As we all know, the great Khan has 18 sons, and the youngest of them was Tiny Khan. His elder five sons were married and were already grandfathers with their own families. The next five sons were also married and had their children and wives and all that. The 11th to 18th sons were not married and lived in the same house as the great Khan and his wives. It was a big house, probably.
The 11th son was born on the day that the great Khan saw a polo game being played in the army regiment's cantonment in the plains below his secret village in the high mountains. So, he had named the 11th son as Polo Khan. Everyone loved him, and the school teachers had nicknamed him "Bolo Polo, Polo Bolo", with "Bolo" being the local word for "Speak"... so, it went through the day, "Speak Polo, Polo Speak"... in the school, and Polo Khan got tired of it and so, he left school and came back to the village and told the great Khan that he was not going back to school. So, that was that.
I doubt if the great Khan had even heard him properly, and he had not understood it entirely. He probably had thought that Polo Khan had completed his education and therefore, was not going back to school. Polo Khan's mother, a Kazhaki-Pashtun from Karakal, who had been kidnapped by the great Khan during his wanderabouts along the Karakoram great road, was more concerned about her son. She knew that he was not intelligent and was as impatient and impulsive as his father was. The story of her kidnapping can be retold when the great Khan agrees that it can be retold.
The great Khan did not remember her name, but usually called her out by his own concocted nickname for her, and called her, "Kafir Begum", which of course, had nothing to do with 'sugar' (= cheeni), but to do with the Karakal location (= Tibet). 'Kafir' she was not, and was very orthodox and conservative, and she had got to love the great Khan enormously and was totally happy that she had been kidnapped by him. It was like a great service to her parents, for they were too poor to have got her married with the expenses that they would have had to incur, if they were to marry her to the local village-headman's brother, who was about 25 years elder to her.
That was all a long long time ago, in a far far far away land, and Polo Khan's mother, Kafir Begum, had forgotten all about it. Her main worry nowadays was to search for a girl for Polo Khan, and she kept pestering the great Khan about it. The great Khan was already being pestered by his other wives, and if he would sit and wait it out at the house, he could hear several other such arguments between his son's wives and other women on the street. They seemed to have nothing else to do but gather around and argue until the sun went down. Why could they not be like the men, who sat quietly under some shade, with their hookahs and chillums, and smoked silently, even if they sat in a group of more than 20 to 30 relatives and friends.
The great Khan had got away to his favourite hiding place, under the Chinar tree, away from the house, away from the village, and was at his hideout, sitting quietly and peacefully, with his chillum and he had taken his 3-4 first puffs that set everything the right way, when he would do it the right way, in the morning. Nothing could go wrong with the day after that.
Just when he thought he had achieved peace, along the path came Polo Khan and his mother. The Kafir lady was riding the donkey and Polo Khan was guiding it along the path. Now, if only Polo Khan could just push the donkey and the lady down the high mountain slope, down the ravines, .... if only... thought the great Khan. That would really make this day quite splendid.
Polo Khan's mother took up on her earlier arguments and pleading, and kept asking the great Khan to go and hunt in the villages elsewhere and get a bride for Polo Khan. The young boy would get old suddenly and then he would have to search among the women who had not got married in the region. So, she said, the old man would have to get out from under the Chinar tree and go and get a bride for Polo Khan.
The great Khan was indeed quite fond of Polo Khan, because he was the only son who he remembered because of the Polo game. All the other sons were named by their general anatomy and height and girth, and their names changed over the years. It was only Polo Khan, who had never had a different nickname and who was always recognised by the great Khan by his own name. So, the old man did not want that his favourite son would have to suffer in life by getting married so early, and probably getting married to the wrong woman.
The great Khan asked his son, "Oye Pahado-da-raaja (= king of the mountains), your mother is insisting that you have to get married. She wants me to go to the plains and search for a bride for you. I am getting old, and I do not have the strength to go and search for you. But, have you not thought of someone we could get you married to? If you know of someone we could talk to, let us know. I will immediately get the marriage organised."
The young man replied, "O great Khan Saheb, thank you for allowing me to have my word in this wedding. The way my mother keeps insisting with me, I am worried that she is planning her own wedding. I have indeed thought of three women I could get married to. Two of them are on these high mountains, and the third one is in the plains. I know you will not allow me to marry one from the plains, but the two from the high mountains are possibly good for getting married to."
Polo Khan's mother interrupted, "That is good news. Why did you not tell me? I would have gone already to the house and got the wedding organised. I do not mind anyone you would choose. But, I only want to say one thing, and that is, that you should get me a woman who is just like me, talks like me, and is from my native areas, or knows my native tongue. You will be gone away from the house like your father, and I have to live with your wife, not you."
The great Khan panicked, almost choked on his chillum, and spoke rapidly, "Oye Polo bachche (= young lad), that may be ok with your mother, for she would get one who would be entirely like her. But be careful my boy, I do not want to keep imagining that your future would also be the same as mine after having kidnapped this Kafir Begum of mine. Unless you want to get married to a woman who behaves like your mother does, and I have to welcome a young woman to the house, who will definitely remind me, everyday, of why I have to drug that poor donkey, so that the next time, she rides this poor animal, and goes into the fog in the high mountains on the narrow trails, we would not have to worry about our miseries any more."
Polo Khan was unfazed, and replied, "O great Khan Saheb, I know what you say, and I am that much more wiser. For I have chosen a woman who is the daughter of a woman who has been gossiping with my mother and your other wives and the wives of my brothers over many years on the street in our village. She is sure to know all the stories and tales, true or otherwise, and will probably know how to handle all miserable situations. Only yesterday, her father was telling me on behalf of her, that she has begun to read and learn about medicines, poisons and other concoctions."
The great Khan was happy. He knew that he was not wrong in his favourite son, Polo Khan. The young man would definitely end up being happily married and will live happily for many many years.
The 11th son was born on the day that the great Khan saw a polo game being played in the army regiment's cantonment in the plains below his secret village in the high mountains. So, he had named the 11th son as Polo Khan. Everyone loved him, and the school teachers had nicknamed him "Bolo Polo, Polo Bolo", with "Bolo" being the local word for "Speak"... so, it went through the day, "Speak Polo, Polo Speak"... in the school, and Polo Khan got tired of it and so, he left school and came back to the village and told the great Khan that he was not going back to school. So, that was that.
I doubt if the great Khan had even heard him properly, and he had not understood it entirely. He probably had thought that Polo Khan had completed his education and therefore, was not going back to school. Polo Khan's mother, a Kazhaki-Pashtun from Karakal, who had been kidnapped by the great Khan during his wanderabouts along the Karakoram great road, was more concerned about her son. She knew that he was not intelligent and was as impatient and impulsive as his father was. The story of her kidnapping can be retold when the great Khan agrees that it can be retold.
The great Khan did not remember her name, but usually called her out by his own concocted nickname for her, and called her, "Kafir Begum", which of course, had nothing to do with 'sugar' (= cheeni), but to do with the Karakal location (= Tibet). 'Kafir' she was not, and was very orthodox and conservative, and she had got to love the great Khan enormously and was totally happy that she had been kidnapped by him. It was like a great service to her parents, for they were too poor to have got her married with the expenses that they would have had to incur, if they were to marry her to the local village-headman's brother, who was about 25 years elder to her.
That was all a long long time ago, in a far far far away land, and Polo Khan's mother, Kafir Begum, had forgotten all about it. Her main worry nowadays was to search for a girl for Polo Khan, and she kept pestering the great Khan about it. The great Khan was already being pestered by his other wives, and if he would sit and wait it out at the house, he could hear several other such arguments between his son's wives and other women on the street. They seemed to have nothing else to do but gather around and argue until the sun went down. Why could they not be like the men, who sat quietly under some shade, with their hookahs and chillums, and smoked silently, even if they sat in a group of more than 20 to 30 relatives and friends.
The great Khan had got away to his favourite hiding place, under the Chinar tree, away from the house, away from the village, and was at his hideout, sitting quietly and peacefully, with his chillum and he had taken his 3-4 first puffs that set everything the right way, when he would do it the right way, in the morning. Nothing could go wrong with the day after that.
Just when he thought he had achieved peace, along the path came Polo Khan and his mother. The Kafir lady was riding the donkey and Polo Khan was guiding it along the path. Now, if only Polo Khan could just push the donkey and the lady down the high mountain slope, down the ravines, .... if only... thought the great Khan. That would really make this day quite splendid.
Polo Khan's mother took up on her earlier arguments and pleading, and kept asking the great Khan to go and hunt in the villages elsewhere and get a bride for Polo Khan. The young boy would get old suddenly and then he would have to search among the women who had not got married in the region. So, she said, the old man would have to get out from under the Chinar tree and go and get a bride for Polo Khan.
The great Khan was indeed quite fond of Polo Khan, because he was the only son who he remembered because of the Polo game. All the other sons were named by their general anatomy and height and girth, and their names changed over the years. It was only Polo Khan, who had never had a different nickname and who was always recognised by the great Khan by his own name. So, the old man did not want that his favourite son would have to suffer in life by getting married so early, and probably getting married to the wrong woman.
The great Khan asked his son, "Oye Pahado-da-raaja (= king of the mountains), your mother is insisting that you have to get married. She wants me to go to the plains and search for a bride for you. I am getting old, and I do not have the strength to go and search for you. But, have you not thought of someone we could get you married to? If you know of someone we could talk to, let us know. I will immediately get the marriage organised."
The young man replied, "O great Khan Saheb, thank you for allowing me to have my word in this wedding. The way my mother keeps insisting with me, I am worried that she is planning her own wedding. I have indeed thought of three women I could get married to. Two of them are on these high mountains, and the third one is in the plains. I know you will not allow me to marry one from the plains, but the two from the high mountains are possibly good for getting married to."
Polo Khan's mother interrupted, "That is good news. Why did you not tell me? I would have gone already to the house and got the wedding organised. I do not mind anyone you would choose. But, I only want to say one thing, and that is, that you should get me a woman who is just like me, talks like me, and is from my native areas, or knows my native tongue. You will be gone away from the house like your father, and I have to live with your wife, not you."
The great Khan panicked, almost choked on his chillum, and spoke rapidly, "Oye Polo bachche (= young lad), that may be ok with your mother, for she would get one who would be entirely like her. But be careful my boy, I do not want to keep imagining that your future would also be the same as mine after having kidnapped this Kafir Begum of mine. Unless you want to get married to a woman who behaves like your mother does, and I have to welcome a young woman to the house, who will definitely remind me, everyday, of why I have to drug that poor donkey, so that the next time, she rides this poor animal, and goes into the fog in the high mountains on the narrow trails, we would not have to worry about our miseries any more."
Polo Khan was unfazed, and replied, "O great Khan Saheb, I know what you say, and I am that much more wiser. For I have chosen a woman who is the daughter of a woman who has been gossiping with my mother and your other wives and the wives of my brothers over many years on the street in our village. She is sure to know all the stories and tales, true or otherwise, and will probably know how to handle all miserable situations. Only yesterday, her father was telling me on behalf of her, that she has begun to read and learn about medicines, poisons and other concoctions."
The great Khan was happy. He knew that he was not wrong in his favourite son, Polo Khan. The young man would definitely end up being happily married and will live happily for many many years.
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