Interview with Iqtidar Husain, December 13, 2009

Partial Transcript: --bas here in Karachi, Pakistan, in the naval housing with Vice-Admiral Iqtidar Husain, my uncle, Abu mama, and we are going to talk about all those normal things that we always talk about, that all my interviews are about.

Segment Synopsis: Husain gives his biographical information and talks about his childhood in Aligarh (India). He talks about the compound in which he and his extended family lived, which was originally established by his grandfather, who was a wealthy lawyer. Husain describes the design of the house in which he grew up, which was a combination of Indian and western styles. He also talks in detail about his father. Husain then talks about flying kites, which his father thought was a bad influence.

Keywords: Aligarh (India); Children; Cousins; Daughters; Fathers; Grandfathers; Houses; Husain, Shezhad; Husain, Takkar; Husain,Faqir; Kites; Lawyers; Mothers; Pakistan Navy; Servants; Sons; Stillbirth; Uncles; Vice Admirals; Weddings

Subjects: Aligarh (India); Children; Cousins; Daughters; Fathers; Grandfathers; Houses and homes; India--History; Kites.; Lawyers; Mothers; Pakistan--History; Pakistan. Navy.; Sons; Stillbirth.; Uncles; Weddings

Partial Transcript: So, then, uh, I joined school.

Segment Synopsis: Husain talks about his early education, which was done at home. He then talks about his father’s decision to send him and his brother to the government school because he felt that the Syedna Tahir Saifuddin High School did not place enough emphasis on scholastics.

Keywords: Aligarh (India); Aligarh University School; Arithmetic; Brothers; Carriages; Drill masters; Education; English language; Fathers; Government School; High schools; Hindi language; Hindus; Home schooling; Horses; Husain, Shezhad; Mathematics; Minto Circle; Mothers; Muslims; Qur’an, the (Book); Reading; Religious education; Schools; Sikhs; Sports; Syedna Tahir Saifuddin High School (STS High School); Teachers; Teaching; Urdu language

Subjects: Aligarh (India); Arithmetic.; Brothers; Education; English language; Fathers; High schools; Hindi language; Hindus; Home schooling.; Horses; India--History; Mathematics; Mothers; Muslims; Pakistan--History; Qur’an; Reading; Religious education; Schools; Sikhs; Sports; Teachers; Teaching; Urdu language

Partial Transcript: Then, of course, things starting getted--started getting worse to worse the beginning of forty-seven.

Segment Synopsis: Husain talks about how the atmosphere of his school changed at the beginning of 1947, reflecting the tense political situation between Hindus and Muslims. He then talks about the increase in violence that occurred after Pakistan was established.

Keywords: Aligarh (India); Aligarh Muslim University; All-India Muslim League; Christians; Colleges; Dharm Samaj Degree College; Education; Gandhi, Mahatma; Government school; Hindus; Indian National Congress; Jinnah, Mahomed Al; Muslims; Pakistan movement; Processions; Professors; Railway stations; Schools; Sikhs; Stabbings; Students; Violence

Subjects: Aligarh (India); Aligarh Muslim University; All-India Muslim League; Christians; Education; Hindus; India--History; Indian National Congress; Jinnah, Mahomed Ali, 1876-1948.; Muslims; Pakistan movement; Pakistan--History; Processions.; Professors; Schools; Sikhs; Students; Violence

Partial Transcript: What--where do you think your father stood on those issues?

Segment Synopsis: Husain talks about his father’s role in the United Kingdom Cabinet Mission of 1946, which was aimed at discussing and planning Indian independence. He then talks about his father's attitude towards the growing communal violence in India.

Keywords: Algiarh Muslim University; Aligarh (India); Aligarh movement; Cabinet Mission of 1946; East Punjab (India); Fathers; Gandhi, Mahatma; Great Britain; Hindus; India; Kolkata (India); Leaders; Mothers; Muslims; Nehru, Jawaharlal; Pethick-Lawrence, Frederick William; Professors; Riots, Hindu-Muslim; United Kingdom; Violence

Subjects: Algiarh Muslim University; Aligarh movement; Fathers; Gandhi, Mahatma, 1869-1948.; Great Britain; Hindus; India; India--History; Kolkata (India); Leaders; Mothers; Muslims; Nehru, Jawaharlal, 1889-1964.; Pakistan--History; Pethick-Lawrence, Frederick William Pethick-Lawrence, Baron, 1871-1961; Professors; Punjab (India); Riots; United Kingdom; Violence

Partial Transcript: So things had come to this pass. This is what it was.

Segment Synopsis: Husain talks about the effects that the partition of Pakistan had on his father and his household, which occurred at the same time that his older brothers and sisters were marrying and moving out.

Keywords: Aligarh Muslim University; Bihar (India); Coal mines; Families; Hapur (India); Indian Army; Lucknow (India); Marriages; Mothers; Pakistan movement; Sisters

Subjects: Aligarh Muslim University; Bihar (India); Coal mines and mining.; Families; Hapur (India); India--History; India. Army.; Lucknow (India); Marriage; Mothers; Pakistan movement; Pakistan--History; Sisters

Partial Transcript: So from that point of view, it was a--quite an interesting life. Lots of things going on, mostly within the family circles.

Segment Synopsis: Husain talks about the popular places for Aligarh Muslim University students to socialize. He also talks about the refreshment rooms on trains. He then talks about the Aligarh Exhibition, which showed off trade and industry in Aligarh (India).

Keywords: Aligarh (India); Aligarh Exhibition; Aligarh Girls College; Aligarh Muslim University; Burkas; Cafes; Karachi (Pakistan); Refreshment rooms; Restaurants; Trains

Subjects: Aligarh (India); Aligarh Muslim University; Cafés; India--History; Islamic clothing and dress; Karachi (Pakistan); Pakistan--History; Restaurants

Partial Transcript: Well, so here's a question about something you said quite awhile ago, which was, um, you said by the time you were coming up the sort of grandeur and luxury of the family, ability to keep horses and carriages, changed. Do you have any sense of why that had happened?

Segment Synopsis: Husain discusses how the death of his grandfather resulted in a change of fortune for the Husain family.

Keywords: Aligarh (India); Daughters; Death; Families; Fathers; Finances; Grandfathers; Horses; Lawyers; Mothers; Property; Sons; Uncles

Subjects: Aligarh (India); Daughters; Death; Families; Fathers; Finance; Grandfathers; Horses; India--History; Lawyers; Mothers; Pakistan--History; Property; Sons; Uncles

Partial Transcript: Well, and also you said that your mother had been responsible for your, um, religious upbringing. So she was literate in Arabic?

Segment Synopsis: Husain talks about his mother, who was responsible for his religious education even though she herself lacked formal education. He then goes into detail about his religious education. Husain also talks about his father converting from Shia Islam to Sunni Islam and the effects that it had on the family.

Keywords: Arabic language; Converts; Education; Fathers; Geography; Girls; Government School; Grandmothers; Islam; Matam; Mosque schools; Mothers; Mourning of Muharram; Muslims; Pakistan; Qur’an, the (Book); Religion; Religious education; Religious schools; Seasons; Sectionalism; Shia; Shiites; Sunnis; Sunnites; Uncles; Urdu language; Women

Subjects: Arabic language; Converts.; Education; Fathers; Geography; Girls; Grandmothers; India--History; Islam; Mothers; Pakistan; Pakistan--History; Qur’an; Religion; Religious education; Seasons; Shiites; Sunnites; Uncles; Urdu language; Women

Partial Transcript: What do you, what do you think that experience was like for him?

Segment Synopsis: Husain talks about the escalation of tension between Hindus and Muslims in Aligarh (India) after the establishment of Pakistan. He also discusses why the police investigated his father for allegedly collecting arms. Husain then recounts his decision to migrate to Pakistan, while his father chose to stay in Aligarh (India). He also talks about the migration itself, which occurred in a truck with military escorts. Next, Husain talks about his reaction to the move, which was one of excitement.

Keywords: Aligarh (India); Armoured corps; Bihar (India); Brothers; Communalism; East Punjab (India); English; Escorts; Fathers; Furniture; Houses; India; Indian Army; Law enforcement; Migration; Military caravans; Mothers; Nagar (Pakistan); Pakistan; Partition; Partition of India; Police; Property; Regiments; Riots, Hindu-Muslim; Trucks; Uncles; Violence; Women

Subjects: Algarih (India); Bihar (India); Brothers; Communalism; English.; Furniture.; Houses and homes; India; India--History; India--History--Partition, 1947; India. Army.; Law enforcement.; Mothers; Nagar (Pakistan); Pakistan--History; Partition; Police.; Property; Punjab (India); Riots; Transportation; Uncles; Violence; Women.

Partial Transcript: So when you reached Lahore, the house was already there?

Segment Synopsis: Husain discusses the conditions that the family met upon their migration to Pakistan. He then talks about his father, who he says was a difficult man to live with, as well as the home the family acquired. Husain also discusses the weddings that were thrown at their newly-acquired property. Husain then talks about embarking on his career in the Pakistan Navy in 1958.

Keywords: Alcohol; Aligarh (India); Asthma; Auctions; Batala (India); Beds; Children; Delhi (India); East Punjab (India); Families; Fathers; Furniture; Generals; Hindus; Houses; Husain, Wajarhat; Hussain, Masroor; Jalalabad (India); Karachi (Pakistan); Lahore (Pakistan); Lieutenants; Mathematics; Money; Pakistan Air Force; Pakistan Navy; Peshawar (Pakistan); Property; Servants; Smoking; Sufis; Sufism; Uncles; United States of America; Weddings; Wives

Subjects: Alcohol; Aligarh (India); Asthma.; Auctions; Beds; Children; Delhi (India); Families; Fathers; Furniture; Generals; Hindus; Houses and homes; Husain, Wajarhat; India--History; Jalalabad (India); Karachi (Pakistan); Lahore (Pakistan); Lieutenants; Mathematics; Money; Pakistan--History; Pakistan. Air Force; Pakistan. Navy.; Peshawar (Pakistan); Property; Punjab (India); Smoking; Sufis; Sufism; Uncles; United States; Weddings; Wives