Ameen is 17 when the war breaks out. One Monday evening after supper, he announces he will go to war.
Sonavan shrieks in surprise. You want to leave me alone?
It won't take long, Ma, he assures her. I'll be back soon after training.
That night Sonavan cannot sleep.
After sun-up, she opens the duck coop. The flock streams out, stretches and quacks around her for their morning meal. She takes longer than usual. She mixes water with rice husks in an earthen bowl and puts it down. They gobble it up in five minutes and head for the pond.
Ameen has let the chickens out by then. He lifts his 12-week-old cockerel, Moti, and sits on the veranda. During breakfast he doesn't strike up any conversation. Having noticed Sonavan's puffy eyes, he knows not to mention last night's subject. He casts his glance to the side, down at the cockerel eating rice in silence.
Today is haat bar, market day. Sonavan has arranged the things Ameen will take to the bazaar to sell. Two dozen eggs, a sheaf of areca nuts, a bottle gourd. The bazaar is about a mile away.
Ameen wears his short-sleeved floral shirt over his lungi. He whistles as he looks into the cloudy mirror to comb his hair. Placing the rattan basket on his head before setting off, he hollers: I'm off, Ma.
Sonavan watches him go along the riverbank. For the first time it occurs to her that Ameen has grown up. He has reached the height of his dead father, has his long neck and straight shoulders.
In that moment, Sonavan realizes it's not the war that fascinates Ameen, it's the fighting. Like his dead father, he is crazy about bullfighting, cockfighting, and boat racing. That same stubbornness runs in his blood. Once he decides on something, nothing can stop him.
Her little son! Now a man. Even up to his 15th birthday barely a day passed without neighbours appearing with a slew of complaints. Sometimes one or two showed up from other villages. They peeked into the house and asked, Does Ameen live here?
Sonavan would sigh. What did he do?
Your son stole my date juice! Emptied the juice pots hanging on the date trees!
Sonavan would sigh again. Then ask the visitor to pardon him. She hated saying that she'd raised her son alone. If she could spare them, she would bring half a dozen eggs and hand them to the visitor: please take these for your children.
At night, Sonavan climbs out of her bed, clutches the hurricane lamp and tiptoes into Ameen's room. She stands by his bed and looks at her sleeping son. He snores like his father. He has her light skin tone and button nose. She touches his cheek. His broad forehead. She wishes she could lie beside him tonight. Like the old days, when she slept cuddling her baby.
A warning comes from old Chowkidar's young wife. Watch your rooster, she threatens. I don't want him in my house again.
If someone touches my boy, Sonavan responds, they'll see the consequences.
She grounds Moti for an entire day. It makes him sad. His forlorn captivity crucifies her. She lets him loose the following morning.
Some boys come and ask Sonavan to lend them Moti for cockfighting at a fair. They are happy to pay.
Never, she tells them. He is my son.
Monday dawns without Moti's crowing. His cold body is resting on its right side. Lying against the basket. Eyes closed. His kingly head down.
With Moti's basket in her lap, Sonavan is motionless.
She puts Moti to rest beside her husband's grave. She sighs, plods across the empty yard, steps onto an empty veranda, crawls into an empty home and sits on the edge of an empty bed.
Another morning breaks… Noon and afternoon come and go... The birds in the coops quack and crow... No one lets them out. For the first time, Sonavan's doors do not open.
Answer the following questions:
1. Why is the rooster called Mr. Moti?
The rooster is called Mr. Moti because Sonabhan loves him like her son. She does not see him as just a pet. To her, he is a family member. The name "Moti" means "pearl" in Bengali. Pearls are rare and valuable. The name shows how much she cares for him. She feeds him and protects him. She never lets anyone take him. Some boys want Moti for cockfighting. Sonabhan boldly rejects. She cannot let him get hurt or die.
2. Is the writer trying to compare the son with the rooster? What are the reasons for doing so?
Yes, the writer compares Ameen with Moti. Both are strong and stubborn. Ameen loves fighting and adventure. Moti is also expected to fight. Sonabhan cares for both of them. She cannot stop them from facing dangers. Ameen is like his father, who also loved fights and challenges. Moti dies suddenly. Sonabhan fears Ameen may not return from war. The story shows her love and worries to his child – Ameen and Moti.
3. Why is the story a Bangladeshi story? Which war is referred to in the story?
The story is a Bangladeshi one because it shows our traditional village life. It talks about markets or haats, farming, and cockfighting. It also shows a mother’s love for her son. The war in the story is the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. Many young boys left home to fight. Ameen is one of them. Sonabhan does not want him to go. She knows she cannot stop him. The story shows the pain of many mothers during the war.
4. Do you know what cockfighting is?
Yes, I do. Cockfighting is a sport where two roosters fight. People bet money on the winner. Sometimes, the roosters have sharp blades on their legs. This makes the fight more dangerous. The fight continues until one rooster is too weak or dies. Some people enjoy watching. I have watched some cockfighting videos in YouTube and I think it is cruel. The birds get badly hurt after fighting. In many places, cockfighting is banned because it is too violent.
5. What do you think about the mother-son relationship?
Sonabhan and Ameen share a deep bond of mother and son. Sonabhan’s husband is no more and she raised Ameen alone. She protected and cared for him. When he was younger, Ameen was naughty and playful. He often got into trouble. Sonabhan always forgave him. Now, Ameen is growing up. He wants to join the war of liberation. Sonabhan cannot stop him. She feels proud but afraid. She already lost her husband. She does not want to lose Ameen too. The story shows a mother’s deep love and pain.
6. What does Sonabhan do at night after Ameen goes to bed?
After Ameen goes to bed, Sonabhan quietly enters his room, carrying a hurricane lamp. She stands by his bed, looking at him with love and sadness. She touches his cheek and forehead, remembering how he was as a child. She wants to sleep beside him, but she stops herself.
7. Make a list of words from the story with Cultural Connotations:
Lungi – A traditional garment worn by men in rural areas of Bangladesh.
Bazar – A local market, where people buy and sell goods in a village or town.
Moti – In Bengali, "Moti" means "pearl," which carries a cultural significance of something valuable.
Areca nuts – A common snack and trade item in rural Bangladesh, often sold in markets.
Date juice – A traditional drink of Bangladesh made from the sap of date trees.
Hurricane lamp – A type of oil lamp, often used in rural areas where electricity is not available.
Cockfighting – A traditional, although controversial, activity in rural Bangladesh.
Chowkidar – A guard or watchman of rural area.
8. What are the main themes of the story?
The main themes of the story are war of liberation in 1971, loss of lives, the Bangladeshi motherhood, and emotional emptiness of a poor mother.
9. Write some lines on the emotional emptiness of Sonabhan.
At the end, Sonabhan does not open her door, does not feed the animals, and does not move. This shows how grief can make a person numb and lifeless. She has lost everything—her husband, her rooster, and soon, possibly, her son. The silence of her house is touching and reflects the emptiness in her heart.
10. The story portrays the love and affection of a Bangladeshi mother. Do you agree? Why?
Yes, I agree to this. Sonabhan loves her son Ameen deeply. She raised him alone and always protected him, Often, her neighbours come to Sonabhan with complain against him, nevertheless she saves her son by any means. She treats him as her little boy, but now he is a grown man making his own choices. He wants to go to fight for the country. Sonabhan is proud for her son but she is afraid at the same time.
