Our lady of Alice Bhatti

Author – Mohammed Hanif

Publisher – Vintage

Rating – Excellent

A satire on the misfortunes of a country brought on by it’s bigoted and egocentric males! As a feminist and prejudiced against a particular neighbour, I found green pastures to feed my previously held views. However on reflection I find that the condition of women highlighted in book is true for most all societies and especially in India. Incidents of crime against women with eve teasing, acid attacks, domestic violence, rape, honour killing, infanticide, child labour are as prevalent in India as in Pakistan.  The book also highlights caste and religion based prejudices. A drain cleaner  is called a “choochra” and a Christian sweeper, a “Yasoo choochra”. I was in the park the other day smiling beatifically at children playing catch. When I heard some shouting and running “Dong ghar ki bachi” –“child of the caste that burns the dead” . From the lips of babes my illusion of “My India is much better” was shattered!  
But all these serious issues aside, the book is an enjoyable read.

So to the story – Alice Joseph Bhatti is the daughter of Christian sweeper and manages to rise above her squalid surroundings and become a junior nurse at the Sacred hospital. But not before she spends 14 months at the Borstal Jail for causing grievous bodily harm to a doctor for wrongly accusing her of medical negligence. In her male egoistic society, Alice has seen too many cases of women honour killings. To avoid becoming one she is demure and humble in all her dealings with men. However, when forced for sexual favours at gunpoint she slashes the favour peddling member with a surgical blade than submit to humility!

With that starts her insecurity as the influential family is out looking for revenge. She thinks she will be safe with a police tout and marries him. For the muslim man though it is difficult to adjust to a head strong woman who dares to be herself in his presence. He expects unquestioning obedience, not questions asked on any tenet he holds dear or has become dear after marriage.   

In the meantime, a still born child in Alice’s watch is miraculously revived when Alice prays at his bedside. News of the miracle spreads and no-hope cases flock to the Sacred for Sister Alice’s prayers. An expecting mother at this stage, Alice’s maternal instincts are at it’s height and she wants to adopt the miraculous baby who’s mother died during the miracle. Like a lioness she also instinctively feels that her child is not secure near her husband. She takes shelter in her head nurse’s home who convinces her to return home.

Her husband meanwhile returns home, sees the empty cupboards and realises that Alice has walked out on him. Without talking to her, he seeks to revenge for the slight to his honour. Goaded by his reporting police officer who in turn is friends with the slashed favour peddling family, he decides to throw acid on her. Half a litre of sulphuric acid is thrown on an unsuspecting Alice while she is on duty and as per her father, Joseph Bhatti, half a dozen members of the psychiatric ward and a dozen other denizens of the hospital watching an apparition of the holy mother Mary on top of the Sacred. Alice dies of her injuries and as her father ascends to heaven with the Holy mother seated on a throne of peacock features. The church however refuses to consider Joseph Bhatti’s application for her sainthood on grounds that the witnesses are unreliable and Alice Bhatti’s questionable past.

A tragedy made readable by the author’s art in dark humour. The reader does not weep gallons but is still forced to consider the injustices in society.

This was my first book by the author and I can’t wait to get my hands on his other critically acclaimed book – “A case of exploding mangoes”