Ms. Raziya and Mr. Yusuf Tinwala (Broadening Narratives)

Description

Raziya Tinwala, 81, is a Dawoodi Bohra Muslim, home-based dressmaker, and grandmother living with her family in Naperville, Illinois. The interview includes discussion of her childhood in Bombay (Mumbai), her father’s building-materials business and subsequent mental-health struggles, and the early responsibilities she and her sisters shouldered in a large family. She describes leaving school around the tenth standard, a long courtship across neighboring buildings that led to an arranged marriage (a joint wedding with her sister), and life in a joint family while her husband ran a chemical drum factory in Goregaon. Her husband Yusuf chimes in at a few points. She recounts raising two sons, supplementing household income with an at-home custom stitching business known for first-birthday dresses, and her immigration around 2008 to support her younger son after the birth of his child. Other topics discussed include: gaining U.S. citizenship (with OCI); faith and community as a Dawoodi Bohra alongside ecumenical participation in mosque, church, and Hindu festivals; the contrast between Mumbai’s dense social life and U.S. expectations around etiquette and independence (especially not driving); frequent pre-pandemic visits back to Mumbai and Gujarat; caregiving for a husband with dementia; ongoing health challenges; and her reflections on aging, resilience, and the wish for more time to socialize and travel.