Preparing a Dowry
My beautiful daughter, Phulan is getting married this Ramadan. Her fiance is my nephew Hamir. I cannot wait for the wedding! I am praying for sons every day! But with only a few months left until the wedding, I still need to get the dowry finished! I do not even have half of the money, jewelry or clothes yet. That is why I have brought 15 of my finest camels to the Sibi fair. I have promised my youngest daughter, Shabanu that we will not sell our most exceptional camel, Gulaband, but the offers are tempting. The highest offers are from governments, but I will not sell Gulaband, only for him to die in war. Nevertheless, there are still good offers from people who actually care for their animals. I am leaning towards an offer from a herder who from Zhob. The deal on the table is 30,000 rupees for a bunch of females, a few calves. That is a good deal, I think as I accept. Right after, a man wants to buy Tipu for 18,000! Of course, that is a deal! I can only accept the highest deals, or else I will lose potential money. But those deals need to come fast because it costs 20 rupees a day just to feed them! You need every rupee for a good dowry! I am still very short of my goal, and my best camels are gone. I think I need to sell Gulaband, even against Shabanu’s will. I have my head in the clouds thinking of the offers I will get! I am so joyful, and Shabanu has done so well selling the saddles, I send her off to get food for a feast tonight! with my belly full, I drift off into sleep, only to be awakened by Wardak, and Afghan who wants the males, screaming. I go out, and after a lot more screaming and bargaining, the deal is done. For all the males, even Gulaband, I get 150,000 rupees! Shabanu comes out screaming, but I stop her before any harm is done. I am very pleased, as now I have almost completed the dowry!
How To Survive Life in the Desert
Life in the desert is very, very tough. From sandstorms to monsoon rains, here is a step by step guide on how to survive life in the desert:
Shelter: Mud huts are the best option. You do not want something too permanent, as you are constantly moving.
Food/Water: The toba dictates whether you are staying or moving. If your toba runs out of water, you must move. You need lots of water because that is where your whole herd drinks from. As far as food goes, you eat whatever is suitable. You eat chapatis for nearly every meal.
Monsoon Rains: The holy grail of desert life! You life off of the monsoons, as that is where you get your water.
Sandstorms: A very, very dangerous part of life in the desert. You must secure everything as fast as possible, and make sure everyone is with you. Tend to the herd if you can, but people are more important. If you get lost, tie you turban or chadr to the top of a tree and make a fetal position until you are found. Do not move.
Diary
Today was a rough day. My daughters escaped a bad situation, but my oldest daughter’s groom was killed. We had set up camp near Hamir’s settlement, and it was the afternoon. I sent Shabanu and Phulan to fetch some water, but the landlord, Nazir Mohammad saw them. He was going to rape them! Thinking on her feet, Shabanu threw her jar at him and ran, grabbing Phulan on the way. Mithoo ran back to camp, so we had to move! I told them to go back to Derawar, and I had Sher Dil take the animals. They had to get away, and I needed to settle this. I grabbed a gun from the tent and ran to find Hamir. Nazir Mohammad has already killed a few men, and he would kill each of them without a thought. Still, my family needed to live. Nazir Mohammad was the only one mad, but he has all the power. After a lot of screaming, he killed Hamir, saying, “That is your price.” I quickly got on a camels back and had him run all the way to the camp. When I broke the news, Phulan was devastated. I am grateful to still be alive.