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The Mother Cat
Written by Mahmood Shahid in Urdu
Transformed into English by Faheem Jawaid
With his mother's help, Rahul had set up an advertising agency. He did not have to struggle much to establish this business, due to a simple reason, that his mother was a renowned model. He just had to take advantage of his mother's popularity and contacts. Moreover, Rahul himself was a talented and handsome young man. Within no time, his business flourished.
Despite the fact that he had triumphed in the line of advertising industry, he, somehow was not comfortable with the nature of the business. He wondered about the products that he campaigned with all the hype --- whether they had that significance, quality, and worth. At times, he was thinking of using the products by himself, to see and feel the merit and forte of the products. He was keen to differentiate between the original and the fake. He expressed these thoughts to his mother too, which looked strange to her. His mother tried to satisfy him saying that he must not care about the product; instead, he must try to present the product making it more attractive and beautiful, and that was what the requirement of his business. However, Rahul could not bring himself to agree with his mother
Rahul was involved in this business because of his mother's avid interest in it. The coverage of his business widened largely now. He had advertisements of almost all big companies, in his hands. He started TV commercials too and was a quick success in it. Furthermore, he was working on various other plans to develop and enhance the vicinity of his business. He was in search of new attractive models and charismatic faces. Talks were on with many national and international companies. The standard and technique of his work was such that used to strike effectively the indifference of the viewer. Rahul was, in spite of that, working on other aspects of improvements.
The more active and energetic Rahul used to feel when he was busy in his work; the more gloomy and depressing he used to turn into, during his off-hours. He felt as though there was no life in him, and the blood in his body was reaching the freezing point. He presumed, however, something in his heart was left incomplete. There was something missing in him. Since childhood, he had this sort of feeling, existing within.
That was a period of Rahul's mother Urmila's popularity, and fame. She was the costliest model of her time. She had contracts and treaties with numerous companies. She had let her sensuous lips, alluring green eyes, dark large eyelids, plunging neckline, supple wrist, slender waistline, intense desirous smile etc., to several companies. Nearly every part of her voluptuous body was marked with a stamp of one company or the other.
In the course of the time, Urmila happened to come across Subhash, the owner of a powdered milk manufacturing company. She was featured in a very gorgeous and attractive commercial of his product. Her semi-bare, round, and beautiful breasts were shown in such a manner that small children would have got attracted immediately. When the product was launched along with commercials, banners, and hoardings, it clicked in the market instantly. This commercial took Urmila to places and she was named as a super-model of the decade. What's more, within few days, she signed a contract with an international company, which was a matter of pride and satisfaction to her.
Apart from business, an added relationship was established between Urmila and Subhash. They used to attend parties together. Subhash was of firm opinion that Urmila played a vital role in bringing success to his business. He presented an expensive car and a variety of other gifts to her. Subhash extended his hand to Urmila and she readily accepted it. In her point of view, Subhash was an openhearted, clever businessperson, with a predictable bright future.
Subhash was delighted when Urmila informed him about her pregnancy. They decided to get married without more ado. However, their decision had to see the face of failure, when Subhash put a condition to Urmila to quit modeling after marriage. His condition made her blood freeze. She never thought that Subhash could be so narrow-hearted and illiberal. It was impossible for Urmila to conform to his condition. She tried to convince him, by saying; since he had the freedom to do his business, she too must have the freedom to continue her modeling. Moreover, the business and modeling go hand in hand. Nevertheless, Subhash was adamant. They failed to reach any sort of compromise. As a result, they parted.
Under evident depressing circumstances, Urmila gave birth to Rahul. Before Rahul could open his eyes and see his mother, he was admitted in a long distant boarding. Subhash never turned around, nor did he ever bother to know about his child. He got himself engaged in his business.
Rahul was able to stand on his little feet. One day, while strolling on his small feet, he went across the corner of the building, where a black-and-white-haired-cat was lying on her back, spreading her legs, feeding milk to her newborn kittens. The kittens were suckling milk while pressing their mother's breasts with their soft paws and claws. The cat was licking with her long tongue the face, body, tail, and legs of the kittens. The cat's motherly love and disposition was evident and noticeable. Rahul kneeled down on the ground, near the cat, and tried to suckle her breasts the way kittens were doing. While searching for Rahul, his midwife reached the corner of the building. She was shocked when she witnessed Rahul, trying to suckle a cat with kittens. She hurried and separated Rahul from the kittens. Rahul began crying at the top of his voice. She filled a bottle with milk and thrusted in his mouth. Rahul's wail did not stop.
In the beginning, the midwife took Rahul's act as a childish folly and ignored it. Nevertheless, when she noticed him trying to do the same thing over and again, she really got annoyed and admonished him severely for his behavior. Later on, Rahul was too frightened to go near the cat. Yet, he never stopped observing the kittens' suckling, from some distance. He was constantly under the watchful eye of his midwife. He was so perturbed and agitated that he began having sleepless nights. He used to get up from his sleep and cry. His midwife had nothing but her dried up breasts, motherless arms and a bottle of milk to cajole his not understood trial and tribulation.
From childhood, Rahul suffered with anguish and agony, and it became more intense with the course of time. Now, he was an adult young man, but a sort of emptiness in his personality was tormenting him day in and day out. His head on his shoulders and his blood circulating in his body were looking false and fake to him.
He was overwhelmed with a kind of despair and melancholy. His personality was beginning to take a peculiar and unusual shape. He was leaving the office immediately, particularly when he was badly required to be there. He was forgetting the dates and times of his various appointments. His secretary was receiving innumerable calls during business hours and he had instructed her not to forward any of them to him. His work-pace was slowed down. The complaints of the clients were piling up. He was craving to make himself busy, but he could not help being depressed and dispirited. All hectic and eventful business activities were looking worthless and insignificant to him.
He had a beautiful mini-bar at home. He became fond of collecting variety of costly wine bottles. Promptly, an empty bottle was replaced with a new one. In childhood, he used to get into sound sleep, taking the milk bottle in his mouth. He used to forget about everything --- father, mother, home, boarding, midwife, and cat. Once he was awake, he was swamped with terrified discomfort. Wine bottle too was getting him into sound sleep. As long as he was asleep, he was away from all nagging thoughts of barrenness, bareness, plainness, and emptiness. These thoughts were awakened when he was awake.
He was keen on visiting to the racecourse. His interest was neither in winning nor in losing the stakes. In fact, the racing horses fascinated him. According to him, their lightning speed exerted a pull on the viewers. His blood used to run in his body along with the speed of the horses. He felt as if, he was running with the horses while sitting. The racecourse would take him entirely into a different world. At times, he thought himself to be a defeated horse, with unfounded breed and origin. This contemplation would offend him off limits. His mother tried hard to distract his attention from thinking about his father. Instead, she wanted him to concentrate on improving and expanding his business. Rahul, never happened to see his father's face, nor did he ever hear his voice. For him, his father's existence was similar to a shadowy figure.
Rahul was able to see his mother rarely. She was busy and engaged in her own world of modeling. They would talk on telephone when there would be any point to discuss about business or any big client, which she wanted to introduce to him.
She had set herself free from every responsibility, after involving Rahul in business. Rahul felt choked and suffocated in the huge and spacious bungalow. He was longing to wail of anguish, despair, and distress. Despite having everything, a feeling of void and empty space was killing him.
One day, as usual, Rahul got up late in the morning. He strolled out of his bedroom and saw his mother, wearing a nightgown, laid-back on an easy chair. A daily newspaper was on her lap. Probably, she got asleep while reading the newspaper. It was a pleasant surprise for Rahul to see his mother, unhurried and leisurely, after a long time.
Rahul looks at his mother closely. She seems much tired and pale with her undone scattered hairs on her shoulders. Rahul has a fixed-look on her body. Unconsciously, he moves towards his mother, kneeling down on the ground; slowly places his head on her breasts. His mother opens her eyes. Seeing her youthful son's head on her breasts, like an infant ---- her long-asleep motherhood awakens and she holds his head closer to her breasts. She feels, as though, she gives Rahul birth just now, and an ocean of milk is poured in her breasts.
About Mahmood Shahid:
 Mahmood Shahid is a poet, storywriter, and critic of Urdu language. He is distinctive and unique in all these departments. His various prominent contributions in the world of Urdu literature know no bounds. His one-page fortnightly net- magazine "Waseela" is looked at with high esteem, all over the world. His recent short stories collection "Dhancha," means, "Skeleton," is already released.
About Faheem Jawaid:
 Faheem Jawaid is working as Manager in Saudi American Bank, in Riyadh. He is a writer and poet of Urdu language. His articles and poetry of Urdu are featured in various famous literary magazines and journals of India and Pakistan. Currently, he finds time in transforming of Urdu's remarkable stories into English.
About the story:
"The Mother Cat" is a story with psychoanalytic methodology, conveying a lot to the readers. This is a heartfelt psychodrama, where the writer makes the minds and feelings of the characters more important with the help of the events. The treatment of the story is well maintained in every word of it, striking the era of consumerism, where human values are losing their significance, resulting futility and hollowness in relationships.
----- Faheem Jawaid
Special to YaHind
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