Summary
Chapter 5
Habibuddin tells Asghar he can get him a job with the government, but Asghar refuses. He wants to go into business, and discusses various ideas with his friend Bari, but nothing materializes. Through Mirza Shahbaz Beg, he gets a job at a firm, and he and Bilqeece are happy, since the job will allow them to get a house of their own. Bilqeece is in her 9th month of pregnancy, and her mother insists that she comes home to deliver the baby. Begam Nihal initially objects, but acquiesces once her son persuades her. Panjiri is distributed to her relatives before the birth; it is very sweet, and they declare the baby will be a girl. They are correct, and though Asghar is disappointed, he is also relieved that the pregnancy is over. The delivery was painful for Bilqeece. The baby is taken to Mirza Shahbaz Beg, who is very ill, and he says a prayer for the child. Eunuchs come by the house and sing for the baby in exchange for some money. Bilqeece’s room is closed off and filled with herbs. She feels deeply connected to her child, feeling all the baby's emotions as if they were her own. She breastfeeds her, and lies close to her. After a number of days, she recovers, and visits her in-laws, where the baby is welcomed. She is named Jehan Ara.
On the holiday of Bakr’id, Mirza Shahbaz Beg passes away. Bilqeece is devastated. Begam Shahbaz outwardly performs the mourning ritual, though she does not give up her breakfasts, eating in secret. Bilqeece is left to care for mother alone, since all the rest of her family has dispersed for one reason or another, so Asghar moves them into an adjoining house. She spends the day with her mother and younger sister Zohra, and the evenings with Asghar when he returns from work. Zohra helps take care of the child, and the family often receives visits from various relatives. Habibuddin’s son Nasim is now enrolled in school, and often stops by to receive sweets from Bilqeece and school supplies from Asghar.
One day, Saeed Hassan visits. Since his proposal to Mehro was rejected, he has moved on, and has proposed to Surayya, Mir Naseeruddin’s daughter who was once to be matched with Asghar. He is taken aback by Asghar’s English-style dressing grown and his English furniture. Though he initially compliments Asghar’s fashionability, he eventually admits he is saddened to see how India is forgetting its own culture. He tells the story of Mir Aashiq, who used to go on the same walk every day, never making any unexpected stops along the way unless it was part of his already established routine. One day, some loafers made a bet that one of them could not stop him on his way. Initially, the young man tries to approach him, but loses courage at the last moment, and is mocked by his friends. The next day he tries again, crying mercy to Mir Aashiq and forcibly shaking his hand. Mir Aashiq is unable to ignore him and wishes him peace before going on his own way. Having done that once, he now works it into his schedule to say hello to the man every day. After some time, the loafers turn on the young man, and dare any friend of his to defend his honor. Mir Aashiq steps up, bringing his sword and challenging them to fight. They back off. Saeed Hassan comments that Mir Aashiq’s loyalty was emblematic of his time, and that now those virtues are being forgotten. Asghar takes in the story, but tells himself that all new things are initially viewed with suspicion.
Chapter 6
It is now 1913. Lord Hardinge, viceroy of India, stages an imitation Durbar, an event which is bombed, though he survives the attack. There is a growing terrorist movement against the British, led mostly by Bengal. The British raise the city’s gutters, giving the whole city a stink, and the marketplace Chandni Chowk is rebuilt so that its streets are wider, and the residents are angered by the changes being made to Delhi, feeling that they are losing their home. Meanwhile, a new Delhi is in the process of being built, and they worry the old Delhi will be neglected and left to ruin. Though it seems that the British rule is at its height, the Indian people feel their reign will not be for long. Mir Nihal begins to live at home more, feeling that his city is no longer his. He often takes care of the grandchildren, teaching them to read and write in Urdu. Nasim continues to be taught the Koran in school, but does not enjoy it, and prefers his lessons with his grandfather. Mir Nihal spoils them with tea and other goodies. Every so often, he becomes angry with them. On one occasion, they steal some money that had been absentmindedly left on the floor, and use it to buy sweets. When they are found, Mir Nihal yells at them, and scares them by telling Begam Nihal to fetch his sword, though he does not intend to use it.
Ghafoor, who had gotten married to Sheikh Mohammad Sadiq’s young niece, lost his wife to ulcers in her womb. He has become much quieter since her passing. Mehro’s leaving has also had an effect on the household. Typically, however, the home remains peaceful, a respite from the chaotic outside world.
Analysis
The death of Mirza Shahbaz Beg marks, in some ways, the end of Asghar's idealized vision regarding a happy married life with Bilqeece. In the previous chapters, Asghar gets to know Bilqeece for the first time, and realizes she is more shy and less romantic than he had envisioned. However, he is able to maintain some level of hope that one day he and Bilqeece will be able to build a life together away from his family. When he is forced to move in with his in-laws, his dream of getting a home with his wife and their newborn child is effectively quashed. The necessity of providing for his family also begins to get in the way of his ideal life with Bilqeece, as he spends most of the day away at work. Though he does not yet begin treating Bilqeece coldly, it is a significant precursor to his later neglect of his wife.
The story of Mir Aashiq thus comes at a crucial moment in Asghar's life. It relates a traditional archetype of a good Muslim man, a principled person who projects strength and courage. While Saeed Hassan intends to impart to Asghar that he should not incorporate English styles of dress and decor into his life, it is also possible to relate the story to how Asghar will treat Bilqeece in the upcoming chapters. Mir Aashiq showed loyalty to a relative stranger, treating him like a friend and defending him accordingly. Asghar, similarly, is being told to show loyalty to his wife, who he fought hard to be with, and who now relies on him for support and validation as much as Asghar relies on her.
As Asghar continues to become more and more influenced by English customs, so too is Delhi being affected by the imperial rule of the British. While some begin to resist this rule, as is seen in the bombing of the Imitation Durbar, Mir Nihal's family remains largely uninvolved in these political conflicts, although they may comment on them from afar. Their class status allows them to avoid the more serious affects of colonialism, and so they become passive observers of the changes wrought upon Delhi by the British.
