Back to: Ruskin Bond Short Stories Summary
The story of A Fight of Pigeons begins with the murder of Ruth Labrador’s father before her eyes in a church. The Indian rebels of the Rebellion of 1857 plotted to kill all the Britishers of Shahjahanpur including Ruth’s father.
Table of Contents
A Fight of Pigeons Summary
First Port of Help
Ruth’s mother Mariam Labrador, amidst the turmoil, decides to take their family to their friend Lala Ramjimal’s house. Lala Ramjimal provides them with shelter. However, Javed Khan, a commander under the Nawab, learns about Lala’s refugees and drags Ruth and Mariam Labadoor to his home.
The Reluctant House-Guests
The Labrador family is warmly welcomed by the family of Javed Khan. However, Javed is smitten with Ruth’s beauty and wants to marry her even though he already has a wife.
He knows he cannot marry a woman without her family’s permission. So he pleads his case for Ruth’s hand in marriage from her Mariam. Interestingly, Mariam has Muslim roots.
Soon, they have a visitor in Kothiwali, an aunt of Javed. Mariam and Kothiwali kindle a flame of camaraderie and compassion as Mariam shares her grief.
Kothiwali tries to discourage Javed from stoking marital designs with a defenceless and fatherless girl. They are well taken care of. Ruth and her mother Mariam remain in constant fear at Javed Khan’s house.
Ruth is wise to his designs and tries to postpone and evade the possibility by giving various excuses. She does not want her daughter, a thirteen-year-old girl, to marry Javed.
She demands that she would have to consult her brothers regarding her daughter Ruth’s marriage. That was possible only after the mutiny in Delhi had been concluded.
She proposes a precondition to the marriage. If the British were able to crush the rebellion, there would be no marriage. But if the rebels won then she would agree to let Javed marry Ruth. The future of Delhi should decide the future of this alliance.
A Welcome Refuge
The brother-in-law Sarfraz Khan of Javed’s wife attempts to kill the English ladies but the fearless Mariam and the fear of Allah dissuade him from doing so. Then Javed’s wife visits another sister Qamran’s place and takes Mariam, Ruth and Anet (Ruth’s grandmother) with her.
The English ladies melt their host’s hearts with their plight. They even find noble defenders in Qamran’s family when they are demonized by some implacable neighbour. Soon the rainy season gets over. Javed Khan becomes more restless with each passing day.
His frustration boils over when he brutalizes his half-brother, terrorizes the maid and even kills a pigeon on a hunt. He is psychologically at his seems broken. The ladies return to Javed Khan’s house only to go to Kothiwali’s place after returning from Qamran’s place.
The Escape
Finally, the winter arrives and brings some good news. They hear that the tables were turning and the British were assuming control of the rebellion. By the April 1858, the Nawab of Shahjahanpur is defeated and so is the last stand of the Indian rebels.
Kothiwali decides to escape to a nearby area and takes the English ladies with her. They are able to leave behind Javed as the cart in which Mariam and her family are going veers off in a separate direction away from the clutches of Javed.
That was the last they ever see of him. After a long journey full of ordeals and obstacles, Mariam’s family finally reaches her brother in Bharatpur and is reunited at last. On their way, they are helped by their friends throughout the struggle.
Ruth hopefully muses that Javed Khan must have escaped to Nepal and settled there. Even though he was a ruffian she considers him gallant and handsome. In reality, as the British are able to regain control of the country, Javed Khan is killed in one of the scuffles with the British troops.
Analysis
A Flight of Pigeons is historical fiction which narrates the escapades of Ruth Labadoor and her family, British colonists, set against the background and chaos of the 1857 rebellion.
Ruth’s family is Christian but Muslim roots and Muslim relatives. This relevance gives a tint of political interest due to the current global atmosphere of intolerance and hate.
The main theme of A Flight of Pigeons is the defence of an English family by Hindu and Muslim families from the Indian rebels as they are transported from one house to another. It conveys a message of inter-religious harmony.
Bond is able to portray that love and friendship wins over religious bigotry in the end. Even in desperate and harsh times, there are always a handful of people who are prepared to defend hunted and defenceless.
The suspense and unpredictability of the characters’ lives keep the story gripping. It also highlights how political developments can ruin the personal lives of many individuals.
It depicts a memorable legacy of survival. It adorns two stoic women who are able to brave the hostile odds and survive by using their guts, brains and composure.
