After the lull, the storm. We are up and running again and moving through more fast-paced events in the lives of our protagonists. Ali is failing in trying to win over his son with presents and power. Rumi rebuffing all his efforts runs away to ‘Sham pleading to be taken back to Sania.

The scenes between Ali and ‘Sham were intense and their exchange is echoing in Ali’s ears. In quieter scenes with his mother, Ali realizes the folly of his ways. Despite his very real love for his son, Ali is also faced with the reality of his inability to care for him. His forceful ways will only do more harm and the hurt in Rumi’s heart will fester not heal.

I can’t help but think Ali is always in flight mode when dealing with his problems and I give him some props for not treading the authoritarian male path and sending Rumi back to Sania- despite that ‘make sure you raise him with good values’ dialogue. Maybe he means not like the way my mother raised me? If there was comeuppance for anyone in this episode, it was definitely for her.

Now we know where Ali gets his oscillating traits! While he was fluctuating between authoritarian and caring, she’s blowing hot and blowing cold. Her mind chugging along faster than a speeding bullet to pack off Rumi to his mother as ‘punishment’ so she would see the errors of her ways to pleading with Ali to bring Sania back and then pushing Ali to remarry so that someone would take care of her.  Her call to Sania too was too little, too late.

Well, I suppose apples never fall far from the trees. She sees her selfish and narrow worldview reflected in her sons own self-centered solution. Ali, having signed, sealed and then delivered her to the old-age home is fleeing from his responsibilities rather than facing them. This is how I felt about him divorcing Sania and sending Rumi off too. Ali remains the most unidimensional character despite attempts to show his softer side – maybe he just couldn’t rise above his genes.

As for Sania, I’ve been harping on her quiet acceptance for a while, and from conversations (listen to our latest radio show) and comments, lots of folks have countered that silence is strength. There is a time for silence, and there is a time to speak up. I agree that her character would not do anything melodramatic and needed some time for introspection, but I believed her self-assuredness would make her speak up-if only once-to say she is innocent.

I wonder if we are now ushering in a silent suffering Sanias as a new stereotype? Cloaked in ‘dignity’ of silence, not fighting for what is truly their right. Right to the truth, Right to their home, Right to their children. Are we going to continue to tell women as Sania’s mother does, that a woman’s place in in her husband’s home and there is no other possibility? Real life proves otherwise.

At such crossroads women also need support – moral and financial. By shutting out her mother who senses something is wrong, and parading women taking each other down– Seherish (stay away from my man!) and the khawateen of the Aziz bhai’s household( stay away from our home!) aren’t we degrading in some way bonds of sisterhood?  Silence is not golden, not in my book anyway.

‘Sham and Seherish are also struggling but this burying the truth in the background is annoying me. I wish ‘Sham would also spell out – again, if only once – that he is not in the wrong. Their relationship has soured and is turning as toxic as Mahum’s poisonous mind.

I suspect we will see a breakdown of their relationship in future episodes.

MM (aka A musing Muslim)