Cabuliwallah" by

Rabindranath Tagore
Plot
involves the life of a cabuliwallah, a term that refers
to a fruit seller from Kabul, named Rahaman in which
he meets a young girl named Mimi who makes a
great impression on him. The story's main themes
are the relationship between a father and daughter
and the struggles of adjusting to a new place
Characters:

Mini-Talkative girl
ð Tagore-The Father
ð Tagore's wife- The Mother
ð Cabuliwallah
ð Police
Setting

Calcutta, India
It was sometime before 1957
Detail story

The Cabuliwallah" begins with a father describing his very curious and talkative
daughter, Mimi.

. Abdur Rahman
In the course of selling goods, once he reaches to the house of writer,
Rabindranath Tagore.
Then his five years daughter, Mini calls him ‘Cabuliwallah! A Cabuliwallah’.
When Cabuliwallah goes to visit Mini she is afraid because he is wearing loose
solid clothes and a tall turban.
He looks gigantic
Mimi is initially frightened of the man, believing he is carrying children in the
large bag he is holding;.

When the writer knows that Mini is afraid, he introduces her with him.
The Cabuliwallah gives her some nuts and raisins.
 Mini becomes happy from next day, the Cabuliwallah often visits her and
he gives her something to eat. They crack jokes and laugh and enjoy. They
also feel comfortable in the company each other. The writer likes their
friendship. But Mini’s mother doesn’t like it. She thinks that the peddler
like Cabuliwallah can be child lifter. However, Mini and the Cabuliwallah
becomes intimate friend.

 however, the man soon gives Mimi some treats, and the two begin a lively
discussion. The man returns periodically over time to visit Mimi.
 . They used to tease and spend their meeting time talking joking each-
other.
 Cabuliwallah used to tease her telling when she was going to Father-in-
law’s home.
 In that time, she could not understand the meaning.
 So she also used to tease him by saying when he was going to his father-
in-law’s home
sells seasonal goods
Rampuri shawl to a customer
Cabuliwallah arrested T
he father understood
released fafter 8 years.
she is getting married.
Mini’s house was decorated and full of sound of music
because Mini’s wedding program was going on. When he
asked with the writer to meet Mini, the writer rejected.
He had taken some fruit to give her as a gift. At first the
writer didn’t like him but when the writer was informed
by Rehman that he loved her very much he regarded her
as his own daughter,Parvati. The cabuliwallaha also told
him that he brought that because he like her very much
as his own daughter. Then the writer was very impressed
by the relation between Rehman and Mini.
. After seeing real love of Cabuliwallah who thought
Mini like his own daughter Pārbati, the writer let
Cabuliwallah to meet with Mini. When Cabuliwallah
saw Mini in wedding dress, he became much surprised
and he could not talk as before with his old friend.
 He then asked her if she was going to her father-in-law’s house. Now
Mini knew that statement and bowed her head. Mini went inside
after meeting. Cabuliwallah sat on the floor and he remembered
own daughter Pārbati in Kabul waiting her father to get married.
 The writer knows that the Cabuliwallah has no money to go back to
his house so the writer cuts of the wedding expenses like a light and
bands and gives one hundred rupees to the Cabuliwallah and sends
him to Kabul.
 Tagore gave him Rs. 100 asking to go Kabul to meet with his missed
family.
 He felt that the long lost father would be happy seeing his only
child and family and because of their happiness they would bless
Mini for her good future.
Interpretation
 strangers are not mysterious.
 In the story “The Cabuliwallah”, the writer Tagore might be trying to tell us
about the friendship between two strangers can’t always be for the desire
of marriage between two persons from different cultures, places and ages.
 This story also tries to tell about the child psychology. All children are
talkative and playful like Mini and they never differentiate any person in
terms of caste,religion and country.
 The story might also be trying to tll us that selfishness help and
brotherhood are the best ways of getting happiness in our life.
 This story shows the humanitarian concept of Tagore that all the people
have the feelings and love towards their family.
 This story tells us that self satisfaction in happiness..
CriticalThinking

This it the story which impart beautiful lesson to us. It has

interesting story plot which shows an ideal picture of
friendship between a small girl and Cabuliwallah a foreign
peddler. But the story has some points which are very
impractical so against then we may raise some question to
give our critical thoughts.
 Do we allow our children to make friend to unknown people or foreigners?
 Can we tolerate the daily presence of unknown people in our home?
 Do we allow the prisoner to see our daughter on her wedding ceremony?
 How can there be a truthful relationship between a 5 years child and aged
Cabuliwallah?
 How can we believe that the Cabuliwallah had not lied?
 how could Tagore let the strangers to be the intimate friend of her daughter?
 How could Cabuliwallah get to meet Mini everybody?
 It is said that Mini was young when she was getting married but could she be
young at the age of 13?
 IS it possible to get such ideal person like Tagore in life?
Friendly and harmless around Mini
Doesn't want eight-anna piece
Kills a man over money
 Does a man leave his children freely with a stranger?
 Does a peddler give things to others children freely every time?
 Does the Cabuliwallah stab the costumer?
 Can we find anyone who helps others by cutting off weeding expenses?
Though the story has given the true picture of
friendship between a small girl Mini and Cabuliwallah,
if we have a broad outlook like that of Mini’s father, we
can accept many things in the story; otherwise, we
have many questions to ask. Though, the idealistic
picture of friendship can be found everywhere in our
society.
Assimilation

After reading this story, I completely changed my attitude to
door to door sellers. Before reading this story, I used to think
such sellers either as cheater or thieves, non-human etc.
There was not any respect towards them. Now I came to
realize that the sellers like Cabuliwallah are our brothers or
uncles or so on. They have also heart and they become seller
to feed their children and make their dependent’s future by
earning the money. So we should respect them, understand
their real condition but not hate them because they are
obeying by compulsion being such seller. So many attitudes
towards them have completely changed after reading this
story.