Kabuliwallah- Summary, Themes, Characters, and Analysis | Rabindranath Tagore

About the author

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) is an Indian poet, Short-story writer, playwright, novelist, social reformer, and painter. He composed national anthems of India and Bangladesh. He mainly wrote in Bengali. He won the Nobel Prize in 1913 for ‘Gitanjali’.

a cartoonish looking woman holding a bowl of foodKabuliwallah: A Tale of Love, Friendship, and Fatherhood

  • Kabuliwallah a tale of love beyond words. It is a fictional short story that revolves around an unusual friendship between Mini, a five-year-old girl, and Rahmat, a Kabuliwallah. The story concludes with an unspoken bond of fatherhood that Rahmat shares with Mini, reminding him of his own daughter, Parbati.

  • The entire story is narrated from a first-person perspective.

  • The main themes of the story include love, friendship, fatherhood, and humanity.

  • The story conveys a profound message that fatherhood is a universal emotion that transcends caste, creed, and profession.

     

Important Word Meanings

♦vexed-angry, ♦prattle- talk about unnecessary things, ♦stole- roam, ♦embark-to begin a journey, ♦darting off- moving swiftly, ♦murmured- whispered, ♦involuntarily- without will, ♦contrived- planned, ♦overlook-fail to notice, ♦castle- a large building, ♦escape- elude, ♦wore- put on, ♦terror- fear, ♦pedlar- hawker, ♦entered- stepped into, ♦precarious- dangerous, ♦impulse- sudden desire, ♦frontier- borderline, ♦tempted- entice to do something, ♦clung- hold on tightly to, ♦startled- surprised, ♦stuffed- filled, ♦demur- protest, ♦pounced- jumped, ♦impending- forthcoming, ♦disaster- trouble, ♦bribery-something that serves to induce, ♦quaint-unusual and strange, ♦gigantic- large, ♦ripple- small waves, ♦nasal-related to nose, ♦merriment-fun making, ♦witticism- humorous remark, ♦fascinating- attractive,

Summary of Kabuliwallah

When the narrator was writing the seventeenth chapter of his novel, his five-year-old daughter Mini stole in his room, and asked various questions without waiting for any answer. Later she was drumming on her knees, and a Kabuliwallah passed by the road. In the meantime, she called him, and he also came, but she did not come out. The narrator talked to the Kabuliwallah, made some small purchases, and brought Mini out to get her rid of his blind faith that there were two or three children like her in the Kabuliwallah’s bag. Mini came out and looked at the Kabuliwallah and his bag but did not talk to him on their first meeting. But later she became a friend of him as the Kabuliwallah had removed her fear by bribing her with nuts and raisins.

Every year Rahmat, the Kabuliwallah used to go to his country in January, so he collected his debts. One morning the narrator was correcting his proof streets, and heard an uproar, and came to know how Rahmat hit someone and got imprisoned.After several years Mini became quite mature, and made some new friends, and spent time with girls instead of her father. The narrator had arranged her marriage during the Puja Holidays in autumn.

Rahmat got released from jail this time and he reached Mini’s home on her wedding day. Then the narrator did not recognize him, but his smile made him Known to the narrator again. The narrator talked to Rahmat and instructed him to come another day. Rahmat was also going to leave but came back to give nuts and raisins to the narrator for Mini. The narrator went to pay him for his goods, but he pleaded not to pay money to him. Then, he brought out a small dirty piece of paper containing the impression of an ink-smeared hand of his daughter, and the narrator realized how he and Rahmat both were in the same plight with the same feelings towards their daughters. Therefore, he gifted a bank note to Rahmat so that he could meet his daughter in his country and wished the long-awaited meeting between Rahmat and his daughter would bless Mini with good fortune. Though his gift of a banknote to Rahmat made him curtail light and music from his daughter’s wedding, Mini’s wedding seemed to be brighter to the narrator of his thought that a long-lost father met with his daughter in a distant land.

Main Characters in Kabuliwallah

Rahmat – The Kabuliwallah

Rahmat, the Kabuliwallah is an honest, friendly, and brave vendor from Afganistan. He observes his daughter in Mini and brings nuts and raisins for her out of his love and affection, but not to make a profit. He observes hits someone falsely denies paying his debt, and gets imprisonment, but remembers Mini. So after getting released from jail he comes to meet Mini. When he brings out a small dirty piece of paper containing the impression of an ink-smeared hand of his daughter, he reveals how he loves his daughter and why he has so much fondness and affection for Mini. Overall, his relationship with Mini genuinely depicts the essence of fatherhood and friendliness.

Mini – The Talkative Girl

In the story ‘Kabuliwallah’, Mini appears twice and plays a pivotal role in the story. Once she appears as a five-year-old little girl who is talkative, active, and curious when she becomes a friend with Rahmat, the Kabuliwallah. Later, she appears as a grown-up girl who is mature and feels ashamed after hearing about her in-law’s house.

Mini’s Father – The Narrator

In the story ‘Kabuliwallah, Mini’s father is the narrator of the story ‘Kabuliwallah’, a kind-hearted person and a writer by profession. As a person, he is full of patience, imagination, and sensitivity. He listens to Mini when she has several questions to ask due to his patience. With the brush of imagination, he paints various pictures of the mountains, the glens, and the forests of his distant home. He talks to Rahman about Abdurrahman, the Russians, the English, and Frontier policy as a down-to-earth person. He realizes how he is in the same plight as the Rahmat as a father. In the end, he gifts a banknote to Rahmat by curtailing light and music from his daughter’s wedding and holds the greatest humanistic values through his sacrifice.

Mini’s Mother-A Timid Woman

Mini’s mother is so timid lady that after hearing any noise or seeing people coming towards the house, she concludes that they are either thieves, drunkards, snakes, tigers, malaria or cock roaches, Caterpillars, or an English sailor. After experiencing it for a long time she is not able to overcome her terror. She is very conscious of her daughter and she has so many doubts about the Kabuliwallah, so she wants the narrator to keep a watchful eye on Kabuliwallah.

Kabuliwallah Theme and Moral Lesson

In the story, “Kabuliwallah’ Rabindranath Tagore describes how Mini, a little girl becomes a friend of Rahamat, the Kabuliwallah who is a grownup fellow. This story discovers inherent fatherhood that the narrator realizes after being informed about Rahmat’s daughter, Parboti. This story portrays the selfless and pure love of Kabuliwallah to Mini when Rahmat bribes Mini nuts and raisins, and he meets her as he observes his daughter in her. This story paints the story of Kabuliwala’s separation and the narrator’s empathy for another father. The narrator curtails light and music from Mini’s wedding to give money to Kabuliwalah so that he can meet his daughter, and this way he also holds the greatest humanistic values by his sacrifice. So, this story depicts human emotions along with many themes such as fatherhood, friendship, sacrifice, separation, selfless love, and the relationship between India and Afghanistan.

Disclaimer: This content is created solely for educational and informational purposes. It draws upon publicly available educational materials, literary texts, and the author’s own interpretation. All summaries, analyses, and explanations are original and intended to support learning. No copyright infringement is intended.