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BARSA
They called her ‘Barsa’ in Arabic. Barsa—the one who does not veil her face, the one who does not bow her head, the one who asks questions.
Sabitha and Rasheed, a young couple and doctors both, leave their homeland in Kerala to work in the holy city of Mecca. The story spans the six years they spend in Mecca. Not a Muslim by birth, Sabitha has converted to Islam for marriage. In her time in Mecca, she observes, experiences and questions the restrictions to which women around her are subjected, even as she faces challenges of her own and finally understands that religion is experienced and lived differently in different parts of the world. A powerful comment on religion, gender, patriarchy and spirituality, and how the experience of religion can be different for men and women, this is the first-ever English translation of a celebrated novel in the original Malayalam by a valiant Muslim female voice.
Kadeeja Mumtas is currently the Vice President of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi.
K M Sherrif teaches English at the University of Calicut in Kerala.
Sabitha and Rasheed, a young couple and doctors both, leave their homeland in Kerala to work in the holy city of Mecca. The story spans the six years they spend in Mecca. Not a Muslim by birth, Sabitha has converted to Islam for marriage. In her time in Mecca, she observes, experiences and questions the restrictions to which women around her are subjected, even as she faces challenges of her own and finally understands that religion is experienced and lived differently in different parts of the world. A powerful comment on religion, gender, patriarchy and spirituality, and how the experience of religion can be different for men and women, this is the first-ever English translation of a celebrated novel in the original Malayalam by a valiant Muslim female voice.
Kadeeja Mumtas is currently the Vice President of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi.
K M Sherrif teaches English at the University of Calicut in Kerala.
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 14, 2017
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 4, 2023
The narration and opinions of Khadeeja Mumtas in this book about Muslim women's lives in the Middle East take a whole new perspective after the recent events that happened in Iran. This book was written over a decade ago regarding the life of Muslim women in Middle Eastern countries. But I think all the problems discussed by the author regarding the difficulties faced by women through the protagonist are much more important today.
The author is one of the few Medical Doctors who also excelled in the field of literature, like their professional life. This book by her was both a critical success and a popular success. It helped her win the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award,
This book discusses the lives of Malayalis in Saudi Arabia. We can see the good and bad parts of life in the Middle East. We can see racism and the approach of a few people toward Muslim women. This is one of the best books describing Muslim women's expatriate lives in the Middle East.
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The author is one of the few Medical Doctors who also excelled in the field of literature, like their professional life. This book by her was both a critical success and a popular success. It helped her win the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award,
This book discusses the lives of Malayalis in Saudi Arabia. We can see the good and bad parts of life in the Middle East. We can see racism and the approach of a few people toward Muslim women. This is one of the best books describing Muslim women's expatriate lives in the Middle East.
—————————————————————————
You can also follow me on
Instagram ID - Dasfill | YouTube Channel ID - Dasfill | YouTube Health Channel ID - Dasfill - Health | YouTube Malayalam Channel ID - Dasfill - Malayalam | Twitter ID - Dasfill1 | Snapchat ID - Dasfill | Facebook ID - Dasfill | TikTok ID - Dasfill1
November 4, 2018
Thanks to my extremely knowledgeable friend (no sarcasm intended), I have started reading a lot more books from translated fiction, especially from Indian literature. I go around scouting bookshops for the latest translated works along with my friend, and we pick a few each time before deciding on the ones to add to our collection. ‘Barsa’ by Khadija Mumtaz drew me into an interesting portrayal of life for Malayali Indians in Saudi Arabia. I had earlier read one or two memoirs based on life in Saudi Arabia, but this was the first book that I was reading that threw more light on life in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The problem was that although I came back more enlightened about Islam, I really wasn’t sure if that enlightenment served a purpose since I am not going to marry a Muslim any time soon.
As a book that drew on characters for its foundation, I found the characters to be too weak, floating all around the surface of my vision. In the end, I was left wondering what it was all about. Was there any point in the dialogues on the attitudes of Islam towards women? What was the point of it all? Perhaps, as a denouement on that home is where your roots are, yes. But this is a rather weak cup of tea for me, no offence intended to the author’s brave effort.
As a book that drew on characters for its foundation, I found the characters to be too weak, floating all around the surface of my vision. In the end, I was left wondering what it was all about. Was there any point in the dialogues on the attitudes of Islam towards women? What was the point of it all? Perhaps, as a denouement on that home is where your roots are, yes. But this is a rather weak cup of tea for me, no offence intended to the author’s brave effort.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews