There was much pomp and ceremony, this past Wednesday (January 31), as the residents of Bangladesh Heights celebrated the 100th birthday of one of their own, Aunt Dorothy Fatima Allie. The adored great-grandmother made history in our community, for being one of the very few local residents, to have reached this milestone.
The Bangladesh Heights Senior Citizens Cultural Group (BHSCCG) was at the helm of the celebrations, doing everything possible to make Aunt Fatima feel really special on her landmark birthday. Role players like Rabia Ali and family, as well as Aysha Moosa, Yusuf A. Jooma and others from the Senior Citizens Cultural Group, helped make the momentous event a huge success for the venerable and respected granny.
The group, together with other Bangladesh Heights residents, joined hands to put the delightful event together, with Aysha Moosa of the BHSCCG saying that many of the senior citizens within our society were single and often suffered from depression, having lost their dear loved ones. She added that some elder folk had children who, unfortunately, abandoned them, depriving them of both love and care and it was events such as these which gave the elders something to look forward to.
Another member of the cultural group said that it was so important to honour elders within the community, such as Aunt Fatima, as elder persons like her still continued to provide society with family values, age-old wisdom and traditions, and inspired others to live a decent life imbued with strong values and impeccable morality.
The Laudium Sun wishes Aunt Fatima all the best, and it is our prayer that the Almighty grant her many more years of health and happiness.
At the birthday celebrations:
Back - Surie Chetty, Mina Moodley, Aysha Moosa and Yusuf Jooma.
Front - Momen Hussain, Aunt Dorothy Fatima Allie and Rashida Hussain.