ISLAMABAD: For centuries, folk tales have passed on valuable life lessons from generation to generation. But sometimes, a tale can transcend reality and come to life.

This can be said about Mahi, the 18-year-old actress who played Sassi in a musical that ran at the Pakistan National Council of Arts last week.

Much like Sassi, who was spurned at birth and thrown into a river by a family who thought of her as a curse, Mahi had a very troubled childhood. Her onstage persona betrays little of her own past, but if one knows her story, it is hard to fight back the tears during her performance.

Mahi was born in the Mohmand Agency to an impoverished family. Her father passed away when she was just six months old and her mother Bano – who was also very young at the time – had to remarry.

The new husband had one condition; he wanted to give Mahi away because he did not want to raise another man’s child. Bano pleaded with her new husband, but he wouldn’t budge. Reluctantly, Mahi was sent to live with her two maternal aunts and over the years, she shuttled between their homes, in search of a normal existence.

Life with her aunts wasn’t easy for Mahi; her uncles would often take issue with the fact that they had another mouth to feed. “I always felt like I never belonged to anyone or any family. Everyone wanted to get rid of me,” Mahi told Dawn.

Mahi claims that her mother was the biggest support in her theatrical career and accompanied her to all performances. But Bano’s story is equally heart-wrenching. “I could not meet my own daughter for 11 years,” she says as she helps Mahi into her costume.

The years she spent away from her daughter were also rough on her. “I took a stand for my daughter and told my husband that I wanted her back, no matter what. But he did not agree, and left me to go live with his family. He even left behind the children I had with him, left us to starve,” she recalls, her eyes clouding over.

“I finally got Mahi back. We worked, cleaning dishes at other people’s houses to earn a living. We did not even have enough for three square meals a day, but we still survived. Men have this misconception that women depend on them and try to intimidate us by threatening to leave. I just had to work hard and be resilient.”

A year later, Bano found out that her husband was sick. “Mahi and I went to him. We got him out of his sister’s house and took him to the hospital. He felt ashamed and said he regretted the way he had separated me and my daughter. So finally, after 11 years of separation, we brought Mahi back home. Finally, she has a family,” Bano said, tears welling up in her eyes.

The experience has also given Mahi a better understanding of her own situation. “Women should fight for their rights. I have seen lots of hardships, but now I’m doing what I always dreamt of and I will not let anyone take my dreams away from me,” she says after receiving a standing ovation.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2016