Gul Gulshan Gulfam

by Pran Kishore

  Malla Khaliq could no more control his anger. ‘Who would start rumours there, Narayan Joo, Vijay Kumar or his wife? They feel the pain when even a thorn pricks us.’

  Aziz Dyad was in tears. ‘Your poor helpless sons were so worried about your well-being, I have no words to tell you. They had concealed this news even from me till a couple of days back. I came to know only when Ramzan Haji’s wife called Parveen a dozen times and requested me to send her back. I was almost persuaded to do so, but Parveen threatened to kill herself. That is how I came to know about the whole affair.’

  ‘All right, let me ask Parveen myself if all this is true. If it is, we will not send her back.’

  Noor Mohammad who had been quiet so far, said to his father, ‘Abba, whatever Parveen told her mother is absolutely true. Nisar Ahmed verified everything in Delhi.’

  Malla Khaliq said to Aziz Dyad, ‘Don’t shed any more tears. I will summon Ramzan Haji to the public court. I will settle the whole matter in one sitting. They don’t know with how much love and affection we have raised our daughter.’

  ‘Nisar Ahmed says that Ramzan Haji and his wife did not know anything about Parvez until Naqash Sahib saw Parvez and that woman from Hyderabad together in a hotel in a swimming pool.’

  ‘How simple-minded you are, Noor Mohammad! Were their eyes closed until their son got that Hyderabad woman pregnant? I will send for Ramzan Haji in the morning. This is sheer deceit.’

  Aziz Dyad said to her two sons, ‘Your Abba is right; we should not delay this matter. They will blame us otherwise. It’s past midnight. Let’s go to bed. Let us see what God has in store for us.’

  Ghulam Ahmed and Noor Mohammad left.

  But Malla Khaliq and Aziz Dyad kept waking up every half-hour till the first crowing of the cockerel. This was the first time they had lived away from each other for such a long time. They slept side by side and kept consoling each other. When the cockerel let out its last call, Malla Khaliq turned towards his wife and held her head close to his chest.

  ‘Azi, this chest of mine has grown heavy like a stone. Every second that passes makes me feel that the rock of time crushing me is getting heavier. For all these months I waited to see Qadir return and hoped that he would fall at my feet and ask for forgiveness. But he did not turn up. I had promised Zeb that I would bring him back. But he ran away and is now absconding. Today I could not even make eye contact with that innocent girl.’

  ‘He might not have had the courage to appear before you. And then he must have become absorbed in his business in Saudi. He will surely come back after making something of himself.’

  ‘I have only one grudge against him – that he deserted such a lonely wife and beautiful son to live in some alien land.’

  ‘I think he might have reformed himself by now. Otherwise he would not have sent you money.’

  Malla Khaliq was about to reveal the details of Qadir’s escapades to his wife, but stopped because she was already crushed by her daughter’s disastrous marriage. And if she came to know about Qadir’s wrongdoings on top of that, she would not be able to bear it. ‘Yes, yes, I think so too. Let’s wait and see what God has decided for us.’

  ‘That is all right, but don’t forget to phone Ramzan Haji in the morning.’

  ‘Yes, I will call him after returning from Makhdoom Sahib. You better sleep now.’

  ‘What is the time now?’

  ‘It is already four-thirty in the morning.’

  Aziz Dyad turned on her side and fell asleep. Feeling tired himself, Malla Khaliq too shut his eyes.

  Haji Ramzan did not give Malla Khaliq any time to call and complain. He came over to Kashmir the very next day, and the two met in Narayan Joo’s house. He was repentant and begged for Malla Khaliq’s forgiveness with folded hands. Malla Khaliq was accompanied by Ghulam Ahmed and Noor Mohammad. Noor Mohammad was full of resentment, but when he found Haji Ramzan already despondent, he listened to his apologies without reacting.

  Malla Khaliq, Narayan Joo, Noor Mohammad and Doctor Nisar were convinced that Haji Ramzan and his wife were not guilty. Haji Ramzan stood up, placed his cap at Malla Khaliq’s feet and said to him, ‘I swear by Dastagir Sahib that I did not know the truth. This evil son of ours deserves death for shaming us to the extent that we cannot face the world. How can I make you understand that I have lost all respect in my community? Please punish me as you see fit for I am a sinner.’

  Malla Khaliq made him stand up and said, ‘All this is okay, but you please tell us what to do. Do you think our name is intact? Even if we forget about our respect, what will our darling daughter do now? Where is she to go?’

  It was Narayan Joo’s turn to speak. ‘Look here, Haji Sahib. We accept every word that you said as true, but please answer Malla Khaliq’s question.’

  Nisar Ahmed was firm in his decision and said, ‘I have the answer. Under such circumstances, prudence suggests that Parveen be granted legal divorce. In no case can she live with their son.’

  Ramzan Haji heaved a long sigh and said, ‘Doctor Sahib has understood what perdition we were caught in, in Delhi. Yes, the situation demands that we agree with Nisar Ahmed’s decision.’

  Narayan Joo intervened and said, ‘It is not only your decision that counts. You let us know what your son’s decision is.’

  ‘He has agreed to set Parveen free. How can I even begin to tell you how this cuts my heart as if with a sharp knife! It is certainly our misfortune that we will be parted from such a good-natured daughter-in-law. But we don’t want her life ruined. I have doubled the promised alimony and deposited it in her name with the bank.’

  Malla Khaliq’s heart felt like it would erupt in rage. ‘To hell with your money! How can money compensate for the losses we have suffered?’

  Nisar Ahmed wished to end this argument and said, ‘Abba, there is no point in lengthening this dispute. I have already sought Parveen’s opinion and she wants nothing other than divorce.’ He then turned to Ramzan Haji, saying, ‘Please send us the divorce papers along with a written confession from your son, so that we can start the formalities.’

  Ramzan Haji begged for forgiveness from Malla Khaliq, his sons and Narayan Joo. Then he left.

  Narayan Joo heaved a long sigh of relief and said, ‘God has finally resolved this problem in a proper manner; you deserve congratulations.’

  Malla Khaliq grew furious. ‘What do you mean, Narayan Joo? Do you think this merits congratulations? What will happen to our daughter now?’

  ‘You watch how my Goddess Mother fills her life with flowers.’

  Aziz Dyad finally conceded to getting Parveen divorced. When Malla Khaliq told her that everything had been resolved amicably, she felt relieved.

  Reeny and Qadir got married in court in accordance with De Souza’s will and subsequently the hotel and his other assets were written to Reeny and Qadir. Reeny threw a party for her friends and the businessmen she worked with. The guests were served champagne and feni. Reeny made all the arrangements for the party. Ghulam Qadir was careful not to let his quandary mar Reeny’s happiness. He remained beside her the entire time.

  When the guests were raising a toast to the bride and groom, Ghulam Qadir was served champagne which he had to drink in one shot. Then Reeny’s girlfriends kept refilling Ghulam Qadir’s and Reeny’s glasses with red wine. Ghulam Qadir tried his best to avoid drinking, yet he had to have three glasses. He had never touched alcohol before. Soon he got tipsy and started dancing with the guests.

  Finally at midnight, Reeny’s friends led her to the nuptial room which they had decorated with roses. Then they returned to the hall and escorted Ghulam Qadir. They pushed him in and closed the door.

  Three months had passed since Parveen’s divorce. Nevertheless, Malla Khaliq and Aziz Dyad continued to worry about her. They were eagerly waiting for the ilat, the period of abeyance after divorce in Muslim jurisprudence, so that Parveen could start her life afresh. Whenever Aziz Dyad talked to Parveen about remarriage, Parveen would leave the r
oom, annoyed. She told her parents that if they compelled her to get married again, she would jump into the lake. Malla Khaliq, therefore, restrained his wife from talking about another marriage.

  The days passed in quick succession, and the new tourist season arrived. Noor Mohammad took charge of Gulshan which Ghulam Qadir used to run. Meanwhile, they kept receiving Qadir’s money orders from different locations. Zeb consoled herself by telling Bilal that his father would come soon with a suitcase full of new clothes and toys for him. And when that promised ‘soon’ passed and a new month began, she would get irritated with the child’s persistent inquiry and want to give him a sound thrashing.

  Malla Khaliq stood at the ghat waiting for Narayan Joo. Bilal came to him crying. He picked Bilal up and tried to calm him down. ‘Look here, my child, your father is extremely busy with his business. When a man is too involved with his work, there is no time to spare. The moment your father is free from his work, he will come back to you.’

  ‘No, he is not coming. He has fled the house,’ Bilal said, still crying.

  ‘Don’t talk like that. You know we were in Bombay. He sought my permission to go to Saudi. Don’t be so impatient. You are a grown-up boy. You should not annoy your mother like this.’

  In the meantime, Narayan Joo’s shikaarah approached the ghat with some tourists. Bilal spotted the boat before Malla Khaliq did. He stopped crying and yelled, ‘Abba, Lala Sahib is here!’

  Malla Khaliq walked down the steps to receive the tourists. A party of European tourists. He was amazed at how quickly they reached from the airport.

  ‘How did you reach so soon?’ he asked Narayan Joo.

  I will tell you later, first meet your guests and escort them to the boat. Keeping his right hand on his chest, Malla Khaliq went ahead to welcome the tourists. ‘Welcome to our humble abode, sir.’ Narayan Joo introduced Malla Khaliq to the tourists. Noor Mohammad came running, and took their luggage. There were two groups. They were led by Ghulam Ahmed to Gulshan.

  After escorting the guests to their rooms, Narayan Joo and Malla Khaliq returned to the isle. Aziz Dyad came and greeted Narayan Joo with a tray of tea. ‘Should I serve tea to Lala Sahib or would he like to help himself?’

  ‘We brothers have transcended all old barriers of formality by living together in Bombay for so many months.’

  ‘May Dastagir always bless you!’ She served a cup to Narayan Joo and then to her husband. While drinking their tea, Malla Khaliq asked Narayan Joo, ‘You did not tell me how you managed to bring the guests from the airport so soon.’

  ‘I have seen many miracles of my Devi, but the miracle that I witnessed at the airport today was hard to believe.’

  ‘When the party of our tourists reached the counter, I raised the placard to give them a signal. When I raised the placard a couple of times, a young police officer came and stood before me and he continued looking at me. When I was about to sit down, he greeted me with a smile and said, ‘Didn’t you recognize me? I am Abdul Razaq.’ He raised his uniform cap. He was very much the young man who once worked in your house.’

  ‘Was he really Razaq?’ Aziz Dyad could not believe what she was hearing.

  Malla Khaliq was elated. ‘Yes, it must have been Razaq for I was sure that the young man would one day become a big officer. I don’t remember another young boy so engrossed in his studies.’

  ‘“I am a police inspector now.” he said to me. “You please stay here; I will complete their registration myself.”’

  ‘This is how we did not lose any time at the airport. What an impressive young man he has become! He accompanied me to the car. He asked about you. I told him that you are back home and suggested that he visit you. He said he did not have the courage to face you.’

  Malla Khaliq’s eyes filled with tears. He turned to Aziz Dyad. ‘See, this is goodness. Now compare him with Parvez, that wretched son of Ramzan Haji’s!’

  Aziz Dyad was dumbfounded. She lifted the tray and went to the kitchen.

  Malla Khaliq asked Narayan Joo, ‘Is he posted at the airport?’

  ‘Yes. I know why you are asking me this. Don’t waste any time. I have got his phone number.’

  ‘May he prosper more and more,’ said Malla Khaliq.

  When the family sat down for dinner, Malla Khaliq proudly announced that Abdul Razaq had become a police inspector. Parveen’s wounds started aching again. Zeb said to her father-in-law, ‘Abba, he always stood first in all his tests.’

  ‘And you know how your brothers-in-law used to call him names,’ Malla Khaliq said, looking at Ghulam Ahmed.

  He retorted, ‘If we are not strict with the servants, they are sure to get spoilt.’

  Noor Mohammad knew that this would turn into an argument, and so he changed the topic.

  ‘Abba, the Europeans told me that they wanted to spend a few days in Ladakh and asked me to accompany them.’

  ‘There is no harm in that.’

  ‘Only two to three days.’

  And they again got busy with their day’s work and further mention of Abdul Razaq was avoided.

  In the evening, when Malla Khaliq and Aziz Dyad were about to go to bed, Malla Khaliq mentioned Abdul Razaq. ‘What a lovely boy he was! But alas, my bad luck!’

  Aziz Dyad asked her husband, ‘Is he married?’

  Malla Khaliq smiled at his wife’s naivety. ‘What nonsense you talk! He is such a big officer now, how could he have not married? Destiny might have ordained some fortunate girl to him. You sleep now,’ he said and turned on his side. Aziz Dyad remained awake late into the night. She knew that her ill-fated daughter was being consumed by flames.

  Two days passed. Narayan Joo called Malla Khaliq and told him that Abdul Razaq was eager to meet him.

  ‘Then you should have brought him along,’ Malla Khaliq told him. ‘Bring him here for tea this evening.’

  ‘I already invited him without seeking your permission. I hope I was right.’

  ‘Why are you being a stranger? Is my home not yours as well?’

  ‘While talking to him, I came to know that he is still unmarried. So I thought of initiating Parveen’s proposal with him.’

  Malla Khaliq fell silent, but inwardly he prayed to God, ‘Let the separated lovers unite this time.’

  Narayan Joo nervously asked Malla Khaliq, ‘Why are you silent? Did I say something wrong?’

  ‘You have never said anything wrong till date. In fact, I have also been thinking on similar lines. But time has defeated us. Abdul Razaq is now an officer, and you know our Parveen is—’

  Narayan Joo interrupted and said, ‘There is no harm trying.’

  ‘If he refuses, Parveen shall suffer doubly.’

  ‘Then I really made a mistake in asking him to come.’

  ‘No, not at all. Please bring him here. You cannot even guess how dear he was to me.’

  Malla Khaliq put down the receiver. Aziz Dyad had overheard him in the kitchen. She hurried to her husband and said, ‘What did Narayan Joo say? Why did you name Parveen while talking on the phone?’

  ‘He harbours the same dreams as you.’

  ‘What dreams do I harbour?’

  ‘Did you not ask me repeatedly if Razaq is married?’

  ‘There is nothing wrong in asking.’

  ‘Then listen. Narayan Joo was telling me that Razaq is eager to come here. He is getting him here tomorrow evening.’

  ‘What are these “dreams” that Narayan Joo sees as I do?’

  ‘Abdul Razaq is not yet married, and Narayan Joo wishes we get Parveen married to him.’

  ‘To be honest, I was also thinking about that.’

  ‘Yes, let’s see if God approves of the plan and reunites the two separated lovers.’

  ‘But I don’t see how we can initiate this.’

  ‘Why should you ask for his charity? You better seek Narayan Joo’s counsel; he knows how to approach these problems.’

  When Zeb told Parveen that Razaq was to visit their house, she felt her he
art flutter out of control. She held Zeb’s hand tightly and squeezed it. She was shivering. Zeb held her close to her chest and said, ‘I can understand the tempest raging in your mind. On the one hand you ardently want to have a glimpse of your estranged lover, and on the other you are afraid that he might have forgotten those sweet old days you spent together.’

  ‘He could have forgotten me a long time ago. Otherwise he would have tried to find out what befell me.’

  ‘If he had forgotten you, he wouldn’t have stayed unmarried, would he?’

  ‘How idle your thoughts are, my Bhabi? You think he would have waited all these years just for me?’

  Zeb had no answer, and she thought it better to change the subject. She said, ‘Entrust yourself to God and see how He saves you.’

  How could Abdul Razaq afford to forget Parveen? He had promised her that he would continue his studies and make himself worthy of her. Though he had lost her to another man, he did not forget his promise. He had kept track of all the events in her life. He had resolved that he would never let any other girl occupy the place in his heart where Parveen always lived.

  On the next day, when he and Narayan Joo were rowing towards Malla Khaliq’s houseboats, Narayan Joo very nimbly raised the issue of the misdeeds of Ramzan Haji’s son, Parvez. Abdul Razaq said to him, ‘The news of his crimes is already rampant here, especially among the traders.’

  ‘That is why Haji Sahib is in great pain. What a lovely daughter he has! Pure and pretty, like a lotus in the Dal Lake. That wretched boy did not know her value.’

  Abdul Razaq fell silent and just looked at the row of houseboats which were coming closer. Narayan Joo then said to Abdul Razaq, ‘Razaq Sahib, now that you are quite settled in your life, you should think of selecting a good girl and marrying her. This is the right time for a man to build his home and family.’

  Abdul Razaq replied with a smile, ‘You have so much experience and so wide is the circle of your acquaintances, do me the favour of finding a good girl for me.’