Piya Piyar Ki Orhni By Noor Malik

About this novel

Piya Pyar Ki Orhni (Urdu: پیا پیار کی اوڑھنی) by Noor Malik is a long, complete Urdu family romance set in Alam Haveli in Multan. It is a big, traditional household run by its graceful matriarch, Batool Bibi, where every marriage is a family affair.

The novel opens with the changing September weather in Multan: sometimes the sun is as hot as summer, sometimes a cool breeze hints that winter is near. It’s autumn, the leaves are turning a pale yellow and falling to the ground, and the season brings a strange kind of happiness to the air.

Noor Malik then walks us through Alam Haveli, built long ago by Alam Sahib. Sunlight falls on every side of it, and the greenery is lovely: a big garden on either side of the outer gate with roses, sunflowers, raat ki rani and new flowers, a jhoola on one side and a mango tree on the other. The haveli’s outer wall is made of stone, but inside it is open and charming – a courtyard with a takht, rooms on both sides, a guest room with old wooden sofas and a crystal chandelier, and staircases leading to rooms for both daughters-in-law and their children.

عالم حویلی، بتول بی بی کی تسبیح، اور ایک بڑے خاندان کی صبح۔

At seven in the morning, Batool Bibi sits on the takht with her tasbeeh, always the first to wake. Servants work in the haveli, but cooking for the family is the daughters-in-law’s responsibility, and Batool Bibi keeps a close eye on everything. In the kitchen her bahus are making breakfast; Iram asks Fatima to put the tea on and make an omelette while she prepares the parathas. Batool Bibi has two sons, Hajib and Mahmood, who run the business together and have built a name for themselves. Hajib’s wife Iram is Batool Bibi’s sister’s daughter, and their son has made a name in the outside world while their daughter studies to become a doctor. Batool Bibi dislikes her grandson living in a foreign country, and everyone smiles quietly when she complains about it again and again. Mahmood’s wife, Fatima, completes the household.

This is a warm, slow-paced start full of haveli life and family detail – ideal for readers who enjoy big joint-family romances.

You can read Piya Pyar Ki Orhni online here or download the complete PDF for free. More by Noor Malik: Piya Ke Iqrar Rang Niraly, Meri Zindagi Ho Tum and Mera Chand Mere Samne, or see all Noor Malik novels.