The more I thought of writing the book, the more overwhelmed I became. My parents have a
rich legacy, both came from extremely large families and together, they created another large
family.
While I was acquainted with the immediate family tree and also the extended relatives on
both sides of my parents there were too many layers and the sub plots were shrouded in
mystery.
There were too many characters, locations, vocations and too many
jigsaw puzzle pieces missing before I could embark on my creative journey.
And then my sibling number five Sarla, a long-time resident of Berlin, Germany died!
Within a year, Sarla’s husband, my brother-in-law, expired too and the responsibility of
folding up the house and all belongings fell on my young nephew Rityesh Rajani.
That is the time Ritesh discovered handwritten exercise sheets beneath his mother’s mattress.
I had asked Sarla to write descriptions of our Karachi and Bhuj home and she had promised
to share the same when she was ready.
My nephew remembered our conversations and on his next trip to India carried these precious
sheets for me.
I wept reading those passages and that was the beginning of Farewell Karachi for me.
