Elsa Kazi (1884–1967), commonly known as "Mother Elsa", particularly in the

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

province of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

was a German writer of

one-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...

s, short stories, novels and history, and a poet. She was a composer and a musician of considerable achievement, involved in virtually every conspicuous branch of

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

. Her paintings are often seen in many distinguished family homes. Although not well conversant with the Sindhi language, she managed to develop some of the best translations of selected verses of

Shah Abdul Latif Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai ( sd, شاھ عبداللطيف ڀٽائي, ur, ; 1689/1690 – 21 December 1752), commonly known by the honorifics ''Lakhino Latif'', ''Latif Ghot'', ''Bhittai'', and ''Bhit Jo Shah'', was a Sindhi Sufi mystic, a ...

into English with the support of her husband, Allama I. I. Kazi. She successfully couched the substance of those verses in a poetical setting which, in musical terms, reflects the original Sindhi metrical structure and expression in which Latif had cast them. Her translation of Shah Abdul Latif's poetry is considered by many to be the best in English. Her works have been the subject of several doctoral theses. She is also famous for her stories for children. Furthermore, the

University of Washington Libraries The University of Washington Libraries (UW Libraries) is the academic library system of the University of Washington. The Libraries serves the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell campuses of the University of Washington and the university's Frid ...

has rated one of her works "Temptation: a drama of Sind country life in three acts" published in 1942 and "Aeolian: notes of an overstrung lyre" published in 1920 amongst the best South Asian literature that emerged before the Partition of India in 1947.

Short biography

Born Gertrude Loesch in Rudel Stadt, a small village in Germany, in the house of a musician who ultimately migrated to London, she assumed the name of Elsa after marriage. Her father the late Mr. Elderman was a prosperous German having property in London that was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After the war, compensation was paid to her for the same. In London, she met the philosopher from

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

Allama I. I. Kazi by chance. Mr. Kazi, having arrived at the railway station when the train had started moving, managed to board the last compartment which was nearly empty: a solitary young lady occupied a corner quarter. Reared in traditional family background, Mr. Kazi felt very shy and embarrassed and kept standing near the door with his back to her. Elsa was amazed, astonished, and amused to meet a man who would not take a seat despite her repeated offers, and would only repeat apologies. She sought his address and developed a lifelong association. The couple was married in Germany in 1910. The couple lived in London from 1911 to 1919, and occasionally made short visits to

. Altogether, the couple spent 30 years of life in England, during which they remained engaged in research, tracing the evolution of religion through the ages up to the advent of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. Both of them contributed essays, articles, and addresses in vital branches of modern knowledge, besides preaching Islam under the aegis of Jamiatul Muslimeen. In 1919, the couple returned to Sindh, and Allama Kazi first entered the judiciary as Chief Justice of Khairpur State. Owing to differences with His Highness Mir Ali Nawaz of

Khairpur Khairpur( Sindhi and ur, ) is a city and the capital of the Khairpur District, in Pakistan's Sindh province. History The Talpur dynasty was established in 1783 by Mir Fateh Ali Khan, who declared himself the first ''Rais'', or ruler of Sindh, ...

, in addition to his dissatisfaction with the British policy towards the States, he resigned after a two-year stay, and the couple left for London. The couple continued to propagate Islam in London till April 1951, when Allama Kazi accepted the office of Vice-Chancellor of the

University of Sindh The University of Sindh ( ur, ; sd, سنڌ يونيورسٽي; informally known as Sindh University) is a public research university in Pakistan located in the city of Jamshoro. It is one of the oldest universities in Pakistan and was certifi ...

. He resigned from this office after eight years, and thereafter the couple led a retired life at

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

, Sindh at the residence of Ahmed Mohammad Kazi, an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Principal of the Sindh Law College. In 1967, Elsa was suddenly taken seriously ill with a renal problem and died at the age of 83. She had no children of her own, but the university students and residents of Sindh call her Mother Elsa. Furthermore, several girls' hostels and other buildings in the university district of

Jamshoro Jamshoro ( sd, ڄام شورو, ur, ) is a city and the capital of Jamshoro District, located in Sindh, Pakistan. It is located on the right bank of the Indus River, approximately northwest of Hyderabad and northeast from the provincial capi ...

created at the instance of her husband, are named after her. She lies buried along with Allama I. I. Kazi in the New Campus of Sindh University in Jamshoro, Hyderabad. Elsa Kazi's tombstone

Her work

She saw a green and shadowy tree in Sindh, and she inquired its name and wrote a poem ''The Neem Tree'' on it. She helped her husband in writing a book ''The Brown Girl in Search of God''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kazi, Elsa 1884 births 1967 deaths German expatriates in Pakistan German Muslims Pakistani people of German descent Pakistani Muslims People from Hyderabad District, Pakistan People from London People from Rudolstadt Sindhi-language poets 20th-century poets Sindhi people

Short biography

Her work

See also

References