Norma’s Royal Life

Badakhshan Trip

Writer: Sharifa Pasun

11 Oct, 2018

 

To talk with New Home, New Life drama’s audience, I went to Badakhshan on 11 Oct, 2018.  I reached an area where a group of women were gathered. The fresh and warm bread smell attracted me. I found the smell was from Norma’s (alias name) clothes and hands. The black wrinkles on her hands declared that she spends most of her time baking bread on bread oven.

She looked as an inspiration for me so, I wished to know her story and reflect that on drama. Norma described her life:

“I am 40 years old and I have 6 children; 3 daughters and 3 sons. At the very first years of our marriage, we suffered a poor economy. My husband, he everyday went to bazaar to find a work, he did not care about its hardships. He was ready to do whatever job was accessible. Some days he succeeded to work and earn some amount of money. We passed some days with that money. My children always asked for more food, but I denied to give them; I felt fear if they get used to with more food and we may not be able to provide them in the future. 

Those years were good, but afterwards my husband became completely jobless. Sometimes he was even not able to bring bread at home even for a month. Some nights that we did not have dinner, I slept children hungry. I always felt a deep sadden in my heart, anytime I had seen my hungry children. Sometimes I fought with my husband to go and work. We suffered both poor economy and family violence.”

Tears appeared on her eyes and with a sadden voice said: “it is a greatness to beg from Allah, but begging from humans is a big shame.”

She cleaned the tears and continued: “Our good days started after a 19 years old girl who lived in our neighbors had brought me to terated women. They had given me some food as they heard about my life story. The advices of those women whom asked me to start a work and become self-sufficient, had completely changed my life. They said that most women sell Bolani and earn some money.

Their words were in my mind for a long time. I again start worrying because the food which they had helped me was about to finish. I wanted to cook some Bolani with the remaining food. All negative thoughts came to my mind; if my husband do not take them to bazaar for sell, if he takes them to bazaar and people do not buy, then what the hell am I going to do on that time. That will be a big suffer for my family. Finally, a positive thought came in my mind and inspired a little bit positive energy that if he could not sell them at least for a day we will together enjoy eating them.

I was in doubt, but finally I cooked some Bolani. My husband had brought them to bazaar and at the afternoon he came home, happy. Everyone in the family was happy to hear that all Bolaies were sold. We prepared more Bolani with the money which we had earned. After some months our family became self-sufficient. As our son got older we asked him to take the responsibility for selling Bolanies. As the family expenditures decreases day by day so, I thought to start another job beside selling Bolani. Mostly, I used to go to bazaar to see what else can we do. One day I saw teenager girls and boys who were selling home baked bread on wheelbarrows along the street. Cars stopped near them and bought 6, 7 or more breads.

On first days, I just baked about 2Kg flour. My 14 years old son sold them on bazaar. Selling was good so, now I bake about 50Kg per day. My daughter as comes back home from school, she also sells bread.

My older son had left behind from an education; he cooks and sells Bolani to earn some money and I am going to marry him with the money he earns. The other children are going to school with a calm mind. I am very grateful for having such a live which I even had not dreamt about. Though I sometimes feel tired, but it is enjoyable for I serve my family and that feeling gives me more energy. As my last sentence, I want to say that I do not care what people think of me, this life is more than a royal life for me.

I was happy to hear Norma’s story because that had a happy ending. That was also an inspiration for me to think about a positive ending for drama character who suffers poor economy.