Kabuliwala by Rabindranath Tagore
Kabuliwala Short Essay
Introduction:
Kabuliwala by Rabindranath Tagore is a heartwarming short story that explores themes of friendship, fatherhood, and the passage of time. Set in Kolkata, it tells the touching tale of an unusual bond between a little girl named Mini and a fruit-seller from Kabul named Rahamat.
Mini and the Kabuliwala:
Mini, a lively five-year-old, first fears Rahamat, the Kabuliwala, thinking he kidnaps children. However, they slowly become friends. Rahamat, who misses his own daughter back home in Afghanistan, finds comfort in Mini’s chatter. They share laughs, jokes, and raisins.
Separation and Change:
Rahamat is later imprisoned for stabbing a man in a dispute. Years pass. Mini grows up, and their bond fades. On Mini’s wedding day, Rahamat returns, hoping to meet her. He is shocked to see her as a grown bride, and she barely remembers him.
Conclusion:
The story ends with the narrator giving Rahamat money to return to his daughter. Though Mini’s wedding becomes simpler, the narrator feels fulfilled, having honored a father’s love. Kabuliwala is a gentle reminder of the emotional ties that transcend borders, time, and language.
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Kabuliwala Detailed Essay
Introduction:
Kabuliwala, is a Bengali short story written by Rabindranath Tagore. It was first published in 1892. This story tells a bond between a fruit-seller from Kabul and a little girl, highlighting themes of love, separation, and fatherhood.
About the Author:
Rabindranath Tagore (7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) is a Bengali poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renaissance. He is referred as “the Bard of Bengal”. In 1913 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India’s “Jana Gana Mana” and Bangladesh’s “Amar Shonar Bangla” His Song “Banglar Mati Banglar Jol” has been adopted as the state anthem of West Bengal.
Kabuliwala: Meaning
“Kabuliwala” refers to a man from Kabul, Afghanistan, typically a traveling merchant or fruit-seller.
Kabuliwalas typically sold dry fruits, spices, or other goods, traveling across regions.
Characters:
👳♀️Rahamat - (Kabuliwala)
👧Mini - a five-year-old girl
🧔🏻Mini’s Father – The Narrator
🙎🏻♀️Mini’s Mother
👨✈️Ramdayal – watchman
Mini: The Talkative Child:
The story begins with the narrator introducing his lively five-year-old daughter, Mini. She started talking at the age of one. She is known for her endless chatter, Mini can’t stop talking for a minute. Mini’s mother often scolds her for being overly talkative.
A Father’s Delight in Conversation:
In contrast, the narrator finds Mini’s silence unnatural and enjoys her company. He spends a lot of time engaging with her, answering her countless questions, and cherishing their conversations.
Mini’s Curious Questions:
One morning, while the narrator is busy writing the 17th chapter of his latest novel, Mini, comes to him and tells him that their watchman Ramdayal doesn’t know anything. Ramdayal don’t even know the correct word for a crow. Instead of calling it “kāk,” he says “kauyā.”
[Additional info;
The word “kak” in Bengali (কাক) translates to “crow” in English.
The word “kauya” (কাউয়া) in Bengali also translates to “crow”. It is often used colloquially to refer to a crow.
Kāk – Sanskrit, Bengali and Hindi.]
The narrator tries to explain the diversity of languages in the world. Before he can explain this to her, Mini changes the topic. Mini tells him that Bhola told her an elephant in the sky squirts water through its trunk to make it rain.
Again, the narrator doesn’t get a chance to respond because Mini abruptly asks, what relation her mother is to him. unsure how to answer, the narrator simply tells her to go play. But instead of leaving, Mini sits on the floor next to him and starts playing quietly.
A Kabuliwala Appears:
The narrator is busy working on his book. Through the window, Mini sees a Kabuliwala outside. He is a tall man, wearing dirty, loose clothes, a turban (men from Afghanistan usually wore), a bag over his shoulder and a few boxes in his hands.
Mini’s Fear of the Kabuliwala:
Mini shouts "Kabuliwala, O Kabuliwala." When the Kabuliwala hears Mini shouting about him, he approaches the house but she ran away and hide. because she’s scared he might be carrying children in his bags.
The narrator, not wanting to be rude, invites the Kabuliwala inside and buys something from him. They talk about politics in Afghanistan and the conflict between the British and Russians.
The Kabuliwala asked about Mini, and when the narrator called her, she approached hesitantly, pressing against the narrator and looking at the Kabuliwala and his bag with suspicion. The Kabuliwala took out some raisins from his bag and offered them to Mini, but she refused to take them.
Mini’s New Companion /
A Growing Friendship:
A few days after the Kabuliwala’s first visit, the narrator steps outside and sees Mini happily chatting with the Kabuliwala. He seems delighted to listen to her, even as he tries to communicate in his hybrid sort of Bengali.
The narrator observes that, apart from himself, Mini has never encountered such a patient listener. He also notices Mini holding a handful of nuts and raisins. Concerned, he tells the Kabuliwala not to give her any more and gives him half a rupee but he returned it to mini, before walking away.
Later, when the narrator returns home, he finds his wife scolding their daughter, Mini, for obtaining a half-rupee coin. Mini explains that the Kabuliwala gave it to her, which upsets her mother for accepting such things from a stranger. The narrator intervenes, saving Mini from her mother’s anger, and brings her outside for a conversation.
A Bond Beyond Borders:
He discovers that the Kabuliwala has been visiting the house almost daily, winning Mini’s affection with small gifts like nuts and raisins. Their bond has grown so strong that they share inside jokes, and the narrator begins to enjoy watching them laugh together.
Laughter and Love: Mini and the Kabuliwala:
Mini asks Rahamat, what is in his sack. Rahamat humorously says that there is an elephant inside his bag. Rahamat jokingly tells Mini not to go to her Śvaśur-bāṛi.
[Additional info; Śvaśur-bāṛi is a Bengali term that translates to “father-in-law’s house” or “in-law’s home.”]
Mini doesn’t understand what Śvaśur-bāṛi means because her parents are progressive people who don’t discuss her future marriage with her. In her innocence, she asks Rahamat if he is going to his in-laws. Rahamat humorously shakes his fist and replies that he’ll settle him, which causes Mini to burst into laughter.
Wanderlust of the Imagination:
The narrator talks about the perfect autumn weather, which makes him think about ancient times when kings would go on big adventures to conquer the world.
Unlike these kings, the narrator has never left his home city, Calcutta. Because of this, he often daydreams about exploring the world, even though he is stuck at home. He loves imagining what life would be like in faraway places.
The narrator enjoys talking to the Kabuliwala too, asking him about his home country of Afghanistan, and all about his travels. The narrator enjoys hearing stories from the Kabuliwala about the high, scorched, blood-colored, forbidding mountains, where laden camels, turbaned merchants, and wayfarers can be seen traveling from one place to the next. The picture passed before his eyes when the Kabuliwala told stories about his travels.
Fear and Suspicion of the Kabuliwala
The narrator’s wife is very different from the narrator. She is easily alarmed and convinced that the world outside their home is dangerous. She believes that this world is filled with thieves, robbers, drunkards, snakes, tigers, malaria, caterpillars, cockroaches, and gorse.
The narrator’s wife repeatedly requests the narrator to keep an eye on the Kabuliwala. When the narrator tries to dismiss her suspicions, but she asks, Are there no such instances of child abduction? Isn’t slave-trade still in practice in Afghanistan? Is it altogether impossible for a giant Afghan to kidnap a little child?.
The narrator acknowledges that his wife’s concerns are not completely baseless, but he doesn’t see any harm in allowing the Kabuliwala to visit their home and converse with Mini.
Rahamat’s Annual Visit;
Once every year, Rahamat would return to his homeland to visit his family. Before leaving, he stayed busy all day, focusing on collecting debts from his clients in preparation for his journey. However, he always made sure to visit the narrator’s house to see Mini.
The Kabuliwala’s Descent into Violence:
One morning, the narrator hears a loud noise in the street. Looking outside, he sees Rahamat being taken away in handcuffs, covered in blood. One of the policemen is carrying a bloodstained knife.
Concerned, the narrator goes outside to find out what has happened. The narrator goes outside to find out what happened. He learns that a neighbor had taken a Rampuri shawl from Rahamat on credit, but he denied owing the debt, it sparked an argument between them and they got into a fight. During the fight, Rahamat stabbed the neighbor.
Turning Tears into Laughter:
At this time Mini comes outside and approaches the Kabuliwala like she normally does. Mini asks him if he is going to his in-laws’ house, and he smiles and says yes. To make mini happy, he showed his hands and remarked that he would have beaten up his father-in-law, but there was nothing he could do since his hands were tied.
Transformations in Mini’s Life:
This results in his imprisonment for several years. During this time, Mini grows up, forming friendships with girls her own age, and she also stops visiting the narrator while he’s working on his novel. gradually the memory of the Kabuliwala fades for both mini and the narrator.
A Bittersweet Farewell:
Years later, the narrator and his wife arrange Mini’s marriage, filled with sadness at the thought that their beloved daughter would soon leave their home to live with her husband. The house buzzes with activity as the preparations take place.
The Kabuliwala’s Return:
Unexpectedly, the Kabuliwala walks into the room. He looks so different now that it’s hard to recognize him, and he seems to have lost his energy. He explains to the narrator that he has just been released from prison, reminding him that he had been imprisoned for an attempted murder. Feeling uneasy, the narrator asks the Kabuliwala to leave because they are busy with wedding preparations.
A Father’s Love:
Before he goes, the Kabuliwala asks to see the narrator’s little girl, Mini, not realizing how much time has passed and believing she is still the child he once knew. The narrator explains that he cannot let him see Mini.
As the Kabuliwala gets ready to leave, he asks the narrator to give Mini a packet of grapes and raisins. When the narrator offers to pay for them, the Kabuliwala declines, saying he thinks of Mini as his own daughter, showing his fatherly love for her.
He explains that he remembers his own daughter, Parvati, who is far away from him. The Kabuliwala reaches into his shirt, near his heart, and pulls out a crumpled piece of paper with a small handprint.
Seeing the handprint of Rahamat’s daughter reminds the narrator of his own daughter, and understands his fatherly love for mini which prompts him to call for Mini to come down.
Mini’s Entrance and Shyness:
Mini enters, dressed in her wedding clothes, which surprises the Kabuliwala. After a pause, he addresses her as little one and asks if she is going to her Śvaśur-bāṛi. Now that Mini understands the meaning of the word, she feels embarrassed and shyly leaves the room.
Hope for reunion:
With a heavy sigh, the Kabuliwala sits on the floor, realizing that his own daughter must have grown up too, and that he would have to get to know her again after being away for eight years.
The narrator gives him some money and told Rahamat to return to his daughter in Afghanistan and expressed a wish that the happiness of their reunion would also bring blessings for Mini.
A Modest Celebration:
Giving Rahamat the money means that Mini’s wedding party isn’t as extravagant as it could have been, but the narrator feels content with it, believing that the ceremony was illuminated by a warmer, more generous spirit.
Themes:
✨Parental Love
✨Cultural Identity
✨Friendship Across Barriers
✨Loss and Separation
✨Childhood Innocence
✨Longing and Nostalgia
✨Immigration and Displacement
✨The Passage of Time
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