THE ZOO By Tariq Rehman

Tariq Rehman

The zoo is a short story written by TARIQ REHMAN. This is a story based on hardships of city life. The writer also draws a comparison between the city and village life. He elaborates the difficulties and discomforts faced by people living in cities in their daily routine life. He with the example of zoo and animals living in zoo, comments on the life of people living in city that they have worst example of life.

This is a short story about Hashmi, who is new in Lahore. He is basically a agriculture labror but Malik SB who employed him has turned his land into orchard. He is living in a small dark room with his wife Fatima and their two children, Azmat Ali and Zainab Bibi.

In hot, polluted environment of lahore, his wife many times thinks about village life.

Azmat spends his one month in carrying luggage of people at railway station for sake of earning. He lefts the Chacha Barkat's room later on and moves to one another home which have broken panes of window. He also found a job in a near school.

When he first came with property agent to see this new home, he found no electricity there and agent said, he has to pay extra for electricity. When he asked, how his children will study at night? Agent retorted that they can study in day light.

Further he fetched his family in this new dark house. At once, they all got frightened to see this. When Fatima talks about the poor condition of house and imagines the green fields of village, Hashmat replies that “you thank God we have a roof at last”

She felt uncomfortable in this house and she desired to take their children outside for entertainment to the zoo. They took their children to zoo where they spent some moments of their life. Children shared their biscuits and other eatable things with animals.

It was about evening when they decided to go back to the dorm room. But before leaving Azmat had a conversation with his sister about the animals and about them.

“Will they sleep in these lovely wooden huts?” asked Azmat

“Those or out in the open under the star” he replied.

“They have many houses” said Zainab.

“A big lovely green house” said Azmat.