The Tailor

godot,

what a story! and i really enjoyed this translation. there was only one place where it really jarred for me, and it was here: ``next day arrived and ended and the night started to fall.

you are getting better at not using ``the`` where it really isn`t needed in translation, but i think ``next day arrived and ended and night started to fall`` makes it flow much easier.

did the writer use just the acronym UCH throughout the story, and is ``christian hospital`` your addition for clarification? the reason i ask is because there was another hospital that was actually called christian hospital, and UCH was united christian hospital. i lived in the UCH compound for years in one of the houses built for doctors, and i don`t know the exact date of this story but i clearly remember the chain link gate. reading it here made the memory quite vivid for me.

nice work!

Nicely done. Thanks for introducing us to a different writer this time.
Only one thing did the writer really say ``hot Asian nights``? Not Lahori or Pakistani?

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Go.

This was hilarious and sweet. If I am not mistaken, Hijab`s father was a literary figure as well. I like her writings. The emphasis on Eid Kee Taayaaria`n was quite entertaining.

Very interesting story. This kind of story can be read in one go without waiting for the weekend :)

By the way, UCH (United Christian Hospital) has indeed haunted surroundings. I still remember as a 5 year old, my little sister`s amud and the late night drives back and forth between the hospital and my grand-parents` place. I always thought that some ghosts were roaming around near that hospital or were hiding in the garb of human beings. As a result, I was always extra alert. I still do not like the vicinity of UCH(my own birth place) despite having many childhood memories with that place. Since you like drama, action-thriller, suspense kind of stories therefore you must find another Urdu Writer who wrote about GOR-II also known as, Bahawalpur House, Lahore. That was another part of Lahore which was famous for ghosts and churails walking around in broad day light with no dur or khauf. Well, many were found in very eastern and traditional garbs. According to an old myth, those churails were sent to earth with a special mission :) I am sorry but I have forgotten the details of that myth.

I think one of the following writers had written some interesting stories about the churails and ghosts of GOR II - Ashfaq Ahmed, Bano Qudsia, the Pressure Cooker Guy(Sadeeq Salik) or Shafique-ur-Rahman. Do look into it.

Take Care.

Dear Godot,

You have done a wonderful job here. Over the years you have given us many great translations - this is one of your best. Thanks.

This Shimmi remindes me Shimmi of Rajinder Singh Bedis...Came here to find here if any...
Was it Purana Coat or Overcoat...

Anyways Enjoyed reading it...and Knowing about Mrs. Imtiaz Ali Taj...

Cheers,

godot:

Liked the story, and your translation had just the right cryptic touches. Subroto does ask the right question, though I do not think the writer would have talked about ``Lahore/Pakistan ki garam raatein`` unless the characters were Pakistanis of the diaspora getting nostalgic:)

But if it was used, then I think ``hot Asian nights`` sounds better; no LoC ka sawaal here...

PS: Hope you remember your promise...assuming you are observing Ramazan, you may take your time!

Godot:
this was an amazing story..it reminds me of Poe`s writing..he wrote with similar fluidity and his stories too are scary. Awesome translation!
cheerios,
famu

Nice enjoyable story :)

Very well translated.

Thank you for sharing.

It was a bit freaky.
You did a wonderful job translating it.

Kind regards.

Nicely translated!! Just a bit late for Halloween:)

there is one thing i did not get in this nicely written (and translated) story: it appears that the tailor was the angel of death. so he came to take her life. then why did he need to stitch the body bag? thats not something the angels of death do.

or perhaps i am missing some deeper aspect of this fine piece of literature.

no wah-wahs from here, except that it was an easy read.

i was unable to relate to the fear factor. in fact i kept wondering why is the hooting owl scaring someone on a night-prowl in a busy ramad/zan night? and then why does a bodybag need measurement. is it common for two women to go to a darzi to get kafan? i would think its a mans job. does one wait 24 hours for burial?

Nicely done. Once again

#13 Zain:

[it appears that the tailor was the angel of death. so he came to take her life. then why did he need to stitch the body bag? thats not something the angels of death do. ]

True. That`s NOT what the angels of death do, but this angel was trying to respect the wishes of Shimmi. She was seeking a tailor who could stitch her Eid Dress. Now, this angel of death/ghost was trying to comply with her wishes since Shimmi was the one to approach him. Remember, he did not approach her. She approached him. She could have avoided talking to a weird stranger. Probably, he represented fate or destiny or something on those lines. He was roaming around near a hospital. Hospitals represent life and death and illness and cure. And, probably, the women represented innocent and unprepared human beings. Probably, the angel of death was not able to find anyone at the hospital therefore he was roaming around. My two cents.