Friday, September 11, 2009

Fate, love, and government

Near the end of Umrao Jan Ada, Umrao comments that“in this age, destiny has lost its force, and all is regulated and planned.”  By “this age” she means post-mutiny India; she contrasts this development with the era of kings, who ruled more whimsically.  I find it interesting that the workings of destiny are linked in her thinking to the system of governance—more human planning = less influence of destiny.  In this section Umrao expresses contempt for people who ascribe everything to God’s will as a way of justifying sinful actions.  In this section she also discusses her own impression of what love is, specifically, for males and females, and this discussion is linked to the question of destiny—Umrao argues that if males and females fulfilled their proper rules, there would be no suffering.  Thanawi would be proud.  Her vision of a regulated and orderly state peopled with obedient Muslims is certainly consonant with his vision.

No comments:

Post a Comment