15. Summary of "Chandni"

The narrative of "Chandni," written by Zakir Husain Khan, revolves around a "freedom fight." Abbu Khan was an old man who resided in the city of Almora. He lived with his beloved pet goats, which were important to him because he lacked a family. He gave them amusing names and treated them as though they were his children. Abbu Khan would usually take his goats out for grazing during the day and tie them up with a string at night to keep them safe.

 

Despite Abbu Khan's best attempts, his goats fled from Abbu Khan's hut one by one during the night, wanting to travel up the hills, and were murdered by the hill wolf as a result. This upset Abbu Khan greatly since he knew that the hill wolf would have murdered the goats that had fled from Abbu Khan's hut. He decided not to keep any goats as pets after the loss of his goats. Abbu Khan, on the other hand, was terribly lonely without his goats. So he went out and bought a new young goat, Chandni.

 

Abbu Khan's life was once again made happier by Chandni. Abbu Khan adored her and was cautious about keeping her from climbing the hills. He never stopped telling Chandni about his previous goats and how the hill wolf had killed them. Chandni sat and listened to his stories with rapt attention. Years have gone by.

 

Chandni, like every hill goat, was drawn to the beauty of the hills as she grew older. Notwithstanding her yearning to travel to the hills, the rope around her neck kept her from venturing into the hills. As a result, she began missing meals and ignoring Abbu Khan's stories. For a long time, Abbu Khan was perplexed by Chandni's strange behaviour, and one day, Chandni revealed her desire to Abbu Khan.

 

Abbu was enraged by Chandni's request, knowing that allowing her to climb the hills would be dangerous. Abbu attempted to convince Chandni, but she was adamant about breathing her air of freedom, and so nothing worked out. He trapped her in a hut after all of his attempts failed but forgot to close the window. Chandni escaped through the hut's window on the same day and headed towards the hills.

 

Chandni finally made it to the hills. She was enthralled by the grandeur of the hills and spent hours playing on them. She then heard a grunt from the bushes nearby, which she assumed was a wolf's voice. She considered returning to Abbu's home, but her heart told her that "dying on an open field is more preferable to life in a small hut." And when the terrible wolf came in front of Chandni, she bravely battled it in the hopes of preserving her freedom. The next morning, Chandni was found dead.

 

A group of birds that watched the fight started discussing among themselves who the winner was. While others proclaimed the big wolf as the victor, a wise bird declared Chandni as the victor since she valiantly battled for her freedom till the very last moment.