| Samira & Samir : A story of love and freedom | | | | inspirited and initiated by the life of Afghan women, |
| Romance knows no hurdles and nothing so powerful | | | | penned the real life stories into fictions, they became |
| exists on this planet to raise barriers between loving | | | | bestsellers as there are rays of truth glittering in |
| minds. Not only the lavishly flowered gardens but the | | | | them, as there are drops of tears shining in between |
| hell-hot deserts also may germinate few sprouts of | | | | the lines, and as there are unheard cries and unseen |
| romans. Thus there comes this heart melting love | | | | suffering revealed in the works. Siba, currently is |
| story from Afghanistan, the land of branded | | | | working as an adviser to ISAS, the peacekeeping |
| terrorism where even the breeze bears on its | | | | force in Afghanistan. She lives in New York and |
| shoulder the nasty smell of ammunition. Through the | | | | Germany. Other popular book from Siba Shakib is |
| novel Samira & Samir the author Siba Shakib proves | | | | 'Afghanistan, Where God only comes to weep'. |
| that outdated religious rituals may make women to | | | | The novel opens with the scene of a delivery which |
| hide themselves behind thick dark 'parda', but can | | | | moves dramatically through the pains and suffering of |
| never take away their dreams and hopes. The | | | | a women who is about to give birth to her first child |
| downtrodden women may be destined to view this | | | | and also presents with the hops of a proud father |
| beautiful world through black masks, but the colours | | | | and his dreams about having a brave son. But the |
| of the inner eyes could never be faded by any | | | | first chapter ends with the first cry of the newborn |
| authority and religion. | | | | child, to the father's devastation, a female baby. The |
| As the author Siba says Samira and Samir is an | | | | key twist in this novel and in the life of the |
| extraordinary tale of a young Afghan girl following | | | | protagonist is happened at this point as the |
| her heart in a man's world. This is an unveiling look | | | | Commander, the father of the new born names the |
| into Afghanistan life from a courageous point of view | | | | girl child as Samir instead of Samira and decides to |
| and of course this is a thrilling story of love and | | | | bring her up as a male child to continue his legacy as |
| freedom. | | | | a brave warrior. Soon the fact that Samir is really a |
| Afghanistan, in Siba's own words is a land where only | | | | girl has been forgotten. Samir learns to fight, ride and |
| god comes to weep. The anarchy reigned state is | | | | shoot, and when her father is killed, she becomes |
| truly a least liked place for a civilised person to step | | | | head of the family. However, as an adult, Samir's love |
| into. It is not ice cold water drops that rains in this | | | | for the friend of her youth forces her to confess the |
| land, but skull-braking bullets and fire spitting | | | | truth. She wants to live as Bashir's wife but in return |
| grenades. No sparrow sings a morning melody here, | | | | she must reveal her female identity and, in so doing, |
| but roaring patten tanks and high frequency bomber | | | | give up her freedom. Samira follows her heart but |
| jets wake up the mornings. And at every foot step | | | | she hates wearing the veil. Eventually the torment is |
| everyone expects a bullet shot straight into the | | | | too great and Samira realises there has to be a third |
| heart or the sound of a land-mine unlocked beneath | | | | way for her- the way of a self- confident woman |
| the feat. How could then romance and love may | | | | who bravely takes charge of her own life... |
| bloom in anyone's heart amidst the fight to breath | | | | At the end of the novel Siba depicts Samir |
| and live freely? How could then there be a love story | | | | transferring into Samir in a symbolic way. |
| from the land where sun raises only for people to die | | | | ' Samira weeps until her weeping turns into laughter... |
| and never for anyone to live for another day. | | | | It is a laughter that she does not loose quickly, |
| But... Samira and Samir comes from this land of | | | | laughter that will stay with her for a long time.... It is |
| terror, from beyond Nowshak peaks and Helmand | | | | the laughter of a woman... A real woman... |
| river, on the wings of wind that crossed Hindu-Kush | | | | The entire novel could be told as picturing the |
| mountain range and passed over Kabul streets. | | | | identity crisis of a woman who had to live behind a |
| Siba Shakib is an acclaimed filmmaker and international | | | | mask forgetting herself and her identity as a woman. |
| bestselling author. She was born in Iran and was | | | | The moments of self realisation and stages of |
| brought up in Tehran attending a German school | | | | transformation in to womanhood is penned so |
| there. There are a number of documentaries and | | | | realistically in the novel. Siba has molded the entire |
| films on her credit. During her frequent travels | | | | novel in simple present tense which seems added to |
| through the land of Afghanistan including the | | | | the beauty of the words. Samira & Samir is a worthy |
| territories commanded by Taliban, she was deeply | | | | fiction to hold near to heart as it has the heat of life |
| shaken by the plight of helpless, discriminated, | | | | in it and the sparks of truth too. |
| downtrodden Afghanistan women. When she, | | | | |