La'l Meri

Preface

2010

I wish the sun wasn't always so harsh, thinks Faarah on her way back from school. I mean, like, moderate weather would be fine. This heat makes me sweat so much and we can't afford attar. Not that all people around us - me and Amma, that is - can afford luxuries but we certainly live a difficult life. Speaking of Amma, she must be on her way back. Better to prepare meal for her. After all, that's the least I can do.

How it got here.
June, 1947

"Did you hear what they were saying on the radio, baba? It's actually happening. We'll be free," said Salahuddin to his father, who used to own a grocery store. But had lost it because of the riots and fights that had been going on lately.

Salahuddin was sixteen years old boy who lived with his mother, father and younger sister. He was very enthusiastic about finally living his life as a sixteen years old boy in the forties should, and being free.

The Indian subcontinent was a vast land, a land of many cultures, communities, traditions and languages. The Muslims' demand for a separate homeland was finally about to be fulfilled, and they couldn't be happier. Only the other communities - Hindus and Sikhs, that is - didn't like this much, didn't like the idea of subcontinent being split. So they had starting creating violence, in the hope that it would stop this revolution that was taking place, but it was not to be. Pakistan was to become an independent country for the Muslims.

Baba told Salahuddin that he had heard it all, and was equally excited. Salahuddin had not had much to do lately. Schools had been closed because of the violence and since baba lost his store to fire (another heartless attempt by other communities), Salahuddin wasn't to help him there either. So now he just wandered here and there, looking for a fresh piece of news about Pakistan.

It was just like this one day Salahuddin was roaming about, that he bumped into a girl. He was away from his home, probably a couple miles. He just said sorry and moved on, only to turn back abruptly. Something triggered inside him. He just stood there, breathless, looking at the girl who kept walking away. He stood there staring at her long hair till she couldn't be seen anymore. He didn't know what happened, or why he just turned on his heels and kept staring. It was the girl, he thought, so breathtaking.

So then he kept going back to that street, where he saw her, everyday. He couldn't stop himself. Anything to steal a glance. He never made a move. Months passed and soon it was the fourteenth. The fourteenth of August, the day that Pakistan came into being.

"Salahuddin, come! I hear they are not letting us take our possessions. But let's just go, this is all worth sacrificing for," said Baba, on the fourteenth. Pakistan was finally an independent could try on the map of world, and the Muslims of subcontinent couldn't be happier.

Baba told him and his mother to hurry up and leave. He said, "Just hurry you two. I hear the Hindus are furious. They're lighting everything on fire, killing every Muslim they see! We need to hurry. Wear something dull, I think we'll need to sneak."

But Salahuddin wasn't listening. He had waited for this moment for so long and now that it was finally hear, he just couldn't stop but feel that something was missing. Only he knew what was missing. They would go to Pakistan and live freely, fulfill all their religious obligations without people from other communities discriminating, be able to have a government, a constitution, based upon Islamic law and peace. They would finally live in peace.

But he wouldn't be at peace, not in the heart. He had started to fall for the girl. Mahjaveen was her name. She was a Hindu girl but that didn't matter to him in the least. All he wanted was her. He wanted to got to Pakistan too, but he wanted her first.