Shabanu realized in that moment on a peaceful evening that the world would go on. Hope crept back into her heart, and she felt she was mending and growing accustomed to her grief. She began to understand that the grief would never go away; she would simply learn to live with it.
She missed Zabo. But gradually when she thought of Zabo she did not see the ragged hole in her friend’s neck or her blood soaking into the fur of the daachii’s hump. She thought instead of times they’d spent together: picking flowers beside the canal, walking in the hills together at Dinga Galli, scaring themselves by telling stories about panthers. They’d climb high on the mountains and look out on the villages that appeared so small and insignificant under that enormous sky.
She longed for Omar. She had thought that perhaps he would come to the pavilion to mourn her, that she would see him and that they might share their love. But as she pondered this, the realization grew that it would put her family and Mumtaz in great danger. She knew now how much he’d loved her – but she could never stand against his commitment to the family. He had pledged himself to the same destiny as Rahim’s, and like Rahim he would sacrifice anything to duty, as Rahim had done with his very life.
She thought of the wonderful angular planes of Omar’s face, the broadness of his hands, the gentleness of his eyes. The longing still went straight to her heart, so deep it seemed to have no bottom. But it felt familiar. There are worse things than longing, she thought.
She thought of Mumtaz, and gradually the stab of loss gave way to pictures of Mumtaz beside the fire with Mama and Sharma, learning to make chapattis, kneading the dough and whirling it into flat discs and roasting it on the black pan over the open fire. In Shabanu’s mind’s eye, her daughter’s hands were beginning to look less chubby, and more capable and slender like Mama’s. She would learn to sing the desert songs in a smoky voice, and listen to the magical stories of the desert people.
She thought of Mumtaz running over the dunes with the baby camels, a child of the wind, her hair blowing free behind her.
And Shahzada had been right. She lived with hope. One day, she thought, Mumtaz would be with her at the haveli, and she would go to school and become a part of the larger world, her life far richer for having lived among her people in the desert.
But now, Shabanu thought, Omar is my heart; and Mumtaz, Mumtaz is my freedom.
Glossary
Allah-o-Akbar (Ah-luh oh Ahk-bahr): God is great!
Asalaam-o-Aleikum (Uh-suh-lahm oh Uh-leh-koom): traditional Islamic greeting
ayah (ii-yuh): a maid who tends children
baithak (beh-tuhk): gentlemen’s sitting room
barsati (bahr-sah-tee): a room built on the roof of a house
Basant (Buh-sahnt): festival of kites that celebrates spring
begum (beh-guhm): respectful title for a married woman, similar to “madam” in English
beldar (behl-dahr): public servant who tends a canal
bidi (bee-dee): cigarette made of tobacco and cloves
biryani (bihr-yah-nee): rice dish, either sweet or meat-flavoured
bismillah (bis-muh-luh): blessing that signifies a beginning
burka (buhr-kha): sewn garment with a latticed opening for the eyes worn by Islamic women as a head and body cover
chador (chah-duhr): plain flat cloth worn by Islamic woman as a head and body cover
chapatti (chuh-pah-tee): flat, round bread made of whole wheat flour and water, cooked in a flat pan over an open fire
charpoy (chahr-poy): wooden camp bed with a platform woven of string
chowk (chowk): market street, usually one known for particular goods or services, such as jewellery, pharmaceuticals, cookware
chowkidar (chowk-ee-dahr): nightwatchman
churidar pyjamas (chuhr-ih-dahr pyh-jah-mahs): trousers with a drawstring waist that hug the calves
crore (krohr): ten million
daachii (dah-chee): female camel
darzi (duhr-zee): tailor
Divali (dih-vah-lee): Hindu festival of lights
dupatta (duh-pah-tuh): long scarf matching the shalwar kameez, worn over the head or around the neck
ghee (ghee): clarified butter
hakim (huh-keem): herbal healer who uses mysticism in cures
haveli (huh-veh-lee): three-storey urban house owned by a noble family
hookah (hoohk-uh): tall pipe with a brass bowl in which tobacco and raw sugar are burned
hoopoe (hoo-poo): brown, red, black and white crested bird common in India and Pakistan
imam (ih-mahm): Islamic clergyman
insh’Allah (ihn-sh-ahl-luh): God willing
jelabee (juh-leh-bee): pretzel-shaped, deep-fried sweet
ji (jee): yes
kebab (kuh-bahb): cubes of meat roasted on a stick over a fire
kameez (kuh-meez): fitted tunic worn over baggy trousers by both men and women
kanal (kuh-nahl): eighth of an acre
keekar (kee-kuhr): acacia or thorn tree
khar (khahr): desert shrub used as firewood; the ashes are used in soap
kharin (kuh-reen): succulent desert plant with edible blooms that are sweet and peppery
kilim (kih-leem): woven, flat carpet
kinnu (kee-noo): native orange
kohl (kohl): eye make-up made of charcoal
Koran (Kuh-rahn): the holy book of Islam
kulfi (khuhl-fee): sweet made of boiled milk
kumbi (kuhm-bee): mushroom
kurta (kuhr-tah): straight-cut, collarless shirt with long sleeves
lakh (lahkh): one hundred thousand
lungi (luhn-gee): cloth wrapped loosely around the lower part of the body, usually worn by men
mehendi (muh-hehn-dee): part of the marriage ceremony in which the women’s hands and feet are painted with henna
mali (mah-lee): gardener
masala (muh-sah-luh): mixed curry spices
Mogul (Moh-guhl): Islamic invaders of the Indian subcontinent whose dynasty lasted from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries
muezzin (meh-zihn): Islamic cleric who calls the faithful to prayer
nawab (nuh-wahb): former prince
nukkah (nuh-kuh): formal wedding ceremony
pakora (puh-koh-ruh): fried meat or vegetable dumpling
Pathan (Puh-tahn): tribal family of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province and Afghanistan
raga (rah-guh): instrumental song
roti (roh-tee): unleavened bread
rupee (roo-peeyuh): Pakistani currency
saal (sahl): large tree of the Indian subcontinent
sahib (suh-hihb): respectful title for a man, similar to “sir” in English
sahiba (suh-hihb-uh): respectful title for a woman
salaam (suh-lahm): greeting
sari (sah-ree): garment worn by women: a long piece of cloth wrapped around the body with one end draped over the shoulder or over the head
shalwar kameez (shahl-wahr kuh-meez): fitted tunic and baggy drawstring trousers worn by both men and women
shamiana (shah-mee yah-nuh): tent of primary-coloured fabrics pieced together in geometric designs, usually used for celebrations and political speeches
shariat (shun-ree yaht): body of Islamic law
shenai (shuh-nii): oboe-like musical instrument
sherwani (shurh-wah-nee): men’s knee-length dress coat, fitted at the waist and worn over baggy shalwar or tight fitting churidar pyjama trousers
shutr keena (shoo-tuhr keen-uh): camel vengeance (death for dishonour)
sitar (sih-tahr): stringed musical instrument
syed (sii-yuhd): religious figure, usually a community or tribal leader descended from the Holy Prophet Muhammad
tabla (tah-bluh): small drum with an animal hide head
toba (toh-buh): waterhole
tonga (tahn-guh): horse-drawn wooden cart
wallah (wahl-luh): owner, operator or seller of goods or services
zamindar (zah-mihn-dahr): landlord
> zenana (zuh-nah-nuh): women’s quarters
Author’s Note
I first worked in Pakistan as a news reporter in the 1980s, when changes in government and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan quickly took over most of my time. I wanted to study the language, get to know the people and how the country worked from the inside out. But war and politics crowded out those ambitions. When I returned to Washington to work at the Washington Post I looked for a chance to return to that part of the world. The opportunity came in the late 1980s, when I took on research for a literacy project in the Cholistan Desert, on the border between India and Pakistan.
My challenge was to determine how to make time available for learning to read and write in lives that clung to the edge of survival. To more fully understand the complexities of poverty and hostile living conditions in the desert, I had to study Urdu, which opened a view into how people here think and believe. The women told me their stories, and I told them mine. I kept being impressed by how their interests and concerns were the same as those for women everywhere: food, travel, births, marriages and deaths, as well as hopes and dreams. Their lives were difficult, but their stories were swathed in great beauty and ancient tradition. The desert itself was littered with the remains of forts, palaces, conquests, shrines and cities that date back to before the time of Alexander the Great – a history both rich and largely undocumented. The stories they told were the basis for my first novel, Daughter of the Wind.
I thought my next project might be a non-fiction book about women and dynasty in South Asia – but a small, persistent voice kept interrupting my plans with more stories from the women of Pakistan. And so I decided instead to write a sequel, which is Under the Same Stars.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to have lived and worked among these remarkable people. They taught me a great deal about dignity, grace, and generosity. Perhaps the thing I value most was the opportunity to stay with them for a while, to see the world from their perspective. That taught me almost everything I know about the value of an open heart and mind. I hope that sharing their stories offers some of what I learned to readers.
Suzanne Fisher Staples, 2007
Amnesty International
Under the Same Stars depicts a world of great beauty and stifling repression. All over the world, women and girls like Shabanu are still denied the right to choose their own husband or way of life. These are basic human rights, but many women are subjected to great cruelty for seeking them.
We all have human rights, no matter who we are or where we live. Human rights are part of what makes us human. They help us to live lives that are fair and truthful, free from abuse, fear and want and respectful of other people’s rights. But they are often abused and we need to stand up for them.
Amnesty International is a movement of ordinary people from across the world standing up for humanity and human rights. We aim to protect individuals wherever justice, fairness, freedom and truth are denied.
If you are interested in taking action on human rights, find out how to join our network of active Amnesty youth groups at www.amnesty.org.uk/youth
If you are a teacher, take a look at Amnesty’s many free resources for schools, with teaching notes on a range of novels with human rights themes. www.amnesty.org.uk/education
Amnesty International UK, The Human Rights Action Centre
17–25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA 020 7033 1500
[email protected]
www.amnesty.org.uk
“Amnesty’s greetings cards really helped me in prison. In total, I received more than 4,000 – amazing! I read each one: the best, I think, were those from children and other student activists… It amazed me to see that those children know about human rights. What a good omen for the future!”
Ignatius Mahendra Kusuma Wardhana, an Indonesian student who was arrested at a peaceful demonstration in 2003 and spent two years, seven months and ten days behind bars, where he was beaten and threatened.
DAUGHTER OF THE WIND
“Shabanu, you are as wild as the wind. You must learn to obey.”
Shabanu lives with her family in Pakistan’s Cholistan Desert. At twelve years old, Shabanu is already betrothed, while her sister, Phulan, a year older, is about to be married. Then tragedy strikes and Shabanu is faced with a decision that will change her life for ever – she must choose between the strength of her own dreams of freedom and independence and her obligation to her family and culture…
“A small miracle … touching and powerful.”
The New York Times
BY SUZANNE FISHER STAPLES
UNDER THE PERSIMMON TREE
“From the stars you can tell time and distance and you can find your way home. As long as you know them, you will never be lost.”
Najmah has always been told this by her father. But caught between the Taliban and American bombs, she is both lost and alone.
Over the mountains in Pakistan, Elaine is waiting for her doctor husband to return from the war. She also looks to the stars, praying that somewhere he is alive and gazing up at them too.
As Najmah and Elaine search the skies for answers, their fates entwine – under the persimmon tree
BY SUZANNE FISHER STAPLES
SOLD
Life is harsh in the mountain village in Nepal where Lakshmi works hard alongside her mother to look after the family. When her stepfather finds her a job as a maid in the city, Lakshmi begins the long journey to India dreaming of earning money and making her family proud.
The truth that awaits her is a living nightmare.
“An unforgettable account of sexual slavery as it exists now.” Booklist
“An ultimately uplifting story told with real integrity and sensitivity. It gives a window on a life and circumstances that are not as far from our own as we might think.” Nicky Parker, Amnesty International
BY PATRICIA MCCORMICK
UNDER THE SAME STARS
Suzanne Fisher Staples worked for many years as a United Press International Correspondent in Hong Kong, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. She has also worked on the news desk of The Washington Post. During her years in Pakistan she became involved with the nomads of the Cholistan Desert, who are the main characters in both Daughter of the Wind and Under the Same Stars. “It was the unfailing generosity and courage of the people of Cholistan that inspired me to write this book,” she says. “They are an extraordinary people – noble and generous, though they have no material wealth, full of great dignity and honour.”
This extraordinary novel is the story of a spirited young girl, Shabanu, struggling against the repressive traditions of her people. The customs and conditions of the nomads may seem very foreign to western readers but, says the author, “their lifestyle is very relevant to people in our society because even though, by comparison, most of us have all the freedom in the world, we still have many of the same conflicts: the way we face up to the expectations of our families, the influences that pull us in many different directions, and the way we feel about it all. These are the same.”
Suzanne Fisher Staples is also the author of Under the Persimmon Tree. She lives in Pennsylvania, USA.
Other books endorsed by Amnesty International UK:
Before We Say Goodbye
by Gabriella Ambrosio
Chalkline
by Jane Mitchell
Daughter of the Wind
Under the Persimmon Tree
by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Dream Land
by Lily Hyde
Free? Stories Celebrating Human Rights
edited by Amnesty International UK
Sold
by Patricia McCormick
For younger readers:
The Butterfly Heart
The Sleeping Baobab Tree
by Paula Leyden
Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party
by Ying Chang Compestine
Riding Icarus
by Lily Hyde
The Voices of Sil
ence
by Bel Mooney
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. All statements, activities, stunts, descriptions, information and material of any other kind contained herein are included for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied on for accuracy or replicated as they may result in injury.
First published 1993 in the USA by Alfred A Knopf
First published 1994 in Great Britain by Julia MacRae Books
This edition published 2007 by Walker Books Ltd
87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ
Text © 1993 Suzanne Fisher Staples
Map © 1993 Anita Carl and James Kemp
Cover illustration © 2007 Phil Schramm
The right of Suzanne Fisher Staples to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in an information retrieval system in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping and recording, without prior written permission from the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data:
a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-4063-5362-4 (ePub)
www.walker.co.uk
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