At 75, Zubeida Yacoob Khandwani Overcomes Hurdles To Pursue Doctorate In Sufisim

Zubeida Yacoob Khandwani, a 75-year-old woman has overcome several hurdles to continue her research for a doctorate degree in Sufism.

Khandwani is the General Secretary at the India Memon Jamat Federation and lives in a heritage bungalow at Mahim, Mumbai. Though she planned to complete her studies 10 years back, certain setbacks prevented her from doing so.

She revealed her struggles to a leading daily. She said that after her guide, Prof. Nizamuddin Gorekar who taught at many institutions such as St. Xavier's College died, her husband also left her. She also suffered an arm fracture. Her son, Sohail Khandwani, a  businessman and the managing trustee of Haji Ali Dargah said that his mother never gave up on her studies. They have kept tonnes of books on Sufism, several volumes of the Quran and its commentaries, journals and history books.

Due to the shortage of space at the bungalow, he shifted many of the books to his office and the go down.

Zubieda Yacoob Khadwani was only 17 when her mother passed away and subsequently she was married off. Though she dropped out of college later, she did not leave her studies. She graduated in arts and completed her LLB. "There was a time that my mother, my elder brother, my sister and I were at the same educational complex in Bandra," she said, adding that it felt a bit embarrassing that her mother and she were students. "Our classrooms were different," she said further. Her father also decided to study further and joined Masters in Economics. Even her mother continued her studies and joined MA in Islamic studies.

The 75-year-old got attracted to Sufism as she started visiting the mausoleums of Sufi saints like Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, Ajmer; Nizamuddin Aulia, Delhi; Makhdoom Mahimi and Haji Ali. According to her, Sufism is not a new religion but a way of life that makes one more tolerant and modest.

This year, in June, Tamil Nadu's Dhanabakiyam Ammal, an ex-Anganwadi worker started her education afresh at the age of 65. Though the pandemic affected the educational institutions and the National Literacy Mission's adult literacy programme, Ammal did not give up. She visited Chitra Rani, the headmistress of Kothamangalam Government Elementary School to take her lessons. Soon, she learnt to sign her own name and read textbooks proficiently.

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Image source: The Times of India