Elsa Kazi
Encyclopedia
Elsa Kazi commonly known as "Mother Elsa", was a German
writer of one-act plays, short stories
, novel
s and history
, and one of the greatest poetesses of her time. She was also a composer
and a musician
of considerable achievement, involved in virtually every conspicuous branch of fine arts. Her paintings are often seen in many distinguished family homes. She also painted the famous courtesan queen of Khairpur
Mirs, "Bali".
Although not well conversant with the Sindhi language
, she yet managed to come with some of the best translations of selected verses of Shah Abdul Latif into English
with the support of her husband, Allama I. I. Kazi
. She successfully couched the substance of those verses in a remarkable poetical setting which, in musical terms, reflects the original Sindhi metrical structure and expression in which Latif had cast them. Her translation of Shah Abdul Latif's poetry still remains the best so far in the English language. Her works have been the subject of
several doctoral theses. She is also famous for her stories for children. Furthermore, the University of Washington Libraries has rated one of her works "Temptation: a drama of Sind country life in three acts" published in 1942 and "Aeolian: notes of an overstrung lyre" published in 1920 amongst the best South Asian literature that emerged prior to the Partition of India in 1947.
London
, she assumed the name of Elsa after marriage. Her father the late Mr Elderman was a prosperous German having property in London that was destroyed during World War II
. After the war, compensation was paid to her for the same.
It was in London that she met Allama I. I. Kazi by sheer chance. It so happened that Allama Kazi, having arrived at the railway station while the train had already started moving, managed to board in the last compartment which was empty, except for a solitary young lady occupying a corner quarter. Reared in a traditional family background, Mr Kazi felt very shy and embarrassed and kept standing near the door with his back to the lady. Elsa was amazed, astonished and amused to meet a man who would not take a seat despite her repeated offers, and would only repeat apologies. For a man who was so innocent and fascinating, she sought his address and thus developed a life long association. The couple was married in Germany in 1910.
The couple lived in London from 1911 to 1919, and occasionally made short visits to Sindh
. Altogether, the couple spent 30 years of life in England
, during which they remained engaged in research, tracing the evolution of religion
through the ages up to the advent of Islam
. Both of them contributed numerous essays, articles and addresses in various vital branches of modern knowledge, besides preaching Islam under the aegis of Jamiatul Muslimeen. In the year 1919, the couple returned to Sindh, and Allama Kazi first entered the judiciary, and subsequently joined as Chief Justice of the Khairpur State on deputation. Owing to certain differences with His Highness Mir Ali Nawaz of Khairpur, in addition to his dis-satisfaction with the British policy towards the States, he resigned after a 2-year stay, and the couple left for London.
The couple continued to propagate Islam in London till April 1951, when Allama Kazi was offered the office of Vice Chancellor of the University of Sindh
. He resigned from this office after eight years, and thereafter the couple led a retired life at Hyderabad, Sindh. In the year 1967, Elsa was suddenly taken seriously ill with a renal problem, and breathed her last at the age of 83. She had no children of her own but all the university students and all the residents of Sindh call her Mother Elsa. Furthermore, the name of the girls' hostel in the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology In Jamshoro and several other buildings are named after her. She now lies buried along with her husband, Allama I. I. Kazi at the New Campus of Sindh University in Jamshoro, Hyderabad.
A free translation of Mother Elsa Kazi's chronogram is as follows:-
"Alas our reverend Elsa;
Left this world to live in that one;
She was steadfast on the right path;
She was expert in every fine art,
Accomplished in every blessed discipline;
In modesty had no parallel,
In delicacy no equal;
She was Allama's close confidante,
Well informed of Divine Secrets:
She was kind and tender,
To all high and low;
Elsa Kazi unsurpassed in gentleness
Got a permanent abode in paradise".
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
writer of one-act plays, short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, and one of the greatest poetesses of her time. She was also a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
of considerable achievement, involved in virtually every conspicuous branch of fine arts. Her paintings are often seen in many distinguished family homes. She also painted the famous courtesan queen of Khairpur
Khairpur
Khairpur is the twelfth largest city in the province of Sindh in southeast Pakistan. It was founded in 1783 by Mir Sohrab Khan, who established the Khairpur branch of the Talpur clan. The settlement was selected as the seat of the Mirs of northern Sindh. It is the capital of the modern Khairpur...
Mirs, "Bali".
Although not well conversant with the Sindhi language
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
, she yet managed to come with some of the best translations of selected verses of Shah Abdul Latif into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
with the support of her husband, Allama I. I. Kazi
Allama I. I. Kazi
Allama Imdad Ali Imam Ali Kazi , was a scholar, philosopher, jurist, and educationist. He is considered to be a founder of the University of Sindh at its present location at Jamshoro. Many remarkable works for Sindhi Art, literature, mysticism, education and history are attributed to him...
. She successfully couched the substance of those verses in a remarkable poetical setting which, in musical terms, reflects the original Sindhi metrical structure and expression in which Latif had cast them. Her translation of Shah Abdul Latif's poetry still remains the best so far in the English language. Her works have been the subject of
several doctoral theses. She is also famous for her stories for children. Furthermore, the University of Washington Libraries has rated one of her works "Temptation: a drama of Sind country life in three acts" published in 1942 and "Aeolian: notes of an overstrung lyre" published in 1920 amongst the best South Asian literature that emerged prior to the Partition of India in 1947.
Short biography
Born Gertrude Loesch in Rudel Stadt, a small village in Germany, in the house of a great musician who ultimately migrated to DulwichDulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, she assumed the name of Elsa after marriage. Her father the late Mr Elderman was a prosperous German having property in London that was destroyed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, compensation was paid to her for the same.
It was in London that she met Allama I. I. Kazi by sheer chance. It so happened that Allama Kazi, having arrived at the railway station while the train had already started moving, managed to board in the last compartment which was empty, except for a solitary young lady occupying a corner quarter. Reared in a traditional family background, Mr Kazi felt very shy and embarrassed and kept standing near the door with his back to the lady. Elsa was amazed, astonished and amused to meet a man who would not take a seat despite her repeated offers, and would only repeat apologies. For a man who was so innocent and fascinating, she sought his address and thus developed a life long association. The couple was married in Germany in 1910.
The couple lived in London from 1911 to 1919, and occasionally made short visits to Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
. Altogether, the couple spent 30 years of life in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, during which they remained engaged in research, tracing the evolution of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
through the ages up to the advent of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Both of them contributed numerous essays, articles and addresses in various vital branches of modern knowledge, besides preaching Islam under the aegis of Jamiatul Muslimeen. In the year 1919, the couple returned to Sindh, and Allama Kazi first entered the judiciary, and subsequently joined as Chief Justice of the Khairpur State on deputation. Owing to certain differences with His Highness Mir Ali Nawaz of Khairpur, in addition to his dis-satisfaction with the British policy towards the States, he resigned after a 2-year stay, and the couple left for London.
The couple continued to propagate Islam in London till April 1951, when Allama Kazi was offered the office of Vice Chancellor of the University of Sindh
University of Sindh
The University of Sindh informally known as Sindh University is the second oldest university in Pakistan accredited by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan....
. He resigned from this office after eight years, and thereafter the couple led a retired life at Hyderabad, Sindh. In the year 1967, Elsa was suddenly taken seriously ill with a renal problem, and breathed her last at the age of 83. She had no children of her own but all the university students and all the residents of Sindh call her Mother Elsa. Furthermore, the name of the girls' hostel in the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology In Jamshoro and several other buildings are named after her. She now lies buried along with her husband, Allama I. I. Kazi at the New Campus of Sindh University in Jamshoro, Hyderabad.
A free translation of Mother Elsa Kazi's chronogram is as follows:-
"Alas our reverend Elsa;
Left this world to live in that one;
She was steadfast on the right path;
She was expert in every fine art,
Accomplished in every blessed discipline;
In modesty had no parallel,
In delicacy no equal;
She was Allama's close confidante,
Well informed of Divine Secrets:
She was kind and tender,
To all high and low;
Elsa Kazi unsurpassed in gentleness
Got a permanent abode in paradise".
See also
- Allama I. I. KaziAllama I. I. KaziAllama Imdad Ali Imam Ali Kazi , was a scholar, philosopher, jurist, and educationist. He is considered to be a founder of the University of Sindh at its present location at Jamshoro. Many remarkable works for Sindhi Art, literature, mysticism, education and history are attributed to him...
- Dr Ali Ahmed S KaziDr Ali Ahmed S KaziDr Ali Ahmed S Kazi was one of the few physicians when Sindh was created as a province in British India in 1936.-Family:He was born in 1896 and was a nephew of the great intellectual Allama I. I. Kazi and his illustrious wife Elsa Kazi. His father, Sharafuddin Kazi died when he was still quite...
- A G N KaziA G N KaziAftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi SPk, SK, was a Pakistani statesman during the Cold war and during the post cold war. Kazi was born in Sindh, Bombay Presidency in 1919 to an educationist family of academic class. Kazi started his career in Indian Civil Service in 1944 and served as the Deputy Commissioner...
- Justice Mushtak Ali KaziMushtak Ali KaziJustice Mushtak Ali Kazi , was a renowned jurist and writer of Pakistan and Judge of High Court of Sindh .-Birth and Family:Kazi was born in Sindh then part of the Bombay Presidency of British India on 21 December 1917. He was a distinguished alumnus of the University of Bombay...
- Ahmed Hussain A. KaziAhmed Hussain A. KaziAhmed Hussain A. Kazi, born:August 15, 1920—7 January 2007), Tamgha-i-Pakistan, was a senior advocate and civil servant of Pakistan and a close industrial policy adviser to the Government of Pakistan on internal revenue, economic and industrialization policies during the seventies.-Family and...
- Justice Bashir Ghulam Nabi KaziBashir Ghulam Nabi KaziJustice Bashir Ahmed Ghulam Nabi Kazi better known as Justice B G N Kazi was the younger son of Khan Bahadur Ghulam Nabi Kazi MBE a veteran educationist of British India, and a renowned jurist of Pakistan.-Family:...
- Mutawakkil KaziMutawakkil KaziDr Mutawakkil Kazi, was a noted civil servant and economist of Pakistan.-Family and Early Life:Kazi was born in Karachi, British India in 1944. His paternal grandfather Ali Mohammad Kazi was in the Indian Police and became District Superintendent, a post not normally assigned to Indians. He...
- Ghulam Nabi KaziGhulam Nabi KaziDr Ghulam Nabi Kazi Urdu:ڈاکٹر غلام نبی قاضی is a prominent public health scientist and health economist of Pakistan, who has been working for the World Health Organization since eleven years.-Early Life and Family:...
- SindhSindhSindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
- PaatPaatPaat, also known as Pat or Goth Pat, is a small town in the Dadu District of Sindh, Pakistan. It is located at 20°28'0N 48°68'0E with an altitude of...
- Nabi Bux Khan Baloch
- Dr. Umar Bin Muhammad Daudpota
- Mirza Qalich Baig
- Hassam-ud-Din RashidiHassam-ud-Din RashidiPir Hassam-ud-Din Rashidi was a Pakistani historian and scholar.Born in 1911 near Nusrat Station, Ratodero Taluka, Larkana District, he was the son of Muhammad Hamid Shah Rashidi and the younger brother of Pir Ali Muhammad Rashidi...
- Muhammad Ibrahim JoyoMuhammad Ibrahim JoyoMuhammad Ibrahim Joyo son of Muhammad Khan was born on August 12, 1915, in village Abad near Laki, Kotri, Dadu, now in Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan. He is a great scholar of the 21st century....
- University of SindhUniversity of SindhThe University of Sindh informally known as Sindh University is the second oldest university in Pakistan accredited by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan....