Translated fiction: A complicated Hindu-Muslim romance by the first woman writer of Sindh

Asha was a picture of simplicity, indifferent to the idea of dressing up and looking pretty, no matter how much her mother pleaded with her to wear ornaments. But all of a sudden, she seemed like a different person. She was carefully draping a saree and delicately combing her hair. She seemed interested in life, almost as if she loved herself, as though she considered her life precious. She had awakened to the joys of life, which she now wanted to experience with open arms. Her dormant emotions seemed to have been stirred. Seeing Asha’s changed behaviour, Gauri Devi’s joy knew no bounds. She eagerly returned to her deities to thank them. She was convinced that a laughing and happy Asha meant that her daughter was ready to marry. But Shankarlal’s mind was filled with suspicion, and he had new misgivings. He kept a strict eye on his daughter. He despised the thought of Vijay and Aruna, who, he believed, may have been responsible for something devious. One day, he saw Vijay walking with Hamid. Vijay smiled and greeted him, but Shankarlal frowned with displeasure and turned away to go in the opposite direction.

On witnessing such hatred, Hamid was taken...

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