In this brilliantly written novella, Ajithan recounts a story of supreme sacrifice, and miraculous love. Set in Ajmer in the mosque of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti the Sufi saint, this story is about two young lovers Haider and Suhara, who fall in love while witnessing a magical rendition of Bade ghulam ali khan. It is the night of Ashura, the tenth day of the month of Muharram, the day on which many thousand years ago Husayn and his followers were martyred in the battle fields of Karbala. Through this magical rendition we are transported to those days, when brave sons of Ali sacrificed their lives. As we witness this great martyrdom unfold, we see also the blossoming of magical love between Suhara and Haider. Love is an emotion when humans can shed our ego and sacrifice ourselves, in that sense love is akin to a spiritual exercise. Haider and Suhara go through a gamut of emotions in this fateful night, from fascination, to repulsion, to heartbreak. Haider is blessed by Suhara by all her forms and beauty, he is enchanted and completely lost in her. As the story progresses we see the sacrifice vividly recounted by the magical writing of Ajithan. We see the sons of Ali bravely fighting the Umayad Caliphate, they fight valiantly against all odds, being no match to the huge army of the Caliphate they are virtually giving themselves as sacrifice to the great god. The whole narration is an ode to sacrifice, when Hussain’s sister begs him not to sacrifice his son Akbar, Hussain says will you sacrifice something defective to God or that you hold as dear. As Martin Luther king once said one who haven’t found a reason to die hasn’t got a reason to love for, the sons of Ali are willing to sacrifice without an iota of fear to the path of righteousness. Yet one cannot control once tears when Hussain for a moment following his son as he leaves to batty, and explains to his sons questioning him by saying you cannot understand it without having a son. One cannot wonder not seeing the unavoidable influence of Jeyamohan in these chapters. Ajithan chronicles the greatness of the sacrifice but never makes it sentimental, he elevates the whole episode. The deaths of the brave sons and Hussain himself is felt by everyone witnessing the rendetion, and we as audience too become a witness to this great sacrifice. The novelist and the artist becomes someone who reminds generations of this great sacrifice. Haider and Suhara also gets connected through the grief, Haider reminds Suhara through his gesture that he belongs to these people. Suhara beseeching him through her eyes not to leave him.
Yet as the story ends and people start leaving, they are brought back to reality which they hate to acknowledge. Can’t this moment of bliss not exist for an eternity seems to be the question in both their minds as they return to their lives. Yet in a turn of events which can be considered divine, they are joined together and the novel ends with the birth of the son who is named as Hussain. Unlike modernist novels which would have typically ends with separation and acceptance of a reality, this novel ends in their being together.
The novels recounting of the poem in which the prophet is joined by his family within the blanket and how in that moment of love and togetherness, god bestowing his blessing on this family, we see family relationship being elevated to a realm of the spiritual. We see divine grace, love and sacrifice glorified in its pages. The novel fills one heart and as a novelist Ajithan becomes a chronicler, a story teller of values that are immortal.
Ashok 