Introduction of the Story:
The story entitled the “Kabuliwala” has been set in the early twentieth century Kolkata. It delicately explores the bonds of friendship, affection and parting in the relationship between a middle - aged Pathan trader and a five year old Bengali girl. It is a simple tale of a father's love for his daughter and the transfer of that love to another little girl. It is a love that transcends the borders of race, religion and language.
This story is all about the beautiful relation between the daughter and father. Though separated physically, the memories sustain the love for the child. Only a spark is necessary to light up those memories. Such was the case with Mini who woke up with affection in Kabuliwala, for his long forgotten daughter in a faraway land. In the story, Tagore has presented Mini's initial reaction to Kabuliwala. It is only through the character of the narrator that Tagore has shown the love and affection as well as attraction for the foreign places. Whenever the narrator sees Kabuliwala, he is immediately transported to the dry / arid mountains of Afghanistan, which he relishes. Through the portrayal of Kabuliwala, the narrator has also shown the fear of the foreigner and the fear of the foreign land. Tagore succeeds in bringing a twist in the story. Rahamat kills a man for not paying back is debt to him and is consequently jailed for many years. It is natural for others to forget him and so do the author and his daughter. But Rahamat does not forget them. He appears at the decorated house with the usual gifts for the “Khoki” with a heart, full of fatherly love, he longs to see the little girl. The simple Kabuliwala has no idea that with the passage of time, she is no longer a small girl but a grown up one, to be married that day. The sentimental ending, the goodness of all character the childish girl, the natural suspicion of a mother are what make this an unforgettable story. Taken from “Galpaguchha” (a collection of short stories) Kabuliwala will continue to occupy a special position in our heart and soul. The regional flavour, the interesting dialogues and the twists and turns enhance its readability.
Summary of the Story:
When the story begins, the narrator describes about his five - year old daughter Mini. Mini was a chatty girl by nature. It took her about a year after being born to acquire the talent for language and since then she had not wasted a single wakeful moment of her life remaining silent. She was always bursting with questions. Mini's mother was often annoyed with her endless talk. But her father liked this habit of her daughter. She was a curious child and posed embarrassing questions at times. One day when the narrator had just started writing the seventeenth chapter of his novel , Mini walked into the room and told him that their sentry did not even know how to pronounce the word “crow”. She called sentry backward. Before he could begin to enlighten her on the differences between languages, she launched into another topic. She told the narrator that Bhola was saying that when elephants lifted water with their trunks and sprayed it from the sky, it rained. Without waiting for the narrator's opinion, she asked him, “Dad, who is Mum to you?” Instead of replying her, the narrator asked her to go and play with Bhola. She flopped beside the writing table close to his feet and began to play a game of knick - knack with her hands and knees, rapidly chanting a nursery rhyme.
One morning, the narrator was busy writing his new novel. Mini was playing game. She stopped her game abruptly and run to the window, shouting “Kabuliwala, O Kabuliwala!” A tall, shabbily dressed Afghan street vendor, with a turban on his head, a bag over his shoulder and a few boxes of dry grapes in his hand was passing through the street slowly. The narrator had no idea what flashed through his daughter's mind at the sight of this man, but the moment she saw him she began yelling. But the moment the Kabuliwala, on hearing Mini's call, turned around with a smile and approached the house. She dashed inside. She was overwhelmed with fright. She believed that inside his huge bag were two or three children like her.
The Kabuliwala entered the narrator's doorway and greeted him with a smile and an Islamic salute. The narrator bought a few items and soon he was involved in a rambling conversation with him on various topics including Abdur Rahman, the Emir of Afghanistan and the Frontier Policy of the Russians and the British. As the Kabuliwala was about to leave, he asked about the little girl. The narrator called her daughter from inside the house. She came and stood nervously, pressing against the narrator's body, and looking suspiciously at the Kabuliwala and his bag. The Kabuliwala took out some raisins and apricots from inside the bag and gave it to Mini, but she refused to take them and remained pressed against my knee with a redoubled suspicion.
A few days later, when the narrator was leaving the house in the morning for some important work, he saw his little daughter sitting on the bench next to the door and speaking non - stop with the Kabuliwala. In her short five - year life, Mini had never found a more intent listener before other than her father. The narrator also noticed that she had lots of nuts and raisins tied up at the loose end of her small sari. He asked the Kabuliwala why he gave all these to her and requested not to do it again. He took out a half - a - rupee coin and gave it to him. The Kabuliwala took the money without any hesitation and put it in his bag. When the narrator returned home, he saw that there was a row over that half - a - rupee coin. The Kabuliwala had given it to Mini. When Mini's mother saw it, she was really annoyed that her daughter had accepted the money given by a stranger. The narrator stepped in to rescue Mini and took her out for a walk.
Soon, the narrator found that there was an intense friendship between the Kabuliwala and Mini. The two friends had a few stock phrases and jokes which were repeated in their conversations. For instance, the moment she saw Rahamat, Mini would ask with a hearty laugh, “Kabuliwala, O Kabuliwala, what is in your “sack?” Adding an unnecessary nasal tone to the word, Rahamat would roar, “Hanti”. The essence of the joke was that the man had an elephant in his sack. Not that the joke was very witty, but it caused the two friends to double up in laughter, and the sight of that innocent joy between a little girl and a grown up man an autumn morning used to move the narrator deeply. Another routine exchange between the two was whenever they met, Rahamat would tell the girl, “Missy, you should never go to the in - laws.” Mini would not understand its meaning but would laugh. She would ask the Kabuliwala if he would go there. Then the man would shake his huge fist at an imaginary father - in - law and say that he would thrash him. Thinking of the plight of the unknown creature called father - in - law, Mini would explode into laughter.
Mini's mother was naturally a timid person. She was quite sceptical. Whenever she heard a slight noise from the street, she thought all the tipplers of the world were rushing together towards their house. After living so many years in this world (though not many), she had still not been able to temper her fear that the world was full of all kinds of horrors: thieves, robbers, drunkards, snakes, tigers, malaria, cockroaches and European soldiers. She thought that all they were waiting for an opportunity to harm her family. She was not free of suspicion about the Kabuliwala, Rahamat. She was always alarmed at the Kabuliwala's presence in the house and his friendship with her little daughter.
Every year, in the month of January or February Rahamat, the Kabuliwala would go back to his home country to visit his family. Before leaving for his home country, he would collect all his debts so that he had enough funds with him as he went back home. One morning, the narrator was sitting in his room and reading some proofs. It was the end of winter, but for the last few days before the season came to a close, the temperature was freezing and almost unbearable. He was enjoying the warmth of a strip of morning sun that had alighted on his feet under the table travelling through the glass window. Just then the narrator heard some commotion in the street. As he looked out, he found that Rahamat was being led away by two policemen. There were marks of blood on Rahamat's clothes and a policeman was carrying a blood - stained knife. When the narrator enquired about the matter, he learnt that one of his neighbours owed Rahamat some money for a Rampuri Shawl and when the man denied his debt, an argument broke out between them. In the heat of argument Rahamat took out a knife and stabbed the man. Rahamat was charged murderous assault and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.
With the passage of time, everyone forgot the Kabuliwala. No one tried to know how this free - spirited man from the mountains was spending his years within the secluded walls of the jail. Mini easily forgot her old friend and found a new one in Nabi. Then, as she continued to grow up, she replaced all her elderly male friends one after another with girls of her own age. Many years rolled. It was autumn again. Mini's wedding match had been fixed. She was to get married during the puja holidays. It was a sunny, resplendent morning. The rain washed sun of early autumn took the hue of pure gold. The wedding music had started playing in the house since dawn. There was a lot of hubbub in the house since visitors were continually loitering in and out. The narrator was going through the wedding accounts in his study, when suddenly Rahamat walked into the room and stood before him with a salaam. At first, the narrator could not recognise him. He did not have that customary sack with him, or the long hair and his burly look. Finally, he recognised him through his smile. When the narrator enquired about his whereabouts, he replied that he was released from jail only the previous evening.
The narrator wished he would leave the house immediately on this auspicious day. The narrator told him that they had a wedding in the house today and he was quite busy. It was better for him to go then. At that he began to leave the house, but as he reached the door, he turned back in hesitation and asked in a faltering tone if he could see Mini. Perhaps he was convinced that Mini was still the same little girl and would come out of the house running to greet him, “Kabuliwala, O Kabuliwala,” as in the past. Remembering their past friendship, he had even brought a box of grapes and a few raisins wrapped in a packet, which he must have borrowed from some Afghan friend. The narrator told him to leave, this time a little strictly. Rahamat became disappointed. He went out, but returned again and gave the narrator a few things, which he had brought for Mini. The narrator took the fruits from him and was about to pay some money when the latter caught his hand and told him not to give him any money. Then, Rahamat shoved his hand inside his huge baggy shirt and brought out a grimy piece of paper from somewhere close to his chest. Unfolding it very carefully, he laid the paper open on the table. The narrator could see the impression of a very small hand on it. It was not a photograph, not a painting, but the trace of a tiny hand created with burnt charcoal daubed on the palm. Every year Rahamat came to peddle merchandise on the streets of Kolkata carrying that memorabilia of his daughter in his pocket, as if the soft touch of that little hand kept his huge, lovely heart fed with love and happiness.
On seeing that piece of paper, the narrator's eyes were full of tears. It no longer mattered to him that he was an ordinary fruit peddlar from Kabul and the narrator belonged to an aristocratic Bengali family. In a moment the narrator realised that they were both just the same. The narrator was a father and so was he. The print of his mountain - dwelling daughter's hand reminded him of his own Mini. He was so moved by the poor father's plight that he had tears in his eyes. He sent for Mini, who entered his room, dressed as a bride. She stood beside the narrator coyly. On seeing Mini, the Kabuliwala became confused. Their good - natured humour of old also did not work out. In the end, with a smile, he asked her if she was going to the in law's house. Mini now understood what in - law meant. So she could not answer the way she did in the past. Rather, hearing the question from Rahamat, her face became purple in shame and she abruptly turned around and left. This brought back memories of their first meeting and the narrator felt an ache in his heart. It became obvious to Rahamat that his own daughter had grown up as well and he would have to get to know her all over again. She would not be the same girl he had left behind. He was not even sure what might have happened to her in the past eight years. The narrator took out some money and gave it to him. The narrator asked Rahamat to go back to his daughter in Afghanistan. The narrator helped Rahamat with the money from Mini's wedding budget. But the narrator was happy to make this little contribution by helping Rahamat. He wanted that Rahamat should meet his daughter after a long time.
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