Afro-Asian Literature: Rabindranath Tagore

1. Cabulliwallah
Author: Rabindranath Tagore
The Cabuliwallah

2. !
Objectives:
At the end of the lesson 100%
of the students with 85% proficiency
in English Language will be able to:
1. Determine the different elements
of the short story entitled
Cabuliwallah.
2. Appreciate the author as well as
the short story of India through
analysis.
3. Share some insights in relation to
the short story through
discussion.

3. So here’s a short video clip of the story
Cabuliwallah for a better
understanding

4. movie

5. We will now proceed to the Motivational Activity
“Who am I?”
I am going to show you pictures and few description of the
person related to the story Cabuliwallah and all you have to
do is to identify them.
You have to let us finish first the description and wait for the
magic word “who am I” before you raise your hand.
So if you know the answer raise your hand and earn prizes.

6. ARE YOU READY?

7. 1. He lives between 1861 to 1941and
he was the youngest son of
Debendranath Tagore, a leader of the
Brahmo Samaj, which was a new
religious sector in nineteenth-century
Bengal and which attempted a revival
of the ultimate monistic basis of
Hinduism as laid down in the
Upanishads.
• He was educated at home; and
although at seventeen he was sent to
England for formal schooling, he did
not finish his studies there.
WHO IS HE?

8. 2. She is a little naive girl who is very
energetic.
She was once afraid of the Cabuliwallah
which refers to a fruit seller from Kabul.
Later, she got married.
In the story she displays dynamic
character as she matures.
WHO IS SHE?

9. 3. He a fruit seller in Kabul.
He also has daughter. He was put into
jail because he stabbed a man who did
not pay him and denied his debt to
him. In the story he has a dynamic
character, directly characterized in the
story and plays a major role in it.
WHO IS HE?

10. There are many other characters that
we will meet in the story Cabuliwallah
but before that let us have a short trivia
question to the origin of the story.
This time I will say the magic word
“where is it?
READY?

11. This is flag of the country I
am referring to. The top band is
Saffron colour, indicating the
strength and courage of the
country. The white middle band
indicates peace and truth with Dharma
Chakra. The last band is green in colour shows the fertility,
growth and auspiciousness of the land. And it was Gandhi
who first proposed a flag in 1921. The flag was designed by
Pingali Venkayya. In the centre was a traditional spinning
wheel, symbolising Gandhi's goal of making this country a
self-reliant by fabricating their own clothing.
WHERE IS IT?

12. So we will now
proceed to the
plot of the story

13. Expository/Beginning:
The story starts when
Mini, a talkative 5-year
old girl, meets a
Cabuliwallah.

14. Setting:
Father-in-law's house has two
meanings. One meaning to it is the
normal one, the other meaning
refers to the prison.
The story might had happened in
Calcutta India aroung 1957.

15. Conflict:
Mini thinks that
Cabuliwallah kidnaps
children and put inside his
bag.

16. Complication:
They became close friends and
they began talking about
to “father in law’s house’ and
their friendship worries much
the mother of Mini.

17. Climax:
Cabuliwallah was collecting the
payment from his customer but
his customer denied his debt to
Cabuliwallah and so Rahman
stabbed the man and as a result,
Rahman was put into jail.

18. Denoument:
Rahman was released from jail, he
went straight to Mini’s place, who
about to be married. He tried to
revive their friendship but he failed.

19. Resolution:
Rahman traveled back to his own
country to reunite with his
daughter again.

20. lea part
Lets resume the game!
Okay
Ma’am!

21. lea part
Conflict:
Q: What do you think is
the conflict of the story?
Man Vs
Man

22. lea part Cultural Symbolism:
Q: What do you think is
the Cultural Symbolism
of the story?
Abundance
in what they
call “Bombay

23. lea part Cultural Symbolism:
Q: What do you think is
the Cultural Symbolism
of the story?
Abundance
in what they
call
“Bombay”

24. lea part That’s correct!
Here are some added
information!

25. lea part Tagore writes two symbolic father figures: the narrator and
Rahman. The narrator is not Mini’s biological father, but he loves
Mini so deeply as his own daughter. When Mini asks him
different strange questions, he is very patient and tries to give
Mini answers, even when he is working on his novel. Rahman is
not Mini’s father, too, he is just a traveling seller, but he always
talks with Mini in smile, and he gives Mini gifts and warm regard.
After he comes out from the prison, the first thing he does is visit
Mini. Rahman has biological daughter, but he cannot come back
to his hometown maybe because of some reasons. Therefore, to
some extent he treats Mini just as his biological daughter.
Though these two fathers come from different class, they pay
equal affection to Mini as surrogate father, and they are on the
same level as a symbolic father. Tagore may indicate that a
lower-class person also has sincere love, and he can be a great
father, not only a great biological father but also a great
surrogate father. There is always nice emotion in the world, and it
is independent of money or social status.

26. lea part Theme:
Q: What do you think is
the Theme of the Story?
. . . . . . . .

27. lea part
Theme is the significance of
a father’s love for his child
also it shows that
relationship specially of
friendship does not
depends on the age or
origin/culture.

28. lea part We will now proceed to the last element the
Style:
IRONY:
His being nice and friendly to mini opposes the
fact that he stabbed a man.
FLASH FORWARD:
Time passed so fast, it skipped the time from Mini
to being a toddler; it also skipped the time spent
in jail up to Mini’s Marriage.
They had a talk
FORESHADOWING:
about the “father-in-law’s house” which refers to
Jail where Rahman was imprisoned later in the
story.

29. So that’s the story of
Cabuliwallah
Thank you for listening!