Thousands of jubilant Jamati members from all across the Southeast region came together as One Jamat in preparation for the historic occasion of Mawlana Hazar Imam's Diamond Jubilee. 

 

Neena Khoja, from Spartanburg Jamatkhana, designed a mosaic tile with her family for the Jubilee Mosaic. “We spent quite some time thinking about what we need to do for our mosaic tile,” Neena said. “We decided on a peace sign, because this is the time when everyone is craving for peace. There is a need for world peace, and peace definitely comes to us from the Imam."

 

Jubilee Mosaic offered a creative platform for the Jamat to contemplate about their faith and for families to find personal meaning of the importance of Diamond Jubilee in their lives. Excited members of the Jamat from all age groups could be seen designing unique metal tiles that will serve as a base of a 3-D sculpture to be displayed at the Diamond Jubilee Opening Ceremonies. The activity was an opportunity for the Jamat to reflect on their ethics and values while making a meaningful contribution to the opening ceremonies.

 

At age 37, Sadiq Punjani feels strongly about the positive impact that Jubilees have on the lives of millions of people around the world. He went to the Diamond Jubilee High School in Hyderabad, which is one of the many schools set up in South Asia and Africa from the proceeds of Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah’s Diamond Jubilee. “Jubilees are watershed events for me,” he said. He is excited to see what comes out of this one and will feel a personal attachment to any education initiatives Hazar Imam sets forth on July 11, 2017.

 

Sonali Dinani from Atlanta Northwest Jamatkhana has her entire year planned out. “One of my personal goals for Diamond Jubilee is to target each month of the year on one of the Diamond Jubilee goals set forth by Mawlana Hazar Imam,” she said, adding: “For example, one of the goals is poverty alleviation. I always participate in the Aga Khan Foundation walks, but this year I want to raise more money. My contribution towards the dini education goal will be helping out in Religious Education Center for one month, and so forth. 

 

Like Sonali, many other Jamati members had their wishes and goals penned down. “Jubilee Wishes” initiated the Jamat’s journey to the Diamond Jubilee with a collective wish of hope for a brighter tomorrow. Reflecting on Mawlana Hazar Imam's Diamond Jubilee wish of improving the living conditions of the Jamat across the world, members of the Jamat, young and old, put down their hopes, prayers, and wishes. Seniors got together at the Atlanta Northeast Jamatkhana to write special messages (paighams) to Mawlana Hazar Imam.

 

Another initiative, Jubilee Memories, allowed the Jamat to take a walk down memory lane as some members of the Jamat shared their personal memorabilia and historical artifacts from past Jubilees, Takht Nasheeni and Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah’s Jubilees. More than 370 unique pieces were displayed at 10 Jamatkhanas in the Southeast region.

 

Nureen Bhimani is looking to see how the upcoming Diamond Jubilee initiatives will “help the global perspective. It’s a historic moment where change will happen and I’m looking forward to it.”  “It’s nice to see how history has changed and how we’ve evolved over time,” Zain Darvesh, 15, said, at the Jubilee Memories exhibit. He expressed his eagerness to experience Diamond Jubilee, now that he has seen memories from previous jubilees and darbars. 

 

Memorabilia from the Jubilee Memories event included photos from previous darbars, unique items such as darbar tickets, tasbihs, family heirlooms including a piece of Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah’s crown, paintings, frames, and other souvenirs. Also at Jubilee Memories was a 1958 issue of Life Magazine featuring a photo of Mawlana Hazar Imam as a senior at Harvard. In the cover story, a reporter and photographer followed the newly appointed Imam around campus and Boston capturing candid moments on record and on camera. In the story, Mawlana Hazar Imam mentions that good news about the Jamat’s progress in the morning makes his day. 

 

The light of the Imam has shone as bright as a diamond for 60 years, and his Jamat in Atlanta and across the world have come together to make it a truly memorable Diamond Jubilee. Karim Rattani shares how the Diamond Jubilee “represents our unity and appreciation for our culture.” Capturing the essence of Karim’s thoughts, the One Jamat Dance with its fusion of sounds and unique dance moves, celebrates the diversity of the global Jamat and accentuates the beauty of individual heritage and traditions. During the last few weeks, the Jamat in Southeast has practiced the communal dance to perfect the moves and is now looking forward to start the celebrations on 11 July with this unique dance that brings together our cultural diversity.

 

For Shifa Ismail, 14, the entire Jubilee experience has been thrilling. “I was three years old when Golden Jubilee happened,” and she is thankful to have a more solid memory of Diamond Jubilee now that she is older. For seniors in the Jamat, the Diamond Jubilee celebrations have been an opportunity to share their past memories with the younger members of the Jamat. Many Atlanta seniors have also signed up for the Matki Band initiative, which will be their contribution to the Diamond Jubilee Opening Ceremony parade.

 

The exhilaration, enthusiasm , and jubilation of the Jamat could be felt throughout the region as the young and old sang, danced,  remembered and reflected during pre-Jubilee celebrations through the Jubilee Wishes, Jubilee Memories, Jubilee Stories, Jubilee Mosaic, and One Jamat Celebration and Dance events. The Southeast region also organized a traditional Dandia Decorations night along with raas and dandia festivities during the month of July. These activities brought together the Ismaili community’s pluralistic cultural traditions and has kept the Jamat engaged and excited for the Jubilee. 

 

The excitement which started back in December, 2016 with a soulful performance of It’s Diamond Jubilee, by Fez Meghani and the Sufistics, and continued with Journey to Health launching the Jamat’s physical and spiritual journey to Jubilee, has only grown stronger this year. It is almost impossible to contain the Jamat’s joy and anticipation. And we hope that the Jamat in Southeast will continue to focus on the goals for the Diamond Jubilee to ensure a better tomorrow for the Jamat across the world.