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Putting Fate in the Hands of Faith: A Life-Changing TKN Experience
Posted on Saturday, 13 December 2014
Hanif Virani with the family near the mausoleum of the Aga Khan in Egypt. Photo: Hanif ViraniWe all have moments in our lives where we wonder what the future has in store, especially in times of trial and tribulation. But there are many stories where it is in these moments that an opportunity presents itself that changes who we are and the direction our path is taking. Hanif Virani’s story is one of these stories.
“After graduating from Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) it seemed that I was set on the road to uninterrupted and growing success. I loved my work at what was then the Ismaili Association Canada. During that time, I pursued another graduate degree at Harvard, followed by a successful five-year stint heading the Madrassa project, the Aga Khan Foundation’s flag ship project in East Africa. For various reasons, my professional and personal life took a different turn when I returned.”
It was during this “career-freeze” that Virani was chosen for a Time and Knowledge Nazrana (TKN) assignment in Egypt and chose to take it as a sign that he needed to take a step back and put his faith in the opportunity offered.
“My TKN assi
gnment with AKF Egypt was to strengthen educational offerings at the Centre for Continuing Education in Aswan. The Centre was one of the organizations established under the aegis of Um Habibeh Foundation established by Mata Salamat to assist the population of Aswan and surrounding areas,” explains Virani. “Unemployment amongst Aswan Youth is staggering and one of the aims of the Centre for Continuing Education is to make the youth more employable through teaching English and computer literacy courses. A key achievement of my TKN assignment was successfully completing a survey and preliminary assessment of the variety of vocational courses on offer in Aswan by governmental and non-governmental organizations and recommending options for the role the Centre for Continuing Education might play in enhancing the field of vocational studies in Aswan.”
gnment with AKF Egypt was to strengthen educational offerings at the Centre for Continuing Education in Aswan. The Centre was one of the organizations established under the aegis of Um Habibeh Foundation established by Mata Salamat to assist the population of Aswan and surrounding areas,” explains Virani. “Unemployment amongst Aswan Youth is staggering and one of the aims of the Centre for Continuing Education is to make the youth more employable through teaching English and computer literacy courses. A key achievement of my TKN assignment was successfully completing a survey and preliminary assessment of the variety of vocational courses on offer in Aswan by governmental and non-governmental organizations and recommending options for the role the Centre for Continuing Education might play in enhancing the field of vocational studies in Aswan.”Due to the nature of Virani’s assignment, he spent much of his time in Cairo, assisting the AKF Egypt offices with a variety of tasks. He has many fond memories of his time in Cairo, especially of Al-Azhar Park, where the AKF Egypt offices are located. Virani recalled that, “During my daily taxi ride to the AKF office, I would pass several Fatimid monuments including the Muqatam hills, where Imam Al-Hakim bi-Amirillah was said to have disappeared.” Thinking back on the significant contributions of the Fatimid Imams in Cairo, and now the work of our present Imam, Virani considered himself “privileged and lucky to be part of this work, in this meaningful location of Ismaili history.”
For Virani, this privilege and his TKN opportunity was the catalyst that would finally allow him to achieve his dream of working with the Imamat institutions in a meaningful capacity on a long-term basis.
“The baraka (blessings) of the TKN assignment changed the course of my life and put my decade long derailed train back on track; well before the conclusion of my TKN year, I was offered two positions within the Aga Khan Development Network: one with the AKF Egypt and the second with the IIS as the STEP International Liaison Manager.” Virani says, “I am now with the IIS, with a job that, if I had designed it myself, could not have been a better fit for my skill set and interests. I credit my willingness to embrace the TKN opportunity for changing the course of my life and reversing the momentum of my life.”
Credit: The Ismaili Canada, December 2012 Issue
