Her Haj dream is coming true — at 120
Munni Begum heads a family of 150 and her eldest son is 80
Jaipur: Munni Begum's passport shows her date of birth as August 14, 1890. As she prepares to travel to Makkah for the Haj pilgrimage in November, she could well become the oldest Indian woman to undertake Haj.
Munni's husband Abdul Khan was a farm worker and died 35 years ago. She has four sons and four daughters and currently heads a family of 150 persons. Her eldest son Imamuddin Khan is 80 years old and the second surviving son Ali Khan is 75. Two other sons and daughters have died.
The 120-year-old filed her papers to undertake the pilgrimage in Jaipur on Saturday after the central Haj Committee approved her request under a special quota.
According to Haji Nizamuddin, secretary general of Rajasthan Haj Welfare Society, she will be the oldest woman from the country to undertake the journey. In 2007 a 108-year-old woman from Maharashtra had travelled to Makkah for the pilgrimage.
The whole family is jubilant that the grand old lady's desire of going on Haj is to be fulfilled in November.
"Allah has fulfilled my desire of going to Haj. Now I would be able to die peacefully," Munni says with tears in her eyes. She will be accompanied by her grandson Nasir Khan (53) and his wife Vakila (48).
Habib Miyan, also from Jaipur, holds the record for the oldest Haj pilgrim after undertaking the journey when he was 138.
Habib Miyan, who was a pensioner worked as a clarinet player in a band that played for the Maharaja of Jaipur. His pilgrimage was supported by donations from Muslims abroad who took care of all his expenses.
