A Muslim Girl Goes To School

                                                               

                                                                     Review

A post independence setting of a moderately flourishing town/village in north Kerala forms the backdrop to the story, which is related to us in the first person by the protagonist. The rarity of a Muslim girl attaining school education in an environment of limited education for women across the society forms the plot. A Muslim girl born to fairly educated parents, especially her father; is sent to the local school for her education. The story describes how the simple act of attending school by Sara confuses both the religious and secular community; one as to why she was attending school and the other equally surprised that she was .  In the first school she attended being the only Muslim girl and the other (Brahmin) girls took some time warming up to her.  The subdued opposition was expressed through her mother and opinion of unnamed social representative. Her advocate father, was the chief cause for her joining school;  had made it clear that Sara would not be married by the age of 16 years as was vogue, and also not before she completed her matriculation. Her brothers too appreciated and encouraged her joining school.  The story bends through the happenings in the family and it’s surrounding, a significant one was when she was late in returning from school, the confusion at home is put to end by her father who tells her that a wrong (read unacceptable) action by her will stop not only her education but also that of the many other girls who are follow.

Born in 1936 into a Muslim family from Kasaragod  Kerala , Sara Aboobaker has through her  writing represented  the Muslim women in all her struggles  and achievement. Ms Sara has portrayed the injustice faced by women in the society; she particularly described how religion was instrumental or the instrument for the subjugation of women.  In her autobiography, “Hotthu Kanthuva Munna”, roughly translated as “Before Dusk”, Kannada writer Sara Aboobaker has explicitly narrated how Islamic fundamentalists have crept in Muslim community during 1970’s when a large number of South Indian Muslims headed towards gulf countries. (http://coastaldigest.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20761:sara-aboobakers-hotthu-kanthuva-munna-released&catid=57:news-stories&Itemid=68)

Just as the story ‘A Muslim girl goes to school’ Ms Sara’s writings seems to have been gathered from her personal or social surroundings.

I like the story because of  the way it was narrated and the simple language of the text.Secondly  the way in which she had portrayed her family. Though she was hailing from an affluent family it was not mentioned in its highest degree any where in the story. Author is narrating  her childhood through the story which would had happened some 60 years back. Its a time where a girl child or a woman getting prominence in a patriarchal society is considered to be the rarest of the rear.A family praying for a girl child during this time period throws light on the educated and broadness of the family.Equating with the present social and political settings a Muslim family is accepted by their Hindu neighbourhood are worth discussing and Ms Sara talks about this which would have happened years back without any hitch, draws our attention to the secular mind set of the society. 

A sublime story rendered in a simple language. The story was poignant especially for a person who has enjoyed his or her childhood in Kerala . Only in this portion was the writer’s happiness palpable, in the remainder of the narration one feel a sense of lament in the narration.  While the author’s relation with her siblings has been described with higher degree of detail initially, it wanes gradually as the story proceeds. One wonders whether it describes women’s loneliness within her family post puberty, if not married. Sara’s father who was brave enough to educate her in spite of opposition, albeit subdued; in the last scene however he is painted as a defeated individual, lamenting more than his dead sons.

Have grown up in Kerala one had few  Muslim  colleagues who were married off  at the age of 17-18 years. Strangely one particular friend Rahmat (name changed) studied till Xth grade and was married off. She lost her two brothers to natural tragedies and illness. Her old father now stays alone while she lives with her husband in Dubai. A  similar tragedy with a different ending. It should be reiterated that there was no apparent opposition in girls from such background pursuing education, however if there was such an undercurrent it was not obvious. I was able to relate with this story but I also feel that the conditions are much better today however pockets of such orthodoxy sadly exists.

Discussing the story with the members of the literacy circle I could interpret their perspectives which made my understanding of the story better. The discussion in the group gave me an opportunity to compare my experiences with others.Another insight that i gained through literacy circle was that smallest of the smallest events that one may think to be less important in the story,or one may tend to ignore had come up in the discussion through different perspectives of the members.