Izzat Anmol Hai By Afrah Khan

About this novelette

Izzat Anmol Hai (Urdu: عزت انمول ہے) by Afrah Khan is a short Urdu novel about Aleeza, an ambitious girl from a struggling middle-class family. She is impatient for a better life as she starts university, and the title reminds us that honour is priceless.

The novel opens with Aleeza’s younger sister Waniza waking her: “Oho Aapi, get up – look, it’s seven! Aren’t you going to university today?” Aleeza, about to bury herself back in her blanket, jumps up. “What? Seven? Today’s my first day at university and I have to reach my class by nine – why didn’t you wake me earlier?” She rushes off to the washroom in a temper, while Waniza leaves the room shaking her head at her sister’s carelessness.

In front of the mirror, Aleeza brushes her long hair and leaves it open, puts on a little light make-up and studies her reflection. She is beautiful, the writer says, but with a little attention she looks even more striking. She hurries down to the hall with her bag and books, where everyone is having breakfast. Her father, Rehman Sahib, is pleased she’s up on time; Aleeza says it’s her first day and she can’t be late.

پہلا دن، تنگ گھر کا بجٹ، اور ایک لڑکی کے بڑے بڑے خواب۔

Then her mother brings breakfast, and Aleeza pulls a face. “How many times have I told you to make what I like?” Her mother explains gently: it’s the end of the month, and Aleeza’s favourite breakfast is beyond their means right now; they’ve already stretched themselves for her expensive admission, and they’re grateful for whatever Allah gives. When her father’s salary comes, they’ll bring her favourite things. Aleeza snaps that she doesn’t want breakfast – their poverty has always been there. She goes to her father and asks for money; he gives her two thousand rupees, but she insists she needs five – she’s not going to school or college now, it’s university, and she needs to buy clothes and pay for rickshaws. Her mother scolds her, and when Waniza, who has been watching quietly, slips inside and comes back with a thousand rupees of her own, Aleeza takes it and storms out of the house without even saying salaam. Her mother, Rashida Begum, watches her go, praying for her daughter’s good fortune.

Afrah Khan writes about ambition, family sacrifice and the value of dignity, and the title hints at a hard lesson ahead.

You can read Izzat Anmol Hai online here or download the complete PDF for free. You may also like Zeba by Ayesh and Talkh Zindagi Ki Haqeeqat, or browse more short Urdu novels.