As I sat down to write I began to think about how the meaning of the word ‘family’ here in Pakistan (and in South Asian culture in general) is rather different from how it is defined in the West. In Pakistan, if your third-cousin once removed is getting married to a girl from the same tribe, then a nonappearance at his wedding is a crime that may lead to being written out of the will. The Urdu language reflects the importance of blood relations, no matter how dubious the connection. There is a word specifically assigned to the younger brother of your father, there is a word specifically for your sister’s husband, and both paternal and maternal sets of grandparents each have their own appellation. It’s nightmarish to learn, but in many ways it does make life easier. When somebody introduces a member of their family to you, after that very few questions are left to be asked…
A village elder. He has tied a picture of a local ‘pir’ (saint) onto the end of his beard.