salt and saffron capter 4th

Aliya meets one of her Indian relatives at her Zainab phupi’splace.

Aliya “was wearing the T-shirt with bullet hole in it.”

The bullet hole was made because of the Shi’a Sunni conflict that was going on in Pakistan during that time, Aliya’s dhobi was attacked because he was a Shi’a.

The story continues when Aliya talks about the lady named “Prufrock” whom she met at her Zainab Phupi's house.

Dadi feels uncomfortable rather sad and desperate when she hears about the lady.

Dadi couldn’t bear the tragic phenomenon of the partition time

when they both were separated due to different ideologies.

“Fifty years on from Partition…” and the conflicts are still not

been solved.

After fifty years Baji and Dadi are still carrying differences

amongst themselves.

The story then comes to the journey of Aliya and Samia when

they both goes to meet Baji and meet Khaleel Butt.

Aliya seemed to have been impressed by Khaleel’s personality

and so did Samia but they soon rejects him because he just belong

to the area of “Liaquatabad”.

The chapter ends where Aliya and Samia finally reaches the

destination where they enter into the apartment of Baji and fails to

get her blessings.

Here in chapter 4th – two characters are introduced

• Era of 2000.

• 1st paragraph gives insight into Shi’a/Sunni conflict.

• Bullet hole T-shirt story.

• Motive of being sectarian was not made such visible.

• “Cigarettes are to me what coffee spoons were to Prufrock”

• Prufrock = Poem by T.S Elliot – The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock

• Poetic lines:

“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons”

• Coffee spoons are very small, if you measure life with them it will take a long time and effort.

“Blood is thicker than time, blood is thicker (pg. 28) – Dadi still loves her sister,

She sat on cold marble floor and wept.

Aliya’s language and tone suggests her love for Mariam apa, as she states in chapter 4th “Mariam apa wrapping her arms around Dadi and rocking her into silence” (pg. 28,31)

o Aisle seat man was named as Khaleel,

o Cal (Caleb) in England,

o American green card holder,

o Birthplace – Karachi, Pakistan,

o Parent’s home in Liaquatabad, Karachi.

• Aliya held her hands against Khaleel’s– she says “what sacred power is invested in hands?”

• “This is not to say I was having pious thoughts.”

CLASS

DISCRIMINATION

Aliya and Samia –“You know what most of Karachi calls our part of town? Disneyland”

“The poor lives in Liaquatabad. The poor , the lower classes, the not-us”