Tuesday, March 31, 2015

UMEDA’S LOVED ONES

UMEDA'S LOVED ONES 
Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Chapter 1

Financial problems can lead men down paths they never anticipated. The eighty-nine-year old Umeda faced the torment of loneliness and longing for her family, when her offspring left their native village, Akil, in pursuit of better wages.

It was evening time. Umeda was sewing a quilt sitting on her cot, when her grandson, Amir, returned home from the city. He said to his parents, “It was so hot. I was barely able to sell twenty newspapers today.”

His father, Rustam replied, “It is no problem. We have enough money to buy the food we need for the night.”

His grandmother, Umeda added, “If you need money, I have some. I sold the quilt which I had made a few days before.” Amir approached her and hugged her.

“Oh nanny, my old friend, you are very handy,” said Amir.

Umeda said, “I have always been at your service!” While they were talking, her elder grandson, Wazir, entered the room. He was angry and tense.

“Is everything all right? You look worried,” observed his father.

“I am sick of this village. Whatever money I earn, I spend half of it on van fare when I go to the city and come back. Why don’t we leave this village?” Wazir asked them.

His mother Mominat said, “We are living happily here and it is our native village. We have lived here for ages. We can’t leave it.”

“If you can’t, I will leave it,” said Wazir.

Umeda had six grandsons. Wazir convinced four of them to leave the village and move to the city of Larkana. Umeda’s son Rustam had no choice but to accept what his sons wanted. So he said to them, “We all will go together and we will leave the village.”

They thought that in the city they would earn a lot and that they would also save more. Umeda’s family decided to sell the village house and buy a new house in the city. Umeda was upset. It was appalling for her to see the house, which she had built with her own money, being sold. She was not willing to sell it.

Umeda had three daughters; one of them lived in the village and the other two lived in the city. She thought if she ever wanted, she could come to the village and live at her daughter’s house. They sold the big village house and bought a small one in the city on the road which led to their village.


THE TRUE FORT

The True Fort
by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Your support was
The true fort.
Through which I fought
And got all that I sought.

With your prayers
All the arrows of the enemies
Missed in the airs.
And God did wonders.

My mother, when you are together,
Why I ask for prayer form other.
Mother, I know, if all the world turns against,
You will still be there.

Raise voice against injustice
This is what you have taught.
Happiness in my life you have brought.
With your love, I live my life to the fullest.

MY VALLEY

My Valley

by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

If I show you my valley,
You will like it more than any.
Trees, ponds, and rivers are its beauty.
Birds sing songs in flowery fields.
You will like it more than any.
Trees, ponds, and rivers are its beauty.

A PERFECT ECOSYSTEM

A Perfect Ecosystem
By Rizwan Ahmed Memon

You hide me in your arms
When it is cold.
Your long chats
Make winter’s nights short.

Your tender touch
Nourishes my dried skin.
With my kiss your moles on your face
Have become bright like stars.

Slumberous wind shakes
Your hair as branches sway.
The winter, you, and I
Have made a perfect ecosystem.

HE WAS NOT WHAT HE IS

He Was Not What He Is
by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Some are cheated by friends,
Some are cheated by strangers,
He was cheated by his loved-ones.

Some are born silent,
Some choose to be silent,
He was forced to be silent.

Some are taught to be tolerant,
Some become tolerant,
He was made tolerant by time.

Some are taught to be immoral,
Some choose to be immoral,
He was forced to be immoral.

The injustices of the world
Made him what he is,
Otherwise he was not what he is.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Let Me Survive

Let Me Survive
by Rizwan Ahmed Memon 

(This poem is for those people who have suffered or are suffering from wars in their countries.)

Bring me peace
So I can live a little more;
Bring me flowers
So I can feel life’s colors. 

Destroy me no more
I want to live more;
Let me live
Let me survive.

Oh, people pray for me
That God may give me patience;
My loved ones are killed
I am made orphan.

Oh, humankind have mercy
Fear from God;
And think we are humans like you
Let’s not destroy one another.

WAITING FOR YOU

Waiting for You
by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Today, I am waiting on the bank again
In the hope that you will come.
The waves are raising high
They are indicating that you are coming today.

Oh, I can see a boat
Which seems so little from far.
My heart-beat is getting faster
As I am waiting for you on the bank.

HER HAIR, HER FACE, HER MOLES

Her Hair, Her Face, Her Moles
by Rizwan Ahmed Memon
Last night
As she came
On the roof,
Stars became dim;
The moon lost
Its all brightness.
When she opened
Her long braids,
Clouds started moving.

The time
She went back
The stars recovered;
The moon shined
And clouds gathered.


One day,
I asked them
Why was that?
The stars said,
The moles on her cheeks
Are brighter than us.
The moon replied,
Her face shines more than me.
And the clouds concluded,

Her hair is darker than us.

LIKE BREATH IN MY BODY

Like Breath in My Body 
by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

You are like flowers in spring --
You are like waves in the river --
You are like moon at night --
You are like sun in the day.

You are like shadow of a dense tree --
You are like an oasis in the desert --
You are like a bird in the nest --
You are like a fish in the pond.

You are like a butterfly on a rose --
You are like leaves on a tree --
You are like fragrance in a rose --
You are like Rambo in the rain;

You are like breath in my body.

SHALL I WRITE ABOUT YOU?

Shall I Write About You? 

by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Shall I write
About you?
Or the king
The kingdom
The rules?

You are more worth writing
Than the king, the kingdom.
Your beauty, your manners
Are far more pure
Than the laws, the rules.

Let me write about you and explain
What you are to me.
You are my world,
The laws, the rules,
The king, the kingdom.

ALL I KNOW

All I Know

by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

I am a mortal;
And No mortal is perfect.
Errors I may make;
God is for me at a stone’s throw
It is all I know.

Although I have mind to ponder;
I may get beguiled.
Devil conspires to make me foul
It is all I know.

Adam made a blunder years ago;
He sought forgiveness and gave it another go.
God forgave Adam and made all systems go.
It is all I know.

Do not do good all for show;
Good and bad will be revealed;
After we go.
It is all I know.


To guilty ones paradise Angel will say no;
Your good deeds cup is too low.
Now it is useless if you bow.
It is all I know.

FRIENDSHIP REMAINS IN THE HEARTS

Friendship Remains in the Hearts

by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Friendship, when relation breaks,
Remains in the hearts;
Hurts, when friends are strangers,
Life becomes empty, but goes on.

Friends, leave memories when they are gone;
Their voices, laughs echoes in the ears.
Regrets, wishes, reside in the minds,
Till we are gone, too.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The Parrot

Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Characters:

Pretto = The father of Parrot


Pretty = The mother of Parrot 


Parrot = Little bird son of Pretto and Pretty 


Joe = Hunter who takes away Parrot from his nest 


Erik = Little boy who buys Parrot from the zoo 


Angel = Young, handsome man whom Parrot is sold by Erik’s parents 


Anglia = A beautiful woman who marries Angel 



1. The Parrot

At the crack of the dawn, Pretty and Pretto left their nest to find the food. They discussed the coming of their first child. Pretty said now it will not be long before their little baby bird would come in this world. She further said, “The shape of the egg indicates that it will soon hatch and let our baby bird out into this beautiful forest.” Pretto added, “I am looking forward to seeing my first child. It would bring such happiness.” While flying, they bumped into a field and came down to eat some grain. Then they went back to the nest. Pretty set on the egg. There they thought of a name for their child. They decided that they would call their child Parrot.

2. Birth of Parrot

The days went by and the moment Pretty and Pretto had waited for finally came. The egg cracked and a little weak bird as tender as a bud appeared. Pretty and Pretto were on cloud nine to see their small lovely child. “Welcome, welcome to this amazing world,” they said to the little bird. The little bird saw them and knew they were his father and mother. Pretty fed the newborn bird with her beak. This moment was one of the best moments for the parents of Parrot. They both were thrilled to pieces. Time kept passing and Parrot was growing older. The parents of Parrot took great care of him. If Pretty went for grain, Pretto would stay in the nest to look after Parrot. If Pretto went, Pretty would stay. The feathers of Parrot were also getting bigger rapidly. It seemed he would be ready to fly very soon.

3. Time to Fly from the Nest

One night the parents of Parrot said to him, “The time has come for you to learn how to fly; tomorrow we will give you your first flying lesson.” After hearing that, Parrot became ecstatic and anxious to fly. He said to them, “So, it will be my first attempt to touch the sky. How wonderful it will be!” Finally, that day came, and the three made their minds up to go in the early morning. They left the nest and came to an open ground. There Pretto first gave instructions to Parrot about flying, and then he said him to watch how he was flying and do the same. Parrot thought it was as easy as falling off a log. When he made his first attempt to fly, he fell down, he could not move his wings properly. Then he tried for the second time. Now he was a little more successful. He tried again and again and each time he performed better and better. Parrot became very tired. So, they stopped and said it was enough for today. Pretto said to Pretty, “Our Parrot would soon learn to fly.” She replied, “I think so.” Then slowly they came back to the nest. Late at night, the three chatted. Pretty and Pretto decided to go to gather grain together early in the morning, and then they would go with Parrot for giving him the second lesson of flying. This was the first time that they both were leaving Parrot alone in the nest. They thought Parrot now could take care of himself very well and could stay in the nest on his own.

4. Arrival of a Hunter
 
In early morning Pretty and Pretto left the nest to bring some grain from the field. They did not take Parrot because they wanted him to rest and get enough sleep. It was a very fine morning. The drowsy breeze was blowing, which kept Parrot asleep. The birds in the forest started singing lovely songs. The shafts of the sun entered the nest and fell on the face of Parrot and woke him up. Seeing nobody around him, Parrot felt a little scared, but he took heart. Parrot added to the songs of other birds of the forest with his own melodious voice. Parrot’s voice was very pleasant and pure. Near that forest where Parrot lived with his parents was a small village, and there lived a hunter by the name of Joe. Joe made ends meet by hunting animals and birds in the forest. 

He sometimes sold the animals and birds in a city or kept them for food. On that day, the hunter had also left to hunt early in the morning. He encountered a dense shadowy tree; it was the tree in which Parrot’s nest was. The hunter had a meal and some water with him. He decided to sit under that tree and have breakfast. While eating, he enjoyed the beautiful sounds of different birds in the trees. A sound coming from the tree under which he was sitting drew his attention. “That bird has the sweetest voice of all the birds in the forest,” he said to himself. It was the voice of Parrot. He liked that voice so much that he wanted to see and catch the bird. The moment he finished his breakfast, he climbed up the tree to the top, leaving all other nests until he came to the nest of Parrot. He saw Parrot and quickly grabbed him so tight in his hands. Parrot screamed, cried, and shouted. Parrot bit the hunter trying to escape, but the bird’s efforts were in vain.

5. Parrot in a Cage

The hunter took Parrot away to his village. He made his mind up to keep this bird at home to listen to his songs and beautiful voice every day. Parrot was in great trouble now. His wings were cut and he was put in a cage. Sobbing and crying, he bore all the pain. Would he be in the cage forever? This question revolved in his mind all the time. He had hope. He seemed quite optimistic. He thought someday he would be out of his cage.

6. Pretty and Pretto’s Sorrow

When Pretty and Pretto came back to the nest, to their surprise the nest was empty. They called for Parrot loudly but received no reply from any direction. They looked for Parrot in every nook and cranny of the jungle, but Parrot was nowhere. They were filled with the fear that he might have flown for food and become victim of some giant animal. 
The parents of Parrot were very sad and worried. They waited for Parrot for several days, but he didn’t turn up.

7. Parrot Learns Human Language
 
A year passed. Parrot was well fed and his feathers had grown again. Above all, he learned human language, the natural language. Parrot used to listen and watch the hunter carefully when he talked to him or with others, and he used to imitate the hunter. Slowly and gradually, Parrot became able to communicate fully in human language.

8. Parrot is Sold

Once the hunter Joe became so ill that he even couldn’t go for hunting for several days, and he ran out of money. He was in great need of money, so he decided to sell Parrot so that he could earn some money to fulfill his needs. Joe managed to go to the city and went to a zoo. There he talked to the owner of the zoo. “I have a Parrot, who can speak as we human speak, and I want to sell him. Would you buy it?” he asked the owner of the zoo. The owner of the zoo saw and thought this bird would be auspicious for the zoo and will be a great source of drawing the attention of the visitors. So, he bought Parrot on the high price.

9. Parrot at the Zoo

Parrot was put in a cage again but this time it was in a zoo, for the exhibition and entertainment of the people. It was almost the same for Parrot, but he felt he was better in the previous cage, because he had a peaceful atmosphere around him. Parrot was unhappy there he prayed God to get him out of the zoo. 

10. Parrot Gets out of the Zoo

God listened to Parrot. One day, a very rich family with a little, innocent and cute boy named Erik came to visit the zoo. When Erik saw Parrot and talked to him, he forgot to see other animals in the zoo and spent hours with the Parrot. When it was time to go, Erik told his parents that he wanted to take that parrot with him. Erik’s parents said, “You cannot take that bird home. It is for this zoo.” But Erik didn’t listen and kept crying for Parrot, and he even refused to go home without Parrot. So, Erik’s Parents had to buy Parrot and the owner of the zoo sold for double the price.

11. Parrot on Cloud Nine with the Boy
 
Now Parrot was in very big house, where every comfort could be found. Erik and Parrot were so happy with each other that they played together, they slept together, and they ate together. All the time they were together.

12. Parrot is Sold for the Second Time

Since the day Erik purchased Parrot, he stopped paying attention to his studies and complained about school. Seeing this, Erik’s parents decided to sell Parrot within a few days so that their child would study again. When Erik came to find out about this, he didn’t respond or resist; he told Parrot that his parents were going to sell him. Parrot said, “All right, but I don’t want to go back to that noisy zoo." Erik assured him that his parents wouldn’t give him to the zoo.

13. Parrot with a Young Man

Erik’s parents sold Parrot to a young, handsome and very kind man named Angel. In a very short period of time, they became close friends. Angel was so kind that he felt guilty if he kept Parrot in the cage, so he let him move about freely all the time. Parrot could have escaped, but he considered that wouldn't be fair. Parrot didn’t want to break the confidence which the man had in him. So, Parrot never tried to run way.

14. Angel Tells Parrot His Love Story

One day, Angel was so sad, and Parrot asked the reason. Angel did not say a word. After some days Angle grew even more worried and upset. Parrot kept asking why that was so. Finally, Angel told him and said, “I love Anglia, my classmate." And so Angel told Parrot his love story, sparing nothing. Angel loved Anglia with all his heart; he was now unable to live without her. Parrot could not bear to see the condition of Angel and decided to go to Anglia and tell her everything.

15. Parrot Goes to Anglia

The next evening in evening Parrot got a chance when Angel was out of the home, so he flew and went to Anglia’s house. When Parrot saw Anglia out in the lawn of her house, he said she must be Anglia. Parrot saw her beauty. He flew and sat on a branch of a little tree beside her and said, “Good evening.” Anglia replied with great surprise. She couldn’t believe a bird had spoken. Parrot told her everything and requested that she marry Angel and said that she would be happy all of her life if she married Angel because he loved her so much.

16. Anglia Marries Angel

Days kept going by and Anglia was constantly in the world of her own thinking of Angel and his love for her. It was not long before she also fell in love with Angel and made her mind up to marry him. Angel and Anglia got married. They lived happily together, and Parrot was quite pleased in their company. 

17. Parrot Tells the Couple His Story

One fine day, they three went on a picnic to the beach. There they enjoyed themselves. After swimming, they sat together and ate the food which they had brought. While discussing several things, Anglia asked Parrot how he had learned to speak and where he came from. Parrot told them the complete story of his life. The couple was so sorry to hear the tragic tale of Parrot.

18. Angel and Anglia Free Parrot

Parrot’s past was full of troubles and bad moments of agony and pain, knowing this Angel and Anglia wanted Parrot to live happily now wherever he wanted in full freedom. They asked Parrot, “Do you miss your parents?” Parrot replied, “Yes, a lot every moment!” “And do you want to go and live with them?” they asked him. Parrot became silent, and then he said a bird would be happy with birds! Angel and Anglia saw that there was a hidden wish in Parrot to live with his parents, so they said Parrot, “if you want to go to your homeland and spend your life there with your parents, we allow you with all our heart.”

19. Parrot Goes to His Homeland Forever

Parrot was happy and sad, too. Happy because he was going to meet his parents after all those years, and sad because he was losing good people and friends. However, they would always miss one another and would live in one another’s memories. Angel and Anglia felt sorrow too, but they understood it was better for Parrot. Parrot thanked them and couple thanked him, too, saying if he had not been there, they would have never met. Their eyes filled up with tears some tears were out of happiness and some out of sorrow, thus Parrot flew up into the sky and left for his homeland forever. Angel and Anglia kept watching Parrot until he went out of sight and kept saying good-bye.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Words
by Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Words make us happy;
Words make us sad.
They hurt;
They heal.

Words make us realize the truth;
Words make us lose the right track.
They beguile;
They guide.

Words express emotions;
Words hide the deepest wounds.
They show;
They suppress.

Words create peace;
Words bring rage.
They soothe;
They annoy.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

(1) THE FLOW OF THOUGHT

Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Every night we have many dreams while sleeping. When the nights are long and cold, we often wake up at midnight. Hundreds of thoughts come into our minds, some good and some bad. We think about our past, present, and future, as well as the things and people we have gained and lost. Those long, cold nights give us chances to ponder over our lives. Ramazan, an unmarried salesperson, went through this every night.

One night, as per usual, he was alone in his bedroom. Trying to get sleep, he tossed and turned on his bed, but he couldn’t fall asleep. He got out his laptop and used Facebook for a while.

“Facebook can’t take the place of real chat,” he said to himself while closing the laptop. He lay on his bed again and stared at the ceiling. A thousand thoughts came to his mind. He thought about his childhood and his present days as an adult.

“Those days of childhood were the best days. This age of adulthood is dull,” he said softly. He took his touch-screen mobile phone and played his favorite song from his childhood.

“Why don’t I dance to this song as I did in my childhood? Where is the entertainment?” he asked himself. He thought about how he wandered the streets with his friends as a boy.

“I laughed a lot at even minor jokes, but now my lips hardly move when I listen to any joke,” he said to himself. “I felt happiness when I had only five rupees as pocket money. Now I earn thousands of rupees, but I don’t feel that happy. I wish I could have stayed a child forever. Where are those friends and jokes? Where is that happiness? Why is adulthood so dull and colorless?” he was still asking himself as he fell asleep.

While asleep, he had a dream. He was in class at his primary school. His English teacher was giving a lecture. The teacher told them that he was going to talk about life.

The lecturer said, “Look, dear students, today you are children; tomorrow you will be grown-ups. Today your parents look after you; tomorrow you will look after your children. This chain of life has to go on. You have to make every day count. You have to live every day to the fullest. Life has three main stages: Childhood, adulthood, and old age. At every stage we are different. Every stage has its rules, and with every stage we change. When you are a child, you are interested in toys. You have no responsibilities, but when you are grown-up you have many. Responsibilities don’t necessarily lead to a colorless or dull life. When you take on responsibilities, you become mature and learn more about life. You have to look after your parents, earn money, and get married. Marriage is an important part of adult life. When you are a child, enjoy life. When you become a grown-up, carry out your responsibilities and do what an adult should. In your adult life you lose interest in many things, such as toys. After adulthood, you will reach the stage of old age. This is where you slowly and gradually lose everything, such as your eyesight and teeth. So spend your youth in such a way that when you look back on it from your old age, it will make you proud. You should be proud of your past. Dear children, see the sun; as it rises from the East and it will rise from the same direction when you are old. Time will be the same; same days, same nights.”

Ramazan’s dream was cut short when his alarm clock started to ring. He woke up and looked in the mirror. He said three sentences: “Make each day count. Marriage is an important part of adult life. The chain of life has to go on.”

Thus Ramazan’s dream changed his life. He got married to Nazia, his cousin, and he spent each day as though it were Eid. He looked after his parents well. His parents were very happy to see their inactive child active again.

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Respond to the story:

Why was Ramazan struggling to go to sleep?
What did he think of the Facebook chat?
Where was he in his dream?
What was he told in the dream?
What three sentences did he say when he woke up?
Who did he marry?
How did his parents feel after the new change in Ramazan’s life?
What is the message of the story?
What impact does this story have on your life?
Do you go through all these thoughts at night?
What changes will you make in your life from now on?

Friday, March 13, 2015

(10) CHAPTERS OF INJUSTICE

 Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

Chapter: 1

Author: Rizwan Ahmed Memon

It was a sunny day. Robbi was so delighted to win the prize in her class for an essay competition. Her teacher told her that he was sure that one day Robbi would become a great woman.

Robbi said to her teacher, “God willing, I will become a doctor.”
The teacher replied, “God wills that. I know because He has given you all the abilities that a successful doctor should have.”

Robbi went home and showed her mother the prize. Robbi’s mother was happy too, but her father didn’t seem very happy about it. Robbi’s father was a drunkard; her mother had to pay for her education. Financially, she made ends meet by doing needlework. Besides going to school, Robbi also helped her mother with household chores and with needlework.

Years passed and Robbi eventually made it to grade nine. One night Robbi’s father said to her mother, “Robbi has now grown up.”

Her mother said to him, “No, she is still young, but why do you say that?”
He said, “Now Robbi won’t need to go to school anymore.”

Her mother said, “No, she still has to study. She wants to be a doctor.”
“A doctor, impossible!” he said.

“She is the most clever girl in the class, why can’t she be a doctor?!” asked her mother.

Her father replied, “Because the time has come for her to go to her real home.”

“Are you thinking about Robbi’s marriage? She is still too young,” she said.

“Well, sooner or later she has to go; the sooner the better,” said Robbi’s father. He added further, “I have already talked to my old friend. He has a son who works in the fields, that will be better for her. I don’t want to talk about it anymore; that’s final.”

In the morning when Robbi was getting ready to go to school, her mother said to her, “Stay at home today.”

Robbi said, “Why, dear mother?”

She said, “I have a lot of work today and I want you to help me.”

Robbi said, “Alright, if you say so, I am not going.”

So on that day her mother told her that her father was going to get her married. Robbi’s heart was torn into pieces. Her mother said to her, “It is inevitable. I can do nothing; nor can you refuse. If we go against your father’s will, we will both be in trouble. So it is better to be quiet and endure.”

Robbi’s dreams were shattered. She felt a storm inside her, and she wanted to cry so loudly that her voice would break the sky. She fell asleep weeping and sobbing.

In a few days, Robbi’s father married her off. Now she wandered aimlessly through life as if she were already dead. 

Chapter: 2

Robbi was only 14. She was studying in the hope of becoming a doctor when her father married her off. She was married to Zaman, who worked in the fields. All of Robbi’s dreams were shattered before they could come to fruition. Her husband treated her as if she was a servant or slave. He punished her, abused her, and harassed her. He commanded her to look after the buffaloes and cows. She milked them and grazed them near the bank of the river a short distance from the fields where her husband worked.

Robbi gave birth to Rabia at the age of 15. Robbi and her daughter were weak due to Robbi’s pregnancy at a very young age. Early marriage led to many detrimental effects upon Robbi’s health. It had been more than a year since Robbi had seen her mother. Robbi’s father never allowed Robbi’s mother to visit Robbi; neither did Robbi’s husband.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years as Robbi continued to bear all the injustices that her husband administered to her. In rural areas of Sindh, a province of Pakistan, it is common for men to treat women in this way. Very few women raise their voices against the oppression. Robbi would never resist, but she had decided that she would never let her daughter fall victim to this abuse.

One night, Robbi said to Zaman, “Saeen, Rabia is now five. We need to send our daughter to school.” (In Sindhi the word ‘Saeen’ is used for someone who is admired or respected.)

“School? Don’t you know in our village girls are not allowed to attend school? She will never go to school,” her husband replied.

“But Saeen, she must get a primary education, at least, so that she can read and write our native Sindhi language.”

“I don’t like your explanations and answering back. I said she will never go. Now get out of my sight!” he shouted angrily.

Young Rabia was watching and listening to her parents arguing about her from the window. In her heart, Rabia hated her father because she had seen him beating her mother many times. One day, Robbi went to graze the cattle, as usual. Normally, Rabia would stay at home with her grandparents. Her grandparents had never cared much for Robbi or Rabia because they had been disappointed when Robbi did not give birth to a boy. On this particular day, Robbi decided that she would begin to take her daughter out with her to graze the cattle. Robbi had learned reading and writing in Sindhi when she was a child, and she also knew a little bit of English. She decided that she would educate her daughter herself while the cattle grazed.

One night, Robbi called her daughter, “Rabia? Rabia? Where are you?”

“Ami, I am here with grandpa.”

“Won’t you let me read you a new story tonight?”

“Oh, yes.”

That night Robbi told Rabia about her plan. Robbi had originally thought that Zaman would do the same for their daughter as Robbi’s father had done for her. “At least I have gotten my primary education. I have to do something for my daughter, otherwise in this male-dominated society my daughter will be deprived of even basic education,” she whispered to herself.

The next day, as usual, Robbi woke up early, milked the buffaloes, churned the Lassi, and fed the cattle. When she served breakfast to her husband, she told him, “Saeen, I want to take Rabia with me. She will learn grazing the cattle and cutting the grass. She is not going to school, so she better learn the household chores.”

“All right. Keep a close eye on her,” he agreed.

After Zaman had gone, Robbi and her daughter left to graze the cattle. Along the way, she gave Rabia two hundred rupees, which she had earned by selling the milk. The money was used to buy two pens, (one red and one blue), a notebook, and a first grade text book from the village general store. Robbi also gave her a palm straw bag, in which she packed her lunch. Rabia purchased all these things and put them in the bag.

When they reached the river, the cattle started grazing, and they both started the lessons. On their first day, Robbi taught her daughter some letters of the alphabet of their native language. For five years they studied in this way; hiding their books from everyone. Usually, children do their homework at their homes, but Rabia did hers at the river bank. Rabia eventually learned to read and write the Sindhi language, and a little bit of English.

Stay tuned to RizwanAhmedMemon.blogspot.com to read more of this story.

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True to his nature the man closed one more chapter of injustice with Robbi. I wonder how many Robbis will yet be killed, sold and kidnapped, et cetera! That so-called civilized man should know that the woman is also a human. She breathes the same way as he does. Her heart beats as his, and like him, she has emotions, too. Let her live her life!

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Respond to the story:

Should Robbi have raised her voice against her father’s decision?
Are men superior to women?
What is the message of the story?
As a male, do you treat women like Robbi’s father and husband did?
How can women be equal to men in a male-dominated society?
What impact does this story have on you?
What can you say about the author’s efforts to support women and prevent oppression by men through these stories? Write an email and tell the author at this address RizwanAhmedMemon@gmail.com