Breaking Ties

Sara Aboobacker is one of the finest radical authors from Karnataka. She has written novels and short stories in Kannada. She is an outstanding author who has succeeded in revealing the patriarchal and unjust rules obligatory on women in the religion of Islam. Her first novel Chandragiriya Teeradalli has been translated into several languages. It has been translated into English by Vanamala Vishwanatha as Breaking Ties. It focuses on the life of Nadira, a young Muslim woman attempting to assert independence first from her father, and later, from her husband. She has an autocratic father. Her mother believes that a woman should be submissive. Barely into her teens, Nadira was married off to Rashid. But her father separated her from her husband and planned to give her in marriage to Salim, a rich and elderly person. Through this novel, Sara Aboobacker has voiced feminine sensibility and oppression of women in patriarchal society.

Summary

Born in the Western Ghats, the Chandragiri flows westward to join the Arabian Sea. At one point in its course, the river changes direction to flow north-south for a couple of miles, then turns west again and finally mingles with the sea. To the east of this curve is Kiliyuru; to the west is Bagodu village.The river Chandragiri dominates the narrative in many ways. It not only sets the boundaries to the bigger world outside; it also reflects and sympathises with the moods of the characters.

Mahammad Khan lived in Kiliyuru. Mohammed Khan was tall and well-built, light brown in complexion. He was rude, short-tempered and obstinate. He had to have his way in everything. A dictator. So, his friends were few.

When Mahammad Khan married Fatima, she was barely eleven - no age to know what marriage was all about. But Mahammad Khan was already past twenty-eight.

He had never been one to work hard. He was always seen chatting with people either on the river bank or in the mosque, with no thought for time. He went on without a care, knowing well that Fatima would somehow manage and provide for the family.

In the midst of all torture and pain, Fatima was still grateful to her husband for one thing. He had not remarried and imposed a second wife on her, though she had not produced a son. She was grateful that he hadn't eyed other women after marriage. However cruel her husband was, Fatimma was still depended on him for a sense of security. She would get very anxious if he came home late. Whatever he was, a household without a man was no household, according to Fatimma.

Mahammad Khan had two daughters. His elder daughter, Nadira, lived with her husband. Rashid and Nadira were made for each other. They had a baby. Her husband's house was situated to the west of the river. Nadira rarely missed her mother's house. She was supremely happy. Not once had she nagged her husband to buy her this or that; not once had she hurt her mother-in-law. She had been ready to give her life for the people of that little Kavalli house.

Mahammad Khan was busy looking for a match for their younger daughter, Jamila. Somehow, he had managed to make as much jewellery for her as they had for Nadira. And they were struggling now to put together some money for her dowry. However hard he tried, to collect three thousand rupees for Jamila's marriage, Mahammad Khan was unsuccessful. The groom was from a good family. He even owned a small shop and they could manage a living, rolling beedis right there in the shop. In Khan's mind, the groom's greatest asset was that he lived in Kiliyuru itself.

The next morning Mahammad Khan set out for Manipura. When he reached Rashid's shop, his son-in-law greeted him respectfully. Making sure that nobody was around, he told Rashid the purpose of his visit. Now Rashid understood everything. But Rashid told him that he couldn't give him so much money. Mahammad Khan had never thought that his son-in-law would defy him like this.

Mahammad Khan went straight to his daughter's house. He asked Amina to send his daughter and the baby with him. In the beginning, she hesitated to send her daughter-in-law without consulting with her son. Even Nadira was not keen on visiting her parents. Mahammad Khan told his daughter that her mother was always thinking of her. At last, Amina decided to send her daughter-in-law with her father. After reaching his home, Khan declared that he won't send his daughter to her husband's house. Now Nadira understood all that had happened.

For Nadira, it was an endless stretch of darkness, with no moon in sight. Her only hope was her husband. Sooner or later, he would come to take her home. Nadira waited and waited for her husband and her mother-in-law, counting every hour. To kill time, she would sit with her sister and learn how to roll beedis. When she too helped, their income increased a little. Mahammad Khan was pleased with that. What had begun as a pastime had now become life's necessity. Her disgust towards her father also grew in proportion.

In the meantime, Mahammad Khan had sold a part of their coconut grove, the sole support of their life, and raised the money needed for Jamila's dowry. Though they managed the dowry, they fell short of money for wedding expenses.

Jamila’s wedding was over. One day Paru, the fish-seller from Kavalli visited Mahammad Khan’s house and handed a letter to Nadira. It was from Rashid. He had suggested Nadira to come with Paru. But Nadira told Paru that she could not come with her without telling her father.

Another day Aminamma, Nadira’s mother-in-law, came to Mahammad Khan’s house and carried Nadira’s baby when Nadira and her mother were out of sight.

One evening as Mahamad Khan sat near the Kadavu, Jabbar of the banana plantation came over and sat by his side. He suggested Mahammad Khan to take talaaq from Rashid and to marry off Nadira with New House Selim. Selim was a rich person. He had a wife and a houseful of children! His eldest son was older than Nadira by a few years.

The next morning Mahammad Khan set off to Manipura. He met his son-in-law Rashid and demanded for tallaq threatening him. Rashid pronounced talaaq three times at a mosque in the presence of a maulvi. But when her father proposed her marriage with Selim, Nadira said that she would kill herself by jumping into the Chandragiri. Mahammad Khan was worried. Now he thought of remarrying Nadira with Rashid. He consulted the maulvi. The maulvi said that according to the Qua’ran when a husband utters talaaq three times, the relationship between him and his wife stands dissolved. If they have to come together again, the wife should remarry and get a talaaq from the second husband. She has to wait for three months. Once it is proved that she is not pregnant by him, then the first husband can marry her.

Mahammad Khan’s state of health started to worsen. He arranged the marriage of Nadira with the sixty-year-old Sheik Ali, a coconut picker. On the marriage day the maulvi asked Nadira’s consent for the marriage. It took her a while before she could say “Yes”. The nikah was over. Fatimma came over to Nadira and draped a new saree around her. Nadira told her mother that she needed some air. Nadira came straight to the river bank. She continued along the bank and reached the mosque. She walked towards the pond in the mosque. She plunged into the lake.

Characters

Nadira

Nadira was the eldest daughter of Mahammad Khan. She had read the Qua'ran thoroughly and never missed the namaaz, praying five times a day. Right from the time she was ten, she had been fasting for all the thirty days.

Nadira was married to Rashid. Rashid and Nadira were made for each other. Nadira would not touch her dinner until Rashid returned, whatever the time. Nadira rarely missed her mother's house. She was supremely happy. Not once had she nagged her husband to buy her this or that; not once had she hurt her mother-in-law. She had been ready to give her life for the people of that little Kavalli house.

She had never crossed the Chandragiri on her own. Doing so without the company of a male member of the family was unthinkable.

However hard he tried, to collect three thousand rupees for Jamila's marriage, Mahammad Khan was unsuccessful. He asked Rashid to give money. But Rashid told him that he couldn't give him so much money. Mahammad Khan had never thought that his son-in-law would defy him like this.

Mahammad Khan went straight to his daughter's house. He asked Amina to send his daughter and the baby with him. In the beginning, she hesitated to send her daughter-in-law without consulting with her son. At last, Amina decided to send her daughter-in-law with her father. After reaching his home, Khan declared that he won't send his daughter to her husband's house.

Nadira hoped that her husband he would come to take her home. But her husband did not come. But one day her mother-in-law came and carried her baby. Her father got talaaq from her husband forcefully. He proposed her marriage with Selim who had wife and children. Nadira did not give her consent and said that she would kill herself by jumping into the Chandragiri. Then her father decided to remarry her with Rashid. But she had to marry another man and seek talaaq from him before marrying the first husband. Her marriage was arranged with sixty-year-old Sheik Ali. But on the marriage day she killed herself by plunging into the lake in the mosque.

Rashid

Nadira's husband Rashid ran a small business in that town. His house was there miles away from town - in a tiny village called Kavalli. His humble house was in the middle of a half-acre farm full of coconut, banana and arecanut trees. His household ran smoothly out of the income from the shop and the trees.

When Rashid married Nadira, she was barely fourteen. He was twenty-five. He had given in to pressure from his mother and consented to marry. Mahammad Khan had married off his daughter with as much pomp as he could manage. He gave ten sovereigns of gold and two thousand rupees in dowry. He had celebrated the wedding in a manner much appreciated by the people of that town.

Rashid had not seen Nadira before the wedding; only his mother Amina had. What Amina had to say after she had seen the girl was etched in Rashid's mind. "Rashi, the girl is still young, but very pretty. Large eyes, a bowl-shaped face and a complexion like kedige. I was told she has read the Qua'ran thoroughly and never misses the namaaz, praying five times a day. Right from the time she was ten, she has been fasting for all the thirty days. She is an ideal bride." Though his mother had reassured him, he still worried that the girl was too young and half-heartedly consented to marry. He saw her for the first time only on the wedding night.

On Fridays, Rashid did not go to work. He would stay home wandering about in the garden. In the afternoon, Rashid would go to the mosque for namaaz. On Friday evenings, he would go to Manipura to watch a movie. Of late, on Fridays, Rashid had started to stay home, wandering around the home and the garden, chatting with Nadira; this gave him more joy than watching films since he was literate, he started to bring magazines home trying to teach Nadira how to read.

Mahammad Khan

Mahammad Khan lived in Kiliyuru. His only asset was a one-acre coconut grove on the banks of the river and a small mud hut in the middle of that grove. A couple of cows, three or four goats and their young, and some fowl - these were the movable assets of Muhammad Khan's wife Fatima.

Mohammed Khan was tall and well-built, light brown in complexion and beard in the style of a maulwi. He would not set foot outside without a cap on his head, a shawl over it under court he was of the view that there was nothing as good as a coat to cover up their poverty. Never mind if Fathima did not have a good sari; he had to have a coat. He was rude, short-tempered and obstinate. He had to have his way in everything. A dictator. So, his friends were few.

He had never been one to work hard. He was always seen chatting with people either on the river bank or in the mosque, with no thought for time. He went on without a care, knowing well that Fatima would somehow manage and provide for the family.

Mahammad Khan was one of those who believed in the masculine principle to the total negation of the feminine. In his eyes, a woman was a creature without a heart, without feelings. She had to implicitly obey her father, husband, and then her sons.

He tries to separate his daughter from her husband and also tries to marry her off with an old rich person for the sake of money.

Fatimma

When Mahammad Khan married Fatima, she was barely eleven - no age to know what marriage was all about. All she knew was that she would be dressed in silk and gold by other women who would then sing and clap their hands. She had seen that there would also be a man dressed as a bridegroom. Beyond this, she knew nothing. Before she knew it, her marriage with Khan had taken place. But Mahammad Khan was already past twenty-eight.

In the midst of all torture and pain, Fatima was still grateful to her husband for one thing. He had not remarried and imposed a second wife on her, though she had not produced a son. She was grateful that he hadn't eyed other women after marriage.

However cruel her husband was, Fatimma was still depended on him for a sense of security. She would get very anxious if he came home late. Whatever he was, a household without a man was no household, according to Fatimma.

Selim

New House Selim owned a big hotel in Bombay. He had just built his new house. He had a lot of property - the betelnut estate adjacent to the Chandragiri, several other fields and estates. Selim had recently bought up Mahammad Khan's farm too. His eldest son, now living in Bombay, was older than Nadira by a few years. He had invited the whole town for a grand meal a couple of years ago for the hair trimming ceremony of his eighth child. He had chopped up two huge goats for the feast.

Selim tried to attract Nadira. Several times, he sent Khan baskets filled with fruits and sweets from Bombay. He sent Khan gifts of mundu and shirt lengths. He even dyed his hair, wore freshly laundered clothes and a Jinnah cap and walked around the farm he had bought from Khan, while a servant followed him, carrying an umbrella.