The Inviter
A monologue
(In Mauritius, French, Patois and Urdu are commonly used by many)
There is an Arab proverb: when Allah closes one door, he opens another. When in his wisdom He called their father, had He not opened another door for me, ayo, the six of us we would have starved. I came from a gaon, hardly spoke patois, was married at seventeen, all I knew was how to put food on the table with the little that he earned as shop assistant to the big Surtee boss. The children’s mamou Azize, Allah bless him, was always willing to help but my bhabi Khatoon did not look on his generosity to us too kindly. Arrey doh, have you seen how much her children eat? Why can’t she make an effort to earn a living, she said, many widows do. She can become a dhobi, there’s a stream just five minutes from where she lives, she can sew, her husband bought her a Singer when he sold a goat, she can make cakes and sell them.
I decided one morning that I was not going to look at my feet every time I met Khatoon. I swallowed my pride and began by going round the houses of all the rich Surtees bourgeois around asking if they needed someone to wash their clothes. And at the same time I asked if their bajus needed mending. And I bought a pound of besan flour, and made bhajias, asking the ladies if they wanted to buy two or three. Noor had bought a whole bag of charcoal before he died, and the idea occurred to me to get the boy to write on a piece of cardboard: Charbon, en vente ici. Allah did not open just another door, he did three or four, and my children did not starve. I plied those little trades for over twenty years, visiting the homes of the rich people of Port-Louis.
I developed self-confidence, learnt to speak patois properly, and was glad to find that if at first people talked down to me, with time, they became more respectful. Those rich ladies in their finery must have wondered how they would cope if they were left high and dry and no doubt that was what made them stop seeing me as a beggar woman depending on the pittance they paid me for my services, and instead view me as a woman with guts.
Now in my sixties, I am treated with respect by everybody.
Oh yes, the nani dawat thing. it happened almost by accident. I often met old Nani Khadija when I was returning washing or a mending job. She was a proper nani dawat. Today when they get married, they send invitation cards, printed on cardboard. Monsieur et Madame untel ont le plaisir de vous inviter au prochain mariage de leur fille Amina Bibi avec Monsieur Dawood X*. etc. Sometimes this is printed in colour, the rich send cards in embossed gold prints. But in the fifties invitations were sent via a nani dawat. Nani Khadijah called l’hotel walli was the best-known. There was also a nani Amiran. Whenever the bourgeois married their children, they would send for a nani dawat. The job they do is quite demanding. They never write anything down, like me they probably can’t read and write. They have to memorise the names and addresses of all the people invited. I have often heard them recite the traditional formula which goes something like this: Captanine Bahadur Khan sends her salam and doahs to you, and informs you that insha Allah, her son Abdul Aleem will be getting married to Fazila, daughter of Cassim Sheikh on the second Sunday of Rabi al awwal, and will be honoured if you and all your daughters can join us, baal baccha, aam dawat, pan sherbet, rajjaga on Saturday night and biryani before the nikah.
One day I was delivering a little blouse I had sewn for a child of this client when Nani Khadija turned up at the same time. She had always been very kind to me. She was out of breath and as the lady offered her a chair, she asked if there was a pankhah. The lady immediately produced a cardboard which I believe she used to fan her charcoal cooker, and I grabbed it and started fanning the old dear. She started complaining about her sore feet and said that she had a long day ahead, as there were thirty seven people to visit. I don’t know where i shall find the energy. I can do it for you, Nani, I blurted out, if you tell me who they are and where they live. I never doubted that I’d be able to memorise all the information. That was the first time. In a matter of weeks, I was receiving calls from parents marrying their children.
I have been bearing invitations these last forty years now.
Allah has been kind to me, and I managed to save enough to buy our own house. I gave them a proper education, I married them off, have seven grandchildren. My Mahmood tells me I should take things easy, and come and live with them. I know that the best way to have a good relationship with my bahoo is to keep a safe distance away from her. No, my memory is still OK, my legs are still sound …
Tomorrow first Sunday after Rabi al Awwal, the Mohammadalis are marrying their daughter … I think I should attend … I think she would love me to go … do your kalema and go to sleep now.
Lovely morning. I’ll clean the house, take a bath and i’m on my way.
Funny, the street’s so quiet … here’s the house. Strange, there’s not a single wedding decoration at the door, no music … it is Sunday … it was Saturday yesterday, so it must be. Here’s some other guests arriving. Assalam aleikhum, walekum salaam. There’s no aroma of biryani … here’s the Mohamadali lad … you want to come in Nani Noor? he asks. Mother has gone to the market. Oh here’s she coming back. Nani Noor, how are you doing? Do come in. Oh Mrs Wahed, do come in… Mrs Jabar … How nice of you to visit. What’s that? You’ve come to the wedding of my Aisha… but that’s not for until … here’s a whole crowd arriving … the wedding is first Sunday after rabi al akher …
What have I done? I always mix up rabi al awwal and rabi al akher …
mamou: uncle
baju: skirt
besan: chickpea
bhajjia: pakora
gaon: village in urdu or hindi
Surtee: Gujerati merchant class
Charbon en vente ici: Charcoal for sale
Nani: Urdu/ hindi word for Granother
Dawat: Hindi/ Urdu word meaning invitation
Monsieur et Madame Untel …: Mr and Mrs Somebody have the honour to invite you etc..
salaam and doah: greetings and prayers
baal baccha: whole family and children
aam dawat: lunch
pan sherbet: betel and sweet drink
rajjaga: musical entertainment
nikah: wedding ceremony
Rabbi al awal: a Muslim calendar month
Rabbi al akher: a muslim calendar month
kalema: night prayer
