“How could you love a woman?” asks Gulistan Khan. “Don’t you know that a woman’s sole purpose is to further your generation, to bear your children? A woman is not made for love.”

Such were the words of Gulistan Khan (a character played by Nauman Ijaz, in the play Sang-e-marmar) as he orders his son, Shafiullah (played by Omair Rana) to marry for the second time; Shafiullah’s wife, Gulalai, is ill and cannot bear any children. Shafiullah’s brother, Gauhar, has been murdered by Saifurrehman and Saifurrehman’s sister’s hand has been offered as a peace offering. This is a conversation between Gulistan Khan and Shafiullah where Shafiullah tells his father that he loves his wife very much and is happy with her. Shafiullah tells his father to get the girl (Kubra Khan) married to Aurang (Mikaal Zulfiqaar). To which Gulistan replies:

“Aurang is a disobedient son - his offspring will be disobedient to me too. I want you to carry my name forward.”

In this episode we also see why Gulistan hates his son. It was his son who stood up to him, at a very young age, and stopped Gulistan from hitting his wife (Sania Saeed). It was a small act of courage on the part of the little boy but Gulistan has written him off completely as his favorite. He now relies on Shafiullah to do his bidding and manage the state of affairs.

The dialogues in the play and the situations depicted are brutal and honest and heartbreaking. They express just how little women have a say in ‘important’ matters and the only way they can find their say is by manipulation. Similarly their lives and their decisions are solely placed in the hands of the ‘men’ and the patriarchs who are violent and regressive and refuse to change their ways.

Here is my review and recap of this episode: