I'm Riding For

Tasnim Adenwalla

Wondrous daughter, sister, wife, mother, sister-in-law, aunt, and friend—died in her prime due to cancer. Her life, rich with love and meaning, continues to inspire all those who knew her. Raised in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, Maleka earned a master’s in education and was a teacher. She was curious, adventurous and unafraid to embrace the unfamiliar— her first trip out of India was visiting her brother Nazir when he was studying at MIT in Boston in the 1960s. She stayed for a year, soaking in the spirit of the era. After marrying, she built a life with her husband in Ethiopia, then started over again in the United States when they were uprooted due to civil war. She and Nisar created a loving home for their two children, Khozema and Jumana, while building a company together. As immigrants, they knew what it meant to start from scratch— Maleka made sure that no one around her ever felt alone. Their home was more than a place to stay, it was a refuge for friends and family, filled with warmth, stories, laughter. Her incredible cooking brought people together and created communities. Maleka had a gift for connection, a rare ability to make anyone feel seen and cherished. She nurtured relationships across time zones and generations— always extending a helping hand and generosity of spirit. Years later, so many still remember how she positively impacted their lives in profound ways. Having traveled the world, Maleka found wonder in the everyday. She’d wake her children to marvel at a meteor shower. She encouraged her loved ones to stop and smell the flowers (sometimes plucking them to put in her hair). She delighted in life’s simple pleasures—Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream and mangoes were favorites. An artist at heart, Maleka embraced creative pursuits with ease, infusing beauty into everything she touched. Gone too soon, the legacy Maleka built—with her love, her values, and her boundless spirit—endures and lives on in her family and friends.