The Rabbani family is blessed to have been so close to Mama for so many years. Back in 1997, we immigrated to the United States and he immediately took us and our two young daughters in. The moment we stepped foot on American soil, he was waiting for us at the airport with a warm smile. We vividly remember feeling at home in this country right away because of that smile. He was one of our only relatives we had in America at that time and he housed us for our first two months here. We had asked him to rent us an apartment before we came from Bangladesh, to which he replied,“just come first.” But when we got here, he took us to live with his family instead. Shortly after, we kept trying to find our own apartment to lift the burden on him but he continually insisted that we stay with his family a little longer so that he could continue to show his warmth to us. It must have been difficult to squeeze eight people into one apartment, but he never showed anything but joy to have us there. To this day, remembering how extraordinarily kind he always was warms our hearts. He was also the one to show us around what was then a completely foreign country to us. His younger daughter was around the same age as our two daughters, and they got along like sisters. He saw our daughters like his own and they were always so excited when their Nana Bhai would come home from work. He also had a very deep bond with our third daughter, who had the pleasure of being close to him since birth. We have endless memories spending time with him all around the city: at his house in Astoria, our house in Jamaica, the Statue of Liberty, the giant Macy’s on 34th Street, the Empire State Building, the Bronx Zoo, parks all across New York, and so many more. Mama and his family have always been very dear and close to us. It was a pleasure to know him and we know that he is still watching over us fondly.
With much love,
Noton & Swapan