Hassan Ali Muhammad Jaffer’s long awaited book that chronicles the life of the late Mulla Asghar M. M. Jaffer was finally published in the second half of 2009. Relentless Endeavours is a 180 page memoir written in beautiful and captivating language with the occasional witticisms common in typical British writing. Hasnain Walji’s preface is as interesting as it is original. Replete with quotes from Mulla Saheb, this work gives readers an invaluable insight into the personality of one of the greatest leaders of the Khoja Ithna’asheri Community the world has seen. The photo gallery section which comprises of 48 captioned photographs gives guidance to the imagination that is formed by the read words. Appended at the end is the unabridged version of ‘I was Saddam’s Prisoner’ that was penned by Marhum Mulla after his horrifying stint as a detainee in Iraq.
On the whole, this work is a valuable addition to the rather meager number of writings by Khoja authors on subjects relating to the community. I would have loved to see a more detailed work – 180 pages was just too short! – and it is hoped that other such works will soon be written and published. After all, the young generation will only value their history if they are privy to its otherwise unknown events and incidents. It would be wonderful if others who were close to Mulla Asghar would write about their experiences. Hasnain Walji, Sibtain Panjwani and Muhsin Jaffer, I’m sure, have shared some private moments with Mulla Saheb that nobody is aware of and would be inspiring to learn about.
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