Naseebullah khan
I read a post of my mentor Mr. Mahfooz Ali Khan on Facebook in which he had suggested to read the Pakistani Bride by Bapsi Sidhwa. The post in which the subject matters were told about the novel attracted me and with the twinkling of eyes i downloaded the pdf form of the said noval.
Bapsi Sidhwa is a Pakistani writer who currently lives in America, is an internationally known author who has got several international awards for her writings. She has also written an American Brait, Cracking India, water and the crow eaters. Her works have been translated in myriad of other languages. Bapsi Sidhwa says that from eleven to eighteen years she read non_ stop and was restrained not to go to school owing to religious restrictions. Due to those restrains, Bapsi Sidhwa focused on writing feminism and the said novel is a perfect example of it with 30 characters which was published in1983. The main themes of the novel are
Women rights, partion of United India, tribal norms, urban and rural life, unmatched couple, torture, pain, violance, struggle, melancholy, gender issues in a tribal patriarchal society, cultural differences, masculine hegemony, and bravery.
One of the major characters in this novel is Qasim who was a 10 years old boy when his father Arbab told him to marry with the daughter Resham Khan who is indebted to him. Owing to poverty Resham Khan was unable to pay back the loan hence he will give his daughter Afshan in debt. This norm prevails in Pakistani society particularly in Pashtun society.
Bapsi Sidhwa also talks about partition plan in 1947, division of boundries, and migration of millions of people across Pakistan and India border. She sketches the picture of the incidents as to how millions of people were killed during migration and in communal riots.
This novel also sheds light on the brothel house known as Heera mandi in Lahore where Music, dance, sex, and drinking are available. In addition, Bapsi Sidhwa has also pictured marriage traditions, national Attan (Dance) of women, Nikkah ceremony, etc.
Zaitoon is the protagonist of this novel who was 5 years old when her parents were killed since then Qasim adopted her as his daughter. Zaitoon is now 16 years old and Qasim wants Zaitoon to get marry in mountains areas with his Cousin Misri Khan,s son Sakhi. While Miriam the wife of Qasim,s friend Nikka tries to stop him and tells how a girl brought up in Lahore could live with brutal, savage, and ignorant people who don’t know how to treat women? Meanwhile, Qasim annoys while calling his people in such bad words. She tells Qasim that Zaitoon will be like a slave there. Miriam roars and blames Qaim that he had sold his girl for some money and Goats.
The author has also pictured natural beauty in her novel. She time and again talks about Cliffs, stark mountains such as Black Mountains and Himalays, vigorous air, plains, gorge of the Indus, river, stream, wind rattling the windows, plateau, and Sun. This increases the taste of reading and makes the novel more interesting. This novel also talks about urban and rural lifestyles as to how it is difficult for a girl brought up in an urban atmosphere cannot live and survive in rural areas. Bapsi Sidhwa also talks about Pashtun cultural codes known as Pashtunwali particularly of the tribal areas which was once called as ex-FATA in Pakistan. The writer calls this area as Kohistan. She says that the British failed to subjugate the people living there.
Melancholy is an important theme of the novel. Afshan, who was the daughter of a poor father had to marry with Qasim by force and as her father had taken loan from Qasim,s father. Another sad aspect is Qasim,s life who lost his whole family due to Smallpox disease. The novel also talks about the bloodshed that took place during the partition of 1947. Moreover, the life of Zaitoon is miserable from the start when she was 5 years old her parents died. The gloomy aspect of Carol marriage also reflects melancholy while the characters of Nikkah and Mariam who were childless also testifies melancholy in the novel.
The author has also provided a Sexual touch in the novel. She talks about the brothel house of Lahore known as Heera mandi. She also talks about the first night sex of Zaitoon and Sakhi. This novel also talks about mismatched couples such as Zaitoon and Sakhi and Carol and Major Mushtaq. For instance the relationship between Zaitoon and Sakhi becomes gloomy. After facing living hurdles Zaitoon leaves the house and flees. While Ms. Carol who is a foreigner and marries with Major Mushtaq says that Major Mushtaq also does not give respect to women hence she leaves him and goes back to America. This reflects male dominant society.
This is a well read novel that mainly focuses on femanism. Bapsi Sidhwa has beautifully defaced the male dominated society. This novel for me needs to be short filmed so thatvthe message reach to more people.
