Summary
Chapter 10
Through Dilchain, Begam Jamal hears that Begam Nihal and Begam Waheed have discussed Asghar marrying Bilqeece. Begam Jamal views the match favorably, seeing an opportunity to humble her brother-in-law, who had mocked her when her cousin Ashfaq married Bilqeece’s sister. She tells Begam Nihal to arrange the marriage without Mir Nihal’s knowledge or consent, assuring her that he will come around eventually. Begam Nihal discusses the matter with Begam Waheed, and they resolve to discuss the match with Begam Shahbaz soon.
Chapter 11
Asghar and his friend Bari pay a visit to Mushtari Bai, a dancing girl with whom Asghar had once been in love. Bari has convinced him to see her to take his mind off Bilqeece, but her now unrequited feelings for him makes Asghar feel guilty, and reminds him of his current lovestruck state. He remembers how he used to be happy with her, while his current infatuation causes him nothing but grief and pain.
They have a philosophical conversation in which Mushtari Bai laments how her physical beauty will one day disappear, and she will lose her only virtue. Asghar tries to reassure her that she also possesses inner beauty. Bari interrupts their discussion and asks her to sing a song. She sings verses by the Bahadur Shah about a lost love. They both praise her performance, and she recites another lovelorn poem. At this point, Asghar feels too guilty and annoyed to stay, and convinces Bari to leave with him.
After he and Bari part ways, he accidentally taps an old man’s behind with his walking stick. The old man makes a sarcastic comment about how desperate the young man is that he should go after an elderly man like himself. Asghar feels ashamed.
Chapter 12
When Asghar arrives home, Begam Waheed is waiting for him. She tells him that their father would not accept the proposal, but their mother will go ahead with it nonetheless. She suggests he stay with her in Bhopal until the whole process is complete to avoid their father’s anger. Asghar is overjoyed, and they embrace, both weeping.
Begam Nihal speaks to Begam Shahbaz, who is happy to receive the proposal.
They hold a meelad read to give thanksgiving for the potential union, and Asghar recites from the Koran and speaks about the life of Mohammad. The attendees are moved by his passionate performance.
Chapter 13
Begam Waheed prepares to return to Bhopal, which saddens the rest of the family. Asghar, however, is excited to get away from Delhi and Bilqeece. The weather after the dust-storm turns pleasant: sunny with clouds and a nice breeze, and the occasional light rain in the morning. Asghar is full of hope as he boards the train.
Analysis
Begam Jamal's machinations when she first hears of the rumors of Asghar's intention to marry Bilqeece provide an early indication of her relationship with Mir Nihal, which will end up playing a significant role by the end of the novel. Though she is giving Begam Nihal genuine advice, she is doing so with an eye toward getting a leg up on her brother-in-law and proving a point to him. Her attitude also foreshadows how the attitudes of the older generation are adaptable to new social customs; though she is of the same generation as Mir Nihal and Begam Nihal, she has become sympathetic to Asghar's side by her cousin Ashfaq marrying into the same lower born family Asghar intends to marry into.
Asghar's interaction with Muhstari Bai reveals the mercurial nature of his romantic longings. However, because of Mushtari Bai's social position (she is a dancing girl, who provides entertainment and sometimes sexual favors for men), Asghar was able to consummate his desire for her without hurting his or his family's reputation. As a result, his love for Mushtari Bai was much less desperate than his love for Bilqeece, and it also faded much more quickly. Asghar notes how much happier he was when he was in love with Mushtari Bai, in contrast to his current situation, without recognizing the connection between his ability to fulfill his desires and the amount of grief or suffering he experiences because of them.
The fact that Mushtari Bai returned his romantic interest with romantic interest of her own, and now pines for him as she realizes he's moved onto Bilqeece, also speaks to her uncertain social position within this world. As is shown later in the novel, a dancing girl might find security and stability as a go-to mistress for one man rather than an occasional entertainer for many men, and her close relationship with Asghar might have provided her such an out. However, her feelings for Asghar also seem genuine, and their exchange shows that, despite their different positions in life, they engage with each other as equals in intellect, trading lines of poetry and philosophical thoughts. Mushtari Bai notes that her beauty will one day disappear as she gets older, and since her job requires her to appear beautiful to men, this concern is not simply a matter of vanity but also a matter of real consequence in her ability to survive and sustain herself. Asghar is only able to offer her empty reassurances about her true inner beauty, but having moved on from her, is unable and unwilling to give her the material relief she needs to ease her worries, and quickly begins to feel guilty and annoyed by her.
His guilt is further exacerbated by his embarrassing encounter with the old man after he leaves Mushtari Bai's, as his youthful desires are publicly mocked. The encounter also presents another instance of Western influence being associated with emasculation, as an aspect of his English-style getup is used as fodder to question his sexual orientation.
The end of Part I presents an early signal of Ahmed Ali's clever bait-and-switch, where he presents a conflict early on (Mir Nihal's opposition to Asghar's desired wife), but then resolves it fairly quickly. Similarly, Asghar is sent off to Bhopal so that he will not be in Delhi should tensions between his mother, representing his interests, and his father come to a head. He is assured that the match will come to fruition, and the mood as Part I comes to an end is hopeful, with a joyous community celebration in the form of the meelad, and the weather becoming nice again following the dust-storm.
