Khin Hnin Yu - A flower that blooms from suffering

Khin Hnin Yu

Khin Hnin Yu is the secretary of the Prime Minister, the wife of a military officer, etc. Although I have never met him in person, I can get to know him by reading his novels.

The Prime Minister's secretary, the wife of a military commander, would be a woman who wore the red lipstick, the strapless American nylon lace bodice, and the three or four hundred tons of silk brocade and Indonesian batik fabrics that are common in wealthy and upper-class circles, and would be a lady in body. Or someone who was as beautiful as a lady, or if she lacked development, she would be a woman of educated descent, who would wear fake pimples, and who would pretend to be a monarch in front of strangers and unfamiliar people, and who would deliberately make a show of her beauty by tightening her lips. I imagined that she would be a woman of high social status.

But when I saw it in person, I was amazed.

Myawaddy Magazine was founded.

Due to printing difficulties, the editors of the magazine, who had a large following, worked day and night on the monthly holidays. One night, when I saw Khin Hnin Yu, who was casually following the then Myawaddy Executive Officer, Captain Kyaw Thaung, I was so different from the image in my mind, so different, so contradictory, that I stared in amazement and confusion.

She was wearing a thick, red, loose-fitting dress on her slender body. The tight-fitting, medium-length silk dress and loose-fitting blouse made the girl's face look a little older than her actual age. Her skin was pale, her head was a bit large for her height, and her forehead was wide. Her strong jaw and bright, bold eyes were the girl's beauty and distinctive features.

The Prime Minister's secretary in my imagination, the military general's wife's accessories, the red lipstick, the red nylons, etc. are not things that belong to this girl.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ma Su and you are as kind as my brother (her husband, Lieutenant General Kyaw Thaung). Please come and visit Ma Su’s house.”

His voice was as clear as it was fast. His eyes were sharp and bold. His body was slender and his demeanor seemed soft, but his speech was eloquent.

Thus, he became acquainted with Captain Kyaw Thaung's Khin Hnin Yu and often visited their home.

As is the custom of visitors, I idly browsed through the photo books. I came across many photos taken of the then Prime Minister U Nu when he was young, and we got to know that Khin Hnin Yu was originally from Wa Khema and was U Nu's younger sister.

“Ma Su can write such a small letter, thanks to Ma Su, Ma May Nae and Ko Ko Gyi (meaning U Nu). My mother is very respectful of ancient traditions and cultures, so she wants her children to follow them as she does. Ma Su also got the habit of reading from her mother. When Ma May was reading, she would ask the whole family to read a book. When it came to politics, the family would sit around and debate before going to bed.”

He would often talk about his mother's kindness to him. At times, tears would well up in his bright eyes. He loved his mother, but

"If I were still with my mother, I wouldn't be afraid of any life in the world," he would say, cruelly, with his beloved captain by his side. He always seemed to rely more on his mother.

After that, Ma Khin Hnin Yu did not come home. I often saw cars on the streets when I was traveling. When it rained, I saw her running across the puddles at the bus stop at Thein Gyi Market wearing a short skirt. Then, looking at the secretary of the Prime Minister, who could not drive during the Pyidaw Thar era, I asked her sadly as I said goodbye.

“The office doesn’t provide a car for Daw Khin Suu?”

"I'll give it to you, but the car I gave you is so fuel-efficient that the oil provided by the office isn't enough. I have to plant it from my pocket. Later, I can't afford it because I have a large family."

If he's interested, he'll talk nonstop, even on the streets.

He always had a serious family responsibility, and his words always included it. He was always open, without any secrets or pretense. Once, he boldly and openly questioned someone in public who had heard him say bad things about his finances in a magazine. But on the street, he was always rushing around because he had something important to do. Sometimes, I couldn't help but look at him, who was so quick to speak.

"What is Daw Khin Suu Kyi so important about?" I often ask.

"I still have to go to school to take the exam. I don't have a degree, so I'm a bit shy at work."

Watching him work on the side of a family with a lot of responsibilities, writing long novels, and taking exams at school, I understood his life of constant rushing and running around. “If you don’t have a degree, you’ll be a loser at work,” he said, and soon he sent his novel “Ok Kyad Myat” to Myawaddy. Ok Kyad Myat is about people who are intelligent but cannot study during the Second World War.

In the upper class society of King Soe Ya Za, the secretary who could not drive a car did not have a degree, so she had to study part-time and keep up with the times. The novels "Masandar" and "Nagatan" that she wrote seem to present the treachery and class discrimination, pretense, and cruelty of the upper class. Later, the novels "The One Who Makes Flowers Bloom" and "Hell Behind the Curtain" depict the cruel corruption of the political and government officials in the FSLA headquarters and the Prime Minister's circle. During this time, Khin Hnin Yu was not seen because he was traveling as the Prime Minister's secretary.

One day, they met on the street. He seemed to have an urgent need to see the author. The author was at that time hanging out with the street vendors at a roadside bar. It was the evening after-hours and his clothes were ragged, so he didn't want to greet him. He called out to the author from among the vendors. The young woman next to him couldn't understand and frowned. The reason he wanted to see him was because he had heard that a letter had arrived from his protagonist, Ko Kyaw Kyaw, a Bagan resident, regarding the novel "Can't End in Hope," which he had written in Myawaddy. The author sighed. He thought to himself that he had friends who were worse than the author and the godly man. Thinking back on the incident, he guessed that he was reckless in his pursuit of interests.