Kabuliwala (Short story)

Kabuliwala is a Bengali short story written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, the story is of a Pathan merchant from Kabul, who comes to Calcutta (present day Kolkata), India each year for pedaling dry-fruits and while living in India he befriends a five-year-old girl Mini from a middle-class aristocratic family as she reminds him of his daughter who is living in Kabul.

Theme

The main theme of this story is filial love-the deep love that fathers have for their children. In the story we encounter three examples of filial love-the author and his daughter Mini, the Kabuliwala and his daughter in Afghanistan, the Kabuliwala and Mini.

Adaptations

The story has adapted a number of times as listed below

• Kabuliwala - Bengali movie released in 1957
• Kabuliwala - Hindi movie released in 1961
• Kabuliwala - as a part of television series Stories by Rabindranath Tagore

References

• Onward English Reader - 7 (new Edition), by-Strevens P, ISBN 9788125005858
• Short Stories from Rabindranath Tagore, by-Rabindranath Tagore, translation-Pratima Bowes, 1999, East-West Publications (U.K.) Limited, ISBN 9780856921445.
• The 'Kabuliwala' Afghans of Kolkata, published by BBC
• A century on, Kabuliwala romance revived, by-Sumi Sukanya, The Telegraph