Ehd e Sakoot (Sumaira Hameed)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Ehd e Sakoot (Sumaira Hameed)- Fiction Review by Shoby

Jane Austen said in Pride and Prejudice, “There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” ... And Washma was almost identical to this. Promises are never meant to be broken, especially something which one commits with his own self in all high times. Washma was under a contractual obligation and this time, her contract was with her own self. She decided to remain silent and she lived true to the words. She remained silent so much so that she became a proverb, a superlative, a synonmous to the word "silence".  Ab woh itni khamosh ho gai... Itni ke us ki ankh ke uthney or jhukney ki goyai bhi jati rahi...

Sumaira Hameed, this time becomes a lot more symbolic in the sense that every single world of this fiction was holding thousands of alternative meanings. Apparently it is a very simple tale of how sensitive is the self esteem of someone especially when it comes to the female fraternity. Washmna was demoralised by certain acts of her husband Affaaf and she reacted the way she was meant to react. Jald hi us ne dhaaga lapeta... Zewraat utaar diye... Or haath bandh ker beth gai.. Ke baba ko pegham bhijwa diya jaey... Woh usey aa ker ley jaeyn... Brutally innocent way to put up your stance. She was daringly enraged up to the prime.

Looks like Sumaira Hameed's Ehd e Sakoot was an excellent elaboration of Oscar Wilde's saying, Between men and women there is no friendship possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship. Here the story started off with love & passion (love for the husband by the faithful wife and passoin for singing). Love & passion which was almost touching the term worship (Ibadat ke lafz woh kufr ke darr ki wajah se na le saki). With the passage of time, these emotions were transformed into enmity.

I feel that it is a very complex debate that who is more stubborn in their attitudes, male or females. I firmly believe in this beautiful relationship of marriage, one should never try to impose the strength of his or her tenacious. Man, by default, has that instinct of being the all in all super power of the house hold. He loves to play the dominant part always. On the other hand, it is narrated by Al-Bukhaari and Muslim from the Hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him). The Prophet MOHAMMAD (saww) said: “Treat women kindly, for woman was created from a bent rib, and the most crooked part of the rib is the top part, so treat women kindly.” 

Unfortunately all the three characters of the story (Washma, Affaf and Farusiya) were at the prime of their self esteem. Obviously, I am not discussing here that whether Washma's behaviour was valid or not and it is also needless to say that whatever Affaf has done all through the story was not less than a crime. In fact, author has also left it to the readers to make up their decisions by themselves.

Coming towards the narrative part of the story. Its now a habit of Suamiara Hameed to choose diverse yet delicate topics and she nourishes the ideas by giving all of her heart. Ehd e Sakoot can be categorised as an excellent love-hate drama with the most unpredictable ending. I don't know but overall ambience of the tale was full of sorrow & agony. See how delicately she has penned the phenomenon, 

Like always, this writing price of Sumaira Hameed was yet another road trip for me.  This time we travelled in Uzbekistan through Sumaira's words. I would love to see the flowers blooming in the crops of village and the nightingale singing in Salyam, after reading this tale. :-)

This story appealingly encompasses the behaviours of the three main characters. Affaaf, as the most ruthless, man with extreme level of self esteem (read conceit), Farusiya with the most proactive feeling of narcissism and Washma, the ever stubborn. While reading the story, Jaun sb's poetry was roaming around my mind:

Main bhi bohat ajeeb hoon

Itna ajeeb hoon ke buss

Khud ko tabah ker liya

Or malaal bhi nahi.

(Jaun Elia)

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