Ismaili Re-union of Kharadar Karachi Jamat, in Dallas, USA

Origin of the Re-union
The concept of this re-union started a few years ago when a few former Ismaili residents of Kharadar, Karachi, met in Dallas at a local restaurant, and continued to meet every year for the next three years. In December 2014, we thought about having the re-union on a larger scale, and started to contact friends globally. We brought together over 500 of our friends, neighbours, mentors, and teachers at our first re-union held at the Westin Hotel in Dallas, Texas on July 24 and 25, 2015

The Logo of the Event
The logo of our event: trees & branches – how can a tree stand without its roots? Indeed, our roots gave us our values, culture, identity, and heritage in Kharadar.  It was these roots that gave us the identity as Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims and it was these roots that guided us in our lives on a daily basis. Institutions in Kharadar such as Scouting, Blue Bird Girl Guides, Night-school, Champion Band, Prince Aly Khan Orchestra, and many more, provided us with the opportunity to bond together while contributing to a strong civil society. The stars represent the beneficiaries of the trees & branches, the several thousands who have benefited from our culture and heritage based in Kharadar.

Dinner and Activities
Dinner included the local Kharadar street food while the activities focused on re-living past memories by viewing an audio-visual presentation of photos of the various buildings in which many of the guests had resided.

Summary
The hard work of our teams in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, and various Canadian cities made this event possible. Guests included several aged over 70 years, many of whom were meeting one another after more than 50 years. Past members of the Champions’ Band as well as the Prince Aly Khan Orchestra were also present. All guests in attendance agreed to continue to help build a strong civil society that is pluralistic and based on merit and cosmopolitan ethics.

Author
My name is Habiba Virani. I was born and raised in Kharadar, Karachi, Pakistan. I came to the U.S. in 1986 with my family and acquired my education in Dallas, Texas. I currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia with my husband Akbar and our 2 beautiful children Sabrina and Zarik. I am in the health care profession, heading the personal injury practice for a large physical therapy/chiropractic organization.

I also thank my brother, Farrukh Valliani who helped me write this article. He resides in Dallas Texas with his wife, Farida and 2 beautiful daughters, Shireen & Alisha.

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