Remembering Maa…
‘Kuch Lamhe Maa Ke Naam’ celebrates a mother whose love for poetry was infinite, so much so that even when life was leaving her, poetry remained close By Suhani Dewra Soon after Farida Hussain lost her mother, Begum Khadija Ansari, she decided to host a mushaira in the name of her beloved mother who was an ardent admirer of poetry. “My mother was so fond of poetry that she often recited a well-known poet based on the situation. Shakespeare, Milton, Faiz, Iqbal…their poems were always on her mind,” remembers research activist Farida Hussain. The first mushaira was conducted in 2017, a year after Begum Khadija Ansari’s death. It was titled ‘Ek Shaam Maa Ke Naam’ and was hosted at Farida Hussain’s house. The program became an annually recurring event, with a new name ‘Kuch Lamhe Maa Ke Naam’, as the mushairas were also conducted during the day time. As part of the mushaira, alongside poetry, the congregation also shares anecdotes on Begum Khadija Ansari such as these ones – “Begum Khadij
