Public v. Private...ramblings

One aspect of Ahmed Ali's description of life in Delhi (in Part I) I find interesting is the monotony of the day to day in both public and private spaces. He lulls the reader into complacency about both spaces, continually referencing its sameness and staidness. We almost accept the status quo until an event However, while private space is boring because it is closed off from the outside world, each home a fortress "protecting" its women, the public space is oppressively staid in its poverty (31). He states that women in the home are not active participants in life, that "life passed them by" (29). This ambivalence about life in Delhi--both nostalgic and critical--poses an interesting question. What are Ali's true feelings about the social structures in Delhi? About women? He has, in my opinion, a fairly progressive view of his female characters. Whether courtesans or the Asghar's relatives, he portrays them with humanity and compassion, but is careful not to over-emphasize their feminine virtue. 

Images of Delhi

A picture of Humayun's Tomb:





A picture of the Qutb Minar:

Gender roles, eunuchs, holy men

One thing about Twilight in Delhi that fascinates me is the presence and portrayal of eunuchs, holy men, and mystics which forms part of the general background noise of the novel.  It got me thinking about gender roles outside of the normative male/female hierarchy, and whether and to what degree Muslim communities would respect and revere men reputed to be mystics.  Particularly intriguing was the "Bride of God" who was an alchemist and more interestingly, a transvestite.  Could such people exist and be embraced today?  I feel like India in my lifetime is less tolerant than in older days.  In theory, Hinduism (Shaivism at least) embraces homosexuals and transgendered people, as embodying the dual masculine/feminine aspect of the Divine; I wonder if the casual acceptance of the "Bride of God" partakes of that attitude at all, or doesn't exist in Islamic thought (I wouldn't be surprised to find it in Sufistic thought).

random thoughts

it's strange that you mentioned our supposed emotional alignment with Asghar over Mir Nihal in class, because from the very first pages i've sided in the complete opposite way. while my modern western sense of issues like marriage and women's rights at first led me to Asghar's side, shortly after you realize that he is just a spoiled kid. the interesting thing about his marriage to Belqueece is that though it goes wrong for him, it's not because it's an arranged marraige but because he fell in love with the girls face, strictly against islam's codes for bequethment. when you add to that the fact that father and son represent the old India and the new British India (NEW Delhi) your feelings fall further into place behind Mir Nihal. the pervasive images of culture that Ahmed Ali draws falling into dust create a very depressing mood over the novel. towards the end of the novel you can't help but despise Asghar as he embodies (by embracing) the very thing dragging india down, and susequently destroying the happiness of mother, father, and even his betrothed.

Women's Education

Reading Umrao Jan I began to wonder how the book may or may not have imposed negative feelings towards the push for educating women. In Heavenly Ornaments Thanawi advocated very adamantly for the education of woman, but also for keeping them in the house. I wonder if he would cite Umrao as an example of the precise reason educated woman should be kept in the house. I also wonder if Umrao's character, being as scandalous as she was, negatively affected the want to even educate woman at all. Just a thought.

Images of Delhi

Here are some images of Delhi to give you a sense of the kinds of urban spaces that Ahmed Ali is talking about.

This is from a map of Shahjahanabad (also called Old Delhi or the Walled City) from 1858, right after the Mutiny:



Much of the middle part of the novel describes the Delhi Durbar of 1911 (or the Coronation of George V. These images should give you a sense of the enormous expenditure that the Durbar involved. The last image is of a Delhi street in 1908, roughly the time at which the novel opens.

what happened to the money?

I wanted to raise the question in class but hadn't the opportunity and plus it doesn't tie into our discussion. So where did all the gold and silver given to Umrao by Faiz Ali go after she recovered it from her friend? Do you think it fell into Gauhar Mirza's lot? Do you think Umrao is that desperate to entertain thoughts of sharing her wealth with him to keep his company (prof. Shingavi did mention that she wanted a husband and was flirting with Ruswa, should we say she attempted the same with Gauhar Mirza, or does she know about him enough not to expect anything?)? She's living pretty comfortably right now (or else there wouldn't be a rumour of her being a rich woman p. 144) due to her "frugal" ways...perhaps some of the money did remain.

On another note, I did try as I read the last 10 pages or so to find a reconciliation between the Umrao before the reading of the manuscript and the one after...the discussion in class touched on most of the points I tried to tie between the two Umraos (the prof. said it much better than I could ever put it in words). I did feel like there is a tone of genuine regret for SOME, not all,of the aspects of her former ways. As she did express her envy of Begum Sultan's life (Ram Dei) p. 133, I feel she wanted very much that security and constancy in life, what every woman wants according to her reasonings on the way women and men fall in love (ch. 15). There is also some issue with that security in the upper class, as we know Sultan Sahib is not perfectly loyal though he treats his wife well (not to mention the lawless elements eyeing your money). I don't know if Umrao's father, being a devout, middle-class man, was faithful to his wife till the end. Still, I feel that Umrao wouldn't be satisfied marrying into a middle-class family, as the opulent lifestyle she's used to is hard to give up. Complex, isn't it?