The Needlewoman’s Calendar by Aamir Hussain: Summary

The needlewoman’s calendar

Aamir Hussain

(1)

Tabinda was embroidering flower on bedspread for her youngest sister in law, when she heard that her husband SUHAYL had come back from London with his second wife Charity Bunce. Tabinda’s father in law asks her to stay in home and she will be privileged as first and formal wife. Her mother in law also forbade her to leave for her parents.

Tabinda was a needlewoman. She was not agree to marry with Suhayl but her mother’s cousin had chosen Suhayl for him. She was forced to marry with Suhayl. Seven weeks after marriage, Suhayl left for England and she found herself caring suhayl baby. She was fed wit fruits, nuts and milky sweets until she gave birth to a girl named Nasreen. Her in-laws were not happy on daughter birth but by passage of time her relation became stronger with her daughter.

Now when she know that her husband has a new wife, she used to think about a story of a prince, layed in enchanted garden with needles covering his full body. Than princess came and she removed needles from whole body but not from the eyes. She went for taking bathe in near river. When she came back she found servant woman having needles in her hand and she was claiming as prince wife.

Tabinda had already seen Charity’s photo in Suhayl’s jacket. She compared herself with princess and Charity with the woman servant who removed needles from prince eyes.

(2)

Tabinda has been planning her escape. She dressed Nasreen and she also pulldown Burqa on her cloth. She sent gatekeeper for Tanga and she left a message for her mother in law that she is going to visit family jeweler for repairing some jewelry.

She sold two heavy gold braclets and a gem to jeweler in a very little price for purchasing a train ticket from Lahore to Karachi. She booked a third class seat and started her journey to Karachi. This was the first time, she was out alone. Through the way she brought some snacks, chickpeas and potatoes for her Nasreen.

After a journey of one day and one night she arrived at Karachi. Now she take a rickshaw for going to Llukhet, where her family is living.

(3)

Although she haven’t tell anything to his family, not even about the second marriage of Suhayl nor about her coming to home. Tabinda decided to wrote Suhayl for divorce. But her father Sheikh Usman Hunfi told her that she can also claim for alimony pledged to you in your marriage contract.

But she only demanded for divorce. But they wanted custody of Nasreen. Nasreen was below than seven than she will be kept by her mother. She was angry that why Suhayl did not ask me about his second marriage.

(4)

Now the problem is what she should do for earning? She was good at reciting Koran, she decided to teach Koran to the children but this job was suited to her. She decided to start sewing business. Soon she got fame in society because of her great work.

Once her mother protested that she should stop this job and should think about her married life instead of sewing people’s cloth. A woman should not become a seamstress.

She quoted from Bahisti Zevar that The Holy Prophet sallah o alihe wasilm praised Fatima bint Jhash for her long hands and HE sallah o alihe wasilm praised her working with hand. Her father added from Bahisti Zever that virtuous should work at home like Calligraphy, Bookbinding, teaching the alphabet etc.

Now when she used to have a large number of customers, she asked her father for covered veranda in which she want to teach her students.

Now in neighbor she made a new shop in a room, where she shifted all her things through camel cart and hanged a poster outside claiming NAUBHAR: ladies and children’s garments and fancy needlework.

(5)

Now five years has passed, she is able to rent a building in P.E.C.H.S neighbor town in Karachi. It is difficult for many customers, who are living in city to visit Llukhet, which is far away from them. She left some female workers behind in Lalukhet, who are not feeling comfortable in working far away from their home. For working in city she required more workers, so she call on job refuge’s woman, living nearby them.

Two year ago, she sent back the sum she recived for selling bracelet and ring back to her parents in law. She also received some money in lieu, which she saved in bank in account named with Noreen.

Now the NAUBAHAR is a famous shop o its kind.

(6)

Shamim is teacher, she is assigned a job to take Noreen to school and drop her back at her mother shop. Shamim is a talkative woman. Once she gave Tabinda volume of verses written by her brother, Omer Baig. She also asked tabinda for her photograph one day.

Six year has passed, she never thinks about her marriage life. it’s going to ten years that she has not seen her husband. Is he come back in Lahore or he returned back to London. She used to spent her time alone.

Nasreen was nine and Tabinda was nearly thirty. She used to spent her time with Nasreen in a room that she specially furnished for her. She also furnished a big room for her daughter. At the weekend she used to visit his parents in Lalukhe, where Nasreen used to play with her cousins.

Once Tabinda’s sister in law asked her to arrange second marriage for her. It will be good for her future and even for the future of Nasreen. But after Suhayl she never thinks about marriage. Sometimes she received proposals but she refused to marry.

For a year she work on embroidering a bedspread, a tree with two birds on its branches, a blue and gold stem flowed beside it. She made it for Nasreen marriage.

(7)

It was a March afternoon; she is waiting for Shamim to bring back Nasreen to home. She is also listening to a song played nearby in Noorjahan’s voice.

Now instead of reading digests or religious phamplet from table, she took the volume given to her by Shamim. Two verses captured her restless eye, one spoke about the seasons: how the poet has asked, could those who suffered winter’s winds ever forget the smell of jasmine in spring? The other celebrated the blue of the sea. To those eyes that had never seen the blue sky look at its reflection in the sea’s waves.

Shamim told that her brother took her to Clifton to see the sea. Tabinda also desired to visit the sea shore. Shamin asked her to be prepared she will ask her brother to borrow a car and take them to visit sea shore.

(8)

While Shamim and Nasreen were taking camel’s ride. Omer spoke to Tabinda. He told her about his age, twenty seven and also about his job. He also told her that he is living with his family in Bhadurabad, wher they came from Deccan. He also offers her to marry with him.

Tabinda was quite silent and listening to him. She could only make one comment about the sea.

(9)

Omer sends her parents to Lalukhet to visit Tabinda’s parents with gifts. They agreed for marriage and Omer and Tabinda got married in June. They’d known each other from March. Marriage was simple, only the two families attended the marriage ceremony.

Tabinda dressed in red chiffon sari. She was forced to wear the jewelry sent to her by her mother in law. Omer’s part was also very simple. Omer’s gave a mehar of twenty five thousands to Tabinda. Tabinda said at the movement that Omer will live in the room she had furnished so far.

(10)

Now the life started changing. Omer used to come back from job after two hours of sunset, when Nasreen always used to go to sleep. Tabinda used to arrange two chairs at corridor, which she called gallery. Where she used to sit with her husband. Omer used to tell her about his day stories, he also told her about Ayub’s governments. She also learned some new terms.

Sometimes Omer’s friends used to visit them. Some of them are ports, some are painters and other are journalists. They used to take tea and they used to read poetry. She also used to sit with them but mostly she after passing a smile used to went back.

Once or twice they went outside to participate in some programs. Once they heard a qwali and Tabinda decided to ask Omer to call them at home. Once at night she dreamed and got frightened.

(11)

It was raining in Karachi and water came inside the home. She is waiting for Omer to come back to home. When two policemen came in and they started throwing everything on floor. But they could find what they want. At that night Omer did not come home. She called Shamim and asked her to avoid sharing this news to parents and told them that Omer went to Sakker for some job.

Omer did not come home for twenty-nine nights. She visits Ashraf, the editor of newspaper where omer was working. He told that police captured him for witting to poems. He also tell her that don’t worry he will be free. She also offered Ashraf some money for the sake of bail. But he refused to take it.

She now realized that she is caring Omer’s child in her belly. It was thirtieth night when Noreen came to her and asks Tabinda that someone is at the door. She opened the door and found Omer at the door. Omer was badly injured and his one arm was hanged in his neck. He first took bath and then told Tabinda about the whole incident that they took him to Hadrayabad jail. They investigated the issue but due to no prove they escaped him.

Tabinada also tells her about his baby in Tabinda’s belly and Omer asks that he will invite Qawwals on the child birth. Now Noreen also starts calling Omer as his Abu.

(12)

Now the storm has stopped. Tabinda re-embroided the bedspread. Omer insists that Noreen will become scientist one day because her interest in insects. Tabinda asks Omer to start his bookshop. He finds a place nearby for his shop. Shamim is still doing his job of taking Noreen to school and takes her back at home. Omer’s parents decided to have pilgrim to Mecca.

Tabinda and Omer sometime used to have chocolate and caked outside. They used to eat biryani near Jinnah’s tomb, whom Tabinda calls rice. Sometime they used to go to P.E.CH.S for eating kababs.