Cheshta TaterCo-founder, Rightantra with inputs fromChehak Tater TW: Rape, Abusive Language, Violence Is a trigger warning a way to avoid triggering trauma or is it a term we use to overlook traumatic but very real events? Ignorance indeed is bliss but how do we tell this to a young girl being called a “harami” by her own mother; to a sixteen-year-old whose lover has been sent to fight a war for things he does not believe in; to thousands of young children who would probably never see their birth-nation again? A Thousand Splendid Suns is a piece of historic fiction set in Afghanistan from the 1960s, a time when the streets of Kabul were full of women in skirts, to the 1980s post-Soviet invasion time, setting back any and all progress in the country for a long time to come. Khaled Hosseini writes from the perspective of two young girls, Mariam and Laila, both of whom witness the drastic change in circumstances. His compelling writing puts many emotions like fear, violence, hope and faith into intimate human terms. This is the tale of two characters from different generations brought together by the tragedies caused by war.
Mariam is the main character of the book. Her illegitimacy and repeated betrayal—from her mother, father, and husband—has shaped her life. Laila and Mariam find in each other an unimaginable friendship despite all their differences—differences of age and upbringing, and the fact that Mariam’s husband, Rasheed, took a young Laila as his wife. A reader could perceive this story to be Mariam and Laila’s great escape attempt from the Taliban rule, probably shed tears stirred by Hosseini’s writing, and keep the book back on the shelf. However, this book, just as others written by Hosseini, are more than mere “reads”, and become more so important in times when the Taliban has regained the reins in Afghanistan. If you purchase a hard copy of the book and turn to the last few leaves, you will see sections that suggest points of discussion as well as further readings. It was never Hosseini’s intention to write a story. The intention has also been to stir discussion, to increase awareness, and hope that Afghanistan sees a brighter future than the past he had to escape from. Unfortunately, in recent times life has taken a darker turn in the nation. The war in Afghanistan came to end with the withdrawal of the American troops. The withdrawal of the American forces is on the condition that there will not be any attacks instituted by the Taliban against the USA or its allies. No grounds of basic humanity towards the Afghanis were negotiated. Afghanistan has the third-largest displaced population in the world. The privileged and lucky ones escape whereas the others stay in a war-riddled nation. Just as depicted in A Thousand Splendid Suns, the present Taliban rule means an absolute end to any freedom possessed by the women of Afghanistan. Granted that, compared to other nations, Afghani women enjoyed a lower level of freedom given the setback caused due to the previous Taliban rule. However, the last two decades allowed girls to pursue an education and develop a career. The Parliament had female representation as well. If the present rule would be anything like the previous, Afghani girls would, once again, be forced to take four steps backwards. The conditions depicted in a fictional world created by Hosseini and real-world Afghanistan are too similar to be ignored, and we can only hope that the situation turns for the better before it is too late. So what can you do to help? It is but obvious that you can not go to Afghanistan to volunteer and help those in need. In present times, perhaps the only way in which you can help is through donations. Identify organisations working in Afghanistan and are in need of funds. Some of these are the Red Cross, International Media Support, Malala Fund, Sahar, and Afghan Women’s Educational Centre. To know more, click here.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
December 2021
|