The feeling was exhilarating as Prince Rahim Aga Khan walked towards me in Geneva, during AKDN’s Environmental Conference recently, where I participated as both an attendee and a presenter. Our handshake marked the beginning of an unforgettable conversation.
Upon discovering my origin in Australia, His Highness inquired about my travel route. “Not a direct flight, Your Highness. I made stops in Dubai and Mumbai,” I replied, matter-of-factly. His smile followed with the remark, “So, you amortised your jet lag”. His casual response put me at ease.
On behalf of the ANZ Ismaili community, I extended an invitation for Prince Rahim to visit Australia, to which he warmly recalled one of his previous visits. This was his family’s visit during the America’s Cup in Perth in 1986 after which they flew to Hamilton Island, in Queensland, with a stop at Uluru to enjoy Ayres Rock. His father, His Highness the Aga Khan subsequently came to Sydney on the 1st of January 1987 to meet Bob Hawke, Australian Prime Minister and the Ismaili community in ANZ. I was the ANZ Council President at the time.
Continuing our dialogue, I shared my privilege of hosting previous visit in 1979 of His Highness the Aga Khan, and his mother, Her Highness Begum Salimah to Sydney. Coincidentally, I had just been showing some photos of this first-ever 1979 visit to Australia to my conference colleagues. Feeling more comfortable conversing with the Prince Rahim, I offered to share these photos, which he eagerly accepted. His eyes lit up as he viewed them on my iPhone.
Prince Rahim extended his deepest condolence on learning that Samim was no longer with us, that she had scummed to Motor Neuron Disease (MND) in 2019.
Prince Rahim was happy to learn that his mother was carrying the photos of him and his sister ,Princess Zahra and his brother, Prince Hussein during the visit and proudly showed them to all at the unique Tea Party, involving 140 members of the Ismaili Jamat
Prince Rahim laughed when I remarked – “I had hair then”.
Glancing at my conference name tag, Prince Rahim acknowledged my role as a TKN volunteer, further deepening our connection.
The Time & Knowledge Nazrana (TKN), commonly referred to as TKN, is a service established within the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim Community by His Highness the Aga Khan during his golden jubilee, commemorating 50 years since assuming the role as the 49th Imam (spiritual leader) in 1957. I had the privilege of participating in the celebrations of his diamond jubilee in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2018.
In 2008, I formally dedicated my TKN ‘niyat’ or service on a voluntary basis, focusing on conducting comfort analyses of indoor spaces within Jamatkhanas—the Ismaili places of worship—globally. This endeavour involved visiting purpose-built Ismaili Centres in London, Lisbon, Dushanbe, Dubai, Toronto, and Vancouver in 2016. The scope of work included assessing building systems, particularly air conditioning and ventilation, with the primary goal of conserving energy while ensuring occupant comfort. Over time, this service extended to reviewing designs of new Jamatkhanas, such as the newest Ismaili centre in Houston, where the air conditioning system underwent redesign to enhance cost efficiency. Presently, ongoing reviews encompass projects like the proposed Burnaby Lake Jamatkhana in Vancouver and the Laval Jamatkhana in Quebec, Canada.
Dr Ashak Nathwani AM 