The House of Djinn (17 page)

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Authors: Suzanne Fisher Staples

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T
he story of the many peoples of the land we know as Pakistan is one of the oldest stories on earth, even though the nation itself is only sixty years old. The land was settled, conquered, and resettled by Indo-Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Arabs, and Afghans; by Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists; and finally by the British, who ruled Pakistan as part of colonial India for almost one hundred years. Together, these peoples contributed to the development of Pakistan as a culturally diverse land.
In 1947 the British departed, leaving behind the independent states of India and Pakistan. Pakistan was founded on the principles of law that govern Britain and the United States, but in parts of the country tribal law prevails. The tribes of the four provinces—Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab, and the North-West Frontier—include large groups such as the Pashtun in the northwest, and other clans that have exerted political influence since 1947.
Many tribal leaders, or sardars, are members of the provincial and national assemblies, and others have served at the highest levels of government. Wealthy sardars keep houses in the national capital at Islamabad or in the provincial capitals where they live when government is in session, or where they run family businesses.
Lahore, where this story takes place, is the capital of Punjab Province. It was one of the seats of power for the Mughal emperors, who ruled the vast lands of the Indian subcontinent for more than two hundred years. Lahore remains the most beautiful, cultured, and interesting city in Pakistan today, with many of its treasures preserved as historical monuments. Still, Punjabi tribal leaders regularly return home to arid, dusty places that are the seats of their tribal lands.
While tribal leadership is usually hereditary, sometimes a ruling sardar will overlook his eldest son in favor of another son or nephew who for one reason or another is more suitable as a leader. The sons of modern tribal leaders—and with increasing frequency their daughters—are often educated abroad, but many return home to assume tribal duties when their families need them.
The language spoken by the fictional Amirzai family and other characters in this story would most likely be Punjabi or Urdu, liberally sprinkled with English, especially idiomatic English. The glossary contains mostly Urdu words, many of Arabic, Persian, or Hindi origin.
Marriages in Pakistan are traditionally arranged. In tribal families, when business and political interests are at stake, a
sense of familial duty may override any objection the bride and groom have to the match on personal grounds. But the personal preferences of the young man and woman are frequently taken into account by parents whose primary interest is in seeing that their son or daughter is happily married with a secure financial future.
The House of Djinn
draws on tribal traditions to create a world that is typical of some families of Pakistani tribal leaders, and not at all typical of others. The patriarch of the fictional Amirzai family is very modern and forward-looking, as some (but not all) sardars are. As in most families, personalities clash, people reconcile, and some go their separate ways. And as in most families—both real and fictional—love is a powerful force that draws imperfect people together in the face of jealousy, greed, and the demands of tradition.
Under the Persimmon Tree
The Green Dog: A Mostly True Story
Shiva's Fire
Dangerous Skies
Haveli
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind
(Pronunciation guide: accented syllable is italicized;
ah
= vowel sound in
call
;
eh
= vowel sound in
check
;
ih
= vowel sound in
chick
;
oh
= vowel sound in
dough
;
uh
= vowel sound in
stuff
;
ai
= vowel sound in
try
;
oo
= vowel sound in
true
;
ooh
= vowel sound in
hoof
;
ee
= vowel sound in
tea
.)
 
Ah-salaam-aleikum
(ah-sah-
lahm
-ah-
leh
-koom)—Peace be upon you
aloo paratha
(ah-
loo
pah-
rahn
-tah)—fried bread containing onion and potato
amrud
(ahm-
rood
)—guava, a yellow, pearlike fruit
annee-jannee
(
ah
-nee-
jah
-nee)—coming and going
atta
(
ah
-tuh)—ground whole-grain wheat
ayah
(
aiy
-uh)—nursemaid or maid
Baba
(
bah
-buh)—Father or Grandfather
Basant
(
buh
-sahnt)—spring festival
beta
(
beh
-tah)—son
bhoondi ladoo
(
boohn
-dee
lah
-doo)—small cakes with raisins and nuts
biryani
(beer-
yah
-nee)—rice cooked with vegetables and/or meat
bukri
(
buh
-kree)—goat
burfi
(
buhr
-fee)—a sweet dish made by boiling milk until it is the consistency of paste
burqa
(
bhur
-kuh)—a traditional head-to-toe covering worn by Islamic women with a lattice of cloth in front of the eyes to allow vision
chador
(
chah
-door)—also a traditional head covering, usually an untailored cloth draped about the head and body
chai
(chaiy)—tea
channa
(
chuhn
-nuh)—chickpeas
chappal
(
chuhp
-puhl)—sandal
charpoi
(
chahr
-poy)—a string cot
chawal
(
chuh
-vuhl)—rice
choti
(
choh
-tee)—little
chowkidar
(
choh
-kee-dahr)—a watchman who stands beside a gate
churidar
(
choor
-ee-dahr)—bias-cut pants with drawstring waist
dahi
(
dah
-hee)—yogurt
darzi
(
duhr
-zee)—tailor
desi
(
deh
-shee)—country, rural
dhobi
(
dhoh
-bee)—washerman
dhurrie
(
dhuh
-ree)—a flat woven rug with no pile
djinni
(
jihn
-ee) (pl: djinn)—a mischievous spirit that can take the shape of a human or a light; its purpose is to teach a lesson
dupatta
(doo-
pah
-tuh)—a long scarf worn loosely over the head
durbar
(
duhr
-buhr)—room where a leader receives followers and official guests
eek, do, teen
(ehk, doh, teen)—one, two, three
gaay
(gaiy)—cow
halwa
(
hahl
-vuh)—dessert dish made with milk and often carrot
haveli
(hah-
veh
-lee)—a private house traditionally with courtyard, often owned by a wealthy family in a city
jalabi
(juh-
leh
-bee)—a pretzel-shaped, deep-fried sweet
Janazah
(juh-
nah
-zuh) (Arabic)—prayer asking forgiveness for the dead
kameez
(kuh-
meez
)—a knee-length tunic worn over loose-fitting trousers
khansama
(khan-
sahm
-muh)—cook
kheer
(keer)—pudding made with either rice or vermicelli
lungi
(
loohn
-gee)—a piece of cloth worn around the hips
mahabbat
(mah-
hah
-baht)—love
maidan
(
maiy
-dahn)—an open space, often a small park in the center of a neighborhood
mali
(
mah
-lee)—gardener
Masha' Allah
(mah-
shah
-luh)—God's will
maulvi
(
mohl
-vee)—a learned Islamic scholar, usually regarded as a holy man
nimbu pani
(
nihm
-boo
pah
-nee)—a drink made with nimbu, a small lime, and pani, water, with either sugar or salt
nimbu soda
(
nihm
-boo
soh
-dah)—a drink made with nimbu, a small lime, and club soda, with either sugar or salt
pakshi
(
pahk
-shee)—bird
paratha
(pah-
rahn
-tah)—fried unleavened bread
purdah
(
puhr
-dah)—literally, a curtain; the practice of keeping women separate and out of sight of men
rasmali
(rahs-muhl-
aiy
)—a pudding made with red carrots
rickshaw
(
rihk
-shah)—here, the three-wheeled taxi in most Indian and Pakistani cities
roti
(
roh
-tee)—bread
rupee
(
roo
-pee)—Pakistani currency
salaams
(sah-
lahms
)—greetings
sardar
(sahr-
dahr
)—title used by Pakistani and Afghan tribal leaders
shalwar
(
shahl
-wahr)—loose-fitting trousers with a drawstring waist
shalwar kameez
(
shahl
-wahr kuh-
meez
)—traditional Punjabi dress for men and women: a long tunic worn over loose-fitting trousers with drawstring waist
shamiana
(
shah
-mee-
yah
-nuh)—a large tent made of colored cloth sewn together in geometric patterns
shatoosh
(shah-
toosh
)—a fine shawl made from the finest chin and belly hairs of wild Himalayan goats
Swati chair
(
swah
-tee chair)—a low wooden chair from the Valley of Swat in northern Pakistan
Uma
(ooh-mah)—Mother
wallah
(
wahl
-luh)—a purveyor, one who sells a product or service
Zamzam
(zahm-zahm)—water from the mosque at the Islamic holy city of Mecca
Copyright © 2008 by Suzanne Fisher Staples
All rights reserved
 
 
The lines of poetry on page 7 were taken from
These Branching Moments: Forty Odes by Jelaluddin Rumi
,
translated by John Moyne and Coleman Barks,
published by Copper Beech Press.
 
 
Designed by Nancy Goldenberg
 
 
eISBN 9781466814387
First eBook Edition : February 2012
 
 
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Staples, Suzanne Fisher.
The house of djinn / Suzanne Fisher Staples.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: An unexpected death brings Shabanu's daughter,
Mumtaz, and nephew, Jameel, both aged fifteen, to the forefront of an attempt to modernize Pakistan, but the teens must both sacrifice their own dreams if they are to meet family and tribal expectations.
[1. Family life—Pakistan—Fiction. 2. Sex role—Fiction.
3. Spirits—Fiction. 4. Pakistan—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.S79346Hou 2010
[Fic]—dc22
2007005093

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