Short Story--Kabool hai?
“Kabool hai?"1
The air was filled with the mingled fragrance of mehendi, incense, flowers and perfume. The tiny mirrors on the decorations and the ladies dresses and jewels twinkled like stars in soft light. The old Qazi’s voice was hypnotic as he read the nikaah2 namah3 from the other side of the curtain.
“Kabool hai?”
Within the veil, Shabana closed her eyes. All around her, the women waited with bated breath. Image after image tumbled in her mind’s eye like a kaleidoscope.
**********
Kasim’s naughty eyes as he stood in the middle of the bridge across the stream.
“Give it back!”
“Will you?”
“No.”
“Then—” He held the book poised over the stream in a silent threat.
“No, no…the Ustad would kill me!! Please, please Kasim…”
“Say you will.”
“OK, OK—I’ll marry you. Now please give it back…”
Kasim pursed his lips in triumph and came back over the bridge.
“Here.”
Shabana snatched the book and put her tongue out at him, turned and ran.
“I’ll never marry you…” she shouted when she was too far away for him to catch her.
Kasim cocked his cap with a naughty smile and winked at her. She could still see the confidence in that seven-year-old’s smile.
“You will!” he had shouted back.
**********
Kasim at the bangle shop, peeping at the window.
“Go away, Kasim, Ammi would see you.”
“Let her.”
“No! I will get scolded.”
“I didn’t come to see you, I came to see Anjuman.”
Shabana pouted and turned. Kasim pulled the ribbon on her braid.
“Let go…” She tried to pull away.
“Ha ha… bye….” He laughed and ran away with the ribbon. He was already taller than most boys at fifteen, and his bronze-brown hair flew in the wind as he ran.
**********
Kasim dancing with her brothers and cousins on Zarina Aapa5’s mehendi night4.
“Hmmm, what a handsome boy Kasim has become!” Shayina Deedi5 pinched Shabana’s cheeks as she blushed. “When will your nikaah be, sweetheart?”
“Deedi…!”
“Look at her blush!”
“I’m still in college”
“That will be a year or two more…”
“Then I want to study further”
“Hmmm…and what if Kasim won’t wait that long? He’s already doing well in his business…He’ll want a bride soon.
“He will wait!”
Shayina Deedi laughed and pinched her cheeks again.
“That much confidence?”
Shabana laughed.
**********
Kasim with his face hidden by the flowered sehra6 at their wedding. He looked like a prince on the chestnut horse.
“What a wonderful match”
“They were made for each other”
Her friends tittered as they brought Kasim to the zenana7 for mooh-dikhayi 8.
“Are you seeing your bride for the first time?” Zakina teased him.
“Yes…”
“Jeejaji9…we know everything!!” they had laughed.
“I’ve seen Shabbu before, but she was never my bride before!” he told them, laughing.
Mamaji put a mirror on the table and covered both of them with a red dupatta. When Shabana moved her veil and looked into the mirror, Kasim crossed his eyes and put out his tongue.
Shabana laughed.
“You’ll never change.”
Kasim winked and smiled. Shabana blushed.
**********
Kasim with red eyes and a glint in his eyes she had never seen before.
She did not even remember what she had said. All she remembered was hearing a dull thud. And realizing just before she fainted that it was the sound of the bronze vase hitting her head.
By the time they took her to the hospital, she had lost a lot of blood…and her child too. In the third month, shock was reason enough for the miscarriage.
Abbu had insisted on the separation. And Kasim, broken by the losses in the business, the cursed intoxicants and the guilt of what he had done to her, never said anything. Her Mamaji and Zarina Aapa were both weeping but they were both witnesses. And Kasim had looked stricken when he had said it.
“Talaaq10”
It was hardly more than a whisper, but Shabana thought thunder could not have sounded more earth-shattering. Three times; and she flinched and shuddered as she heard it.
**********
Abbu pleading with her, looking old and sad.
“I know it is very soon, but you are young and Shareef is a good boy.”
“Abbu, I cant…”
“Beti, I am old and won’t be around for long. How will I die in peace if you are not—“
“Abbu!!”
“Shabbu, I am begging you. Shareef will be returning in two weeks…”
“Abbu…Kasim…”
“Forget him, beti. It is past and will never come back. Please agree…”
“Abbu…”
“Shall I go ahead with the Nikaah preparations?”
Shabana bit her lips and tears coursed slowly down her cheeks. She nodded.
**********
“Kabool hai?”
Is it acceptable? No, thought Shabana. Life was not supposed to change like this. Kasim was not supposed to change. We have always been together. We were meant to be together. No, it is not acceptable. I still love him. They never asked me if it was acceptable when they made him divorce me. They never asked me if I wanted my life to change. I did not want this to happen.
But it has. And life goes on.
“Tell the Qazi, beti. Kabool hai?” an old lady beside her whispered.
Shabana opened her eyes. She took a deep breath.
“Kabool hai.” she said.
The echoes went up in the air as the women repeated it breathlessly.
**********
1- Kabool hai? – The Qazi ( Muslim cleric) traditionally asks the girl if she is agreeable before leaving to the mosque for he Nikaah. Literal meaning – “Is it acceptable?” if it is in the form of a question and "It is acceptable" if it is a statement.
2- Nikaah- Marriage
3- Nikaah Namah- Document of marriage.
4- Mehendi Night- Usually the night before the day of the marriage or Nikaah. The bride’s palms and feet are decorated with henna designs on this evening.
5- Aapa/Deedi- Sister
6- Sehra- A flower garland to cover the groom’s face on the day of marriage.
7- Zenana- the part of the house reserved for women and girls in a Muslim household
8- mooh-dikhayi- Literally “face- showing”. Traditionally, the time after the nikaah that the groom is showed the bride’s face. A mirror is placed beneath the veil to show him the girl’s face.
9- Jeejaji- Brother-in-law
10- Talaaq- Divorce
The air was filled with the mingled fragrance of mehendi, incense, flowers and perfume. The tiny mirrors on the decorations and the ladies dresses and jewels twinkled like stars in soft light. The old Qazi’s voice was hypnotic as he read the nikaah2 namah3 from the other side of the curtain.
“Kabool hai?”
Within the veil, Shabana closed her eyes. All around her, the women waited with bated breath. Image after image tumbled in her mind’s eye like a kaleidoscope.
**********
Kasim’s naughty eyes as he stood in the middle of the bridge across the stream.
“Give it back!”
“Will you?”
“No.”
“Then—” He held the book poised over the stream in a silent threat.
“No, no…the Ustad would kill me!! Please, please Kasim…”
“Say you will.”
“OK, OK—I’ll marry you. Now please give it back…”
Kasim pursed his lips in triumph and came back over the bridge.
“Here.”
Shabana snatched the book and put her tongue out at him, turned and ran.
“I’ll never marry you…” she shouted when she was too far away for him to catch her.
Kasim cocked his cap with a naughty smile and winked at her. She could still see the confidence in that seven-year-old’s smile.
“You will!” he had shouted back.
**********
Kasim at the bangle shop, peeping at the window.
“Go away, Kasim, Ammi would see you.”
“Let her.”
“No! I will get scolded.”
“I didn’t come to see you, I came to see Anjuman.”
Shabana pouted and turned. Kasim pulled the ribbon on her braid.
“Let go…” She tried to pull away.
“Ha ha… bye….” He laughed and ran away with the ribbon. He was already taller than most boys at fifteen, and his bronze-brown hair flew in the wind as he ran.
**********
Kasim dancing with her brothers and cousins on Zarina Aapa5’s mehendi night4.
“Hmmm, what a handsome boy Kasim has become!” Shayina Deedi5 pinched Shabana’s cheeks as she blushed. “When will your nikaah be, sweetheart?”
“Deedi…!”
“Look at her blush!”
“I’m still in college”
“That will be a year or two more…”
“Then I want to study further”
“Hmmm…and what if Kasim won’t wait that long? He’s already doing well in his business…He’ll want a bride soon.
“He will wait!”
Shayina Deedi laughed and pinched her cheeks again.
“That much confidence?”
Shabana laughed.
**********
Kasim with his face hidden by the flowered sehra6 at their wedding. He looked like a prince on the chestnut horse.
“What a wonderful match”
“They were made for each other”
Her friends tittered as they brought Kasim to the zenana7 for mooh-dikhayi 8.
“Are you seeing your bride for the first time?” Zakina teased him.
“Yes…”
“Jeejaji9…we know everything!!” they had laughed.
“I’ve seen Shabbu before, but she was never my bride before!” he told them, laughing.
Mamaji put a mirror on the table and covered both of them with a red dupatta. When Shabana moved her veil and looked into the mirror, Kasim crossed his eyes and put out his tongue.
Shabana laughed.
“You’ll never change.”
Kasim winked and smiled. Shabana blushed.
**********
Kasim with red eyes and a glint in his eyes she had never seen before.
She did not even remember what she had said. All she remembered was hearing a dull thud. And realizing just before she fainted that it was the sound of the bronze vase hitting her head.
By the time they took her to the hospital, she had lost a lot of blood…and her child too. In the third month, shock was reason enough for the miscarriage.
Abbu had insisted on the separation. And Kasim, broken by the losses in the business, the cursed intoxicants and the guilt of what he had done to her, never said anything. Her Mamaji and Zarina Aapa were both weeping but they were both witnesses. And Kasim had looked stricken when he had said it.
“Talaaq10”
It was hardly more than a whisper, but Shabana thought thunder could not have sounded more earth-shattering. Three times; and she flinched and shuddered as she heard it.
**********
Abbu pleading with her, looking old and sad.
“I know it is very soon, but you are young and Shareef is a good boy.”
“Abbu, I cant…”
“Beti, I am old and won’t be around for long. How will I die in peace if you are not—“
“Abbu!!”
“Shabbu, I am begging you. Shareef will be returning in two weeks…”
“Abbu…Kasim…”
“Forget him, beti. It is past and will never come back. Please agree…”
“Abbu…”
“Shall I go ahead with the Nikaah preparations?”
Shabana bit her lips and tears coursed slowly down her cheeks. She nodded.
**********
“Kabool hai?”
Is it acceptable? No, thought Shabana. Life was not supposed to change like this. Kasim was not supposed to change. We have always been together. We were meant to be together. No, it is not acceptable. I still love him. They never asked me if it was acceptable when they made him divorce me. They never asked me if I wanted my life to change. I did not want this to happen.
But it has. And life goes on.
“Tell the Qazi, beti. Kabool hai?” an old lady beside her whispered.
Shabana opened her eyes. She took a deep breath.
“Kabool hai.” she said.
The echoes went up in the air as the women repeated it breathlessly.
**********
1- Kabool hai? – The Qazi ( Muslim cleric) traditionally asks the girl if she is agreeable before leaving to the mosque for he Nikaah. Literal meaning – “Is it acceptable?” if it is in the form of a question and "It is acceptable" if it is a statement.
2- Nikaah- Marriage
3- Nikaah Namah- Document of marriage.
4- Mehendi Night- Usually the night before the day of the marriage or Nikaah. The bride’s palms and feet are decorated with henna designs on this evening.
5- Aapa/Deedi- Sister
6- Sehra- A flower garland to cover the groom’s face on the day of marriage.
7- Zenana- the part of the house reserved for women and girls in a Muslim household
8- mooh-dikhayi- Literally “face- showing”. Traditionally, the time after the nikaah that the groom is showed the bride’s face. A mirror is placed beneath the veil to show him the girl’s face.
9- Jeejaji- Brother-in-law
10- Talaaq- Divorce
posted by fareen @ 5:16 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
i think it's beautiful. i wait for your short stories :)
Romance, friendship, seperation, message.. it had all. Good work.
Tooo fast Fareen ..sounds like incomplete ..missing lines ..missing your TRUE feelings what happened ??..where your imagination gone????? …I think might be work done in hurry …any how cheers..
Anonymous who knows you
Very interesting and well-written. I agree with the last post regarding the need for greater detail - I had to read the part with the vase twice just to make sure I knew what happened. Regarding phil johnson's comment, muslim women also proclaim divorce in much the same way so it's not a one-sided street - unfortunately, certain cultural interpretations of this practice have lead to abuse. Furthermore, this is a very South Asian story where the families become deeply involved in ways they often shouldn't (or should, if you realize banging someone on the head w/ a vase isn't a good thing and constitutes domestic violence - but yes it's wrong and unIslamic to force people to divorce against their will). The 'talag' tradition isn't about making divorce a game - if you read the history and understand the legal/theological issues, you realize it has to do with making sure men don't abuse their spouses and make divorce into a game. Of course, with some people, the mere mention of the fact that the characters are Muslim leads to the oft-repeated and incorrect assumptions of the horror of it all. With those people, one can never win anyway. In any case, to the writer, good job with the story.
Post a Comment
<< Home