Of Kachoris, Milk Toffees and Moral Values

I’ve known this woman for almost my entire life. I remember how she kept herself busy amidst the company of her husband, who helped her run the canteen, and the special mouthwatering kachoris and milk toffees, among other delicacies. This woman at times used to scold us for not being polite enough, and we always brushed it off, but now that I think about it, I feel as if this woman had a great hand in making the person I am today, even though we only interacted for mere two minutes in a day, until today when I returned to that same place after three years and sat down for a conversation with her…

Mrs. Velloze has been the true manifestation of a morally strong woman engulfing hundreds of souls with compassion, ingenuity and determination.

Despite being above 80, she did not want to give up on her positive approach towards life, in the way of keeping herself busy and motivated to work. She told us how upset she was after Mr. Velloze's death, who passed away two years ago, but she still didn't give up and continued to work which she formerly shared with her husband.

I grew up watching her emphasizing to always say ‘please, may I have’ before we asked for anything. I remember how she called them the magic words. This may seem quite trivial to be mentioned but it’s something closest to my heart. She mentioned how it's sad to see that these etiquettes and values have slowly started to derelict from our society, and how we need to revive them.

Her aim towards life has always been the revival of etiquettes, morals and ethical values.

She told us how awkward it used to be in the beginning when she shifted to a colony where every time she went for a walk wearing her usual clothes, a skirt and a top, and all the residents passing by would stare at her in surprise. But after living there for some time, they've all become family. No one looks at her with surprise any more. She has a very humble neighbour, who happens to be a student of her sister-in- law, back then in middle 90s.

Sometimes, she thinks of winding it all up, but then her love for Mr. Velloze and the undying spirit fail to convince her in doing so.

She is one of the 150 Women of Substance affiliated with a prestigious institute in Karachi and continues to make every possible endeavour to leave behind an undying legacy of determination, principles and love for humanity.

Mrs. Velloze, photographed 3rd May 2016

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