Sunday, 26 January 2014

Ibn-ul Vaqt's transition into becoming an exilic figure



An exile is typically someone who is physically displaced from his land, but in this novel we see the protagonist caught between the clash of two cultures and accepted by neither. The condition of exile can lead to nationalism, and it is certainly the case that before his encounter with Noble Sahib, we don’t see any particular nationalist sentiment in Ibn-ul Vaqt, his conscious decision to stick to his cultural milieu being influenced both by his strict upbringing and his fear of rejection. Otherwise his studies showed a leaning towards foreign cultures and their histories (plus his education was at Delhi College, a prominent symbol of imperialism), and his deep interest in such studies had "already made Ibn-ul-Vaqt an Anglophile" (pg 13). But when he takes Noble Sahib in his household to during the Mutiny, his discussions with the Englishman enables him to look at his culture through a critical and ultimately foreign eye. This process of defamiliarization leads to a consciousness of his clothes, his food, his people and their customs, their political leanings. But the crossing over to the British imperialist side is also shown as problematic right from the beginning. Noble Sahib, in his more petty moments while recovering, annoys Ibn-ul Vaqt several times, especially at his insistence that leaving the house would be better than indulging in laziness, thinking "if life is such a burden to you and you want to commit suicide, then let me have the reward of the virtuous act of disposing of a dead body" (pg 15). Noble Sahib frequently doesn’t give a thought to how much danger his presence has put his host in, moreover the grand party held after the victory of the British in the 1857 revolt shows the cold utilitarian approach with which the British treat all of his sacrifices, placing him in the 125th position of receiving honours for his services and land worth only Rs. 3000 p.a. (pg 29). Noble Sahib, though treating him courteously, arranges his meeting with Ibn-ul Vaqt on his own terms and conditions, specifically in his own house. The entire dinner party scene with Noble Sahib further shows how different the Muslim male and the Englishman are, Noble Sahib wishing to employ Ibn-ul Vaqt as his servant proving how beneath himself he considers the Muslim to be. As Nazir Ahmad says, "the true thoughts of a man are best known in times of affluence and adversity" (pg 13).

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