“AT the age of 80, Amma has become swaarthi (self-centred),” states Amma’s daughter affectionately, while indulging her mother’s newfound whims and fancies. Not just swaarthi, Amma has become youthful too. “Jawaani samay par kyon nahi aati hai (Why does youth not make its presence felt at the right time?)?” the daughter asks as she watches her mother discard her sari and slip into a ‘gown’, also known colloquially as ‘nightie’, that item of liberating clothing which makes Amma an altogether new person. After moaning for days on end for her recently dead husband, refusing to leave her bed in her son’s house, and turning a stubborn back to all pleas of ‘Amma utho’ (Wake up Mother), Amma has turned over a new leaf in her daughter’s house.
In her husband’s restrictive household, Amma had secretly helped her daughter enjoy the simple pleasures of youth. Now, the daughter wants Amma to enjoy the same and has brought her to her house, to introduce her to a wider, new world. Breathing freely here, and with transgender Rosie advising her on everything, from beauty care to travel, Amma begins to bloom again. “This is the right time for jawaani,” muses her daughter, looking at her newfound desires. “When we are young we are too innocent to understand what jawaani is.”
The young-at-eighty Amma was the lead character of a Hindi-Urdu show, titled Dastan-e-Ret Samadhi, which was performed at the recent Prithvi Theatre Festival in Mumbai. Based on Geetanjali Shree’s novel, Ret Samadhi, whose English translation, Tomb of Sand, won the International Booker prize in 2022, the dastan (story) was directed and adapted for the stage by historian, writer, director and actor Mahmood Farooqui.
This story is from the December 21, 2024 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 21, 2024 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Nomadland
All eyes are on President-elect Donald Trump and his policy on immigration
Far from Home
We have forgotten the plight of Afghans who fled to India, and continue to suffer
Bang Bang That Awful Sound
What happens when we listen closely to the soundscape of war?
Refugee Dilemma
For most Indian-origin Sri Lankan Tamils, who are victims of ethnic conflict and civil war, proving that they are not illegal migrants is a nearly impossible task
They Poured Fire on Us
The resilience of refugee women from Sudan, Ethiopia and Yemen in the face of war and displacement is remarkable
The Sound and the Fury
Iraqi poet, novelist, translator and scholar Sinan Antoon was born and raised in Baghdad.
The Day I Became a Woman
In a country where authorities have been directly engaging in the gruesome war against women for decades, artists like Nahid Hassanzadeh stand apart as a voice of dissent–a haunting reminder of the unwavering spirit of the rebellious Iranian women fighting against the Islamic Republic’s violent crackdown.
The Kite Runner
The official figure of civilian deaths in Afghanistan is a serious underestimate. It is unlikely that we will ever know the real cost of Afghan lives
American Patriot
Barring a few exceptions, Hollywood movies continue to be gung-ho about the United States' penchant for waging wars across the globe
The Hunters
How can Bangladesh's fractured society, burdened by layers of trauma, begin to heal?
