Sara Khan’s Family History Project
My great grandfather, Khwaja Ghulam Ahmed Ashai, was born on April 4th, 1895 in Srinagar, Kashmir. He was an educator, politician, prisoner, and a father. My great grandfather was the first Muslim graduate from the Kashmir Valley, and continued to get his B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) at the Punjab University and M.A. (Master of Arts) in Persian from Calcutta University. In addition, he got his B.T (Bachelor of Teaching) and an M.O.L (Master of Oriental Languages) from Punjab University. He received lots of education, which is not something that happened very often in Kashmir at that time. After university, Mr. Ashai joined government service as a school teacher and later became promoted to professor at the Sri Pratap College. In 1947, he received the honor of being chosen as a member of the State Legislative Assembly due to his hard work. My great grandfather and Sheikh Abdulluh proposed and founded a University on November 2, 1948. Subsequently, Mr. Abdulluh was arrested for conspiracy in the Kashmir Conspiracy Case. Mr. Ashai was also arrested because he worked so close with Mr. Abdulluh. He had no chance to explain that he had not done anything wrong. My great grandfather was in jail for about 2 years, and my grandma remembers going to visit him about once a month. After being released, Mr. Ashai remained active in the political scene in Kashmir. He wrote petitions to the UN, and protested human rights for Kashmiris. Mr. Ashai became ill and sadly passed away on November 14, 1964. His legacy lives on with my grandma and her siblings. Mr. Ashai had an important impact on Kashmir and was always fighting for what he believed in.
My grandmother, Tasneem Fatima Khan, was born on October 10, 1942 in Srinagar, Kashmir. She spent most of her childhood playing with her 8 siblings. My grandmother went to college at Kashmir University, and married my grandfather, Rafique Ahmed Khan. The two had an arranged marriage in 1962. They started a family in Kashmir and brought two boys into the world, one of them being my Dad and the other being my uncle, Obaid Khan. The family moved in 1970 when Mr. Rafique Khan received an offer to be a city planner in Baltimore. My grandmother opened a shop which she is still proud of today. The shop sold decor, spices, and clothes from Kashmir. The news channel came to interview her about 2 times, and she remembers meeting Oprah while at the station. In 1980, the family of 4 moved to Los Angeles because of another job opportunity for Mr. Rafique Khan. My grandmother says that her career really started once she moved to LA. She was an investment broker for New York Life. Currently, my grandmother is still alive and lives in LA. Her spirit is one that I will never forget: energetic, funny, and grateful. She loves to cook and spend time with her family.
My father, Shobi Z. Khan, was born on September 18th, 1965 in Srinagar, Kashmir. My father immigrated to the US in when he was about 4 years old and lived in Baltimore for most of his childhood. When my Dad was going into high school, he moved to Los Angeles. He later continued his education at UC Berkeley and than USC for graduate business school. Mr. Khan has accomplished many things in his business career, one of the most recent including assisting in selling GGP to Brookfield. My Dad inspires me to work my hardest and spend time with the people I love the most. He loves his work and is determined to make my life the happiest and best it can be. He currently works and lives in London for a company named Canary Wharf Group. My Mom and I will be moving to London in July to be with my Dad.
I was born on January 17, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois. I love spending time with my friends, acting in plays, and playing volleyball. My mother, Nighat Khan was born on July 24, 1971 in Srinagar, Kashmir. She is an ophthalmologist and spends her free time listening to live music. I look up to my mom because she is the most hard working woman I know. I have one older sister, Zara, who was born on December 12, 1998. She is 21 years old and is currently attending UC Berkeley in California. She plans on majoring in English and is a passionate writer. Our parents named us so similarly because they wanted us to be close friends in real life. I have one older brother, Zaid, who I am lucky enough to call one of my best friends. He was born on July 28, 2002. He is a senior at Latin and loves to play sports. Together, we love to watch movies and support the Los Angeles Lakers. To me, Los Angeles is my second home. My grandparents live there, and it’s a place for me and my whole family to come together. I have so many memories there and look forward to going there every time. My family are the most important people in my life, and without them I would not be who I am today.
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I interviewed my grandmother, Tasneem Fatima Khan on January 3, 2020. Mrs. Khan is 77 years old and immigrated from Jammu and Kashmir in the 1970s. Jammu and Kashmir is a small disputed territory between India and Pakistan that many people do not know about. The interview focuses on Mrs. Khan’s immigration, father, and life in Kashmir.
Q: Tell me about your immigration. When did you immigrate, where, what was it like?
A: I immigrated here in 1970. I came with two boys, one was 5 and a half and 6. Came to New York. Stayed with your Farukh Chacha. My husbands brother. Stayed with him for 2 days. Then drove to Baltimore. And Baba was stationed. He was a city planner. For the Baltimore City.
Q: You opened a store in Baltimore, when you first immigrated. Tell me about that.
A: The store sold all decorations. Unusual items from Kashmir. It was called Kashmir. And it was beautiful and so well made, the ABC channel came to interview me twice. And then they invited me to the TV station and that’s where I met Oprah...it was magic. At that time she was not that famous but she wanted to know the different spices of Kashmir. So I showed her and how you cook them. She was impressed with my store, that’s why.
Q: Tell me about Eid.
A: Oh, Eid was one of the biggest festivals. Like Christmas. We used to get new clothes, new socks, new shoes. My father had a shoemaker who used to make custom shoes. The shoes were custom made based on our design. And everyone would get new shoes, new clothes, and money. Instead of gifts, we used to get money.
Q: What’s your advice to me/your grandchildren?
A: Focus your life. Focus, focus, focus. And have a goal. Always have a goal in your life. I had no goal until I came into Los Angles. [Say] This is where I want to be next year, this is what I want to be in 5 years, this is what I want to be in 10 years...Listen to your parents. They are your best friends.
