Guddu and "gandi gaali"

Humsafar introduced us to the term “gandi gaali” as part of Khirad’s fear for what her child might be seen as in society. Her fear rests on the fact that Asher is not ready to give the child his name and accept her as his own. Though Chand Grehan is an earlier drama, it throws light on this theme through the character of Guddu.

The little boy is apparently the son of Gulbahaar and Laal Hussein Shah and the father often refers to him as “Nikhre Shah” or “Chotay Saeein” thereby immediately accepting him as his own son. But this acceptance of the boy as his son remains confined to Gulbahaar’s apartment and not anywhere else. To an outsider, Guddu is a child without a father or one who never appears in front of public alongside his son. It is because of this that on the boy’s first appearance, we see him upset because of the condescending remarks and speculations his class fellows make about his family. He even expresses to his father that “bache school mein mera mazaaq uraate hein, kehte hein tumhara baap nahi hai” but Laal Hussein Shah only threatens in front of his son that he would break the bones of any such people. Yet he is only bold in words and not in actions; the viewer never sees him going to his son’s school to put an end to such treatment of his son for that would mean that he has to expose his marriage to Gulbahaar and his family in front of everyone. A public figure like him would not risk his reputation for this and therefore he never establishes a close relationship with his son. Later in a scene with Babar, Laal Hussein Shah tells his friend about Jahanehaan Shah that “mera yeh aik he beta hai gaddi nashein” showing that he has no intention of making Guddu part of his family and giving him the land and money his other son is entitled to.

Since Guddu can never be seen as a descendant of the Shah family in the public sphere, there the child’s mother comes under scrutiny and becomes a means of his identity. Guddu is not Guddu Hussein Shah for people but the son a “gaana bajane wali”. This in itself becomes an abuse for the little boy and he and his mother are ridiculed for this. The mother at some level knows that her past profession will always be a hindrance in her son’s life and instead of establishing her son’s identity through her she reminds him that “Tum wadere Laal Hussein Shah k bête ho na”. While Guddu’s father never makes any such promises, Gulbahaar assumes that her son will also get the perks of being part of Shah Hussein’s legacy. She consoled her son saying, “Tum jaldi jaldi baray ho jao, who zameenein bhi tumhare naam ho jaein gi”. With a father who’s rarely part of the picture and a mother whose past profession comes back to haunt Guddu’s present, it is obvious that the child is not close to either of his parents. He is extremely fond of the servant Hussein Baksh and replaces his father with him as the paternal figure in his life.

The uncertain paternity surrounding Guddu is confirmed when Dilbar claims that the child is not Laal Hussein Shah’s but is Gulbahaar’s from some other man. Here, Humsafar’s terms gandi gaali apply not only for the son but also for the mother whose reputation is exploited at the hands of the pimp. One realizes that Guddu could never be part of the Shah family and that own roots along with his mother’s past would always be a problem in the construction of his identity.