The date was set. Muhammad Ali would talk to Readers Digest on the morning of 11 September 2001, at his home, a 35 hectare farm. But when the hour arrived, the world was turned upside down. Ali agreed the interview should go on, but for several hours, the room was mostly quiet.
As the terrible events unfolded, he stared silently at the big screen television while the World Trade Center buckled and crumpled. And then Ali began to talk. His Parkinson's and his age (he turned 60 on 17 January) have turned him into a slow-motion version of his former self. Make no mistake, though, Muhammad Ali is in there, all of him.
Son of a sign painter and his Christian wife, heavyweight champ, poet and wit, black rights advocate, military draft resistor, philanthropist, father, and now grandfather six times over, the roles and causes Ali embraced remain a part of him, and from up close, you can see and hear them all.
You can feel his warmth as well. At one point, Assad Ali, 10, the youngest of his nine children, peeked into the room. The round faced, smiling boy stopped short, waiting to be acknowledged. Ali turned his head, his expression frozen, and slowly, wordlessly unfolded his body to create an opening. Assad ran to him, filled the space, hugged his dad and his father, hugged him back.
As images of Osama bin Laden began flashing across television, a transformation of sorts began for Ali. The man who started life as Cassius Clay and then announced his conversion to Islam in 1964 suddenly became only the second most recognizable Muslim face in the world.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi
Pushpesh Pant, one of India’s pre-eminent food writers, is back with a comprehensive food history of the capital.
Who Wants Coffee?
It’s bitter—but beloved around the world
Prevent The Pain Of Shingles
You don't have to suffer, as long as you take two important steps
The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart
Dozens of diets are touted as ‘best’, but it’s easy to lose track of the fact that healthy eating needs to be about overall wellness, not just weight loss.
ME & MY SHELF
Journalist Sopan Joshi has worked in a science and environment framework for nearly three decades. His book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango (Aleph Book Company) synthesizes the sensory appeal of India's favourite fruit with its elaborate cultural roots and natural history. He writes in English and Hindi.
SWITCHED
In 1962, nurses at a small Canadian hospital sent home two women with the wrong babies. Then, 50 years later, their children discovered the shocking mistake.
ECHOES OF THE PAST
A VISIT TO THE ANCIENT BARABAR CAVES IN BIHAR REVEALS A SURPRISING CONNECTION TO A LITERARY CLASSIC
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honour the many men who helped her survive her childhood
Fiction's Foresight
British-Bangladeshi author Manzu Islam's works reveal startling parallels to recent political upheavals in Bangladesh, begging the question: Besides helping us make sense of our world, can stories also offer a glimpse into the future?
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
The Divine Defence Picture this: A tractor in Rajasthan‘s Banswara district,a group of loan agents closing in to seize it and the defaulting farmer and his family standing by.
