The Cabuliwallah
- Rabindranath Tagore
Summary
The writer's five-year-old daughter Mini could not live without chattering. She had a habit of asking questions continuously. She sometimes asked nonsense questions to the writers and disturbed him in his writing. But she was afraid of the peddler who was even called "Cabuliwallah". She had believed that there were perhaps two or three children like her inside the bag which the cabuliwallah was carrying.
One day Mini was asking nonsense questions to her father. She saw cabuliwallah. Then she suddenly shouted "cabuliwallah". She was very much afraid and ran towards her mother. The cabuliwallah came into the house. The writer bought something from him because his daughter had called him. Then writer thought that Mini must have gotten rid of her false fear. So, he brought her in front of cabuliwallah. Cabuliwallah gave her nuts and raisins. She was still afraid of and was clinging to her father.
It was their first meeting. After some days, when the writer was leaving the house, he got surprised because Mini was talking and laughing with cabuliwallah sitting on a bench. The writer gave him an eight-Anna piece because he had given almonds and raisins to the writer's daughter. But cabuliwallah gave that coin to Mini. When the writer came back home, Mini was being scolded by her mother because she had taken money from a stranger.
Then they started meeting regularly. One day cabuliwallah asked her when she was going to her father-in-law's house. She did not know what to reply. So, she asked some questions to cabuliwallah. He answered her that he would thrash his father-in-law. When they met, they enjoyed it a lot. But Mini's mother was afraid and suspected the cabuliwallah.
The cabuliwallah would go to his village once a year. One day he came to the writer's house and told the writer that he was going to his village. But after some days, the writer saw cabuliwallah was being led by two policemen. One policeman was carrying a knife. Mini also saw it. There was the crowd. The writer got down and knew that cabuliwallah had attacked a neighbour because he denied buying shawl after using it. Mini asked Verandah if he was going to father-in-law's house. Cabuliwallah replied that he was going to his father-in-law's house. But his hands were bound if not he would beat his father-in-law. On a charge of murderous assault, he was sent to jail for several years. Then cabuliwallah was forgotten by writers and even by Mini.
But, cabuliwallah came back to the writer's house on Mini's wedding day after 8 years. Writer's did not like it and told him to come another day. He wanted to meet Mini. He had forgotten that Mini was grown up. Before he left the house, he requested the writer to give him a few almonds, raisins and grapes. He refused to make money. He told the writer that he had also a daughter in the village. He used to come to meet with Mini thinking that she was like his daughter.
Then he showed the impression of his little daughter's hand on the paper which he was carrying. The writer felt sad about cabuliwallah's condition. He called Mini in front of cabuliwallah. But she spoke less because she was grown up. Then the writer gave him 100 rupees to go to meet his daughter in the village, then he was happy even if he could not manage …………………hand in his daughter's marriage.
The Cabuliwallah was from Kabul. His real name was Rahaman. He was a peddler. He used to sell seasonal goods in India. His wife and little daughter Parvati lived in Kabul. He went to visit them once a year.
In the course of selling goods, he chanced to meet a chattering girl named Mini who was the daughter of one of his customers. At that time she was five years old. Seeing him at distance, she teased him calling him 'A Cabuliwallah! A Cabuliwallah'. The Cabuliwallah loved her intensely because his daughter also was as lovely as herself. So, he went to meet her. At that time, mini's father was busy writing a novel he found that mini was afraid of the Cabuliwallah. He was wearing loose, soiled clothes and a tall turban.
She thought that there were two or three children in his bag and he was probably a child lifter but the writer decided to remove her fear from her mind and he introduced her to him. He gave her nuts and raisins. Soon she was attracted to him. But her mother was afraid that he might steal her. The Cabuliwallah visited her almost every day and gave her dismiss on his every visit. They cut jokes and laughed freely. Thus, they became good friends.
Once, the Cabuliwallah had sold a 'Rampuri' Shawl to a customer on credit. But the customer denied it and did not pay. Cabuliwallah could not control himself and strike with a knife and for this charge; he was imprisoned for 8 years. When he was free he went to meet his little Mini. Surprisingly, it was her wedding day.
At first, he was not allowed to visit her thinking that it would be an evil omen. But his appealing face compelled the writer to allow him to visit her. She was in a wedding dress when the Cabuliwallah asked her if she was going to her father in law's house. She merely laughed as if she remembered her old friend. He gave her some presents. The writer felt pity for his condition and gave him a hundred rupee note cutting of the wedding expenses. The Cabuliwallah also went to his house.
Interpretation
This story may be trying to tell us that satisfaction is the greatest happiness. It also suggests we look at all people with broad minds and godly eyes whether they are rich or poor of the same country or of the foreign country. Fatherly love is really great. Children are a source of interest and happiness. All human beings are equal all over the world. We should help people when they are in need. It is real greatness. A broad-minded person understands others' problems and helps them selflessly lose his own interest and requirement.
This story portrays a touching friendship between a poor, uneducated Afghan fruit seller who is forced to make a living in exile in Bengal, and an upper class, sweet Bengali girl. It is a story of compassion and of building fragile cross-cultural bridges. This romantic story subtly conveys a great humanitarian message: rich or poor, Bengalis or Pathans, Hindus or Muslims- in the final analysis, we are all brothers and sisters.
Critical Thinking
Although this story teaches us many moral things and the importance of help and humanitarian feelings, about brotherhood, some of the writer's sayings are not agreeable for me. Do people allow strangers to make friends with their children? Does a grown-up person make jokes with children wasting his important time? Doesn't a peddler get busy and try to earn more money?
Does anyone give presents to other's children every day? Doesn't a man feel disturbance if someone enters while making creative works? Doesn't man complain if a foreigner disturbs him every time? Does anyone help others selflessly cutting off his expenses of social functions? Can we find any such person like the writer in this selfish world? So, I don't totally agree with the writer.
Assimilation
Before reading this story, I used to look at the foreigners who are peddlers with hateful eyes. But this story brought a revolutionary change in my mind. Now, I understand that they are also father and mother of someone. They have also the same feeling of respect. I also came to the conclusion that all human beings are the same creation of God. We should treat them equally now I hate those who hate the independent foreign peddlers.