I named my grandmother after me
I did! I pointed to her when I was three or four and said, Mama, which is what I had heard my mother call her.
And then I said, ‘Shibu’ which is what I had heard her call me.
And she became, “Mamashibu” - christened then and there - which is what we always called her!
And I am thinking of her today because today is her birthday.
She was born Zehra which means flower but later she changed her name to Parveen, which means star. Actually the Seven Sisters, the Pleiades which is a constellation that ancient marineros/sailors often used to find their way.
My grandmother loved the sea…
And she is also coming along with me, in spirit and poetry, to Ireland next week as I leave to create a play in response to the ancient Irish poem, The Song of Amergin. That poem begins
“Am gaeth i m-muir
Am tond trethan …
I am the wind on the sea
I am the wave swelling
I am the ocean's voice…
A storypoem about my grandmother emerged this morning - a bit raw, a lot true. I share it above.
It feels everything before has been leading me to this next step.
here’s to our grandmothers, here’s to who came before.
may we carry the past tenderly, my friends, may we sing our own songs.
in solidarity and gratitude.
Shebana
Parveen
My grandmother liked to make waves with her hands. meri naani lehro kee tarha haath nachaati thee.. aur nagma gaatee thee
my grandmother is calling me through the song of amergin amergin kay nagmay say meri naani mujhay bulaatee hai.
PS: In Ireland, the project is called “the body becomes the poem.” It is
funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
Disclaimer:
This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
