My second day at Sarve was spent mostly idling around the village and talking to some of the villagers about Sarve.
The original plan was to watch the sunrise from over a small hill at the northen end. That was junked as soon as I realized that I had overslept. My Pune mates had already departed due to some work back home and I was to myself for the day. After a quick breakfast at Mt. Kifayat’s house, Nasir escorted me back to his own house where Mr. Sabir was already waiting for me.
The sun was up to and the sea-breeze was yet to pick up. We decided to start the warm day with a walk along the shore northwards, and then return via the main street. One of the prominent landmarks of the shore is the skeleton of a whale that had beached here a few years ago. The sheer size of the skeleton is amazing. This one is probably bigger than the one kept in the Ratnagiri aquarium.
Further north, we came upon a natural pool that was completely taken over by a herd of buffaloes. Our presence was duly resented and we started our way back.
I departed Sarve after another hearty lunch with a combination of bike ride, hitchhike and bus ride.
Bibi:
One of the persons we met on our way back casually spoke about Bibi Mukadam as one of the famous people from Sarve. The name never registered in my head, until Mr. Sabir brought up the topic again during lunch at this place. According to him, Bibi Mukadam lived in the village in a political exile from her homeland of South Africa where she was a prominent part of the anti-apartheid movement under Nelson Mandela. She was also a friend of the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who had visited her at Sarve during her Prime Ministerial days without any security detail. I made a note of this story with a point of exploring in detail once I got home.
-x-x-x-
Born as Ms. Ayesha Bibi Dawood in Worcester, South Africa, she later married a seaman Mr. Yusuf Mukadam from Sarve, India. The details of her life are well documented by the South African government ( Link 1 ; Link 2 ). This is a very exciting discovery, especially since there is hardly any mention or knowledge that such a person existed and made a remote corner of our country her home for most of her life.
Mr. Sabir’s words ring out clearly here: “She lived among us as one of us. Yet when one was around her one could feel greatness exude from herself. The way she carried herself clearly marked her as a prominent person. Yet, we did not know who she was. Nor did she ever tell herself.”
Bibi returned to the country of her birth in the 1990s. After her death, a steady trickle of journalists from South Africa happened to make their way to Sarve. That’s when the real magnitude of her greatness dawned on the people. Yet today her story is not well known even in Sarve.
Let’s hope for the best – for Bibi’s legacy and for Sarve…
© Kapil Pilankar
The original plan was to watch the sunrise from over a small hill at the northen end. That was junked as soon as I realized that I had overslept. My Pune mates had already departed due to some work back home and I was to myself for the day. After a quick breakfast at Mt. Kifayat’s house, Nasir escorted me back to his own house where Mr. Sabir was already waiting for me.
The sun was up to and the sea-breeze was yet to pick up. We decided to start the warm day with a walk along the shore northwards, and then return via the main street. One of the prominent landmarks of the shore is the skeleton of a whale that had beached here a few years ago. The sheer size of the skeleton is amazing. This one is probably bigger than the one kept in the Ratnagiri aquarium.
A whale vertebra
Further north, we came upon a natural pool that was completely taken over by a herd of buffaloes. Our presence was duly resented and we started our way back.
Moooo ...
I departed Sarve after another hearty lunch with a combination of bike ride, hitchhike and bus ride.
The way back home
One of the persons we met on our way back casually spoke about Bibi Mukadam as one of the famous people from Sarve. The name never registered in my head, until Mr. Sabir brought up the topic again during lunch at this place. According to him, Bibi Mukadam lived in the village in a political exile from her homeland of South Africa where she was a prominent part of the anti-apartheid movement under Nelson Mandela. She was also a friend of the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, who had visited her at Sarve during her Prime Ministerial days without any security detail. I made a note of this story with a point of exploring in detail once I got home.
-x-x-x-
Born as Ms. Ayesha Bibi Dawood in Worcester, South Africa, she later married a seaman Mr. Yusuf Mukadam from Sarve, India. The details of her life are well documented by the South African government ( Link 1 ; Link 2 ). This is a very exciting discovery, especially since there is hardly any mention or knowledge that such a person existed and made a remote corner of our country her home for most of her life.
Recognition by the Government of South Africa
Mr. Sabir’s words ring out clearly here: “She lived among us as one of us. Yet when one was around her one could feel greatness exude from herself. The way she carried herself clearly marked her as a prominent person. Yet, we did not know who she was. Nor did she ever tell herself.”
Bibi returned to the country of her birth in the 1990s. After her death, a steady trickle of journalists from South Africa happened to make their way to Sarve. That’s when the real magnitude of her greatness dawned on the people. Yet today her story is not well known even in Sarve.
Let’s hope for the best – for Bibi’s legacy and for Sarve…
© Kapil Pilankar
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