple life in the service of a greater  cause.Learn from his teachings and in whatever choices you make as  you grow older and hopefully wiser we your Nanimaa and Nanabapa  hope that this is one life from someone born close in time and geography to our own grandparents, that will influence yours and truly  inspire you in the choices you make.Yes, be ambitious, but ambitious  in the right way, and set your sights on more than mere material  ambitions-you will not be remembered or appreciated for the size of  your house but the size of your heart.  

By the time all this makes sense to you we are unlikely to be around  but we wish you a happy and meaningful life ahead our dear  grandson!  

With our love,  
​
Your Nanimaa and Nanabapa  
From Salma and Zaheer Lakhani Edmonton, Alberta

Image created by Mohammad Hosein Akbari