⁠84 Years of Life Lessons From My Grandmother: Pre-partition India, Tiger hunting and More

In this episode, the Areeb Siddiqui interviews his grandmother, Naina, about her remarkable life spanning pre-partition India, the creation of Pakistan, and her experiences living through pivotal moments in history. She reflects on her family’s legacy, her father’s resistance during partition, and shares advice on marriage, faith, and resilience.

This podcast is hosted by Areeb Siddiqui, the founder and CEO of Kestrl, the app that helps people to grow their wealth without compromise

Find out more about our app here: https://kestrl.io/

And how we help banks here: https://business.kestrl.io/

Show Notes:

00:00 – Opening

01:47 – Naina’s career as a color consultant and inventing “ash white”

03:01 – Early family history: Nawabs, British titles, and their land

06:57 – Grandfather’s barrister training in London and British influence

10:42 – Father’s resistance during partition and move to Hyderabad

14:35 – The value of jungles and the struggle over land

18:55 – Hyderabad’s independence, weapons surrender, and returning to Nagpur

21:22 – Bombay memories and partition violence stories

25:27 – Father’s plans for Pakistan and his untimely death

28:08 – Life at Bhadra House: elephants, tiger hunts, and palaces

33:11 – Hunting stories: man-eating tigers and family traditions

42:05 – Moving to Pakistan: Karachi in the 1960s and climate changes

45:52 – Comparisons of Pakistan then vs now, 1971 war memories

47:50 – Marriage and moving abroad; life in America and Europe

51:29 – Living through global events: WWII, partition, 9/11 aftermath

56:30 – Islamic banking, zakat, and her perspective on Kestrel

59:02 – Advice on marriage, family, and resilience in life

1:07:06 – Closing thoughts and reflections on her peaceful life