LAJO was born to a Hindu family in the year 1958. Her parents were very poor. Their community consisted of only about 40 households and they had no tradition of marrying outside their limited community. Lajo was studying in class IX when her uncles brought a proposal for her marriage. The proposal was for a man who lived at Umarkot. He was single, 30 years of age and a well-off carpenter who had about 20 people working under him. There were no other proposals better than this, as other young men lived in villages and were mostly uneducated.
Under pressure from her uncles and considering him well-off, Lajo’s parents decided to marry Lajo, who was only 14, to Ram Chand. Many relatives were not happy with the match because of the age difference. The marriage was a misfit and had problems right from the beginning. But Lajo’s mother was very wise and she helped her daughter to adjust.
Ram Chand was a very humble soul, he tried his best to keep Lajo happy at all costs. They had five children till 1988 — four sons and a daughter. Her husband earned well, but all the hard-earned money was squandered by her. She saved nothing for a rainy day. Ram Chand’s business was in the hands of his trusted servants who eventually betrayed him. The result was that his business flopped. They faced serious financial problems that led to Ram Chand becoming worried and depressed. In July, 1988, he suffered a massive heart attack and died at the age of 46. Lajo was 30 and had five children.
His tragic death was a great blow for Lajo. She had to support the family and her brother, a government servant, was only able to give her about Rs500 per month. He offered her to live at his home, but Lajo refused. She got a job as a vaccinator in a hospital. Hindus have, generally, no tradition of a second marriage. Her two cousins also helped her financially but she still underwent the most difficult time of her life.
Then one day, Lajo went to an eye hospital at Mirpurkhas for the operation of her youngest son, where she met Dr Abdul Salam. An understanding developed between the two. The doctor started visiting her home and the rumour spread like wildfire in the community. The doctor wanted to marry her and convert the whole family to Islam. He consulted Lajo’s brother and discussed it with him. Her brother discussed all the pros and cons of the decision with Lajo. Being a liberal person, he allowed Lajo to marry the doctor and embrace Islam with all her five children. Lajo’s relatives and community members wanted to take the matter to the elders, and even to the court of law. But Lajo’s brother resisted and the marriage took place. After some time, they moved to Hyderabad. Lajo became Shakila, did he Matric, BA, BEd and then MA. She got a job as a primary school teacher. The marriage saw many difficult times but all her five children got proper education. Shakila’s brother and his family visited them regularly and always stayed in touch with her.
Now after 14 years, the family is passing a satisfied life. The eldest son is doing his Bachelor in Computer Science, the daughter is happily married, one son is seeking admission in an engineering college, another has become a hafiz at the age of 14. He is also learning more about religion in one of the best Islamic centres in Karachi. The youngest is in class IX. Shakila intends to perform Haj with her husband soon.
