Have you ever wondered where your clothes originated from? Ever wondered what your accent means, what your body language suggests, what your mother tongue conveys? Have you ever considered the possibility that you’re made up of history and it’s stories, and that huge fragments of you are a result of your genes?
Hello, I’m Maham Iqbal Bosan, I’m 25 yrs old and this is my mom’s story, but in a few years, it would/could become mine.
I’m always curious about why we are the way we are, how is our personality made, it is something we inherent, is it something we learn from observations or is a combination? Do you think we can find answers to these questions in our history? Do we inherent feelings, emotions and stories the same way we physical features from our ancestors?
I’m sometimes very extremist in my believes, for example, I sincerely believe that daughters turn in their moms or their mother in laws with time. And I also believe that in order to truly know an individual, talk to their parents, see how their family life has been, what all they went through as a child, because that kind of information is pure and without bais, and it sincerely helps you understand how is person is and how they will turn to be in the future.
Moving on, I want to explore the history of my family, make connections with my world, and see where it leads me. In order to do this, I’m going to explore my mom’s sandook (a hard bag where you keep valuables), which is full of pictures from as late as 1957, accompanied by her unfiltered stories, and a cup of chai.
The above images showcase a timeline of my mom, her friend, my dado and her sister. Can you notice a similarity? Years apart but they are all wearing similar colors and very similar prints. Plain dupattas and printed two piece shalwar kameez. Guess what, I have the same clothes – printed shalwar kameez in pink and green, that I got from a very contemporary brand Generation. Is fashion also something that travels in our blood?
Talking about fashion and make up, it remind me of the make up choices over the years.
Here is another timeline showing how make-up went from blue to pink to gold. Lipstick and dupatta has remained intact though. But isn’t it interesting how within our singular family, I can see bridal looks being changed over years?
And all these years I thought I was crazy to take all these self portraits and take up fashion photography as my career. Well, look at my mom! She designed with our own imagination, stitched all these clothes, and then decided the backdrop and poses, all by herself! I mean, that’s incredible! But, 40 years down the lane, i’m doing the exact same thing. You can look at my instagram (@mahamiqbalbosan) to understand what I mean. Can you believe it? Doesn’t this make you archive all the history and read these stories?
Mom till date has 3 best friends, they always gang up as 4 beautiful women at every gathering. From playing dress up at kids and posing all day to dressing each other up at weddings and crying goodbyes, these 4 have held hands through all roller coasters of life.
Not to freak you out, but guess what? Ever this my childhood, I too have 3 bestfriends! Gang of 4! The people who stayed and will stay till death does us apart. I mean, this is crazy!
The above image not only shows us being gangs of 4, but also, look at the poses! Poses, friendships, love, emotions, all these aspects are as much part of inheritance as materials.
Here is another short timeline for the kind of uniforms I saw in mom’s sandook. Left is mama, and right is a torn image I found, it’s probably my dado’s school.
Let’s go on a journey back in time – 1950’s to be exact. All these images were taken out from Mama’s Sandook. She told me dada abu was about to throw these images away when mama took them in her possession and saved them. Thank you, Mama!
“Feb 1957, Iqbal Ahmed, Emerson College, Zoology Laboratory” – Situated in Multan.
Looking at these images, they make me nostalgic for places and memories I have never experienced myself. I feel a surreal connection with them and I wish to cherish these pictures for as long as I breathe.
This is the first time I saw actual polaroids from back then! Amazing. The contract of black and white is crazy.
Pictures of my dad with his siblings in their baraamda, in Multan. These are 50 years old, these Polaroids. Thinking about my dad as a 5 year old, make me so emotional.
My brothers son, Eesa, and my sisters son, Ibrahim, don’t only look exactly like dad, their grand pa, but also behave like him too – in terms of being uncontrollable naughty. We used to wonder “Eesa and Ibrahim kispe gaye hain, they are crazy” – and then I stumbled upon these images and we got our answer – Eesa and Ibrahim inherited naughtyness from their grand father!
What is history, and why is it important?
I got my answer while sifting through these images. I urge you to ask dive into all images, memories, stories and truly absorb them.
The collages I showed above, are an archive for the memories I wish to store with me and for my future generations. People go, but their stories remain. And in terms of education, what is better than teaching history that is relatable and shared?
Tools & Technology in Art Education 