In the Indian subcontinent, invitation cards is an important part of the elaborate wedding celebrations that last for many days. Nowadays, people look for unique and intricate invitation card designs, while simple handwritten wedding invitations are winning over netizens.
Photo of a 90-year-old man handwritten invitations in Urdu, Karachi-based fashion designer Sonia Buttla shared on Twitter. It was written for his grandparents’ wedding in Delhi in 1933. The simple invitation photo has received more than 9,000 likes and hundreds of retweets since it was posted on December 30.
My grandparents’ wedding invitation circa 1933 #Delhi pic.twitter.com/WRcHQQULUX
— Sonya Battla (@SonyaBattla2) December 30, 2022
A Twitter user who provided a translation of the invitation claimed that Muhammad Ibrahim had written the invitation for his son Hafiz Muhammad Yusuf’s upcoming wedding on April 23, 1933.
In the invitation, Ibrahim asks his guests to gather at his house on Qasim Jan Street in Delhi and then accompany his family to the bride’s house in Kishan Ganj. According to the translation, the bridegroom’s wedding is scheduled to leave at 11 o’clock in the morning. Before signing the letter, Ibrahim carefully asked his guests to be on time, writing, “Your punctuality will please me.”
“I praise and thank the Prophet Muhammad
Dear Sir, May your peace be with you
I thank Almighty God for this good time. The wedding of my son Hafiz Muhammad Yusuf will take place on Sunday 23rd April 1933 / 27th Zil-Haj 1351.
1/n 👇— 🇲 🇦 🇱 🇮 🇰🍁🐇𝐀𝐌𝐙𝐀 (@Night_Dweller_1) December 30, 2022
and be a part of Valima and make me grateful to you.
Bharat will start the Sharp journey at 11:30 AM. I appreciate your punctuality.
Invited author:
Muhammad Ibrahim
Hafiz Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Ibrahim
Place: Delhi pic.twitter.com/p9zPsIKcj7— 🇲 🇦 🇱 🇮 🇰🍁🐇𝐀𝐌𝐙𝐀 (@Night_Dweller_1) December 30, 2022
Commenting on Battla’s tweet, many noted that the groom’s home is in the same area as famous poet Mirza Ghalib. A Twitter user echoed this, saying, “Your ancestors were neighbors of Mirza Ghalib 🙂 Gali Qasim Jan. Although the Mohalla was different.”
Another wrote: “Very informative card from the last century. See how beautifully these humble words are combined in Khat e Nastalik (Urdu calligraphy style). Congratulations and thank you for sharing that lost treasure that is the essence of our past.”
