Summary of Face Showing
Face Showing is a beautiful short story written by B.P. Sathe, a Dogri essayist, short story writer, and translator. The story is set in the context of a cultural tradition in which a gift is given to the newlywed bride to see her face for the first time. Rahimbibi, a newlywed bride, visited the author’s village. The author’s entire household went to see Rahimbibi. Each of them gave her a masahni. It is a gift given to the bride to see her. The author received bangles from his mother, anklets from his aunt, and toe rings from his elder brother’s wife. When they returned, they all lavished her with compliments, praising her eyes, face, and gait. According to the author’s elder brother, she was a Greek beauty to them. His sister-in-law objected, claiming that she had married a washerman’s bride rather than a Brahmin or a Rajput bride. The aunt was offended by these remarks and retorted. The author was tempted to see her after hearing her praise.
After three or four days, Rahimbibi began helping with household chores. Her mother-in-law once took her daughter-in-law to a well near the author’s house to fetch water. The two came to their house before going to the well, and the mother-in-law made her daughter-in-law touch the author’s mother, aunt, and sister-in-feet. law’s They wished her well.
After a few days, the mother-in-law ceased to accompany her daughter-in-law. Rahimbibi visited three times, once in the morning and once in the evening. They (other boys, people) would see her on their way to school, according to the author. I wanted to see her one day and told her she could show her face to him because he was small, but Rahimbibi kept walking and asked for masahni to show her face.
She wore the veil for many years. The author travelled to Srinagar. She inquired as to why he had returned after such a long time, what class he was reading, and so on. The author informed her that he failed ninth grade three times before being promoted to tenth. He told her that he would pass the time and get a job, and that he would pay Masahni and see her face after he received his first pay. Rahimbibi responded that he should give his mother his first payment and that she would wait for masahni.
After a few years, the author married. The Rahinbibi did not lift her veil because he could not pay her masahni. His wife once asked him why Rahimbibi kept the veil for him. He told her that she would remove her veil once she received masahni from me. She introduced herself as a Muslim and inquired about his relationship with her. He told his wife that Rahimbibi’s husband Ilamdin is like his older brother and that all religions share a common goal.
The holy month of Ramzan arrived. She once stated that she only fasted for one day because she was sick. The author offered to bring her sweets to break the fast, but she declined, claiming that he was not supposed to bring them for her.
Rahimbibi developed a fever after six months. Her condition deteriorated day by day. Doctors had given up on her. Shamsu came to the author’s house one day and told him that his aunt (Rahimbibi) is sinking and she wants him to see her face for the last time. The author returned home. She shifted her gaze to the author. She stated that she had removed her veil today in order to obtain masahni. She claimed that seeing his face was the most important thing in her life. She instructed the author to visit her grave and place a handful of soil on her face as masahni, or else her desire for masahni would go unfulfilled.
Questions and Answers
Working with the Text
Q1. Who came to the narrator’s village?
Ans. Rahimbibi, Ilamdin’s wife, came to the narrator’s village. She was a newlywed bride.
Q2. What did the narrator’s mother, aunt, and his elder brother’s wife give the newly wedded bride?
Ans. The narrator’s mother presented her with a set of bangles. Her aunt gave her a pair of anklets, and his elder brother’s wife gave her a pair of small silver toe rings.
Q3. The narrator’s sister-in-law said, “Only her complexion is fair, the face is full of freckles.†This shows she (Narrator’s sister-in-law) is:
a) Nice b) Arrogant
c) Vain d) Humble
Ans. The narrator’s sister-in-law was vain because she did not like another being praised.
Q4. What did the newly wedded bride do after three or four days?
Ans. The newlywed bride was given special treatment for three to four days, after which she participated in household duties.
Q5. Why did the sister-in-law keep quiet?
Ans. The sister-in-law kept quiet because either she was unable to find a proper response, or she did not deem it appropriate to continue the argument.
Q6. Where did the parents of the daughter-in-law live?
Ans. The parents of daughter-in-law lived in Saurinsar.
Q7. Why did the mother-in-law stop coming to the well?
Ans. Mother-in-law stopped coming to the well with her daughter-in-law as she was engaged in other domestic work at home.
Q8. How many years did the narrator spend in the ninth class?
Ans. The narrator spent three years in the ninth class.
Q9. What did Rahimbibi ask the narrator to give her as his masahni when she was dying?
Ans. Rahimbibi asked the narrator to place a handful of soil on her face in the grave as his masahni.
Language Work
(A) Find from the lesson words which mean the following:
a) To want something or to want something to do. Tempt
b) Small pale brown spots on the skin, usually on the face. Freckles
c) Not able to walk correctly. Lame
d) Happening or doing at the same time. Together
e) Treated in a special way. Pamper
f) A piece of thin material worn by women to cover the face or head. Veil
g) A strong wish or longing. Desire
h) Something which makes a situation more difficult. Complication
(B) Fill in the blanks in the following sentences using co-relative conjunctions.
1. Whether he likes it or not, he has to move with his parents.
2. Both my brother and my sister is a graduate.
3. She is not only beautiful but also intelligent.
4. The fire destroyed not only the cloth store but also the stationery shop.
5. Whether he likes it or not, he has to undergo surgery.
6. Either he is sincere or he is pretending to do so.
7. He borrowed a book from the library. He neither read it nor returned it.
8. He speaks both English and Hindi.
(He speaks neither English nor Hindi.)
9. Both Hafeez and Salma have taken the stationery to the class.
(Neither Hafeez nor Salma has taken the stationery to the class.)
10. She is neither a regular student nor she is ready to give up studies.
(C) Fill in the blanks wit idioms given in the box (You may change the sentence if necessary).
1. He told us an interesting joke. All of us burst into laughter.
2. His father is a poor ma. It is difficult for him to make both ends meet.
3. The rich man invited all and sundry to the wedding of his daughter.
4. Gandhiji never told a lie. He always called a spade a spade.
5. This piece of land has become a bone of contention between the two brothers.
6. When he heard the answer, he was cut to the quick.
7. When Rahimbibi told the narrator that the previous year he had also been in the ninth class, he felt at a loss for words and couldn’t bear t stand in front of her.
8. If you don’t study properly, you will cut a sorry figure in the examination.
Grammar Work
Fill in the blanks using future continuous or progressive tense of the verbs given in brackets.
1) We will be learning English this time tomorrow. (learn)
2) The sun will be shining this time tomorrow. (Shine)
3) I like cricket. I will be watching a cricket match at 9 p.m. tonight. (Watch)
4) When he reaches home, his son will be waiting for him. (Wait)
5) They shall be waiting for us when the train arrives. (Arrive)
6) They shall be playing a match this time tomorrow. (Play)
7) Don’t phone me after ten o’clock, I shall be sleeping. (Sleep)
8. when you reach there, she will be reading a book. (Read)9. I shall be listening to the news at 9 a.m. tomorrow. (Listen)