My parents, Richard Shepard and Samina Quraeshi, intrepid travelers, seekers, and teachers, have shadowed and strengthened every phase of this project from start to finish in thousands of uncountable ways. They are an inexhaustible source of wisdom, humor, and direction, and I am blessed to be their daughter. I thank my family in Karachi for teaching me the laws of hospitality and for continuing to welcome me as both relative and friend across distances of opinion and geography. Lastly, I thank my brother, Cassim Shepard: comrade, collaborator, and witness. Not only are his instincts and grammar without parallel; he remembers everything better than I do.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Map of Pakistan and India ix
Nana sitting on the rocks in front of Rahat Villa, 1944 4
Rahat Villa, 1945 10
Nana and Samina, Karachi, 1954 15
Nana’s family in Bombay, 1936 34
Three parents, Denver, 1975 53
An illustration from Nana’s nursing manual 63
An illustration of “Dramatic Plot-Construction” 101
Richard and Samina’s wedding, Miramonte, Colorado, 1973 108
Samina goes to the United States, 1961 112
Samina at Manhattan High School, Manhattan, Kansas, 1961 116
Nana and Sadia, Denver, 1975 121
Samuel Street, Bombay, 2002 130
Mr. Ellis, the caretaker of Magen Abod Synagogue, Alibag, 2002 163
Moses, the caretaker of Hesed-El Synagogue, Poinad, 2002 165
Chordekar family, Chorde, 2002 172
Waskar kids, Revdanda, 2002 194
Boy in yarmulke, Magen Hassidim Synagogue, Bombay, 2002 213
Mr. and Mrs. Waskar, Revdanda, 2003 232
Ali’s letter, 1933 272
Ali in uniform, 1933 275
Magen Hassidim Synagogue, Bombay, 2002 292
Beth-El synagogue in Revdanda, 2003 314
An illustration of Rekhev’s film by Mochu 321
Nana at eighteen, Bombay, 1935 331
A Bene Israel photo studio, Bombay, 2003 344
Nana and Sadia, Newton, 1977 354
A NOTE ON TYPE
The text of this book is set in Adobe Garamond,
based on designs by
Claude Garamond
in the early sixteenth century.
This book was designed by
Nicole LaRoche.
This book was printed and bound
by R. R. Donnelley
at Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
The Girl From Foreign: A Memoir Page 40