Kabuliwallah is a collection of short stories from the late 19th century, written by the Bengali poet and writer Rabindranath Tagore. Among this anthology of short stories, the main one is ‘Kabuliwallah’. It is about an unusual friendship between a girl from a rich family and a friendly trader from Afghanistan who sells dried fruits. They become very close, exchanging sometimes funny or silly jokes, and the frequent treat from the Kabuliwallah to the girl - pistachio nuts and raisins! Months later, the trader from Afghanistan is arrested for a crime he did not do and thus, a sad parting of the blossoming friendship. Years pass by, and the girl’s marriageable age comes in. But will she ever see his old friend the Kabuliwallah again, with his cheerful smile?
This story shows that no matter what social or economic status one has, it cannot stop one’s friendship with another.
In these stories, there are many Indian aspects in the analogies, which might surprise a reader who has mostly read stories from the West. The puns and metaphors are linked to Hindu mythology or traditions such as the sacred thread ceremony that happens during one’s adolescence. Child marriage was quite common then, and the women were not allowed inside the house and had certain boundaries they could not go past.
One of the stories in this book, ‘Fury Appeased’, talks about a beautiful young woman forbidden from entering her house and having no one else to talk to except her loyal, faithful maid. Her husband constantly roams around and is attracted to an actress. He finds her beauty incomparable. This enrages the woman, prompting her to refuse to accept the actress’ beauty and her husband’s behaviour towards her. They both part. Ultimately, the woman gets her revenge by acting as Radha being angry with Krishna in a theatre scene in front of her husband. The scene haunted the husband as it showed exactly how his behaviour was toward her. The woman’s fury is appeased.
All of these stories show the vivid Bengali lifestyle and landscape - what they ate, how they dressed, and what their household habits were.
Rabindranath Tagore was not just any average writer. A talented all-rounder who writes, paints and makes poems, he has also won the Nobel Literature prize in 1913.
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