‘Amma Ji and Me’ is a story of an exceptional woman born in a small farming town of Pur Qazi in Northern India. The author recounts the remarkable journey of a woman from modest beginnings in a small rural town of India to her final resting place in the United States of America. Along the way, Amma ji’s unflagging ambition, hard-won achievements and countless sacrifices fashion a portrait of selfless love that serves as rousing tribute and triumphant celebration of the boundless possibilities when one makes full use of her considerable wit, formidable will and sheer love of family.
Author Zahir H Kazmi begins the tale with the birth of Jamila in an affluent family, but her father dies when she turns 11. With the death of her father, her fortune changes for the worse and she becomes penniless overnight. Born in an era and society where social and religious traditions rule out a formal education for girls and marriage looms large by the time she reaches the age of 13, she transforms her union into an impressive enterprise undauntedly, rallying her husband to constantly advance and grabbing hold of any opportunity to better their lives. To that end, she encourages her husband to start his own business.
She probably was the first woman who threw the first Tupperware party in the small rural town of Pur Qazi, some 30 years before the first Tupperware party was thrown in America. Life takes its tormented twists and turns in the aftermath of partitioning of the Indian Subcontinent into India and Pakistan, and Amma ji migrates to Pakistan with her five young children. Once again, she loses everything she and her husband had built in India. She starts her struggles again to better the lives of her family in a society completely strange to her. From the heights of opportunity to the brink of starvation, Amma ji survives it all.
In her mid-forties, she learns to read and write. She becomes the first woman in her entire community who travelled by train, ship and air. Ultimately, she became the first woman in her community to perform hajj. A stunning story of strength and smarts, Amma ji will live forever in the hearts of the readers following her journey – a journey that spans cultures, countries and circumstances; transcends age and origins; and inspires determination in readers the world over. The North American Bookdealers Exchange bestowed ‘Amma Ji and Me’ the Best Book Award in the category of Memoirs.
The author, Kazmi, the youngest son of Amma ji moved to Pakistan as a child when his parents migrated after independence. He graduated from the University of Karachi and had a career in banking from 1967 to 1973. He moved to America as a student in 1973 and graduated from the University of Illinois, majoring in Business Administration. He earned his CPA certificate and became a licensed public accountant, and is now self-employed, serving small- and medium-sized businesses in the Chicago Metropolitan area.
