Book Review: ‘Dust of the Caravan’ by Anis Kidwai

“In which corner of the mind do they hide, these memories not only of affection and love, but also those steeped in agony and sorrow, others full of pleasure and joy and some downright absurd? They present themselves even when not summoned, and as much as one may shoo them away, they conquer the mind. Poor unfortunate soul.”

By Areeb Ahmed

Dust of the Caravan collects writings by Anis Kidwai sketching the personal and political journey of a Muslim woman through the the 20th century. Simultaneously a social history of life in rural Awadh in the early 20th century and the birth of the National Movement in the region as well as an account of the traditions of mutual respect and understanding between different faiths in a shared culture and the rupture of those very traditions during Partition, this book is also the story of a woman’s journey from the home into the world and from ‘family values’ towards autonomous beliefs, friendships, and activism.

The volume collects Anis Kidwai’s unfinished memoir of the same name and extracts from a more well-known finished memoir about the Partition, In Freedom’s Shade. They both are supplemented by two sketches on now all but forgotten figures of the national movement, Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew & Mridula Sarabhai, and appended by a feminist short story in the vein of Sultana’s Dream. It all has been translated by her granddaughter, Ayesha Kidwai, quite superbly. She has also written a really comprehensive introduction & provided even more extensive endnotes. Overall, an appreciable selection.

Kidwai’s writing is mellifluous and infectious. Her voice is charming, her anecdotes delightful. She shows unobtrusive attention to detail, a rich candidness that makes you go on reading. She worked on Caravan from 1978 to 1982, when she passed away after a heart attack, and it starts from her birth and goes on till 1926. Kidwai draws an alluring portrait of Muslim life in rural Awadh, especially as a woman who is initially forced to maintain purdah. She talks of her family’s political involvement, “rich in lineage if not in means”, visits, relatives, marriages, and all the intimacies of quotidian life.

I am so happy that we will be reading Anis Kidwai’s memoir, In Freedom’s Shade, next year for the book club in November. It has been extracted here, translated from Urdu by Ayesha Kidwai. Also, DotC cover art is that of an ornamental shijra (family tree or web), modelled on preserved fragments of the ones depicting the Kidwais’ genealogy.

RATING: 4.5/5.
Scintillating, Poignant, Frank.

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