Short Story Analysis and Book Review:

Sparrows by K. A. Abbas
“Hare Ram! Hare Ram! I have never seen such a cruel man. He has compassion neither for the child nor for
the helpless animal. No wonder his own sons have run away from home.”

How quickly we judge people based on the little knowledge we have about them is quite astonishing if
we come to think about it. Rahim Khan has been the subject to all the curses hurled at him but only later
do we know why he is the way he is - rude, cruel, and extremely antisocial. Sparrows by K. A. Abbas draws
the portrait of a man with a large and gaunt frame but a poor soul; a person hardened on the outside but
deep within is still a kind person.

Khwaja Ahmad Khan was a writer and a filmmaker who has made renowned films including Shree, Awara,
and Dharti ke laal. He has written four collections of short stories that top the list for its true-to-life
quality.

Rahim’s Story

Rahim Khan is returning from the field after the day’s work. When the other people see him, they start
talking about him. Nanha tells how cruelly he hit Ramoo’s child for throwing pebbles at his oxen and
Ramnath recalls the incident when Rahim nearly killed his mare for running into his field. He found it
unnecessary to reveal that the act was done purposefully to irk Rahim.
On reaching home he finds out that his wife has gone, perhaps forever. He vents out his anger on a cat
and grumbles for his wife's absence, whose presence was disliked by him equally. He recalls his earlier life
and all the athletic skills he had and much he wanted to join the circus, he remembers Radha, the girl he
wanted to marry. He rewinds all the events of his marriage and how proud his father was assuming that
Rahim had obeyed him. He recalls the wedding night when he had decided to avenge himself for the
destruction of his dreams. Since then he has become a ruthless man who quarreled with the
neighborhood, who beat his wife, and who was responsible for the abandonment of his sons. He
remembers his transformation from a cheerful man into a beast, who seeks consolation in the
unquestioned authority he has on his wife.

The next day, while smoking hookah, he revealed some cobwebs in the corner of his hut and decided to
tidy the house. While doing so he discovers a nest with two sparrows housing in it. His first impulse was to
wreck it in one go but then there was something within him that didn’t allow him to do so. He was
intrigued and on exploring further he found two red-flesh baby sparrows laying inside. The sparrows
played their charm on Rahim and he not only allowed them to reside in that corner of his house but also
took care of them. He repaired the ceiling of the hut to prevent rain from entering and when he knew he
was dying the only thing he worried about was, not his wife, not his sons but the sparrows.

“O Bundu, O Nuru, who will feed you when I am gone?”

Through the characters -

The neighbors complaining about his beating the kids and almost killing the mare, the elderly woman
who’s scared to speak to Rahim, the kids run away the moment they see him - portrays Rahim in a bad
light. However, the backstory is different. It is a character-driven plot where through the characters that
the readers understand the internal and external conflict of the story.

Literature gives us a chance to steal a look into ourselves. Sparrows did too when Nanha gave his
judgment on the cruel nature of Rahim and very casually ignored the fact that it was Ramoo’s kids who
were throwing pebbles at the oxen. Another instance follows when Ramnath, with aid of half-truth, throws
a bad light on Rahim. Half and twisted truth are worse than a lie.

1. K. A. Abbas has named the characters with a motive, apparently. Rahim, which means mercy, is
now a merciless gaunt man who beats his wife and the bullocks. A fat sweet-seller bears the name
Nanha, which means small. The officious zaildar is Ramnath, the name of Lord Rama, who is lying.
The incomplete love of Radha has a reference to the Hindu mythology Mahabharat and Nuru
signifies light. An important thing to be noted, Rahim’s wife remains nameless throughout the
story. The sparrows, the youth love, the kids, even neighbors bore a name but not Rahim’s wife,
signifying her worth in Rahim’s eyes.

Society and Us -

There’s always a backstory in whatever a person says or in whichever way they appear. Rahim was not only
separated from his beloved Radha but was also forced into a marriage with his current wife. His
aggression made his wife look nothing more than furniture, an important one though. The neighbors
knew nothing about this backstory and irked him now and then for their entertainment. They falsified the
events to which people like the grey-haired Patel believed readily. After all, society is divided among three
parts, the dominating, the dominated, and the credulous lot in between.

Society has set its norms and the people are compelled to follow them; the ones who don't are treated
differently. It is a matter of dishonor if a girl belonging to one community marries a man coming from
another, more so in the case of Hindus and Muslims. Based on his skills and personality, Rahim did qualify
to become a perfect husband for a girl like Radha if only society allowed it.

Rahim’s parents were also a part of the society who, to preserve their honor, allowed Rahim neither to join
the circus nor let him marry the girl he chose for himself. As the circus left the village without his company
and Radha was married away to a pot-bellied banya, Rahim saw his life’s dreams shattering. After
agreeing to the Kazi’s formal questions he does to his wife what a butcher does to a sheep. Thereon,
society neither came to rescue the poor woman from Rahim’s beatings nor did it interfere with his life the
way it earlier did. Notwithstanding, it did peak from the crack of the door and on overhearing him
speaking to sparrows, concluded him as a madman and called for his wife.

While Rahim was sure his wife would not return ever, in the end, she does, not alone but with the sons.
The society, which Rahim and Radha belonged to, is the same society that Rahim’s wife and sons
belonged to. It can be said that responsibility drove them to Rahim’s hut; love was, at least, not the force.

Metaphorical Aspect -

The bird Sparrow keeps appearing in Literature and always with meaning. Some say it symbolizes
vigilance, joy, creativity, and wisdom while others say it signifies love and kindness. However, the existence
of these in Rahim’s life is highly questionable. The sparrows appear in the latter half of the story and take
away the title. That’s because kindness is one thing that never left Rahim. Just like the sparrows had built
their nest in the corner of the hut and Rahim noticed it much later, sympathy had homed in a corner of
Rahim’s heart and nobody noticed.

Across Literature and the various forms of art, the significance of rain also varies from foreboding to
romance, from melancholy to determination. Its meaning has been transformed in whichever way the
artist preferred. In Sparrows, rain signified renewal of his kindness, cleaning his soul within himself, and
introspection. He goes out to mend the ceiling only to protect the Sparrows from rain, an act which might
never be noted, let alone rewarding. Rain signifies purity.

The house that stands aloof from the cluster of the other huts in the village symbolizes his loneliness and
aloofness from the society, the leaking roof symbolizes his broken home or family, the interior of the hut
is dark symbolizing his nature and the crack in his door symbolizes the crack between his personal and
private life, through which any passerby can peak through and make a judgment.

Conclusion -

Through Sparrows the author, in no way, intends to tell the readers that they have the liberty to treat
others miserably because they have been through the same. His point is to tell the readers that there’s
kindness in every soul, for some it is on the surface for others it is buried deep. As an individual, we need
to find the light in ourselves and be as less a judge as possible.
Khwaja Ahmad Abbas was as much a renowned author as he was a filmmaker and screenwriter and not
only has he received awards for the excellent films he made, including National Film Awards in India, and
internationally his films won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival (out of three Palme d'Or
nominations and the Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, but has also received the
literary awards. These include Haryana State Robe of Honour for literary achievements, the Ghalib Award
for his contribution to Urdu prose literature, Vorosky Literary Award of the Soviet Union, Urdu Akademi
Delhi Special Award, Maharashtra State Urdu Akademi Award, and the Soviet Award for his contribution
to the cause of Indo-Soviet Friendship. His ability to analyze human nature without judging is indeed
commendable.

"And in his confused, illogical mind he regarded his bride as the symbol of his persecution to which he had
been subjected. On her he would wreak his vengeance."

- Ishika Sarkar

‘The Sparrows’ is a wonderful story where nature teaches man to behave himself. What
human beings could not demonstrate nature’s tiny creation a happy sparrow-couple could
effortlessly achieve this story is remarkable not just for its narration but also for its
characterization of the infra human, yet ultra humane sparrows. This is a very moving story
of sorrow and disappointment of a supposedly hard-hearted man. His transformation from
utter cruelty to one of endearing love and compassion forms the life line of the narrative.
Kwaja Ahmed Abbas is an eminent and distinguished short story writer, novelist and
journalist. He attained great fame as a good storyteller with two volumes of stories, namely
Rice and Other Stones and One Thousand Nights on a Bed Stone. His stories genially
reflect the feelings of the down trodden and the poor.
Synopsis for story
Rahirn Khan was a fifty-year old peasant. Every body in the village hated him for his harsh
and cruel behavior. He was not kind even to children and animals. No one dared to talk to
him. The children would run away from their play if they saw him. But he was a very
different man when he was young. His parents squashed his ambitions of joining the circus
and marrying a Hindu girl, Radha. He loved Radha and found in her his soul mate But he
Parents had other plans for him and got him to marry a girl of their choice and community,
Radha in turn also married and settled in life.
He once heard his father boasting to his mother how well he succeeded in getting his
son to accept his words obediently. Rahim Khan then decided to avenge his defeat at the
hands of his parents, his family and society.
Having decided to take revenge, his first and immediate target was his wife. He saw her as
the scapegoat for all his misadventures. His kind soul suddenly became as hard as iron. For
nearly thirty years, he ill treated his wife, his two sons and his two bullocks. He quarreled
with everyone in the village. Subsequently the entire village developed a deep seated
hatred for him.
Six years earlier his elder son Bundu ran away from home after an unusually severe
beating. Three years later his second son Nuru also joined his brother. One day when he
returned home from the fields an old lady from the neighborhood told him that his wife had
gone to her brother's place and that she would be back shortly. Rahim Khan knew that she
would never come back. He suddenly began to feel lonely not because he loved his family
but because he had no one now to display his anger. Nobody was there to wash his feet; to
give him food and other eatables. His wife’s absence made him feel uncomfortable so
though a piece of furniture had been removed from his house.
One day as he was cleaning the roof spotted a small nest of sparrows in a corner
He initially wanted to exert his might on them. But good sense prevailed upon him
after long gap and he left them undisturbed. He pulled a stool climbed on it to have better
look at them. But the parent sparrows would not allow him to breach into their privacy they
threatened him by hovering around him and fluttering their wings hard at his face. He was
amused at the little bird’s heroic efforts to save the young ones. He realized their love and
care for the family. Soon the young ones grew well and began to move around inside his
house. He started feeding them with breadcrumb’s and other grains. He called them as
Bundu and Nuru after his two sons. There was now total transformation in his temperament
and outlook on life. The villagers too took note of the change in him. But they had their own
reservations against him. He even stopped shouting at the children.
On a day that brought in a heavy downpour, he noticed that the roof had begun to leak near
the sparrows nest. He immediately climbed his roof to close the gap. He came back fully
drenched. He had already started sneezing.. He failed to take care at once. He woke up the
next day with high fever. His only companions now were the two sparrows. He was worried
as to who would take care of the two birds after he dies. Couple of days passed. There was
no sign of Rahim Khan walking out. The villagers grew suspicious. They sent for his wife
who arrived with her sons. When they came in they could see his body lying still and the
fluttering of the birds the only sound to be heard.
https://youtu.be/L3EqUmc5Pdg

AN ASTROLOGERS DAY

The story begins with the description of an astrologer who is sitting under a tamarind tree. On the
forehead he has smeared sacred ash and vermilion. There was something special about his eyes.
There was a sparkle in them that attracted people. This light was mistaken as prophetic light by his
simple customers whereas R.K. Narayan describes this as the outcome of the continuous search for
customers. He had dark mustache that came down to his cheeks. To complete the look he had a
saffron coloured turban as well. He had cowrie shells and a square piece of cloth with obscure
mystic charts and a bundle of palmyra writing. He was always searching for a customer in the crowd.
The place where he was seated was surrounded by a variety of other traders like medicine sellers,
auctioneer of cheap cloth, magicians as well as people who sold stolen goods. There was a vendor
who sold fried groundnuts but called his product by different names each day like ‘Bombay Ice-
cream’, ‘Delhi Almond’, ‘Raja’s Delicacy’, etc. Most of the people who came to the vendor went to
the astrologer too. The entire place was lighted with shop lights. This is a very common sight in
India. The astrologer was someone who knew very little of his own future. He was as much unaware
of the stars as his customers, yet he could manage to astonish people with what he said. This he
made possible with practice and shrewd calculation. He was clever enough to trick others with his
guesses. He managed to make a living as an astrologer because of his experience. He knew that
people had problems due to money, marriage and household issues. Within five minutes he could
guess what was wrong and never spoke for the first ten minutes. He let his customers talk and
gathered information for many of the answers from which he would create his advice for them. He
had some questions which he usually asked to get clues as to what advice he should give his
customers. Each question was charged at the rate of three paise. One evening, after the nut vendor
had blown out the light and when every other trader was getting ready to go home, the astrologer
saw a man before him. The man challenged the astrologer by saying that if the astrologer gave him
the right answers for his questions then he would give him eight annas and if he failed then the
astrologer would have to pay him back twice the amount. The astrologer happily accepted the
challenge. But when he saw the man’s face from the light of a match stick, he quickly gave back the
amount he had taken. The man caught the astrologer by his wrist and said he could not back out
now. The astrologer finally agreed to speak for a rupee and he began. The man was shocked by the
astrologer’s revelations. He said that the man was once left to die and that he was stabbed with a
knife once. He also said that the man was pushed into a well near a field. The astrologer even goes
to the extent of calling the man by his name – Guru Nayak. With this the man is very pleased and
impressed with the all knowing astrologer’s knowledge. The astrologer advises the man to go back
to his home town and never travel southwards again. He proceeds to say that the man who he was
looking for is no longer alive. Four months ago he met with an accident and was crushed under a
lorry. To this the man says that he was there in search of that man to take revenge and now that he
was dead he would return home. The man leaves and the astrologer returns home. He tells his wife
about his life before he met her. He tells her that in his home town he used to play cards, gamble,
drink and quarrel. It so happened that one day he picked up a quarrel with a man and in the heat of
the moment stabbed him. He pushed him into a well and left him for dead. He left his village thinking
that he had the blood of another man on his hands. But now he says he can live peacefully not
because Guru Nayak is alive but that after today’s session he would never come back there again.
Guru Nayak could not identify the astrologer and the astrologer easily escaped from the hands of his
enemy. After telling his wife of what had happened he stretched himself on the pyol and went to
sleep. His wife was happy to get the money paid by the stranger as she could prepare some sweets
for her child who had been asking for sweets for some days now.Read more on Sarthaks.com -
https://www.sarthaks.com/719000/an-astrologers-day-summary-in-english.