My late, great khala had book in her house that had the names of my ancestors from way back when. I think the last names to go into the book were of my nani’s and her siblings. I can’t get access to the book- every time someone has gone back to Pakistan, they’ve asked to see it, or make a photocopy of it, but they’ve always been denied access and have been told it has been “lost”. Now I don’t really believe something so important can be lost. But who knows.. Sooo…
Have any of you been able to trace back your ancestry? If so, how did you do so??
I know because my dad tells us. His family has a book that has been passed for generations. It used to be in persian but for some generations it has been in Urdu.
But that doesn't really explain my ancestry because my mother is punjabi and pathan and she's never mentioned any books.
i love to learn about my ancestry..i know a lot because my family is always telling stories about them...an uncle on my mom's side even published a book about our ancestry...but its in urdu, so i dont know how to read it.
The Hindu's are cremated and the ashes (phul) are taken to the Ganga, at the holy city of Haridwar.
Here the Punda's (pundits for a particular sect / surname), ask for the reason of your visit and record it. You are also allowed to write in these books.
Thus I have had the chance to see several generations of my family's writings even when they lived in Peshawer. It's an amazing experience. I also saw my own writing, when I was a little boy of 10 or 11 years.
One of my great great greatgrandfathers had made a family tree, listing the names of his parents & grandparents.
I researched into my ancestry a while back. My grandfather had a shajarah which i brought back on my last visit to pak, and the good thing is, it goes right up to Hazrat Adam (As). Its too long to write the research up, but the summaries is in my journal if your interested. Some of it needs updating, but it’ll keep.
im gunna go to pakistan this summer and continue our "book" with my dad, we're also making a new english version, cool eh? it should be fun, because i really wanna learn.
well iask my father that if i could have a look at the shajrah and told him what i wanted it for.
he said that the shajrah has only two uses
1. if some syeds from other pinds question our syed-ness
2. and if iwere to marry some syeds outside of our on family or clan or the other way around ....its is to be showed to confirm that we genuine syeds.
and its not to be showed to anyone else.....
itried to argue with him .... but hes a lawyer so ididnt lasted long....
but iknow this that our ancestors came here about 13th or 14th century in settled near rawalpindi...
One thing I know fore sure. The Pakistanis can track back their ancestory to India. What else you want to know more. I'd say, thats enough. More search might lead to reveletion of facts you may not like since the largest caste to convert to islam were Dalits, the outcasts.....
