BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
MUSHARRAF ALI FAROOQI INVENTS A NEW MYTHOLOGY THAT REVISES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS AND NATURE
TThe Qissa—an oral storytelling tradition popular in South Asia—portrays sociological realities of the communities it represents: customs, practices, aspirations and fears. But Qissas are also a way of critiquing paradigms and oppressive institutions, challenging power at all levels. Often
Qissas are portrayed as love stories, but on a deeper level, they are platforms to express defiance and rebellion.
True to form, this story, presented by Farooqi as a Qissa, challenges the social norms of the time and culture it is set in: the medieval caliphate of Baghdad. The protagonist is Governor
Juvayni and his advisor, the geographer, physician, astronomer and authority on religion, Qazwini. When presented with an odd gift—a ferocious and possibly ominous merman—the Governor asks his advisor what should be done. Qazwini suggests studying the beast. To study the merman, they pair him with a slave girl and so the cross-species lovers become the centre of the narrative.
In the tale, we see how a deeply-rooted patriarchy allows men to be leaders and administrators, researchers and writers, philosophers and thinkers; while women are relegated to the role of sex slaves. The female protagonist is fiery and defiant, expressing desire and lust, yes, but this only makes her more of an outcast. Her healthy sexual appetite is seen as depraved, wanton and lewd. Her sexuality is her only power and she uses it to save herself. By teasing and taunting the merman, she seduces him. She doesn’t quake before his ferocity. The love that grows between the two, symbolises the conflicted relationship between humans and nature, known and unknown, civilised and wild.
Qissas tend to be understood as legends, myths, fairy tales, fables, parables and allegories. As such, this Qissa includes many magical elements from the pages of a ‘book of power’ which presents demons from Islamic fabulist folk-stories to English readers. In doing so, the writer offers us a mythology we are largely unfamiliar with. In the end, you feel satisfied, but also curious. You feel you want to read more of Farooqi. ■