HSDC is celebrating the remarkable success of The Road From Karachi, a book written by the mother of Nadia Arab, Digital IT Lecturer at South Downs Campus, whose journey from rediscovery to global impact has been possible through the College’s staff expertise, student involvement and community partnerships.
The original book was restored in an episode of the BBC’s Repair Shop.
In the 1980s, Nadia’s parents, Riaz and Khalida, visited Portsmouth on a honeymoon, and ended up relocating there to run an Indian cookery school. Following their move, they wrote a deeply personal cookbook named Indian Cookery Made Easy, capturing both family recipes as well as heritage stories. The original book was sadly lost when Nadia was eight years old, remaining unseen for over three decades.
In an extraordinary twist of fate, the book was rediscovered at HSDC 30 years later, following Nadia having a chance conversation with a colleague. What followed was a four-and-a-half-year restoration and redevelopment project rooted deeply in Nadia’s goal to make a positive impact in the world, and the College’s creative expertise. The result was the publication of The Road From Karachi.
Working alongside HSDC Creative lecturer Paul Parsons, Nadia led the careful recreation, redesign and modernisation of the book, transforming it into a professionally published work that honoured the original whilst reaching entirely new audiences.
Nadia and her mother often lead cookery classes inspired by the book.
Learners at HSDC have also been actively involved in this restoration project, particularly in a collaboration with The Queens Hotel, Southsea. At this event, catering students cooked up some delicious meals from the book, dance students performed Bollywood dances, media students filmed the event, and beauty students provided makeup, showcasing the collaboration that is at the heart of The Road from Karachi.
Looking back fondly on the journey so far, Nadia said:
“This journey has been one of love, determination, sacrifice and loss but it’s given me a purpose to continue my parents’ legacy, help inspire others and make an impact in the world.”
Proceeds from the sale of The Road from Karachi have also been used to support fundraising initiatives that have directly contributed to the building of clean water pumps across the world. To date, The Road From Karachi has funded the installation of 171 water pumps across communities in need including India, Gaza and Afghanistan. These pumps deliver life-changing access to clean water to communities who need it the most.
The project’s impact has gained national recognition, including an appearance by Nadia and her mother on BBC’s The Repair Shop, where the original book was restored on national television! Workshops on the book’s recipes are regularly delivered in local schools, whilst its meals are on the menu in pubs and cafes around Portsmouth.
Nadia credits HSDC with empowering her to turn compassion into action, saying:
“HSDC has been incredibly supportive – from allowing me to speak openly about this journey, to enabling students to work with me at events. The College continues to help create opportunities to fund more water pumps and extend the project’s reach.”
A celebratory event at the Spinnaker Tower, marking The Road from Karachi’s journey, is due to take place later this year in partnership with the Portsmouth 100 initiative, bringing together community leaders and collaborators.
The Road From Karachi is currently on sale at Waitrose Southsea, Stansted House, on Waterstones.com, and from the book’s website itself.
HSDC is proud to celebrate this extraordinary example of how education, creativity and compassion can come together to preserve stories, engage students and change lives, one recipe at a time.