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Incidentally, my wife happens to be a nurse working in a public hospital, which is also a public maternity home. At the time I was hunting for Nusserwanjee's maternity home, I used to live with my family in the quarter allotted by the hospital to my wife (now we live in a flat in a separate area).

So I thought, why not begin the search at home like everything a good old husband should. I asked her, and in the politest manner of course, if she had heard anything about a maternity home by the name of Seth Ismailjee Ameenjee Nathani Maternity Home.

“In my 20 years of working as a nurse, I have never heard that name,” she replied.

But I caught a glimpse of my son Ali Hassan. He looked like he had something to say. Moments later, he spoke out: “I know about it.”

This was nothing ordinary for me. Ali Hassan is known among his friends and even the young and old of our neighbourhood as Ali Hassan aka Ma Kana. Ma Kana is Balouchi for ‘please do not'. Famous for his mischiefs, Ali Hassan is often found at either the hospital's rooftop or at places where a young lad like him is not supposed to be wandering.

So I asked my son a student of sixth class how he'd come to know about the maternity home. He shyly asked me to follow him. So I did.

Ali took me to the hospital's rooftop, from where we climbed over to another rooftop as if following public enemies. There, he showed me a plaque that read in English: Ismailjee Ameenjee Nathani Maternity Home. Surprised twice within a few minutes, I looked at Ali. His shyness had been replaced by a victorious smile.

[Source: Dawn Newspaper | Coordinates: Talha Nasir | Photos from Google Map users]

Open in Google Map: 24.8625162, 67.0268889

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