2 Early days.

I was called Ayesha. Ayesha Imtiyaaz Khan. I hailed from a very conservative Muslim family in India, Mumbai. My father was a businessman and my mother, an unambitious graduate. I had an older brother too. His name was Zeeshaan.

We were a happy family. Father would manage his stores that sold pretty much everything from candy to furniture. It was pretty random. He also rented apartments. Earlier, when I was still a babe, we used to stay in the Gulf. It wasn't until I was 9 that we moved back to India.

Leaving my friends back in the gulf was very saddening. I had cried a lot. It took me a long time before I got used to living in India despite it being my home country.

We had an apartment in Mumbai. It was a bit cramped. Well, we were a bit better off than most people. A single shabby compartment in the slums costed about a few lakhs(1) of Rupees. It was amazing that Father could get a flat for so cheap in a city like Mumbai. As expected from a businessman.

Mumbai, formerly called Bombay was the capital city of the state of Maharashtra. One of the largest cities of India, it is said to be a financial, entertainment and commercial capital of the country. Mumbai was located on the western coast of the Konkan region.

I realised that I have always been near the sea-side my whole life. Even in the Gulf, we lived near the coasts.

School in Mumbai was slow. It usually started at eight in the morning. Seven, if it was House gathering. That's when we had to get up extra early to exercise along with the rest of our sleepy housemates.

Most schools had four Houses. Some schools named their houses after planets. Mars was usually red. Saturn yellow. Neptune was always green and Uranus or Jupiter blue.

The convent schools named the houses after saints. I attended an all-girls convent school and I was in the Red house. House gatherings were a pain. I really hated getting up to exercise. Yes, I was not a morning person.

Ever since eighth grade, I wore pants and a scarf(2) over my uniform while commuting to and fro to school. I had to remove them as soon as I entered the school gates.

Some other Muslim girls would wear a Burqah(3) or a Ridah(4) instead. The convent school wouldn't allow long skirts that went below the knee. Or above it for that matter. It had to be exactly on the knee. Socks had to be one handspan in length. No longer or shorter.

School started with a morning prayer and the national anthem or the school song. It would be broadcasted to every class. That alone took half an hour. I would be half awake the whole time. It was routine so it was pretty much easy to do without getting caught by the teacher.

Then came the classes. Then a short break after three or four periods. Then class again. Then a long break which lasted for an hour. Then class. And then finally, we could go home.

Someone like me was pretty much invisible but at the same time quite well known. The teachers often looked for me when it came to creative works. I made friends despite not speaking Hindi very well. I did improve over time. But the mocking laughter was a bit traumatic.

My schooling was done in an environment free of males. In the Gulf, males and females were usually separated by third grade.

This was one of the reasons I still can't speak to a living, breathing creature called a 'Male'.

Time passed. I grew up to be a 20 year old girl. I had taken up Arts in college. Mother already started with the dreaded marriage talks.

The legal age for a girl to marry was 18. She kept saying that a girl should marry by the age of 24. It seemed that I could only keep her at bay for a year or two about it.

Even though I didn't want to get married, it was a duty for all Muslims to do so. The only reason I would marry is out of my love for Allah and his Messenger (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam)(5).

It was Sunnah(6). And also a command. I will obey. Though I did really want to enjoy my freedom of being the little princess of the family a bit longer. I did wonder how it would turn out in the next few years or so. I sighed. In Shaa Allah(7), I will get a good husband to take care of me. Ameen(8). The story of how I met my husband has yet to be told.

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Glossary:

(1)Lakh:- India has a different numeric system. One lakh is about 1,00,000. That's a hundred thousand Rupees.

(2) Scarf:- Called a Hijab. It is worn to cover the head and chest.

(3)Burqah:- A Muslim attire used for the purpose of concealing the body shape. It is usually Black in colour and is loose and flowy. It is not a compulsory thing. A Muslim may wear anything as long as it conceals all that is required.

(4) Ridah:- An attire worn by the Bhoris, a category of Muslims. is usually colourful. It consists of a skirt piece and a long headpiece that reaches the waist. A shirt or an inner is usually worn underneath.

(5)(sallalahu alaihi wa sallam):- It means ' peace and blessing upon him'. It is a salutation whenever his name is mentioned.

(6) Sunnah:- Actions that Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu alaihi wa sallam) had done during his lifetime. Muslims try to do the things and live like he did.

(7)In shaa Allah:- It means ' By the will of Allah'. It is said when ever someone talks about the future. For e.g.. In shaa Allah I will meet you tomorrow.

(8) Ameen:- An equivalent of the Christian 'Amen'. Is used to conclude a prayer.