‘Those who knew her will remember her laughter’: A Pakistani novelist’s farewell to Bapsi Sidhwa

Just before noon in Los Angeles on December 25, a ripple spread through phone calls and social media across South Asia and the Americas: Bapsi Sidhwa has passed away.

I had not seen Bapsi for almost a decade since I left Houston for Los Angeles, but I am grateful for all the support she offered me over the years I knew her.

I first met her over a casual dinner at educator and writer Marv Hoffman’s Houston home. She joined my organisation’s board, participated in our Words for Peace reading in response to 9/11, visited my home when my daughter was born, and received an honour from my organisation. There were countless formal and informal gatherings at her home and at events around Houston.

Always knowledgeable about urgent issues in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Palestine, the US and around the globe, Bapsi remained accessible to all despite her stature in the literary community around the world.

Her loss will be felt in her home city Lahore, in Houston where she resided for many decades, as well as across South Asia. Her books will continue to be read, anthologised, and cited in libraries and campuses everywhere. And those who knew her, we will remember her laughter.

In 2014, The Houston Chronicle invited me to write a story...

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