in rochester for a wedding and oh, how beautiful it is here. not as hot as on long island, with gorgeous blue skies and greenery so abundant it takes one’s breath away. a walk in cobbs hill park, dinner at sinbad’s, and best of all randomly running into our friend johannes as he was taking a turn on his bike – what are the chances, right? only in roc.
happy father’s day to my dad who gave us a hunger for life! this might be in austria a long time ago, on one of our trips across europe.
happy mother’s day to my beautiful mom! a ravian who studied english literature at the prestigious government college lahore in the 1960s (tariq ali studied there at the same time), she always set the bar v high for all of us. love u ammi and thank u <3
a full day in rochester yesterday before i drove back home: with kate, carol and laura at spot coffee, some gupshup and tea with shahida, and finally a splendid home-cooked afghan dinner with the beautiful marzia and fatima <3
sunday: lovely breakfast with ted at hydra coffee, lunch at sinbad’s with andrea who is working on a fascinating project about river cultures and collective memory, a visit to ruth and russell’s old home on crosman terrace (russell’s garden looks as splendid as ever), finally, ‘newtown’ the play about sandy hook at geva theatre (thank u laura) with my friend muna, followed by some late night gupshup at java’s.
it’s no secret that i love rochester! this morning i spent time with my brilliant friend ruhi – we had tea, talked about everything under the sun, and took a walk in her magical garden. back to zemeta’s ethiopian restaurant for lunch and then film testing at roc cinema – the film looks and sounds great! can’t wait for the premiere tomorrow at 12pm. went for a walk at highland park and felt transformed by its beauty. designed by the same guy who designed central park, it’s breathtaking in spring. spent the evening with my dear friend karen. her exhibition at anderson arts building, studio 402, is wonderful and i was lucky to receive one of her beautiful pieces <3 met my friend sarita outside the building:) now relaxing at my bnb before the big day tomorrow. hope to see u all roc friends!
We will have an amazing discussion after the premiere of ‘Return to Sender’ in Rochester, NY, on May 4th, 12pm, at the Cinema.
Buy tickets here.
Post-screening panelist Sumayia Islam:
Sumayia graduated from Nazareth University with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science. She is currently working as a Community Impact Coordinator for a Philanthropic Foundation. Sumayia is one of the brilliant women featured in the film.
Panelist Hernease Davis:
Hernease is a photo-based artist and an Assistant Curator at the Visual Studies Workshop where she develops programming that addresses contemporary conversations in the photographic arts. Hernease earned her B.A. in Biology from Swarthmore College and her M.F.A. in Advanced Photographic Studies from Bard College.
Panelist Urvashi Bhattacharya:
Urvashi spent the first 26 years of her life in India and professes an unwavering loyalty to the Indian cricket team and vegetarian food. While in India, she got her Masters in International Economics and an MBA but moved to the United States before embarking on her professional journey. She currently works at Syracuse University where she is Director of Strategic Initiatives and Project Management. Urvashi stars in the film along with Sumayia Islam and Fatimah Arshad.
happy birthday to my dad! my parents were unsual/ unusually progressive and completely focused on education and work in the world, rather than marriage or other societal templates or expectations. it made for an interesting life, sometimes chaotic but interesting nevertheless. my dad’s addiction to travel (which he still has) formed not only us but also our children. happy happy abbuji!
with our daughter, pumphouse park, new york city <3
i cannot believe this but my instagram account was hacked and deleted by the hacker yesterday. 6 years of postings, photos, and memories. almost 2000 followers. meta does not have a mechanism set up to contest the changing of one’s account email or phone number. one is helpless. anyway, it made me realize how ephemeral ‘online’ is. we must find more concrete, private ways of documenting, remembering, connecting, grieving or celebrating. this is my new account. pls connect if u’d like: __maraahmed
it’s ammi’s birthday today! growing up, my mom was always the coolest mom – someone i could share everything with, someone who supported me and pushed me to excel and believe in myself. from what lycee to apply to in brussels, to living in karachi and studying at IBA, from poetry competitions and impossible jobs to my marriage to aitezaz, ammi has been the force that has sparked everything. love u and am grateful for this time together momsie <3
the definition of beauty. with my long island fam. west meadow beach. setauket. a joyful, fortifying saturday afternoon <3
last dinner with my roc fam at @rosierestaurantny in pittsford and then off to long island. will be back in may inshallah!
a visit with dear shafqat aunty this morning, my khalajan’s best friend, with wonderful connections to both my family and my husband’s. thank u for making my visit possible dear ayesha. may aunty continue to be a strong and loving presence in our lives <3
a beautiful iftar with some beautiful friends at the islamic center of rochester <3
