Remti Hassanali Nasser Welji

Partners

Hassanali Nasser Welji 1916–1969

Children

LATE REMTIBAI HASSANALI WELJI (by Amina Welji)

Abstract by Shiraz Jaffer:

This brief write up depicts the life of Late Remtibai Welji originally from Dar.es.Salaam, Tanzania and who later emigrated to Toronto, Canada as narrated by her daughter Amina Welji with contributions from various family members and friends. By no means is this an exhaustive writeup of the life of this remarkable person who touched the lives of so many people on both continents. Hopefully, it will provide the reader an understanding of her life achievements. She is sorely missed by the family and friends alike.

Early Years

Remti was born on 29th March, 1926, in Dar.es.Salaam, Tanganyika (today known as Tanzania). Around the time of her birth the economic situation of the family was fairly good and her father, Dharamsibhai being fairly broadminded wanted to ensure that his surviving children received a good education. Hence, Kassamali, Remti, Badrudin and Shellakhanu all received a decent education.

As the children were growing up in Dar.es.Salaam, a business opportunity arose in Manaromango, a small village near Kisarawe that was being developed with new homes and businesses. So Dharamsibhai decided to move there to take advantage of better business prospects. They opened a shop and things were good. Unfortunately, they did not get to stay in Manaromango for too long. While Khatijabai (Remti’s mother) was expecting Shellakhanu, Dharamsibhai got sick and they were forced to return to Dar es Salaam. They closed the Manaromango shop temporarily. A few months later Dharamsibhai passed away prior to Shellakhanu’s birth.

Economic situation started to go southward. Income started dwindling and poverty set in to the extent that feeding the family was getting to be difficult. Khatijabai would roll cigarettes all day and when Kassamali came home from school, he would deliver them to various buyers and on his way back home, he would buy groceries for the evening meal. This was becoming too much for young Kassamali so they decided to move back to Manaromango and reopen their shop. Kassamali had to quit school and with mother and Shellakhanu went back to Manaromango. In the meanwhile, Remti and Badrudin stayed in Dar.es.Salaam with their maternal grandmother (Nanimaa) to continue with schooling.

School Years

Remti and her siblings all started school when they turned five years old. Remti was actually born on March 29th, 1927. Theoretically, Remti could not start until January, 1932 when she would have been closer to six. So, her year of birth was changed to 1926 and thus she actually started school at the age of four. Remti being bright and smart was able to keep up and sometimes excel over her classmates.

While her passion was studying, she not only excelled academically, she loved sports as well. Her all-time favorite sport was badminton. Her Nanima with whom she lived, was very strict and after school, she was not allowed to go anywhere. So, on the days when she had badminton practices, her classmate and friend, Gul Nazerali, would come in her chauffeur-driven car and take Remti to play badminton.With the passing years and Nanimaa getting older, it was becoming difficult for her to take care of the two growing children. So, her mother Khatijabai and brother Kassamali decided to wind up affairs in Manaromango and move back to Dar es Salaam permanently.

Things began to settle down. Kassamali and Khatijabai were running a shop in Kariako while Remti, Badrudin and Shellakhanu were schooling. Remti was very fortunate to be one of those girls who was given the opportunity to study and complete her matriculation in December, 1941. Upon completion of her schooling, Remti was asked by the School Board to join the staff as a teacher. Remti agreed and so started her career as a teacher for the next several years. Remti was intelligent, bright and passionate about her career. She was well liked and respected by all. While being a strict teacher, she never used the ruler or “pinching” to discipline anyone. However, her look was enough to make you pee in your pants.

Remti was growing into a tall, slim and beautiful young woman admired by all. There were plenty of suitors who wanted her hand in marriage but she was not interested. Her heart was stolen by one young man by the name of Hassanali Nasser Welji, fondly called Hashnu by his mother and Hussein by everybody else. Early in 1942, Remti and Hussein were engaged to be married.

Marriage and Children

Hussein was an excellent match for Remti. He was well educated, kind, loving, broad minded and forward thinking. After the engagement, Hassanali would go to see Remti to spend time with her and her family. One day, soon after the engagement, Hassanali asked Remti to go out with him for a ride on his bike. Back in the day, this was not the sort of thing that was done. Her immediate response was “Oh no, what will people say?” To which Hassanali replied “We are engaged to be married. Let people say whatever they want to say” and with that, he took her future bride for a ride on his bike. During the second World War, Prince Aly S. Khan was stationed in Syria. In December 1942, the Prince visited East Africa to deliver a message from Mawlana Sultan Mohammed Shah. During this visit, the Prince was to perform certain ceremonies including weddings. Seizing this opportunity, Jenabai, Hassanali’s mother, convinced Remti’s mother to have them married by Prince Aly S. Khan. Remti had no idea about this and when she came home from school, she saw wedding preparations in the works. Much to her surprise, when she inquired, her mother stated that the preparations were for her wedding the following day. Thus, Remti and Hassanali were married in the presence of Prince Aly S. Khan and proceeded to start her new life with her husband Hassanali.

The Welji home was a family nucleus in Gerezani. Two sisters – Ratanbai and Jenabai – were married to two brothers – Jaffer and Nasser respectively. Each brother had one son, Mohamedali and Hassanali. Mohamedali was already married and had a daughter, Khatun. Initially, they managed to live under one roof with the two matriarchs running a shop in the front of the house. The two cousins were working and Remti was teaching. But then, Remti got pregnant and of course they needed more space. Out of necessity and with heavy hearts, Jenabai, Hassanali and Remti moved into a rented flat on Kichwele Street in downtown Dar.es.Salaam. Jenabai and her daughter-in-law Remti got along very well and were more like mother and daughter. Jenabai (Maa) would look after the kitchen and after dinner would go to Jamatkhana leaving Hassanali and Remti to have time to spend together.n May, 1944, Hassanali and Remti were blessed with a daughter, Amina followed by a son, Mahdi, in September, 1945. In February, 1952, they were blessed again with a daughter, Nazat. The family was complete with Maa and the three children.

Life in Dar es Salaam

The couple were very happy together. Remti learnt to ride a bike and every Sunday morning, Remti and Hassanali would go to Agakhan Club to play badminton. Sometimes, the two of them with their other friends, Fatehali and Mariam Dhanani, would go boating and stay overnight in Kifukoni. Dar.es.Salaam was booming with lots of business prospects. Hassanali with his cousin Mohamedali and two other friends decided to open a business selling building materials. Hassanali and Mohamedali continued with their jobs, one of the partners had a pawn brokers business in Msimbazi and the fourth one managed the business. Unfortunately, the business was not doing well and needed cash infusion every month. This diversion of funds from the household and with two children in school and one toddler at home was causing significant financial constraints for the family. To supplement the household income, Remti started tailoring and taking cooking orders in her spare time. Even with Maa Jena lending a hand looking after the children and helping with household chores, life was getting tougher. With the business continuing to trend southwards, the partners decided to close business operations.

Hassanali then decided on a second business venture. In order to focus on running the business, he quit his job with Smith McKenzie and concentrate on the business. In the meanwhile, Remti continued her teaching career besides tailoring and cooking to fulfil specific orders. She even started private tutoring. Though she was carrying this inordinate work load, she never complained and with a smile on her face all the time, she continued supporting her husband. Business was not to be for Hassanali. His second attempt at business failed too and he had to close the shop. Now, there was no business and no job either. In January, 1959 as luck would have it, he landed a job with the Ismailia Council, his colleagues being Akber Nathoo Nanji and Gulshan Rahim.

Once things began to settle and life became a routine, Remti got an opportunity to throttle back on her workload to pursue other activities. She joined the Ladies Volunteer Corps. In a short time span she climbed the organization ladder within the Volunteer Corps. From being a regular volunteer in Upanga Jamatkhana, she became a Lieutenant and then became the Captain. Her work ethics, integrity, compassion and interpersonal skills resulted in her appointment as a Secretary of the Volunteer Corps in Dar.es. Salaam. Remti was admired, respected and loved by all of the leadership in Dar.es.Salaam. Similar to her tenure at school, she was strict in Jamatkhana too allowing a decorum to be maintained in the prayer hall. Remti also became a part of the Randhan (cooking) Committee along with Majormaa Sakerbai Merali Vasta, of the Ladies Volunteer Corps. Remti and Hassanali loved to travel. In 1956, they took an extensive trip of East Africa including attendance at the wedding of Roshan Hassanali Hirji Welji in Mengo, Uganda. In 1962, Nazat was fortunate to accompany Remti and Hassanali on their trip to India. In 1965, Remti joined a group of Ismaili teachers on a coach trip to Zambia, arranged by Jimmy Rawji, then principal of AgaKhan Boys Primary School.

In July, 1966, JenaMaa, Hassanali’s mother, the matriarch of the family passed away. Her health had deteriorated due to uncontrolled diabetes. In her final days Maa was bedridden. Selflessly, Remti looked after her. Early in the morning, she would wash and change Maa, give her breakfast and go to school. In the afternoon, when Remti came home from school, she would cook, feed Maa and make her comfortable. After lunch, she would go back to school for the afternoon session. During the day, Maa’s niece Nurbanu or her nephew Mohamedali’s wife Khatija would drop in to check on her. The evening routine was the same as the morning right through to the day of her passing.

Final Days in Dar es Salaam

Amina, Mahdi and Nazat had all grown up. Amina had pursued a course in Business Administration in London, England and was back home. Mahdi studied Agriculture in Njoro, Kenya and was working in Nyegezi near Mwanza. Nazat was still schooling. On the afternoon of 7th March, 1969, Hassanali had a massive heart attack – first and fatal. He was taken to The AgaKhan Hospital but in spite of efforts to revive him, he passed away around 8.00 p.m. The community was in disbelief and shock because people had seen him in the Council Office that morning and by evening, he was gone! Hassanali was only 52 and at a young age of 42, Remti became a widow. Remti’s mother moved in with her for moral support and company. In September, 1969, Amina went back to London, England to pursue an accounting course. Mahdi stayed with Remti for about two years. Nazat continued schooling to complete her Higher School Certificate. After completing her H.S.C., she went to do her mandatory National Service from January to May, 1971. In June 1971, Mahdi married Yasmin Akberali Visanji and they went to Zambia to further his career in agriculture.

Emigration to Canada

At this point, the political situation in Tanzania was very unstable. Young graduates who had studied with government money were tied with contracts to the government. Migration to England had started by then as Ismailis and other Asians were looking for safer and stable countries to build their lives. Canada was very little known at this point. Remti was concerned about Nazat being in Tanzania in such a political climate. So, as soon as an opportunity arose, Nazat left Dar es Salaam on 6th June, 1971, 4 days before Mahdi’s wedding and started her training as a nurse in England. Now all the three children were away and Remti and her mother were alone in Dar es Salaam in their flat in Sultanabad. With Nazat in England, Amina wanted to sponsor her mother Remti to come to England but the British Immigration Laws were strict. Hence, Amina was not successful in sponsoring Remti to migrate to England given that Amina was not supporting her mother financially.

Canada was a young country with lots of opportunities. With the exodus from Uganda in 1972, Canada came into the limelight and a number of people started looking at Canada as their future home. Amongst the people who migrated to Canada were Kassamali, Remti’s brother and Shellakhanu, Remti’s sister. Shellakhanu convinced Amina to move to Canada and sponsor Remti since it was a lot easier to do so from Canada. Amina applied to the Canadian High Commission in London for a visa and arrived in Toronto on 1st June, 1973. After landing a job with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Amina sponsored Remti who came to Toronto on 29th March, 1974, together with her mother who had been sponsored by Kassamali, Remti’s brother.

Amina had rented a beautiful apartment in Teesdale in anticipation of her mother’s arrival. Remti was very excited to be in Toronto. Soon, she wanted to do sightseeing, go to Jamatkhana, go grocery shopping and do everything around the house. In no time, she learnt to use the subway and buses. Having worked all her life, Remti was not the one to sit at home all day. She wanted to start working. Remti was now 47 and at this age, without “Canadian experience”, it would be difficult to get a job. But she was determined to find something. Soon after breakfast, she would leave the apartment to go to the Manpower office or employment agencies looking for a job all on her own. But no luck!

Remti’s sister-in-law, Roshan was working for a company that manufactured sleeping bags and tents. Roshan helped Remti get a job at her place of work. Initially, of course, it was challenging because Remti had never operated an industrial sewing machine in her life but her determination resulted in her success. While she was employed here, Remti continued to look for an office job. Before the year end, she landed a job with an insurance company in downtown Toronto. She was delighted and soon started to feel settled in Canada. She made many new friends and met up with other family members. Sometimes during weekends, Remti and Amina would go to Belleville to visit Akber and Gulshan Mawani, Hassanali’s first cousin and Pyarali and Roshan Mamdani. Trips to Niagara Falls were frequent during the summer months as well. Since Remti loved to travel, she would join group tours and travel overseas also.

Remti loved people and people loved her. She helped people by keeping paying guests and treated them as family. In 1982, Amina got married and Remti continued to live in the apartment with a paying guest, Sheniz. In 1987, Nazat emigrated to Canada by which time Sheniz was married. Remti and Nazat continued to live in the same apartment. In September,1993, Nazat got married to Peter, an English gentleman and thus moved to England. Amina separated from her husband in March, 1993 and moved in with Remti after Nazat’s wedding. In 2007, Amina moved in with her childhood sweetheart, Bahadur Chagpar. Remti continued to live on her own. In December, 2011, Remti had 2 falls at home due to hypoglycemia. She was rushed to the hospital where the doctor advised Amina that Remti should not live on her own anymore. In January, 2012, Remti was lucky to get a spot in a very good long term care home.

Being the person that she was, Remti never complained about anything at all. She never made any demands of the nurses and aides. Her ever smiling face endeared everybody in the home towards her. Remti joyously participated in the social activities such as drawing, painting and playing bingo. All the staff loved her and were willing to do anything for her. Remti would join the other Ismaili residents in the evening to say prayers and was always willing to take turns to lead the Du’a or recite a Ginan. When in the long term care home, a lot of people visited her including friends and family. Until the end, Remti was very alert and recognized everybody. Once, a visit was organized for a group of Grade 5 and 6 students to meet with Remti and learn about Tanzania. They had a lot of questions and learnt a lot about life in Tanzania. Being a teacher all her life, Remti was able to captivate the students’ attention.

Some Parting Thoughts by Shiraz Jaffer

Remti Hassanali Nasser Welji lived an exemplary life. She had a regal quality about her that characterized her as she advanced in age. The twinkle in her eyes, the ever-smiling face and her sense of humor will always be cherished by the family and friends. She was truly a matriarch of the Hassanali Nasser Welji family.

Around 10:30 am on Sunday, 1st February, 2015, Remti passed away in her sleep. Even in her passing, there was serenity all over her face as she found ultimate peace. May her soul rest in eternal peace.

Remti is greatly missed by her children, grandchildren, family and friends.

Acknowledgement

In preparing this biography of my beloved Mother, Remti Hassanali Nasser Welji, I have received information and photos from family and friends. I would like to thank my brother Mahdi and Yasmin, my sister Nazat and Peter, my aunt Shellakhanu, my cousins Khatun, Shiraz, Memsie, Naila and Gulzar; my daughter Ashraf and Travaugn for putting the photos together and everybody else who contributed in any which way.

Special thank you to Shiraz for creating the ‘Family Tree’ for this project.

May you all be blessed.

Amina.'

TRIBUTES TO REMTI WELJI

Mummy - Nazat (Daughter)

My mum was a kind, generous, thoughtful, wise and a great person. I had the privilege of living with her in my early days although until my father passed away in 1969, I was very much attached to him. I remember she was very hard working, teaching during the day and taking orders for dokra, chillas in the evening. She also was an excellent seamstress and made clothes for people to order, making us sit in the evening to do the hemming. She went through some pretty difficult times and never had a grievance or bad words for anyone or her hard times. After his demise and recovering from the shock I lived with my mum for 2 years in Dar es Salaam before I went to England in 1971 for further studies.

Upon her leaving Dar es Salaam and coming to Canada I made an annual trip to visit her in Toronto and spent whatever time I could with her. She was still working at the time so the evenings and weekends were the prime time spent together, cooking, eating, shopping, visiting and so on. In 1987 I left England to come and live with my mum and it was then we had the most fun and loving times. She was coming up to retirement and I was looking for a job in Toronto without Canadian experience. Needless to say, I had a hard time but she was always there with excellent advice and tremendous words of encouragement. I finally got a job and she retired and our life together became great. This lasted for 6½ years when I married Peter and left Toronto to return to England.

Peter and I then saw her every year either here in Toronto or in England. We always had a great time together and she and Peter got on like a house on fire.

Unfortunately there came a time when she couldn’t live on her own and following a couple of falls at home it was time to get her into a care home where she was very much liked, respected and looked after very well. We continued to come and visit her every year and in 2014 August I spent a couple of weeks with her in the home constantly except to go home to sleep. We had a fabulous time, eating, talking, reminiscing, laughing, crying and praying together. That November proved to be the last time Peter and I saw her before she peacefully passed away on 1st February 2015. May she rest in eternal peace.

Mummy – Peter Lilley (Son in Law)

From 1992 I was blessed to have met such a wonderful lady – hoping her daughter would be similar. I could not have wished for a better pairing.

Prospective son in laws are very wary of the mother, I immediately took to the woman and am delighted to have had her support and company in the 20+ years which I knew her, both here in Canada and in the UK.

I will thank her for ever for giving me her daughter and may she rest in eternal peace.

Memsie Naran Weakley (Brother Kassamali’s daughter.)

Remti Welji was my Aunt on my Dad’s side, so I will refer to her as Remtifui.

My earliest memories of her are of us (my Dad, Mum and my brother) walking from our house in Kariako to their place near town. It was always a treat.

My Aunt was the one who gave me my name. It was Hussein Fua, who liked the name. It is a unique name in our community. I always admired Remtifui’s and Hussein Fua’s love for each other.

She was my primary school teacher and a strict one at that.

Remtifui had a very positive outlook on life, which held her in good esteem with everyone she met. She enjoyed traveling and if you asked why she went to London, her reply was “To see the Queen “, from the story of Pussy Cat.

She visited us in Bermuda in 1996 and we enjoyed her visit very much

Always felt blessed to be in her presence.

Shiraz Jaffer (Hassanali’s nephew)

Remtibai Welji was my “chachi” who was married to my uncle, Hussein Nasser Welji

Chachi was a devoted mother and grandmother and dotted on her grandkids. While she never remarried even though widowed at a fairly young age, it never dampened her spirits or sense of humor.

My fondest memories of Chachi were when my daughter Farahana got married in San Francisco. Her sense of humor was infectious. The laughter we shared during the wedding is something etched in my heart. She and my nephew Rizwan made the event memorable.

Chachi had a regal quality about her that characterized her as she advanced in age. The twinkle in her eyes, the ever-smiling face and her sense of humor will always be cherished by the family and friends. She was truly a matriarch of the Welji family. he passed away peacefully in Toronto on 1st February, 2015. May her soul rest in eternal peace. Amen.

Iqbal Rashid (Sister Shellakhanu's son)

“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.” ― Henry James

This is a photograph of my lovely Remti Aunty(see Photo Gallery). Remti was my mom’s elder sister and an anchor in my mom’s life—and as it turns out, in mine. Whenever I returned to Toronto from London, where I live now, I always made an effort to see her. Seeing her lovely face lifted me in ways I didn’t appreciate until now.

She was a link to the past: a reservoir of stories and knowledge about family history and life back in East Africa. She was a link to my beloved nanima, with whom I was lucky to spend a great deal of time as a child, but of whom I knew very little until Remti Aunty filled in the gaps. She taught me about my family history, and so about myself.

This photo reveals some of the generosity, warmth and spirit she offered to the world—both when life was gentle and when it was hard. Even when she outlived her husband, and her mother. And even in her last few years at the nursing home where she lived our her life, and where I took this photograph.

She always fought the good fight—with goodness intact. And always there was kindness: for those she loved and even more for those she didn’t. She lived a life of true grace. I miss her.

Jimmy Rawji (Friend)

The lady who always spoke with integrity and the best part was she loved her family .I deduced this when she was my traveling partner sharing a room when we were on a tour and very clearly became close to tie a bond with me sharing teaching experiences and playing cards and her catchy laughter she had in all circumstances . So when she had to leave to go to Calgary I missed her knowing that she appreciated what was afforded to her in teaching and being a guest . Miss her to this day .

Naila Devraj (Brother Kassaali’s daughter)

Remtifui was my champion. I remember how she stood up for me when I was in Standard 3 when my class teacher refused to give me an award for first position in class. Remtifui made sure I got my award. I loved her so much not only for that but the gentle soul that she was. She never had anything bad to say to anyone. Always had a smile on her face. I miss her lots.

Gulzar Ladhani (Hassanali’s cousin – Akber Mawani’s daughter)

We all have fond memories of Wadima. I remember how we would visit Wadima in Toronto from Belleville. I also remember that Wadima made the best chillas and she was so kind as to write out some of her recipes for Salima.

Gulshan Vellani, Friend

Before Remtibai and I became colleagues, she was my teacher. She was very loving, you could feel her love. As a teacher, she was very strict but her teaching method was exemplary. You would remember what she taught. She was excellent. As a colleague, Remtibai was very supportive, positive and ever ready to assist. I miss her to this day.

Roshan Lavji (Hassanali’s niece – Hassanali Hirji Welji’s daughter)

Chachima was like mother to me. In 1956, at my wedding, she was my Matron of honour (Jedal). She helped me a lot and taught me quite a few things about life then and during her subsequent visits to Vancouver.

Ashraf Hutchinson (Grand daughter)

My nana was an outstanding and fabulous woman of courage, strength and wisdom. I still remember to this day coming home from school and she would be watching Young and the Restless doting over Victor Newman, one of the main characters. Still makes me laugh. She is a legend until today and I’m sure for the rest of my life. People know me or recognize me through her legacy of being a caring, loving, inspirational but strict teacher. They will ask me my name, then my mom’s name and from there it’s “oh your grandmother taught me in school, she was my favorite teacher. I always remember her. She was nice but strict and taught me a lot”. We say that our life on earth is transitory but I thank Allah everyday for bringing me into a family of strength, independence, happiness, courage and most of all love.

Nana, the day Allah called upon you, it broke my heart. But he needed an angel and the one he picked was you. I just wish He could have waited and let you stay with me but you have left cherished memories in my heart forever and that’s where they will always be. I just wish I could rewind the clock or make it move really slow so I could hug you and tell you one last time how much I love you and cherish you before you had to go. Keep shining bright so you can light our way and come to get me when it is my time, like your mom came to get you. I love you and you will be cherished in my heart forever. I find dimes and know that most of them are from you, reminding me that you are there watching over me.

Travaugn Hutchinson (Grand-son in-law)

Nana was my first Nana! The first time we met was when she was living with Amina and Ashraf on Victoria Park. It was a simple hello and from there we shared many special moments together. During the time that I was dating Ashraf her grand-daughter I would on occasion visit her at her apartment, this was before she moved into a home. We would laugh, people watch, watch the cricketers playing in the field just outside her window. Nana and I enjoyed cricket.

Even though we didn’t share many years or occasions together we still had cherished moments and laughs. The smile on her face especially when I would bring Trivian (her great grandson) to visit her in the home, her face lit up like a kid in a candy store! She was so happy that her happiness lit up the whole room and brought joy to even the nurses working in the home. I miss her laughter, her smile and I just miss her and I know she is watching over us!

Amina (daughter)

My Mother was adorable. She was an embodiment of love, compassion, passion, tolerance, moral values, humility, laughter and tenderness. Her infectious sense of humour was such that in her company, you would be laughing all the time. I was very fortunate to spend a good number of years with her Our conversations would be like dialogues followed by laughter.

When necessary, Mummy was very strict. Bapa (my father) never raised his voice but disciplining was Mummy’s job. After all, she was a teacher! I remember any time she met any of her students anywhere, mostly in Jamatkhana, she would come up to Mummy to greet her and remind her of having taught her. If the student had her child/children with her, she would introduce Mummy as her teacher and also add “she was very strict” and Mummy would reply “Because I was strict, you are what you are now”

Mummy had a lot of friends from her young days, to her teaching years, to her volunteering days to her retired life in Canada. She was adored by all in the family and all her friends to the end.

Mummy loved my father so much that she never thought of remarrying after he passed away in 1969. When Mummy first came to Canada in 1974, she was a young widow of five years and only 47 years old. After some time, when she felt settled, I suggested that it would be great if she had a companion for social life since she was so young still. She could not fathom how I could even suggest something like that. Mummy did not talk to me for three days! From then on, there was no such talk.

We did a lot of small and big trips together and enjoyed each other’s company. Mummy adored all her grandchildren and attended their weddings. She would also accompany anybody who needed help to visit the doctor or for any other reason.

Even today, quite a few people know me as Mrs. Welji’s daughter and they talk highly of her and remember what she had done to help them. When I hear people talk about Mummy like this, I feel proud that this was my mother who is still remembered and loved by all who knew her. I miss her very much.

May she rest in eternal peace. Ameen.

PHOTO GALLERY OF REMTI WELJI'S LIFE

1962 Hassanali, Remti and Nazat on their trip to India.
During his visit to East Africa. in 1961, Mowlana Hazar Imam visited Agakhan Schools and met with the teachers. Picture shows the Imam with Roshan Jessa, Remti (being presented to Imam) and Mrs. Nurbanu Kassam, the Principal of Agakhan Girls’ Primary School.
60's Upanga Ladies Volunteer Corp .
70's Officers of Upanga Jamatkhana.
1971 June –Mahdi weds Yasmin Visanji – From left – Remti, Yasmin, Mahdi and Sherubai.
1982 June, – Amina weds Badrudin Samji June From left – Remti, Khatijabai, Amina, Sambai Hirji Welji and Nurkhanu Lakhani.
1983- with Amina and granddaughter Ashraf.
1983 - with her granddaughter, Ashraf.
1987 - From the left - Sambai Hassanali Hirji, Remti, Khatijabai Mohamedali Jaffer Welji and Nurkhabu Mohamedali Lakhani.
1988 – with daughters Nazat and Amina and granddaughter Ashraf.
1988 – enjoying the sun in Cancun, Mexico.
1993 -Nazat weds Peter. Peter, Nazat, Sylvia and Ronald Lilley
1996 – With niece Memsie in Bermuds.and Pumpkin -Memsie’s dog.
1994 – Family Reunion in Vancouver. - Standing from left – Aalim, Tazim, Peter, Nazat, Yasmin, Mahdi and Tasleem. Sitting – Remti and Amina. Front - Ashraf
with Don Mills ISAT Committee and Chairperson Mukhi Sadrudin Sidi.
2004, May on a cruise of Alaska.
2007 Dec - Amina, Nazat and Remti at Nazat and Peter's in England.
2008 Aalim weds Farzaana – From left - Remti, Mahdi, Farzana, Aalim, Yasmin and Sherubai.
2008 – Amina, Ashraf and Remti at grandson Aalim”s wedding. .
2009 Toronto
2009 – With her first great grandson – Izyan Aalim Mahdi Welji.
2011 August Ashraf (granddaughter) weds Travaugn From left – Jaffer Rashid,Remti, Ashraf, Amina,Travaugn and Shellakhanu.
2012 March - with Naila Devraj (niece).
December, 2012 – Standing from left – Travaugn Hutchinson holding Trivian Malik (Remti’s great grandson) and Amina. Seated from left – Feton Hutchinson, Remti, Bahadur Chagpar and Sandra Hutchinson.Shiraz Jaffer and Azra Ladha are in the background.
May, 2012 – Family gathering at the LTC Home -Standing in the back row from left -Jaffer Rashid, Bahadur Chagpar, Malik Ladhani, Hussein Kara, Mansur Amlani, Zul Kara, Travaugn Hutchinson and Mahdi; Middle Row – Shellakhanu Rashid, Salima Ladhani, Amina, Amina Kara, Gulzar Ladhani, Ashraf Hutchinson and Farida Dhanji.-Seated – Farida Amlani, Remti and Khatun Jaffer.
2012 June, – Four generations – With Ashraf (granddaughter) Amina (daughter) and Trivian Malik (greatgrandson) in her lap.
2012 – From left – Roshan (sister-in-law), Shellakhanu (sister) and Remti.
2013 - With Nazat.
2013 – with Nazat and Peter.
2013 - With Sherubai Visanji attending a wedding in Scarborough Jamatkhana.
2013 – at LTC Home
2014 – With sister Shellakhanu and husband Jaffer Rashid.
2014 – With son Mahdi & daughter Amina.
2014 - With daughter Amina.