Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Preparations underway for GJ Games....

In just about every city where Ismailis live there is great excitement about the GJ games. Whether it's Vancouver, Toronto, Houston, Atlanta, London, Karachi, Mumbai, Dar-es-Salaam etc individuals and teams are making preparations for a once in a lifetime opportunity to compete in various sports - not only will there be rivalries created but moreso lifetime friendships will be cemented.

In March 1989 the first ever World Ismaili Cricket Festival was organized in Pakistan. Teams from Canada, England, India, Pakistan, the UK, Tanzania and Kenya played in various venues throughout Karachi - this event coincided with the first graduation of the AKU nursing school - and yes Hazar Imam was there for many days including a darbar held at the Aga Khan cricket ground in the Garden area of Karachi. Twenty years later the memories and events are so vividly etched in my mind - walking in the largely Ismaili Garden enclave and immediately the memories of Africa flooding through - kids playing cricket in the gulleys, understanding the language while walking down the streets, music from the latest movies blaring from the apartments, street vendors (photos of HI visible in their booths) outside the Jamatkhana serving blazing hot servings of bhel and sugar cane juice and off course pan....for you youngsters reading this you'll never be able to truly understand the emotions of this picture.

So if are lucky enough to be part of this event in June - make the most of it as it will be a life altering experience in many ways - whether you play or just be there to watch...

Kenya - a nation burns...

I'm following the events unfold in Kenya with much interest. Back in the early 70's I lived in the beautiful city of Nairobi and some of my most memorable moments, as a teenager, were spent wandering around the Parklands neighborhood. Our family lived in the Hirani Estates complex and I attended Aga Khan Academy. So yes, I ache when I hear of the trouble in a nation that has been called the most stable in Africa politically over the past 40 years. Hopefully the efforts of the worldwide leadership to calm the waters succeed. I am surely looking forward to the GJ games to be on as planned at the end of this June - this will be the first time back for me after leaving in 1972.

Kenya talks suspended...

More Stories on what lies ahead for Kenya...

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Golden Jubilee Games - Nairobi

We are now just a few months away from the GJ Games to be held in Nairobi June 22-29. If things settle down by then and the games are pulled off this promises to be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see some really talented Ismaili athletes in one venue. I am really looking forward to being there, inshallah, and see some of our elite play in the various sports. I am of the age where I remember the Triangular Games of the early 80's when the games featured the cities of Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa also joined in subsequent years for it to be truly a National Sportsfest. One guy I will always remember and thank will be Zip Dhanani, a nationally ranked Badminton player in his heyday, who was so instrumental in pushing for the games and making them a big event when he was the BC Member for Youth - he even pulled off bringing the Minister of Sport at the time Jean Charest, now the Premier of Quebec, to the presentation banquet in Burnaby, BC - i think a 1,000 people attended that one. I also played Cricket and incredible memories and friendships were created throughout Canada - in fact in 1996 we even had a team from the US join us in Vancouver and a Vancouver team went to Houston to participate in a Cricket Fest.
So if you are participating in the Regional or National Games - have fun and hopefully we will see you in Nairobi in June - it should be a good one....

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

2008 - Year of the Rat

The Chinese New Year was celebrated a few days ago in a major way across the world. In Vancouver, where I reside, there is a sizeable Chinese Community - in fact the second largest in North America next to San Fran. Anyhow the reason this year is important to me is that I was born in the year of the Rat - so this will be a double whammy for me as it is also the year of the Golden Jubilee. So a special Happy New Year - or should I say Gung Hai Fat Choi - as we are but a month away from our New Year celebration of Navroz. So I hope you will have a great year and hope you will join me in wishing all our fellow Ismailis a fantastic 2008 and that all your wishes come true and that Allah's blessings flow multifold to you and your loved ones.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

I can't believe its been 6 months since I posted my last blog. At that time it was just to see if I could master the intricacies of setting up a blog and writing with any consistent basis - never underestimate the value of time and how little one has - however blogging avails one to the incredible opportunity to interact with your readers and subscribers. Of which, you must have noticed there hasn't been any action on www.morningchai.com for some time and there is no other bigger reason than to admit negligence on my part as I try to envision where Morning Chai needs to be in the whole scheme of creating and building community - we are 15 million strong after all. So I'll say this much - Morning Chai is coming back soon and inshallah with much more gusto - in fact many subscribers have demanded that it do so and very quickly - one even offered to buy it out - though I think he was trying to offer a foreclosure price - must have been from one of the Wall Street banks - though I must say he woke me up from my slumber and made me realize what a good thing this could be and I would hate myself in the morning if I didn't give it my all - with passion and conviction - you readers would want no less....thanks to everyone who has been in touch - I do sincerely appreciate it....YAM