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The Narrator’s Wife / Mini’s Mother
The narrator refers to Rahamat’s daughter back in Afghanistan as “his little mountain-dwelling Parvati,” suggesting that that’s her name. Rahamat only mentions his daughter at the end of the story when he reveals to the narrator that he always carries around a paper with her handprint on it to remind him of her. Mini also reminds Rahamat of Parvati, which is why he makes such an effort to get to know her. While he is in Calcutta and unable to be present in his daughter’s life, Mini becomes a stand-in for Parvati, and the interactions between Rahamat and Mini closely resemble a father-daughter relationship. Although she does not make an appearance in the story, Parvati is the reason that the narrator is able to finally form a real, meaningful connection with Rahamat. Despite their differences in culture and social class—and Rahamat’s newfound status as a criminal—both men are united by their fatherly love for their daughters. At the end of the story, the narrator gives Rahamat money from Mini’s wedding fund so that he can return to Afghanistan and his now-grown-up daughter.
Parvati Quotes in Kabuliwala
The Kabuliwala quotes below are all either spoken by Parvati or refer to Parvati . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Kabuliwala Quotes
Every year Rahamat carried this memento of his daughter in his breast-pocket when he came to sell raisins in Calcutta’s streets: as if the touch of that soft, small, childish hand brought solace to his huge, homesick breast. My eyes swam at the sight of it. I forgot then that he was an Afghan raisin-seller and I was a Bengali Babu. I understood then that he was as I am, that he was a father just as I am a father. The handprint of his little mountain-dwelling Parvati reminded me of my own Mini.
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The narrator tells the Kabuliwala that he needs to leave when he suddenly shows up unannounced in the narrator’s study on the day of Mini’s wedding, but as he is going the Kabuliwala reveals to the narrator that he has only come for love of his own daughter, Parvati. The revelation takes the narrator by surprise, although, in hindsight, it explains why Rahamat was so enthusiastic about befriending Mini. The placement of Parvati’s handprint on a piece of paper kept close to Rahamat’s heart shows just how much he loved and missed his daughter, even during his eight long years Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore cor
Mini left the room, and Rahamat, sighing deeply, sat down on the floor. He suddenly understood clearly that his own daughter would have grown up too since he last saw her, and with her too he would have to become re-acquainted: he would not find her exactly as she was before. Who knew what had happened to her these eight years?
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The narrator grants the Kabuliwala’s request to see Mini one more time, but when she comes down and Rahamat tries to rekindle their friendship by repeating an old joke, she becomes timid and turns away from him without responding. When Mini was a precocious five-year-old and Rahamat first met her, she became a surrogate for his own daughter of a similar age, Parvati. Just as Mini reminded him of his daughter during their friendship, Mini’s unfavorable reaction towards Rahamat serves as a disheartening warning for what his own daughter might be like when he finally sees her again. Rahamat kept Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis
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Parvati Character Timeline in Kabuliwala
The timeline below shows where the character Parvati appears in Kabuliwala. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Kabuliwala
...as I am”: a father. The handprint on the paper, belonging to Rahamat’s “little mountain-dwelling Parvati,” reminds the narrator of his own daughter, and so he sends word for Mini to...
(full context)
...and tells him to go back to Afghanistan, and that by his “blessed reunion [with Parvati], Mini will be blessed.” The money he gives the Kabuliwala means that the wedding will...
(full context)
