Afleveringen
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In a toweing rage Malki summons Mithi, the barber’s wife and commands her to bring Heer to her. Triggered by Kaido, she pours a stream of abuse upon her daughter using colorful language, which will sound familiar to Punjabis who have ever had the pleasure of being berated by their grandmothers, or have heard them taking someone to task. Under the invective lies love, concern for her daughter and fear that her reputation will be ruined.
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Chagrined at being rebuffed by Chuchak, Kaido approaches Malki to vent his spleen. He warns her that her daughter’s brazen ways will bring her much trouble and he urges Malki to chastise her. Kaido, waxing hyperbolic in this verse, as he suggests improbably harsh punishments for Heer, almost appears comical, until one reflects on what is behind the words. Waris Shah is conveying the simmering menace of violence, which lurks under the surface in a society where notions of honor and shame predominate and can often result in unimaginable consequences for young women accused of sexual misconduct.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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This verse provides social commentary on the patriarchy, honor and the control of ‘wayward daughters’. A society that elevates the collective at the expense of the individual cannot accept Heer’s haughtiness and pride; the women allege that she comports herself like a queen! Class distinctions also come to the fore; while it is inappropriate for the young, unmarried Heer to spend time with any man, her transgression is compounded by Ranjha’s being a ‘mere’ servant. The Qazi, emblematic of a highly judgemental and unforgiving society, of course provides a ready solution – marry her off and save the family’s honor, while reiterating that not doing so will invite divine judgement and retribution.
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Kaido’s allegations elicit an angry and dismissive response from Chuchak, whose family honor has been impugned. He roars that his daughter has been at play with her friends and has been spending her time at women’s gatherings. He then launches into a personal attack on Kaido, calling him a slanderer, mocking his accoutrements that proclaim his status as a holy man and declaring that he consorts with those at the fringes of respectable society. As his tirade continues, he expresses the prejudices of his class and caste, emphasizing that the low born can never aspire to high status. The poet waxes ironical at the end of the verse, observing that despite his huffing and puffing, Chuchak is after all a Jatt and that like others of ‘low caste’ origin, such as cobblers and oil pressers, the sons of Jatts cannot aspire to be holy men. Here he also questions the sincerity Ranjha’s future journey as a mendicant, despite having earlier signaled that Ranjha is on a spiritual journey and not merely on a quest to be one with his love.
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Kaido manages to salvage some of the churi and rushes to the village council. There he declares that he has evidence that Chuchak’s daughter is brazenly roaming the woods with the new herdsman.
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Heer threatens Kaido with dire consequences and demands that he return the choori he took from Ranjha, fearful that it would be evidence of her doting on the cowherd.
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Heer races to catch up with Kaido and descends upon him like one of the Furies, throwing him to the ground and thrashing him.
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In dismay Heer tells Ranjha that he should have bene more careful, who responds that he did not know Kaido was spying on them; he had just seen a disabled beggar begging for food, not realizing that he had ill intentions. Interestingly, rather than chasing Kaido himself, Ranjha asks Heer to do so, suggesting that she first reason with him and then use force if necessary to keep him quiet. Once again the poet is emphasizing his heroine’s proud and forceful mein.
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Heer, realizing that the person who approached Ranjha was Kaido is, distraught. She declares that Kaido is a trouble maker who will surely go to her parents and tell them about their daughter’s meeting the new herdsman in the woods.
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Kaido approaches Ranjha and begs for food, claiming to be hungry and the lad gives him a fistful of the choori that Heer has brought him. When Heer returns from the river, where she had gone to fetch water, Ranjha tells her about the disabled man who approached him, wondering if he was a mendicant, unaware of the storm that is about to burst.
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The narrative moves forward rapidly; even as the poet paints an idyllic picture of Ranjha grazing the herd and Heer bringing him a lavish meal, a new character, Kaido is introduced. The lame Kaido is presented as a malevolent presence as he roots around trying to find the source of the pleasant smell of food that has been wafting to his keen nose.
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Waris Shah has his hero encounter the five most storied Sufi saints familiar to the people in his time. Khawja Khizr, the immortal patron sant of mariners, who had drunk from the fountain of life, Sheikh Farid, the first great poet of the Punjabi language, whose shrine at Pak Pattan is considered a portal to heaven, Bahauddin Zakriya, perhaps the most widely revered Sufi Saint in Punjab, Syed Jajal Bukharia, who was said to have traveld the world and who had received instruction form three hundred masters, and Lal Shabaz Qalandar, the beloved Pir of Punjab and Sind, who in lore, had resisted the charms of a maiden of paradise who had been sent to him. Ranjha’s meeting with the Pirs, empowers him, shrouds him in spiritual glory, and most importantly confers divine saction upon his relationship with Hir, which is about to begin. Their gifts are also richly symbolic, investing him with both status and piety.
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Ranjha enters the woods with Chuchak’s herd on a hot day and encounters five saints, who bless him by saying that he will feast on fine food and will drink rich milk. When they tell him that he should not be gloomy, Ranjha boldly petitions them, asking them to bequeath a beautiful lass upon him. The five saints respond by declaring that Heer is his divinel ordained companion and direct him to petition them in times of trouble.
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Realizing that Ranjha, who hails from a proud and affluent clan, is not likely to take to servitude well, Heer tries to reassure him. Fearing that the village lads will mock him for being a servant and taunt him saying that he would have to subsit on nothing other than a small bowl of milk, Heer assures him that he will be fed delicacies such as butter, sugar and fried parathas, which are the food of honored guests or pampered sons-in-law. She asks Ranjha to put his faith in God and reminds him that his real purpose for being in Chuchak’s service is to be near her and that he should not worry too much about tending to the herd.
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Heer excitedly goes to her mother and tells her that she has engaged a sikful cowherd, who will keep their cattle from straying. While she extols Ranjha’s virtues as a cowherd, she hides the fact that she is attracted to him, yet, she lets slip that he is from a noble Jatt clan, inadvertently showing her real intent.
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Heer ptotests to her father that Ranjha, wise and fair, will be a huge asset to him when disputes relating to cattle straying, or being stolen are brought to the village council. She declares that he is also adept at measuring and marking land, implying that he will be useful if there are any disputes over land. He is fearless and vigilant she says, and will oversee the herd with an eagle eye, taking care that cattle that stray from the herd are not lost and fearlessly recovering them if they are rustled. By focusing on all the worries of a man of property who owns cattle, she is craftily building a case that Ranjha should be taken into her father’s employ.
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Chuchak agrees to engage Ranjha and commands Heer to turn over his herds to him. At the same time he admoinishes Ranjha, reminding him to stay vigilant and maintain tight control over the herd, which tends to wander. Observing that Ranjha is new at herding, Chuchak cautions him against getting engrossed in play, indirectly reiterating his suspicions about Ranjha’s amorous intentions towards Heer, for neglecting the herd and letting it run wild would invite serious consequences.
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Chuchak continues to express his misgivings, musing if the lad kows anything about the ways of the Dogar Jatts, who claim noble descent and are a proud people. Using Chuchak as his mouthpiece, Waris Shah is commenting on the fractious nature of the somewhat haughty Jatt clans, who are often embroiled in disputes about the ownership of cattle that have strayed or have been stolen, which are resolved by the village council. Chuchak is questioning if the callow Ranjha will be able to represent his master in the village council if any doubts arise about the ownership of the herds he is being asked to tend. Then Chuchak proceeds to express further misgivings; clearly news has traveled of Ranjha’s quarrel with his brothers and sisters-in-law and he wonders if the lad is at fault. Finally, he expresses his biggest fear; does the handsome lad, who has left his home and is now living like a vagabond, have his eyes on the Sial lasses, whose beauty is legendary.
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Heer continues to advocate for Ranjha, telling her father of his pedigree, his origins and his virtues, perhaps appearing to present a suitor rather than a potential servant!
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Intensely suspicious of Ranjha, Chuchak unleashes a barrage of questions about his antecedents and the reason for his leaving home and wandering. He sarcastically compares Ranjha to a chief at the head of a rampaging army, marching to the sound of kettledrums! He is particularly interested in learning about Ranjha’s clan and wants to know his intentions, suspecting that the lad has designs on his daughter.
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