My grandmother/dadi Zohra. Her biggest possible smile reserved for reading.
On Sindhi Language Day, I am celebrating the resilience of our indigenous language that has survived state violence, pogroms and institutionalized oppression. Sindhi endures because we are an inextinguishable people who refuse erasure and because of the work of writers, activists and scholars such as my mom, dad and my first Sindhi tutor @vimmi.rs
One of the most treasured qualities of our language is its relationship to Sufism, which kept our mother tongue alive through centuries of foreign invasion and occupation. Sufi Saints like Shah Latif continued to compose verse in Sindhi, ensuring our language stayed circulating amongst the people regardless of who was in power. My family carried this forward through our own Sufi poetic lineage, with works penned by my grandfather Agha Abdul Nabi and my great uncle, the mystic Agha Sufi — including Sachal Jo Risalo, Afkar-e-Alig, Afsana ain Maqala, Harees Putlo urf Wafa ji Devi and Sassi Punhun. Poetry is our resistance.
For thousands of years, Sindhi has been the sound of our survival and our commitment to beauty amidst struggle. Jiye Sindh and توهان جي مهرباني to everyone doing the invaluable work of keeping Sindhi language, spirituality and culture alive.
#sindhilanguageday
A SIGH OF LOVE WOKE ME UP ❤️ an amateur 😇 painting by my dad and me, featuring an excerpt from Sur Ramkali by Shah Latif, the most celebrated Sindhi Sufi poet-saint. “Aaha” is one of my favorite Sindhi words — a sigh which simultaneously expresses feeling love and feeling cursed. But when used in poetry, the meaning converts to “hope.” How beautiful is that? ❤️ special thanks to my mom for being my Sindhi teacher.
First and last time Maya Angelou and I will share a line on our résumés 😍. Thank you @americanfilminstitute ! I dove into filmmaking 8 years ago, entirely self-taught. The first film set I set foot on was my own in London. Seeing “Director” next to my name on the call sheet sent me into a mild panic. I hid in the bathroom for 20 minutes and told myself if I managed not to throw up on a British person then I would consider the day a success (the day was a success) (idk why this was my metric) (I’ve never thrown up on a British person) (nor any person) (nor on set) (so I guess every day of my life has been a success). It’s truly been a blessed 8 years, but I can’t wait to learn from the best about the craft I love so much 💚 and to do so alongside these amazing women IS. THE. DREAM. It’s going to be a good year, I feel it 🥲🧿. PS Mom thanks for taking my headshot. @locanilla once said she’s never seen me show up somewhere without wet hair…and, yet again, the hair was wet 👸🏻
Still love these from 2020 🌈 when @mohothr taught me the basics of animation over FaceTime during lockdown. I was obsessively reading about Impossible Colors and studies in which scientists overrode the eyes’ opponent mechanism so people could momentarily see Impossible Colors...how they struggled to describe what they were seeing even though it moved them so much…and thinking about the loneliness of transcendent experiences. I could play with color all day. Plus I love the look of graph paper so much, and slapping chaos on top of all that soothing orderliness! I love beauty that feels like mischief.
