A Muslim Girls goes to school

Literary circle

MUSLIM GIRL GOES TO SCHOOL 

As it is clearly shown by story’s title that it is a big thing that a Muslim girl is going to school. This is an autobiographical story of Sara, she depicted how a Muslim girl faces shackle of society and her own family. The main character of story are: Sara is the main character of the story and her parents, Elder brother, her maternal uncle and grandparents. The story is based on Kasaragodu small town situated in Kerala and Karnataka border. So there is influence of both languages and people. Her father was well educated and want to change the point of view of their community towards the girl’s education. At that time the religious sentiment were very high regarding girl’s education, their dressing etc.

 He send his daughter (Sara) to the school just to set an example in the community but they were also somehow stereotype because Sara was not allowed to go anywhere  She love to play throw ball but her family doesn’t allow her to play and meet with her friends, no picnic and no outside the house. Her family was secular and tolerant towards other religion and helped their non-Muslim neighbours. She belonged to an economically and socially strong family and her maternal uncle was very rich man of southern canara so nobody raise their voice against their family. So community didn’t oppose their decision to send a Muslim girl to school.  It is also showed the thinking of society and their community. Only the poor and socially backward people are being oppressed. The community couldn’t raise their voices against her father’s decision to send her school. Her eldest brother was very close to her and she loved her brother very much. There was contradiction in her father’s thinking, the intention of her father was good but it was not to educate her, he just want to break old tradition by sending her daughter to send school because at that time nobody from the community want to send their girls to school. Sara loves to play throw ball and to be in the library of the school. She also went to school just to play and read book in the library but there was restriction from the family, it was because of the thinking of 60’s that girls are only for household work. She managed to complete her education till 10^th standard, story contains happy and sad moments and emotions consistently floating in the story and it ends with sad note, when two of her brother died and most painful for her because, she lost her eldest brother who was her well-wisher and supporter. Because this is an autobiographical story so point of view are from author’s side and she depicted all the view lively.

There were some particular situation that makes “Muslim Girls being at school” a big thing at that time. These were: the way she was not allowed to go to school, community and society at that time was not excited and in favour of girl’s education, there were stereotypies in the society, who doesn’t support girl’s education.

Her mother opposed the idea of her father to send their daughter to school and she said that “girls are just to do household work and to be a slave of her husband through the life.” This comment shows the thinking of the women toward women because it was influenced by society.

She was being sent to Kannada medium school instead of Malayalam medium school because it was close to their home, although her family speak Malayalam so she deprived to get literate and educate in her mother tongue. She was literate in Kannada not in Malayalam.

There was tradition in Muslims that Muslim Girl’s ears being pierced many time, though it was very painful and they faced some more restriction e.g. dressing, can’t go outside, and can’t talk other than family members.

The other thing is Muslims are considered as Minority in India though they are also consider as minority but in that time, it was very big thing to send a Muslim Girl to send to school because only Hindus were sent their girls to school, these were also few in numbers.

Its setting is also that makes some change in the story because at that time it was a big gap between Cities, Towns and Village and their society was totally different. In Cities society was little bit liberal, in Town and Villages it was stereotype and old fashioned.  

In this story the main character Sara gradually change her point of view according to situation, in starting when she being sent to school she didn’t interested in academics but she likes to read books in library and play; face restriction but didn’t react but as the intensity of restriction being high then she became rebel and she got engaged in academic as well.

The plot of the story changed suddenly although it is about a Muslim Girl and hurdles to get in the school but it is mainly depicted the restrictions they generally face in the home and outside home and Gender is the main factor that is showing specialty in this story.

In our literary circle we discussed that these restriction are also in practice nowadays but not in that manner. Navneet shared her field experience that Muslim girls are sent to Madarsa instead of Mainstream school and use wear Burka when go outside.It is somewhat similar to the story of Malala Yusufjai as she mentioned in her autobiography “I am Malala.” And also a movie named “Bol” which depicts the condition and view of a Muslim girls. It is the reality of our society that society is biased towards girls whether she belongs to any religion but in every community and religion its intensity is accordingly. In our society girls are considered as burden and responsibility.