[Reader-list] In the Space of the Dead

[marya shakil]

In the Space of the Dead

Continuing with where we had left…(in August 2005)
Sakina is still a member of the living community, her two friends “moti” and
“budhiya” have stopped frequenting the graveyard (they have gone back to 
their respective villages for Eid and haven't returned)…a new addition to 
the family is another woman and her seven year old daughter… the woman has 
lost her husband who was the sole earning member of the family…with nothing 
to look forward to they have started visiting the dead in hope that despite 
of his physical absence his abstract presence in the graveyard would give 
them some money…yes that’s right the visitors of the dead pity her state and 
give her enough for their survival…

that makes all the sense…...

And what do we say of the new allegations that our favourite woman Sakina is
confronted with…she has been alleged of stealing a shroud….. this is a new
face of the woman who had become more than just another subject for
us…...amidst the blame game Sakina had a blank look... she was trying to get
to terms with the allegations but the man said he had proofs?
He said he had placed a green velvet piece on his mother’s grave with her 
name stitched
on it with wool and had found the same piece being sold outside the 
Nizamuddin Dargah, a 5 minute walk away from the graveyard.  Sakina is lost 
for words.... She has stayed here longer than the mother of this man, how 
can a newcomer make such allegations on her?

But for the people of Bihar and U.P. such a phenomenon was not unheard
of...a common spectacle that’s what the resident of Bhagalpur in Bihar 
Sayeeda Khanam had to say. She went ahead and said that "these women" only 
claim to be present there for minimal earnings but their main earning comes 
from the  shrouds.......an allegation levelled with confidence.........

We hope to renew our acquaintance with the people on the other side of the 
wall. Somewhere the link has got broken, we need to start working on it 
again. But first we want this mystery of the missing shroud sorted out, our 
beloved Sakina, we cant see her in this state. We have promised her a sari, 
so we hope to go back very soon with one.


marya,Tasneem