Gul Gulshan Gulfam

by Pran Kishore

  Shabad Doori ki Kamai Deevo,

  Aakho boni Shehjarav maenz,

  Sonasund taaj kyah chooey shoobano,

  Zan pana Yendrazai aav

  (You the cupid from Shahbad Dooru

  You came by the avenue through the shade of the magnificent Chinar trees

  How graceful looks your golden crown,

  Looks like King Indra has come himself)

  And when the fireworks burst out and filled the sky with star-shaped lights, the women momentarily forgot the beats and stared at the sky. Aziz Dyad came near them and said, ‘Are you tired or is it that you have never seen such fireworks before?’ They giggled in response. Aziz Dyad also laughed and said, ‘Now I entreat you, please continue with your singing.’

  The men stood at the ghat, bearing garlands for the groom. The bedecked boats alongside the open boats rowed faster and stopped near the steps of the ghat. The band stopped playing and made way for the groom. Noor Mohammad and Vijay Kumar walked down the steps and held out their hands to the groom and helped him climb ashore. Haji Ramzan and other guests in the party followed. Malla Khaliq greeted Haji Ramzan with a garland and embraced him. He then garlanded the groom with tinsels and currency notes.

  In the lounge of the houseboat Gulshan, Parveen sat still, with her chin on her knees; she looked petrified. The moment the groom went into the pavilion, all her friends came giggling and gathered excitedly around her. Each one of them was eager to tell her how her groom looked. Parveen’s niece Shahnaz pushed everyone aside and made her way to Parveen. ‘Come on, peep through that window, you can see him from there. How handsome he looks, no less than Dilip Kumar.’

  ‘Why Dilip Kumar?’ said another friend. ‘He is much more handsome than him.’

  Shahnaz pulled her by the hand, but Parveen shouted at her, ‘Leave my hand! I don’t want to see him.’ But Shahnaz was obstinate, and she pulled her harder. Parveen was irate. ‘I told you that I am not interested in seeing him!’

  Another friend said, ‘She has to see him for the rest of her life!’ All the girls let out a loud guffaw.

  The band had stopped playing; only the singing of the women in the tent was heard. After a little while, that too stopped. The priests were now solemnly reading the sacred verses to consummate the nikah. Complete silence prevailed all round.

  Razaq sat brooding in a corner of the isle. Lost in hazy thoughts, he threw pebbles into the water and gazed at the ripples that spread and vanished in the water. He was oblivious of the time. He would have remained lost had the clatter of ewers and flasks not brought him back. He looked towards the pavilion, and saw the Mufti who, after getting Parveen’s consent, had come out accompanied by Malla Khaliq, Noor Mohammad and Ramzan Haji. When he returned to the pavilion meant for the men, the women started singing again.

  Razaq got up and moved towards the pavilion with unsteady steps. He peeped through the curtain and saw the groom sitting directly facing the entrance. He gazed intently at the man who was now Parveen’s husband. The groom was far more handsome than him, a more worldly person and very rich. What could a waif like him give her?

  He walked to the same corner of the isle where he sat before. He felt like his heart had turned to stone. He wanted to raze the whole world to ruins, and then drown himself in the lake. He snapped back into his senses only when he heard the women singing the heart-wrenching song saying goodbye to the bride:

  Maalichi kunza kar dedi havalai,

  Wothi voyen wairvuk chui sawalai

  (Entrust the keys of the house to your mother,

  Arise o bride, think of your in-laws’ house now)

  Razaq tried his best not to move from that solitary corner, but his heart did not let him. ‘Stand up now, for you might not see her ever again. This last vision of Parveen will remain etched in your heart as a sweet ache that will always give you courage to win back the lost dice in your life.’ Saying this to himself, he stood up and went near Gulshan from where Parveen was to be sent off. As soon as Noor Mohammad escorted Parveen out of the pavilion, the singing intensified.

  Sadhan veryan ditmai keatchye,

  Aekher drayakh peachye bai.

  (We pampered you with gifts for seventeen years

  But you proved to be only our guest in the long run)

  Parveen neared her mother.

  Vunikh taam kertham heri bona raechi

  Malinich taethi gara gatchkhai,

  Dle chane sathvai raza chai,

  Maayi heatch maej chai pata laran.

  (Till today you were the guardian of my home,

  Darling of your parents! Leave for your own home.

  The palanquin for you is tied with seven ropes,

  Fondly your mother is following you)

  She stood glued to her mother and her body was shivering. Aziz Dyad also felt bereft of all energy, yet she kissed her and consoled her. But eventually, she lost control of herself and uttered a loud moan. She would have fallen had Noor Mohammad not held her. Mukhta came and separated Parveen from her mother. Then Parveen hugged each of her sisters-in-law, her childhood friends, and finally the women relatives. Finally Malla Khaliq came near her, laid his hand on her shoulder and said, ‘Come on now, my darling child, they are waiting for you.’ Parveen turned to him and gave him a tight hug. The walls of Malla Khaliq’s inner fortress broke down and a torrent of tears sprang from his eyes. He held his daughter in embrace. Narayan Joo, who stood watching all this patiently, said to Malla Khaliq, ‘Haji Sahib, if you also give in, what will happen to others?’ But Narayan Joo himself teared up. Seeing this, Haji Ramzan approached them. ‘You need not worry, we will take care of Parveen and keep her happy.’ Malla Khaliq stood with folded hands before him. He would have even fallen at his feet, but Haji Ramzan held him in his arms, saying, ‘What is all this for? Do not drown me in sins. Be bold and bid her farewell.’

  Razaq, standing at a distance, watched this painful sight. He quietly pleaded with the Almighty, ‘Oh God! Why did you bring me here? What sin had I committed?’ His eyes were fixed on Parveen. ‘Oh merciful God! Show your mercy and take my soul back! I do not have the strength to bear this separation.’

  Parveen was being led towards the ghat. Razaq walked a step forward, and Parveen caught sight of him. Zeb was quick to notice this exchange and held her. Parveen cast an angry look at Razaq and then quickly climbed down the steps. Parvez lent his hand and helped her sit in the shikaarah.

  Then Haji Sahib and the other wedding guests said goodbye.

  The boats departed.

  The women stood at the lowest step of the ghat and continued singing the farewell songs. Malla Khaliq continued standing at the ghat until the boats moved out of sight. He then called Noor Mohammad. ‘Take all the guests to their rooms to sleep. And you too need some rest.’

  ‘And you?’

  ‘Yes, I will also go and get some sleep.’

  Noor Mohammad escorted the guests and Malla Khaliq walked ahead to see if all was okay in the pavilions. Razaq, who stood near the pavilion, started collecting the chairs and other items lying strewn there. Malla Khaliq went near him and said, ‘Have you had some food?’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ Razaq lied. Malla Khaliq placed his hand on his shoulder and turned him round. Razaq saw his eyes baggy and red from weeping. Seeing his master’s miserable face, Razaq tried to fall at his feet, but Malla Khaliq stopped him and said, ‘No, no. We must prostrate only before the Almighty.’ Razaq could not hold himself back and started to cry.

  ‘I know you will also miss Parveen. Now go get some rest.’

  Malla Khaliq laid his hand on Razaq’s shoulder. Razaq sensed that he was broken from having sent off his beloved daughter, and he held his hand saying, ‘Let us go in, sir.’ After escorting him to his room, Razaq took his leave saying, ‘Abba Sahib, kindly forgive me for all my faults.’

  ‘Crazy fellow! You single-handedly made all the arrangements for this wedding. Why then this entreaty for forgiveness? Go, get some rest.’

  Raza
q went to his shed. All around there was darkness. He quietly opened the door and switched the light on. He took off the newly sewed clothes that Malla Khalliq had ordered for him as he had done for other family members. Changing into his old clothes, he folded the new ones and kept them aside. He switched the light off. Then looked through the window. A slight wind was blowing, otherwise it was all still, and nothing could be seen moving about. He took the doll in his hand, kissed it, and came out of the shed. He walked to the dilapidated ghat behind his shed. The water was still and clean there. He gazed at the doll lovingly. He heard Parveen say to him, ‘What do you look at it for? Look at me.’ He felt as if her voice emerged from the still waters of the lake. Parveen appeared in the lake, holding the bride and groom dolls in her hands. He remembered that evening when she had said, ‘All right, you keep this female doll and I will keep the male doll. Then we shall wait for the day when you and I become one, and the two dolls will also get reunited.’

  Razaq was lost in memories, when there was a big splash in the water ahead of him. Startled, Razaq saw that an owl had swooped down upon a fish. It flew towards the poplars nearby with the fish in its claws. Razaq was filled with pity and his hands shivered. He felt as if the doll in his hands was a pot of live embers. He was about to throw the doll into the water, but something held him back; he kissed the doll gently and released it in the water. He looked at it float away for a while and finally returned to his shed. He swung his bag on his shoulder and moved towards the rear swamps where the boat that Qadir had used to smuggle Jane away in was kept. Razaq untied the boat and sat in it. Using his hands as oars, he calmly paddled the boat through the willow grove to the bank. Then with one strong shove of the oar, the boat glided like an arrow over the lake. The reflection of the moon in the clear waters was cleaved into two by the boat. Having come out of the premises of the houseboats, Razaq rowed the boat towards the quay of Nehru Park.

  Behind him, the two silver fragments reunited, and the moon regained its original visage.

  Malla Khaliq remained sleepless till the cockerel’s first crow. He had sat all alone on the front deck of Gul. He had spent the night looking at the cliffs of the Zabarwan mountains which looked like meditating recluses in the dark. He remembered how he had told Parveen many fairy tales about the mountains. He used to enjoy sitting in the sun with his little Parveen in his lap. ‘Now my pari spread her wings and went away.’ Malla Khaliq heaved a long and cold sigh. He was lost in such musings and hardly realized when Aziz Dyad came and sat down beside him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and said, ‘What are you thinking about sitting here all alone?’

  ‘My life now feels hollow, absolutely empty,’ he said.

  ‘May God save us! Why, all of us are still with you.’ Aziz Dyad comforted him.

  ‘She was the soul of our small world. Now, see how she took flight and left us behind.’

  ‘Of course she went away, but only to build a world of her own. Now pray to your Dastagir that her world be filled with blossoms of joy.’

  ‘Believe me, I feel very lonely now.’

  Aziz Dyad held his hand and said, ‘How are you alone? Am I not with you? Get up, now. The mountains are beginning to shine in the morning light. All the guests are still here. Send someone to the baker’s shop.’ But Malla Khaliq did not let go of her hand. ‘Please stay here with me for a while. Nobody will wake up before sunrise.’

  ‘Tell me what can I do for you?’

  ‘I need nothing, you just stay with me. I feel like my heart is sinking.’

  ‘If you had rested for a little while, you would have felt better.’

  ‘How can I feel better now? It will soon be light and Noor Mohammad will leave along with his family to look after their dispensary. Qadir will again busy himself in his usual misdeeds. Ghulam Ahmed has to go to Pattan along with Zoon. This old couple alone will be left here.’

  ‘What does Zoon have to do in Pattan? There are so many workers appointed there already, any one of them could prepare meals for Ahmed.’

  ‘I also thought that we should not let Zoon go to Pattan because you cannot manage everything single-handedly. Everything is a mess here. Poor Zeb has her hands full with the young kid. How can she lend you a hand?’

  ‘All right.’ Saying this Aziz Dyad got up.

  ‘Let me see why Razaq is still asleep. He could get up and fetch bread from the market.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ she asked him.

  ‘I will wake him up. You go and arrange for the morning tea.’

  Saying this, Malla Khaliq went to the ghat. The door of Razaq’s shed was closed. He knocked at the door. ‘Razaq, Razaq! Get up now, my son. See, it is morning already.’

  There was no reply from inside. Malla Khaliq got irritated and called to him, knocking the door violently. ‘Razaq! Oh Razaq! Why don’t you get up?’ The door flew ajar from his forceful knocking. He found the bedding folded and kept aside. The set of clothes that Malla Khaliq had given him for the wedding lay there. His uniform was hanging from a peg. Malla Khaliq began to feel rather anxious. ‘Where could he have gone?’ He came out of the shed and went to the rear ghat. He did not find him there. Then he went to the isle and searched him in every corner. But he couldn’t find him anywhere. Calling his name all around, he reached the pantry. Aziz Dyad heard him and looked through the window. ‘Why are you creating a ruckus? He might be sleeping in some corner of the boat, like a corpse.’

  ‘How can he be so careless? He must have gone somewhere.’

  ‘But what is he to do for you at this hour?’

  ‘He could go across the lake and fetch bread. Okay, give the basket to me. I will go myself.’

  ‘You go and offer your prayers first. I have already sent Noor Mohammad to fetch bread. He had to check his new house and told me that he would get the bread on his way back.’

  Malla Khaliq went near the copse of willows, performed his ablutions, and sat down to offer his nimaz. The peaks of the Zabarwan hills were already enveloped by the golden morning light. Vapours had started rising from the surface of the lake. The vegetable vendors were seen rowing their boats towards Dalgate.

  Malla Khaliq had just finished his prayers when Noor Mohammad’s boat touched the shore. He walked towards the kitchen and handed over the basket to his mother and then went near his father and said, ‘Abba, have you sent Razaq on any errand?’

  ‘No. Have you seen him anywhere?’

  ‘No, Abba. I saw the small boat of our neighbourhood’s vegetable vendor’s anchored across the lake at the Nehru Park ghat. I thought someone from their family has crossed over to the market. But then I saw Ghana of their clan roaring and asking the shikaarah owners about the bastard who had taken their boat in the middle of the night. He told them that if he found the mischief-monger, he would surely chop him to death. Had Ramzana not found the boat there, they would have still been searching for the boat in the swamps.’

  Hearing this Malla Khaliq’s limbs started shivering. He went into the kitchen muttering to himself, ‘God knows where he has gone!’ Noor Mohammad followed him and said, ‘The rascal must have fled in the same boat.’

  ‘What nonsense!’ Malla Khaliq was furious.

  ‘The baker Ama Kandur saw him fleeing with his bag on his shoulder.’

  Malla Khaliq sat down in shock. Aziz Dyad came near him, saying, ‘See how the waif has finally fled, like all the others of his kind. None of your pampering worked. They are all alike. You just overfeed them with affection and treat them like your own sons, but finally they leave without letting anyone know.’

  Noor Mohammad, too, was intrigued. He said, ‘Abba, if he had to flee at all, why did he choose last night to do so? I am sure he must have stolen many things from us.’

  ‘No, no. He is absolutely different from the others! I don’t know what happened to him. Maybe someone in the family rebuked him, otherwise he is not the kind to run away in this manner. He was so keen on studying further. He used to stay up late into the ni
ght with his book in his hands. A boy of such demeanour and prudence cannot be a pilferer.’

  Noor Mohammad could not swallow this defence of Razaq. He said, ‘Let us check in the house to see if anything is missing. I suggest we report his absence to the police. We have his home address.’

  Aziz Dyad agreed. ‘Noor Mohammad is right.’

  Malla Khaliq became angry and said, ‘God, give them a little wisdom! The guests are still here. Just a few hours ago we sent our daughter away, and you suggest that I knock the doors of the police!’

  ‘Abba, times are very bad. No one can be trusted. He is sure to have stolen something precious.’

  ‘Did you know that his salary for the last six months is still with me? How could he run away? Go and attend to your chores. Leave this to me. I warn you not to divulge this to anyone, particularly Qadir.’

  Aziz Dyad agreed with her husband. ‘Your Abba is right. Let the guests leave and then we can decide what to do. You go and wake Mukhta and Zoon. They have to serve tea to the guests.’

  Noor Mohammad left, suppressing his rage. Malla Khaliq said to his wife, ‘He seemed very gloomy the last few days.’

  ‘He must have been pondering over his plans to run away.’

  ‘No, I don’t think so. Certainly something bad has happened to him. How he would take care of me. Even my own sons have not loved me so much. I am sure that someone said something to him. Let me check his room again.’

  ‘Please calm down. Let us wait until all the guests have left.’

  All the guests and family members were now awake. Ghulam Ahmed, Doctor Nisar and Ghulam Qadir were busy clearing the mess. Malla Khaliq’s elder daughters-in-law were carrying tea in the samovars to Gulshan. Zeb followed them with a basket of bread with Bilal in tow. Ghulam Ahmed alone seemed ready to leave.