I romanticized these stories in my head, adding details offered by my generous imagination, snipping and accessorizing a bit here and there, until I didn’t know the real from the fairy tale.
Thank you, Natasha. I wrote this essay immediately after my first Ochre Sky memoir workshop last year. I can see now how eager I was to tell my stories.
My father was a village boy, my mother the city girl. My father has so many jinn stories, all the little details are such rich history. I love how you acknowledge your mind fills in details here and there, mine does too.
This part really resonated.
"The stories were told for the pristine reason that stories must be passed on from one generation to another – to keep alive that part of our history that would otherwise fade into oblivion. To show us who they were before life happened to them."
Our stories connect us in fascinating ways. Thank you for sharing, Istiaq. My children keep asking for stories of our past. Perhaps they are trying to figure out who we really are. And by extension, who they are.
Such a rich essay, Sumira. A fine balance of show and tell, truths and imagination and stories that are the oxygen of our life
Thank you, Natasha. I wrote this essay immediately after my first Ochre Sky memoir workshop last year. I can see now how eager I was to tell my stories.
My father was a village boy, my mother the city girl. My father has so many jinn stories, all the little details are such rich history. I love how you acknowledge your mind fills in details here and there, mine does too.
This part really resonated.
"The stories were told for the pristine reason that stories must be passed on from one generation to another – to keep alive that part of our history that would otherwise fade into oblivion. To show us who they were before life happened to them."
Our stories connect us in fascinating ways. Thank you for sharing, Istiaq. My children keep asking for stories of our past. Perhaps they are trying to figure out who we really are. And by extension, who they are.
Sumira, waiting for the day your book will be out! Your stories are always so beautiful but, your storytelling is crazily engaging too ♥️
Tumhare muh me ghee shakkar! 🤗