A Teacup in My Hand

[A lone woman has no place in this vicious society...]

How true!

Also, what would have happened had there not been an aunt with a bit of foresight?!

I have never commented on fiction here but your story was a gem! So well constructed and you recreated the whole scenario in such a compelling fashion I could see it unfold in front of my eyes.

Hope you have more tales to tell.

a bit soapy, but thank you for a strong female protagonist!

Really a very nice piece of work,
Heart-touching............
Well Written

Predictable but very nicely written. Kept me engrossed till the end.

Reply to #1, #2, #3, #4:

Thanks for your comments...

#1...without Aunt Samina`s foresight, I suppose, Sonya would have `a real situation` on her hands, as they say!!! Seriously, though, there`s not much in life one can`t achieve if one is determined enough. It just has to be worth the struggle. Thanks for your time...reading and commenting.

#2...Thanks for your kind words...I`m glad you liked my piece...yep, sure do have more tales to tell!! Keep a look out. :-)

#3...yes, agreed... it was a bit soapy because life is a drama of conflicting emotions and diverse perspectives; more and more women are learning to reject other people`s definition of their role/place in the society and defining their own existance...glad you liked the basic idea, and thanks for letting me know!

#4...Thank you so much for your comments...glad you liked the piece...its a topic that affects many lives in our culture...though eastern culture is evolving and we are learning to view gender specific problems in their proper perspective, we still have a long way to go!

Re: # 5
Thank you for commenting on my piece...pleased to know you appreciate my style and found it gripping, albeit predictable!!! :-)

what is the world coming to ! ......... there was a time when a man could have ten twelve wives, half a dozen concubines and an odd boy or two, and the world would accept him as a prophet or a khalifa .......... what happened ? ....... i think it all started when women were given national id cards and allowed to drive and then vote .... astagfirullah ! ......... now we are at a point that women are seen in public sans burqa - not only seen, but some of them also dare to speak in front of men ........... next thing we know ahmedis and hindoos will demand recognition as people and pigs will want equality with sheep and cows ......... verily, these are signs of qaiyamat ........

p.s. the story really belongs in a chick magazine like khawateen digest or hoor - i don`t think it will have much of an audience among the neanderthals on this forum other than the odd girly-man like bjkumar ..........

im a 19 yr old guy.... not sure abt a lot of things in life...
but still can go on to say that this was as touching an article i`ve seen

Re: # 8

Everyone`s entitled to their own opinion...thank you for your feedback.

Touching as it was, the story unfolded with extreme predictability. It was as if i had come across almost all parts of it here and there before. But the flow, the diction and the writing style drew immediate admiration out of me and despite the predictability, kept me reading till the end. Keep writing!!

Re: # 9
`Age` they say, `is a matter of feeling, not of years`... Learning is a life-long process...if we keep an open mind. We learn as we go, each day at a time... enriching ourselves with exposure - evolving, growing and developing into individuals of diverse temperaments and perspectives.

Thank you for your comments. I`m glad you liked my piece.

Re: # 11
Thanks for the comment. Yes, perhaps it was a bit predictable considering the current senario of women`s lib and all...or perhaps only as predictable as life itself, at times!!! Many thanks for appreciating my style, nonetheless! :-)

Just my a comment. I disagree about critiquing the author for ``predictability``. It is the mindest of deeply entrenched gender biases and how they manifest in South Asia that is so predictable (unfortunately). I guess for some they know it so well that it becomes obvious what happens next. I think it rung true because that is how things evolved. What made the story disturbing/compelling is how even a seeimingly devoted couple and a man so in love with his wife finds it so difficult to stand up to familial/cultural pressures. the author is working with limitations of space. Yes the story and mindsets are all to familiar but the structure and form was taut and moved seemlessly from one situation to the next which is an achievement.

I remember reading Jhumpha Lahiri`s stories in ``Intrepreter of Maladies`` and just cringing at the pretentious contivances she attempted to avoid ``predicabilty``. Far more Americans were enthralled and captivated by her tales than Indians. I heard ``Namesake`` is far better.

Re: # 14

which contrivances? i.e. examples

Tahera -

I was thinking about this story yesterday and how I would like it to end (in an ideal situation). But then a lot of these short stories are the results of what our women see or hear around them.

The most interesting aspect of the story focused on Sonya`s transformation from a careless housewife to a punctual care-taker.

In a way, you are also saying that unless women are granted responsibility or have to take steps in life on their own, they do not become mature to take care of themselves.

I am not a fan of fiction, but this was a sweet story.


Hamidm -

I find it real amusing that you remember all the forgotten women magazines from yester- years. It seems that you were really into them...hiding in a corner flipping through the pages before an elder saw you... You are becoming too predictable now. You need to oil the hinges and revive the spark. It`s kind of fading :)