Description

Mohsin Khan’s Allah Mian ka Karkhana follows and examines the life of a fictional character, Jibran, who lives in and falls victim to a world that despises and spurns the common man.  Jibran continues to struggle with his self-esteem and confidence until he himself comprehends the hardship and adversity of life.The novel follows the childhood and young adult years of Jibran a Muslim boy of lower middle class family of an economically deprived locality. The major conflict of Allah Mian ka Karkhana revolves around Jibran’s ambitious desire to reinvent himself and rise to a higher social class ( he nourishes his dream of becoming a film hero). His desire for social progress stems from a desire to be worthy of everyone’s love and affection. Jibran is a quick learner and therefore he is soon able to mix with people. The conflict surrounding Jibran’s experiences at his social background and desire to be a gentleman continues as he struggles to protect his ambition to get some social recognition.    Jibran is driven by a single-minded desire to become a gentleman in the society. Ever since his mother’s death, his overbearing and arrogant aunt (Chachi) instilled ideas that he was worthless as a poor boy. He initially sought refuge with his teacher (Hafi ji).  He lives with Hafi ji , who teaches him how to behave like a gentleman by developing good manners, wearing nice clothes and speaking more formally. The plot gets underway when Jibran’s father Waleed who is a preacher and is arrested under charge of involvement and abetment in terrorist activities.

, Jibran has considered life as a smooth sailing, but now Jibran understands that life and hardship have always been interconnected. At the novel’s climax, Jibran divulges that death is inevitable. By showing kindness to death, Jibran shows that he no longer thinks about social position in a black or white way. The conflict resolves with Jibran letting go of his social aspirations in order to focus on reconciling with the incidents who have been loyal to him all along, paying off his debts. Nevertheless, Jibran, though chastened, is not destroyed by guilt. During the course of his apprenticeship to life at Hafi ji’s place he learns valuable truths about himself and about his limitations. By the end of his education, when his apprenticeship with Hafi ji is over and he is a responsible, mature being, he has cast off petty pride, snobbery, and the vexations of life. Although he loses his innocence forever, he truly appreciates Hafi ji, who helps him retain his integrity.