A Letter To Mariam

by Akriti Mishra

Hello, Laila’s strength,

How have you been, Mariam? I don’t know in which state you would be reading this letter, but I truly hope this will make you smile for a bit and feel proud for eternity. You must be wondering who I am, and this anxiety is totally justified when you have waited for letters from your father for a very long time, asking him about you and your wellness. I am not your father, Mariam, or even your relative. In fact, I live miles away from your country, Afghanistan.

I am a college student who found you as the most empowering character captured by Khaled Hosseini’s novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” Yes, Mariam! You are, indeed, the main character of that book. Your childhood, which you cherished all your life, secures the elegant position in the book when you were happy, optimistic about life, and most importantly, having your mother by your side. I know destiny gave you miserable experiences, all from your closest people. The love, respect, and life you truly deserved got enslaved in the hands of evil.

Mariam, you’ve no idea how beautiful you are. Everything you did for Laila shows how courageous and brave one can be in the pursuit of freedom. Laila adores you every day, and so does Aziza (Laila’s daughter). Hitting Rasheed with a shovel and taking the blame so that Laila could fly away from hell shows how much importance you gave to the better life that was waiting ahead of Laila, neglecting the happy ending you deserved too.

With this letter, I want to tell you just one thing. That is, your life was not at all wasted. Within your bounded dreams, you dreamt bigger. With the least love you got, you showered the most love you could. With the fear of stepping out of hell, you made way for Laila’s freedom. With all the less you received, you never stopped giving the most you could. You are an inspiration to all those women out there whose dreams got crushed by their family, left in a horrific place where they are no less than an alien to others, and beaten up by the soul that dies while being alive.

You are not written about in any history textbooks, but your contribution, motivation, and hope for light within the darkness are no less than a historic achievement to be counted on. With the most ordinary life you think you lived, you became heroic for millions of people who read about you as the main character of the book.

I am proud of you. And the amount of respect I have for you cannot be expressed in words. You are truly a beacon of hope that has no boundaries of radiance.

Yours affectionately,

Akriti

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