Parvati’s Handprint Symbol Analysis

At the end of “Kabuliwala,” Rahamat shows the narrator a piece of paper with his daughter Parvati’s handprint on it, which he keeps in his breast pocket even during the eight years he spends in prison, speaking to just how deeply he loves his daughter. This handprint symbolizes childhood and is the last visible evidence of who Rahamat’s daughter—and, in a way, Mini—used to be. The fact that Rahamat has held onto this handprint for so many years represents the immense love he, as a father, has for his daughter. Rahamat clearly loves Parvati very much—the fact that he has travelled far from home just to provide enough for her to live comfortably indicates just how much he is willing to give up for her happiness. While Rahamat is working as a fruit vendor in Calcutta, Mini (who is presumably around Parvati’s age) grabs his attention because she reminds him of his daughter and helps him feel a little less lonely. When Rahamat pulls out the handprint, the narrator is preparing to see his daughter get married and leave him to go live with her husband and his family. The sight of the little handprint on Rahamat’s piece of paper instantly brings the narrator back to when Mini was that age and was still inquisitive, adventurous, and chatty—not the silent, reserved, blushing woman before him. This prompts the narrator to do what he would want done for him if he were in a similar situation: he gives Rahamat enough money to get back home to Afghanistan and be reunited with Parvati. Just as Rahamat keeps this piece of paper with his daughter’s handprint close to his heart in a shirt pocket, the narrator treasures and keeps close his memories of Mini’s childhood and the time when they shared a close relationship.