Anoushka Mani Contributing Author, Rightantra TW: Mention of violence and rape “The Taliban moved into the house,” Rahim Khan said. “The pretext was that they had evicted a trespasser. Hassan’s and Farzana’s murders were dismissed as a case of self-defence. No one said a word about it. Most of it was fear of the Taliban, I think. But no one was going to risk anything for a pair of Hazara servants.” 1996, The Kite Runner. For about a month, we have all been updated daily about the ghastly incidents in Afghanistan. The Taliban has captured the entire city, ousted the government, and citizens and non-citizens are doing everything to flee the Taliban rule. Taliban deputy chief negotiator Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai had promised that the Afghans who had the appropriate documents, would be allowed to leave Afghanistan even after the United States' withdrawal deadline on August 31, 2021. But it is clearly evident that despite this promise, we can still see violence in airports. Civilians were turned away, refused to go, or worse even seen being beaten up. Since 14 August, more than 113,000 people – mostly Afghans – have been evacuated from the Kabul airport by a multinational effort. But hundreds of thousands more who fear retribution because of their ties to the US and NATO presence in the country – or because they belong to groups the Taliban have targeted in the past – are potentially being left behind.
Khaled Hosseini, through Kite Runner and his other books, has given us insights into the Taliban rule between 1996-2001. The Kite Runner, an emotional and gripping novel is set against the backdrop of political turmoil in Afghanistan. The novel takes us through monarchy rule in the 1970s to the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s. It is a narrative by Amir, a Pashtun boy who lives in Kabul, Afghanistan with his baba, and two Hazara servants: Hassan and his father Ali. A little context: Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and are Sunni Muslims. Hazaras on the other hand have been historically persecuted and are Shi’a Muslims. The first half of the story is set when the monarchy ruled Afghanistan. Amir and Hassan were best friends, almost like brothers, despite their financial and ethnic differences. They loved kite flying, which is the favourite past-time of Afghans and were also the best at it. Kite flying, as portrayed by the title of the novel, is an important element. It depicts fun but at the same time shows competitive spirit amongst everyone. The novel particularly focuses on it due to post-kite flying incidents which changed everything in the lives of Amir and Hassan. Amir’s journey of lifelong guilt began from there but kite-flying also gave him the opportunity in the end for redemption. In the second half of the novel, Amir and his Baba flee from Afghanistan to Peshawar and ultimately to California. The worsening conditions in Afghanistan compel them to do so, similar to present times. By this time, the monarchy was overthrown and the Russians were now in control. 1995-96 is the time when all the trouble begins. The people in Afghanistan rejoiced when the Taliban overthrew the factions of Massoud, Rabbani and Mujahedin. They thought that since the Taliban were Afghans, they would look after the welfare of the people. It was around this time that Amir went back to Kabul. The Taliban had banned kite flying, they stone pelted adulterers, burned villages, and also raped children. The children were put into orphanages because their fathers had died in wars and their mothers couldn’t feed them because the Taliban didn’t allow women to work. Hazaras under Taliban rule were treated like Jews under the Hitler rule. The Taliban would shoot Hazara fathers and sons in front of their families and sometimes would barge into their homes and kill them with machine guns. Hazara women were also not spared. They were also publicly beaten up for raising their voice, even with vegetable vendors. Amir himself faced the Taliban and had to fight against them to gain someone important. Someone, who was his last hope for redemption in life. It would please the people who haven’t read the novel to know that it ends on a positive note. After spending more time in Kabul he said, “Returning to Kabul was like running into an old, forgotten friend and seeing that life hadn’t been good to him, that he’d become homeless and destitute.”. This situation was solely the result of the war, where every street corner was filled with beggars who were mostly children. In this way, Hosseini vividly painted a picture of how dangerous Afghanistan was, back in 1996. The readers are constantly kept on the edge of their seats, scared and uncertain about what would happen next. Although the main events are framed around Amir’s life, they sync with Afghanistan’s transitions. This book is a must-read for anyone who is a novice reader, or even for someone who loves fiction because it is written by someone who had himself spent his childhood in Kabul and has weaved that beautifully into The Kite Runner. Reading this becomes even more pertinent to understand the ground realities in Afghanistan, albeit through fiction because the same practices of ill-treatment of children, women, Hazaras and people, in general, take place even now. In an attempt to increase awareness about the current atrocities being committed in Afghanistan, Rightantra will be publishing reviews on all three of Khaled Hosseini’s books that are based in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and revolve around the lives of children and their families then.
2 Comments
Anubhuti
9/6/2021 08:42:38 pm
Lovely article,Anoushka! Khaled Hosseini really wrote some wonderful books on the despair and beauty felt in Afghanistan, of what it used to be and is. Written very well.
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Shridhar Mani
9/7/2021 08:13:39 pm
Anoushka very nicely written book review. I feel like reading the book myself now. The timing of your review rightly coincides with the atrocities currently faced by Afganis and other nationals.
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