Munni Begam, 120, goes to Haj, 2010, from Jaipur, India.

Born in 1890, Going for Haj in 2010: India's Munni Begum ready for
pilgrimage<http://www.anindianmuslim.com/2010/10/born-in-1890-going-for-haj-in-2010.html>
**
[image:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqjH485KTLY8JVG-wi0pokKkMhCUv-Bwm4Hdb6OX8WFFFiwPuEbMlVQP83rLCKoNM5Ie4I7pnvptXvAavhylJqdlQOjJwpztQSFlLhI_Cl1kriVab1_Tx4B8lOOlOnNemYTo-zB42zUc-/s1600/Oldest+Haj+pilgrim+Munni+Begum+of+India+is+120+year+old..JPG]<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqjH485KTLY8JVG-wi0pokKkMhCUv-Bwm4Hdb6OX8WFFFiwPuEbMlVQP83rLCKoNM5Ie4I7pnvptXvAavhylJqdlQOjJwpztQSFlLhI_Cl1kriVab1_Tx4B8lOOlOnNemYTo-zB42zUc-/s1600/Oldest+Haj+pilgrim+Munni+Begum+of+India+is+120+year+old..JPG>
Munni Begum is *120 year old* and is all set to go for Haj, after special
permission as her name didn't figure in the draw of lots.

The old woman who gave birth to eight sons and daughters, heads a
huge family that lives in Kho Nagorian locality of Jaipur.

Family members say that Munni Begum was born in August 1890. She has 52
grandsons and granddaughters apart from 96-odd great grandsons and great
granddaughters other than two dozen great-great-grandchildren [and even
their kids].
[image:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHiP_LZv5b3yHnwk97P_-3aVpk7IQ6KWhyphenhyphengOcUCkcnfQyQqaYy2A50zyBpqElfolRc0S1sf1JWejoZSriyTdF5TGo38kkw5J81CESyvmII-MhVvt_9H56m-Bk_geHmJV1Yl184yiztQtc/s1600/Munni+Begum+120+year+oldest+woman+Haji.JPG]<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiHiP_LZv5b3yHnwk97P_-3aVpk7IQ6KWhyphenhyphengOcUCkcnfQyQqaYy2A50zyBpqElfolRc0S1sf1JWejoZSriyTdF5TGo38kkw5J81CESyvmII-MhVvt_9H56m-Bk_geHmJV1Yl184yiztQtc/s1600/Munni+Begum+120+year+oldest+woman+Haji.JPG>
The elderly woman has seen *three centuries*. And now she is all set for
the
pilgrimage she has waited for all her life. On Saturday she reached the
office of
Haj Committee to fill the form. The Central Haj Committee officials
from Delhi gave her special permission.

The Rajasthan Haj Welfare Society has requested the Saudia Arabia
government
that special attention should be paid to her because of Munni's age.

Munni Begum is perhaps the oldest woman on record to embark for the holy
journey.
She says that she had the wish to go for Haj ever since she was married in
her teenage,
and thus her wish is going to be fulfilled after over a century.
[image:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHX3wJ7ukrQ5LwJFQ8T1Yemyt1y60GYDf-NddWMHp6XIfi2UCDa6P_h6lKfm98h7OL1-zTDQyZYsiw5d9tk4h3Lv8_l0e2rt9bkSkLqUaskXqjXxhgcpCe0Ok4VZDnos57IzH_1PoB1DNV/s1600/Oldest+haj+pilgrim+munni+begam+120+years+elderly+woman+from+India.JPG]<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHX3wJ7ukrQ5LwJFQ8T1Yemyt1y60GYDf-NddWMHp6XIfi2UCDa6P_h6lKfm98h7OL1-zTDQyZYsiw5d9tk4h3Lv8_l0e2rt9bkSkLqUaskXqjXxhgcpCe0Ok4VZDnos57IzH_1PoB1DNV/s1600/Oldest+haj+pilgrim+munni+begam+120+years+elderly+woman+from+India.JPG>
One wonders if there is a tendency among the Rajasthanis,
particularly, the Jaipur residents to live longer.

Earlier, *Habib Miyan* had gone for Haj at the age of *134*. He had
suddenly
drawn international attention after it was found that he had been
drawing pension for over 65 years.

Habib Miyan had retired in 1938. He went for Haj in 2004 when he was 134.
Though birth certificates were unknown in the olden days,
the bank records proved his age.

As per the pension papers, Habib Miyan was drawing pension since 1938.
The documents clearly showed him as born in 1878 and this made him the
world's
oldest man alive until his death at the age of 138 in 2008.
The bank officers delivered his pension at his home.
[image:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkPt1mwyBhqSBsbd_A9Uivi2rl5gi72v_2Z1siOFLdOkR-A8jWd9D6m1nOMZT-NcjM7Bu-kyHHqVX5T_0dSQYpm-JMsm9ojQZhXP5wME_z2p49b4-4371cz5HXAQbIRdfvgP-VaCTXWYG/s1600/Oldest+man+in+the+world+Habib+Miyan+of+Rajasthan's+Jaipur+had+died+in+2008+when+he+was+138.JPG]<https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkPt1mwyBhqSBsbd_A9Uivi2rl5gi72v_2Z1siOFLdOkR-A8jWd9D6m1nOMZT-NcjM7Bu-kyHHqVX5T_0dSQYpm-JMsm9ojQZhXP5wME_z2p49b4-4371cz5HXAQbIRdfvgP-VaCTXWYG/s1600/Oldest+man+in+the+world+Habib+Miyan+of+Rajasthan%27s+Jaipur+had+died+in+2008+when+he+was+138.JPG>

Now it's Munni Begum's turn though she is not a 'Munni' in the literary
sense.
[Munni means little in Urdu] In India, it was the tradition that mostly
older persons
went for Haj, after they had fulfilled their worldly responsibilities.

In recent years the pilgrims have begun going at a comparatively younger
age,
still a large number of Indians who go to Hejaz [Arabia] are over sixty. And
Munni Begum
clearly beats them as well. One hopes that along with other Hajis, she also
manages to perform the Haj and returns safely. Amen.

*Live a good honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, *
*you'll be able to enjoy it a second time. - Life's Mantra
*