Hajj memoirs from Assam shed light on India’s tradition of women’s pilgrimage

NEW DELHI: When Syeda Sakina Ashraf embarked on Hajj with her husband in 1996, she documented the journey in a memoir that would later serve as a reference guide for other Muslim women in Assam.

A decade later, her daughter Ayesha Ashraf Ahmed followed in her footsteps, performing the pilgrimage and recording it in detail. “The acuity with which both of them sketch out their journey makes one wonder at their…