Question

Describe the relationship between Mini and Rehamat in "Kabuliwala" by Rabindranath Tagore. (Detailed for an essay type answer)

Answer 1

Kabuliwala is a very beautiful and inspiring story by Rabindranath Tagore. In this story Mini's father (the narrator) was a novelist. The story features the beautiful relationship and bonding between the Kabuliwala (Rahmat) and Mini. Mini was a small five year old talkative girl and the narrator describes that she was full of questions and never wasted a single minute sitting silent in her life. Rahmat was peddler from Afghanistan and bought dry fruits, and some goods from his country to sell it in India. Kabuliwala was a large shabbily dressed Afghan. He wore a turban on his head and carried a bag and few boxes of dry grapes on his hand. When little Mini first met Kabuliwala she got afraid of the man as she thought that he kidnaps little children and puts them in the bag. But when he took out some dry fruits from the bag and offered it Mini she was no more afraid of him. Over time Tagore describes how they bond a strong relationship between each other. He describes that Rahmat showered fatherly affection on little Mini. He loved her as her daughter who lived far away in Kabul. They had a strong emotional bonding and a true friendship with each other. Mini used to be excited to see everyday what would be there in Kabuliwala's bag. After some days Kabuliwala was charged of a murder case and given a punishment of eight years jail. After so many years when he came back to Mini he was quiet surprised by seeing her little friend in a bridal attire. Mini couldn't even recognize her old childhood friend. By seeing her he remembered that her daughter living in Kabul would must have grown like Mini. She wouldn't be looking like the same little girl. Here, in the story the relationship between Kabuliwala and Mini was representation of the fatherly relation between her daughter and him who was living far away from him in Kabul.He loved Mini same as his own daughter.