Elsa Kazi
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Mrs. Allama Kazi (3 October 1884 - 1967), commonly known as in Sindhi "Ama Elsa" and in English "Mother Elsa Kazi", was a German writer of one-act plays, short stories, novels and history, and was one of the greatest poets of her time. She was also a composer and a musician of considerable achievement, and was involved in almost every conspicuous branch of fine arts. Her paintings are often seen in many distinguished family homes. She also painted the famous courtesan queen of Khairpur Mirs, "Bali".
A Sindhi by spirit, although not knowing Sindhi language directly, she still managed to translate selected verses of Shah Abdul Latif into English after the meanings of those verses were explained to her by her husband, Allama I. I. Kazi. She successfully couched the substance of those verses in a remarkable poetical setting which, in musical terms, reflects the original Sindhi metrical structure and expression in which Latif had cast them. Her translation of Shah Abdul Latif's poetry still remains the best so far in the English language.
[edit] Short biography
Elsa Kazi was born Elsa Gertrude Loesch in Rudel Stadt, a small village in Germany, in the house of a great musician who ultimately migrated to Dulwich, London. Her father was a prosperous German Elderman who had property in London that was destroyed in World War II. After the war, compensation was paid to her for those property.
It was in London that she met Allama I. I. Kazi by sheer chance. It so happened that Allama Kazi, having arrived at the railway station while the train had already started moving, managed to board in, in the last compartment which was empty, except for a solitary young lady occupying a corner quarter. Reared in a traditional family background, Allama felt very much embarrassed and kept standing near the door with his back to the lady. Elsa was amazed, astonished and amused to meet a man who would not take seat, despite repeated offers and would only repeat apologies. For a man who was so innocent, chaste, and interesting, she sought his address and thus developed a life long association. The couple was married in Germany in 1910.
The couple lived in London from 1911 to 1919, and occasionally made short visits to Sindh. Altogether, the couple spent 30 years of life in England, during which they remained engaged in research, tracing the evolution of religion through the ages up to the advent of Islam. Both of them contributed numerous essays, articles and addresses in various vital branches of modern knowledge, besides preaching Islam under the aegis of Jamiatul Muslimeen. In the year 1919, the couple returned to Sindh, and Kazi Sahib first entered the Government Judiciary Service, but subsequently joined the Khairpur State Service on deputation. Because of some differences with His Highness Mir Ali Nawaz of Khairpur, he resigned after a two years' stay and the couple left for London.
The couple continued to propagate Islam in London till April 1951, when Allama was offered the post of Vice Chancellorship at the University of Sindh. After eight years, Allama resigned from the post and the couple lived a retired life at Hyderabad, Sindh. In the year 1967, Elsa was suddenly and seriously taken ill with ureoma, and breathed her last at the age of 83.Even after her death medical report showed that she was virgin, she died as virgin. As she had no kids, so university students used to call her mother in sindh it is “Amma Elsa Kazi”, in her honor Hostel name is dedicated in University of Mehran University of engineering and technology jamshoro sindh for girls.. She now lies buried along with her husband, Allama, at the New Campus of Sindh University in Jamshoro, Hyderabad.
- Source: Ali Ahmed K Brohi
