NAWABDIN ELECTRICIAN by Daniyal Mueenuddin
In the short story Nawabdin Electrician by Daniyal Mueenuddin, an electrician by the name of Nawabdin is described. He is renowned for his nefarious acts, including helping his neighbours and other villagers defraud the electricity provider by limiting the number of revolutions on the electric meters, as well as his prodigious repair skills using mango sap and a thick piece of leather. He has twelve daughters and understands that despite his success, he may not be able to pay for their dowries. As a result, he devises a plan to buy a motorcycle that would enable him to travel farther and thus pick up more jobs. But the plan falls flat, and he nearly dies.
The lies that Nawab concocts show that he is susceptible to the power of gratitude. They contribute to the state’s theme of corruption and slow progress. It alludes to human avarice and their quest for material wealth. Nawab promotes corruption and obstructs development because of his passion for wealth and desire to increase dowry. Stealing is a vice in every society, and this is theft. Even though tampering with metres to steal electricity may be a common problem, it still reflects the level of poverty in the neighborhood.
The lies also support the idea of dedication and enthusiasm. Nawab is committed to supporting his large family. As a result, he is eager to travel further and provide electrical and repair services for more people. He is determined to provide for his basic family needs and not let his family down by failing to meet their dowry requirements. His eagerness to cover more ground demonstrates his willingness to push himself to the limit.
NAWABDIN ELECTRICIAN by Daniyal Mueenuddin
From a different angle, various cultural insights are perceptible throughout the story and concentrate on its main topics. Nawabdin is seen of as a middle ground between the two extremes, with first-world digital advancement and modernism and third-world poverty coexisting in the world. Nawabdin is aware of the struggles and circumstances his fellow countrymen were facing in the impoverished country despite working for a landowner whose only concern and area of interest were the issues that revolved around him, touching on his comfort and those that are of significant interest to him.
Since Nawabdin thrived on his capacity to defraud the electric business by slowing and limiting the revolution of the metres, he had allegorical significance in the plot. Because of his clumsy ingenuity and improvisation, the story’s vocabulary and diction portray Nawabdin as a local genius or saviour. He is employed to speak on behalf of a segment of Pakistani society whose goal is to obstruct modernity’s forward motion and growth. Nawabdin is a businessman who can thrive in Pakistan while still leading a workday that, from the air, would appear useless and aimless. He does this by using his understanding of medicine and mechanical prowess.
As a result, we shouldn’t hold Nawabdin accountable for his desire and actions to get revenge on his assailant because he was acting in self-defense. The attacker had so destroyed a method that would have increased his ability to travel farther and thereby increase his income. It hurt him to lose it because he had used his sly abilities to gain it. In addition, women are typically the most vulnerable in a society plagued by social evils, particularly in the absence of marital and family bonds. His inability to provide for his family’s needs and afford to pay his daughters’ dowries would place them at risk in society.
