Goodar ka La'l (A Jewel Among Rags) - the Annual of Urdu Studies
Goodar ka La'l (A Jewel Among Rags) - the Annual of Urdu Studies Goodar ka La'l (A Jewel Among Rags) - the Annual of Urdu Studies
424 • THE ANNUAL OF URDU STUDIESreluctantly accompanies everyone. However, he lags behind becausedancing is the one thing he abhors most. Taking the long route, the processionarrives at the bride’s house.Hamid Ali’s friends and relatives are present here to receive theguests. Hamid is a decent man so his friends are also those who staywithin the bounds of civilized behavior. They welcome the guests graciouslyand offer the groom’s party elaborate hospitality as is the custom.First the nai presents the guests with sweet drinks. Mirza Ameer Ali Begplaces ten rupees in the bowl as he has been instructed. Next paans andcardamom pods are distributed and hookahs and pechwans are placedbefore each guest.The female in-laws get out of the carriages inside the house. At first aspray of water, spouting out from the door to the courtyard, is sprinkledin front of them and then they’re seated with a great deal of respect anddeference. The domnis begin singing welcoming songs to the accompanimentof a drum. Married and unmarried girls, widows, mothers, sisters,sisters-in-law—the domnis spare no one when it comes to the obsceneprofanities that are a part of their songs. And for this they are generouslyrewarded. Suraiya Jabeen is rooted to the ground with embarrassment butfinally she gets up and returns to her house. Since there is dancing takingplace outside as well, Hasan Raza and Yusuf also choose not to stay in thecenter of the wedding assembly and stroll off to where a namak chashidish is being prepared in a large pot.Afterward the female in-laws are given sweet drinks, and a garland,each one made of flowers and twisted golden threads, is placed aroundtheir necks. Then a woman brings a small bowl of sandalwood paste.After first dabbing a little on the foreheads of the in-laws, she begins rubbingit off vigorously with a coarse, rough handkerchief, a process that isquite painful; it brings tears to the women’s eyes but it’s a custom andthey have to endure it with smiles and laughter. One or two of the guestswho are high-spirited give this woman a taste of her own medicine. Afterall, the in-laws aren’t outsiders; they’re related to each other on bothsides.Then everyone starts putting a mark on the bride. The bride sits withboth of her hands on a handkerchief which covers her face. SuraiyaJabeen is sent for to put on the bride’s sehra.Hamida: Even now you had to go and hide in the house. Youcouldn’t stay here.Suraiya Jabeen: Apajaan, there was singing going on here so I left.Hamida: Oho, what a mullani you are.
VAALIDA AFZAAL ALI • 425Suraiya makes no reply and fastens the sehra around her sister-inlaw’shead. Her mother gives her five rupees for tying the sehra. An imamzamin is placed around the bride’s arm. A hairy coconut, toasted grams,batashas, almonds, pistachios, five fistfuls of dried dates and five rupeesare placed in her lap, and the ring and the wedding band are put on herfingers. Shouts of “Congratulations” arise. The first-look ceremonybegins. First Nawab Begum takes a look at the bride’s face and then slipsgold bracelets on her wrists. Her mother-in-law gives her five rupees andHamida Begum and Qamarunnisa do the same. Another five rupees areoffered on behalf of Ameer Ali, and Suraiya is handed two rupees to makeher gift. All the other relatives also view the bride’s face and bestow asmuch as their means and their status will allow.When the ceremony of salaami is over outside, the bridegroom comesinside for the salaami ceremony. Women from both sides offer as much asthey had given to the bride during the first-look ceremony. Altogether thesalaami adds up to one hundred and fifty rupees. A loud-mouthed femalesays, “Mian, always be a dog at this threshold.”Qamarunnisa: Why should he be a dog? He’s our own son, dearer tous than Hamid Yusuf.The in-laws were getting ready to leave. A gold-embroidered, goldedgedhandkerchief made of gokhru, an imam zamin, a ring and a weddingband for the bridegroom, fifty silken handkerchiefs trimmed withjust a gold edging, two and a half mans sweets for distribution amongfamily members, and a large pot of mutanjan for namak chashi was sentoff with the groom’s family. On their return to their house Kher Ali andhis friends have supper and then all the men settle down on a floor coveringin the outer courtyard. The dancing girl performs all night and thebridegroom and his friends tease her with sly, obscene remarks. The hookahis freshened intermittently. And why not? After all, the groom hasearned a hundred and fifty rupees, and he’s not spending anything on thewedding from his own pocket.At the girl’s house too the domnis sing all night. In the morningsweets and dried fruits are distributed in both households. There is sometalk like this at the time of the breaking of the hairy coconut:Ameerunnisa: By God’s will, may a new pit come out of it so that shemay have a son like the moon.Hamida: Son, daughter—all are Allah’s bounty.As it happens an old and well-worn pit emerges which silenceseverybody.Ghasiti: The first child will be a girl.
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424 • THE ANNUAL OF URDU STUDIESreluctantly accompanies everyone. However, he lags behind becausedancing is <strong>the</strong> one thing he abhors most. Taking <strong>the</strong> long route, <strong>the</strong> processionarrives at <strong>the</strong> bride’s house.Hamid Ali’s friends and relatives are present here to receive <strong>the</strong>guests. Hamid is a decent man so his friends are also those who staywithin <strong>the</strong> bounds <strong>of</strong> civilized behavior. They welcome <strong>the</strong> guests graciouslyand <strong>of</strong>fer <strong>the</strong> groom’s party elaborate hospitality as is <strong>the</strong> custom.First <strong>the</strong> nai presents <strong>the</strong> guests with sweet drinks. Mirza Ameer Ali Begplaces ten rupees in <strong>the</strong> bowl as he has been instructed. Next paans andcardamom pods are distributed and hoo<strong>ka</strong>hs and pechwans are placedbefore each guest.The female in-laws get out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> carriages inside <strong>the</strong> house. At first aspray <strong>of</strong> water, spouting out from <strong>the</strong> door to <strong>the</strong> courtyard, is sprinkledin front <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m and <strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>y’re seated with a great deal <strong>of</strong> respect anddeference. The domnis begin singing welcoming songs to <strong>the</strong> accompaniment<strong>of</strong> a drum. Married and unmarried girls, widows, mo<strong>the</strong>rs, sisters,sisters-in-law—<strong>the</strong> domnis spare no one when it comes to <strong>the</strong> obscenepr<strong>of</strong>anities that are a part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir songs. And for this <strong>the</strong>y are generouslyrewarded. Suraiya Jabeen is rooted to <strong>the</strong> ground with embarrassment butfinally she gets up and returns to her house. Since <strong>the</strong>re is dancing takingplace outside as well, Hasan Raza and Yusuf also choose not to stay in <strong>the</strong>center <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> wedding assembly and stroll <strong>of</strong>f to where a namak chashidish is being prepared in a large pot.Afterward <strong>the</strong> female in-laws are given sweet drinks, and a garland,each one made <strong>of</strong> flowers and twisted golden threads, is placed around<strong>the</strong>ir necks. Then a woman brings a small bowl <strong>of</strong> sandalwood paste.After first dabbing a little on <strong>the</strong> foreheads <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> in-laws, she begins rubbingit <strong>of</strong>f vigorously with a coarse, rough handkerchief, a process that isquite painful; it brings tears to <strong>the</strong> women’s eyes but it’s a custom and<strong>the</strong>y have to endure it with smiles and laughter. One or two <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> guestswho are high-spirited give this woman a taste <strong>of</strong> her own medicine. Afterall, <strong>the</strong> in-laws aren’t outsiders; <strong>the</strong>y’re related to each o<strong>the</strong>r on bothsides.Then everyone starts putting a mark on <strong>the</strong> bride. The bride sits withboth <strong>of</strong> her hands on a handkerchief which covers her face. SuraiyaJabeen is sent for to put on <strong>the</strong> bride’s sehra.Hamida: Even now you had to go and hide in <strong>the</strong> house. Youcouldn’t stay here.Suraiya Jabeen: Apajaan, <strong>the</strong>re was singing going on here so I left.Hamida: Oho, what a mullani you are.
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