Bliss and Harmony

The Morani Way of Life

To be 18 and married, to be 19 and a mom! That’s Yasmin Morani for you. And she merely laughs, diverting my attention to the deepest dimples ever and says, “Yes, it’s been a great journey!” Aly standing by, in the glow of his wife’s happiness can only beam and look at her lovingly.

The Moranis have two daughters and a grandchild. And they have Cineyug, a company they have nurtured since 35 years. It’s Cineyug which first brought a different kind of Bollywood into our homes. The ones where our stars went on international concerts, laughed, talked, joked, sang and danced and showed another side to themselves. We can thank the Moranis for setting a new trend in entertainment. Aly and his brothers, Karim and Mohammed and their partner, Bunty Soorma, who died tragically young but whose son, Karan and daughter, Priyanka went on to wear his mantle.

Yasmin in all these years hasn’t changed much. On the outside as well as inside. But if there is a change it’s in her attitude and personality. From being a demure young woman, almost shy she is today confident and sure of herself. And she attributes this to three elements, in the order of importance; the charity work that she did for years and years associated with the Aga Khan Foundation, the trust and encouragement she received from her husband and the support from her mother and father-in-law, who were both stalwarts of the Ismaili community. The thrust in all endeavours of their community was so strong and prominent many consider  Moranis the ‘first family’ of Ismaili Khojas.

“My mother-in-law was a woman ahead of her times. She was dynamic and she worked until the last day of her life,” says Yasmin. And Aly adds, “She was high on principles. Would travel by train to Malia Hatina to Girnar School where she was the President. She wouldn’t take the car, she used to say it would defeat the purpose, she was after all dealing with the needy. So she would add whatever surplus money she got from these savings into the charity kitty.” Well matriarch Gulshan Morani a graduate from Sophia College was among the very few in the community who spoke fluent English in her time. She went on to become an enlightened educationist and apart from being the backbone of the Morani family, she was a force to reckon with. She passed away only last year which saw a huge turnout for the funeral, including Shah Rukh Khan, the actor, a family friend.

Yasmin too has been involved with charity work associated with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) where she was chairperson for six years with the Youth and Sports Board for India. This involved a lot of rural travel and long hours of work, which Yasmin managed to go through pretty well. “After that I was a member of the A K National Council for four years. I cannot tell you how much all these opportunities and experiences helped shape my life. I am not a graduate, but I got a degree that no amount of education could have given me. I gained immensely, learning through various projects.”

Yasmin’s journey of growth, intrinsic and in social skills has today led her to be an entrepreneur. She has just floated Joya, a vertical of Cineyug and is totally gung-ho about making a success of the new venture. Please check the last page of this article. In the meanwhile let’s talk food.

Hospitality in this household is legendary. So it was only obvious for UpperCrust to raid the Morani kitchen! Say’s Yasmin, “From an early age cooking was important to me. It came very naturally to me to look out for cookery classes and go do short courses. But the bulk of my cooking I learnt from my bhabhi who is Pakistani and who lives in the US.” Well, Yasmin, knows every nuance of Muslim food and though she may not have cooked since the last 15 years, she is totally in charge of her kitchen even now. After all it requires a certain level of supervision when you have an entertainment honcho for a husband. Apart from loads of entertaining that happens, there is also the extended family to look after.

All three brothers share a six-storey apartment in Juhu, with individual wings. The kitchens may be separate, but there is plenty of interactions in this close knit family. Eid lunches and dinners, birthdays, anniversaries, festivals – all see them get together. Until the parents were alive they met at their quarters. Now that they are no more the gathering happens at Yasmin and Aly’s wing, Aly being the eldest brother.

 Khoja food has always intrigued me. It is Muslim food with Hindu influences. You see, Khojas were originally from Saurashtra and the Kutch regions of Gujarat who spread to Bombay and Hyderabad. The migration resulted in a blending of cultures and customs, including culinary ones. Therefore Khoja fare is a combination of Mughlai and Gujarati ingredients and methods.

 The meal that I enjoyed with the Morani family was finger-licking good. All typically Khoja food. Biryani, paya, khichda, muthia, goshtwali dal, and the simply awesome fish curry. Which has drumsticks in it and is soured with both tamarind and kokum. And it is eaten with peela chawal, that is yellow rice.

My favourite kali kebab, which goes by the name of Junagadhi kebab, has lots of coarsely crushed dhaniya in it was very much on the table, as was the laal aloo, a delicacy in itself. The trick is in getting the consistency of the red chilli paste. I believe on Chand Raat (the sighting of the new moon), all Ismaili Khojas have to eat kheer puri and laal aloo.

Over lunch I learnt that both the daughters of the house, Noureen and Shirin have been involved with their dad’s company. Noureen handles the wedding planning division and Shirin who worked for 12 years at Cineyug, handling the talent division, recently got married and shifted base to Dubai from where she is working on creating a charity organization which will help rehabilitate the new wave of refugees who have crossed over into Europe. Noureen’s daughter Athena, all of seven is smart and intelligent and will no doubt be next in line to be groomed to join the doting granddad’s company.