Our Story

Welcome to Pahgla Jan🌷

This endeavor is dedicated to my parents, my mother Syedah Bushra Shah and my late father Syed Tanveer Ahmed Shah. My parents, my father in particular, who taught me to stay connected to my roots, to love my language, to celebrate my culture.

I grew up listening to stories about Pahgla, a small village nestled in Pakistan’s mountains that my mother grew up in. But it wasn’t the village that I fell in love with, nor was it the stories of her childhood that drew me in. Stories about the abundance of fruit trees in the orchards they had, how they’d pluck fresh walnuts to roast and dip in honey, or how on chilly days they’d warm their feet by the tandoor outside. It was the old man, that perhaps the stories commanded, that began to fill an empty space in my heart. This was my mother’s paternal grandfather, Syed Abdur Raheem Shah. Have you ever had memories of someone you’ve never met? Memories began to weave themselves through me. I imagined how my great grandfather built their home, nurtured that bond, and created so much love amidst those mountains of Pahgla.

Through these stories he inspired me to create something beautiful just as he had done in his life. As I grew up I developed a keen interest in South Asian culture, and eventually discovered the stunning art of the Mughal era. I decided to combine this love with my love for minimalism, to create a more contemporary aesthetic for traditional South Asian designs. My aim for the future is to work with various SA creatives to bring greater attention to their work.

I hope you will find something here that adds a little warmth, a little light, a little peace to your home.

Thank you for reading my story. You are appreciated.

Fary Shah