Thundu and Other Stories by K. V. Balasubramanian
Dr. K. V. Balasubramanian, was the former professor and head, Department of Literature, Tamil University, Thanjavur. He believed that in every breath of people and in every eye there is a story hidden. His first short story “Thundu” was published in a monthly magazine named Annam. The social awareness imbibed in this short story is noteworthy.
Dr. R. Shanti, translated this work in English in 2013. The translation is excellent. She has brought the portraits alive in the foreign tongue. The flavor and the breath of the original are alive in her translations.
A LESSON:
This is the first short story in this collection. The unnamed protagonist was worried about the debts that surrounds him. Most part of his salary is spent for milk, curd, school fees, and electricity bill and so on. He could not save his income. He suffer financially. Though his family is just limited to two children his salary is even more limited. Till evening he obeys the officer’s commands. Suddenly he remembers his wife’s request to buy a frock and a notebook. Since he has no money in hands he feel bad of it.
He could no more stand the insulting looks and shame. He came to a decision and he tied his dhoti to the banyan tree and put a noose. When he was about to hang he heard someone coming and he hid himself behind the banyan tree. The man who came there, saw the dhoti tied to the Banyan tree and thought that the God himself has showed him the path. When he was about to hang, the protagonist came forward.
The protagonist stopped him and asked why he took such a foolish decision. The man said that he was surrounded by debts from all sides and he can’t withstand the insults and shame. The protagonist advised him that his decision is wrong and said that he can repay the debts slowly but if at all he is not there his wife and children will be the ones who suffer. The protagonist asked him have self-confidence and courage. The man left the place and the protagonist too left the place taking his dhoti.
The protagonist himself was in the same mind set but when he found someone else doing the same thing he advises him not to do it. By advising the other one the protagonist got the courage needed for his own self. This story also brings out the suffering of the lower middle class society and their financial sufferings.
SENIORITY
In the second story too the author speaks about the unnamed protagonist. He was working in the office for the past 28 years. He was always on time and has never left the office before the time. He refused the lunch provided by Kamala, his wife and said to her that he will buy a parcel in the nearby hotel. Saying this he left for the train. But he felt very hungry.
Hunger lies are a common thing in his family. After a long calculations regarding his financial status he bought two bananas. When he was about to eat the bus arrived. So he kept the bananas inside his bag and pressed himself into the crowded the bus. He reached the office 10 minutes earlier and thought to have his banana then but an unexpected call from his manager spoiled it.
The manager asked him to recheck the ledger and asked him to quit his job if he can’t do it. The protagonist thought that the manager will remember his seniority only to give work and not while sanctioning leave and promotions. He stated to do his work.
Jayabal, who joined just two years before came late to the office and moreover he took leave the day before afternoon too. The protagonist questioned him but Jayabal is not at all bothered of all these queries and he refused to give the leave letter too. The protagonist got angry and shouted at him. The other officers looked at him surprised.
While he was shouting he fainted and the other officers tried to wake him up. The Protagonist has not eaten the day before and today too he has not eaten anything. This was the main reason for his poor health condition. He came out of the office and since the train was half an hour late he seated himself in the station. He drank some water to subside his anger and then as a sudden spark he was reminded of the banana. He thought to eat the banana then.
When he was about to eat it, a passer-by asked for alms claiming that he has not eaten for the past three days. On hearing it, the protagonist gave the banana to the passer-by as he thought he is senior to him in hunger. This story again brings out the financial status of the lower middle class people and also the humanity which still lingers in their heart even during the time of a famine.
EYE WITNESS
Dorai’s sleep was disturbed by that sight. He could not come out of that incident. He wondered how she can be so stubborn and how she always had that smile in her face even till her last breath. His wife, Kannamma was almost like a female ghost who spoiled his sleep and peace. Her looks pierced his heart and even after her death he could not understand the meaning of her smile.
Kannamma was a distant relative to Dorai and only after marriage they get to know each other. Her face had a divinity. The turmeric, the round bindi and her bold straight looks never allowed anyone to misbehave with her. In the initial days of marriage Dorai accepted whatever she said but as the days passed by he was totally changed. He used to shout, slap, hit, beat, scold his wife very badly. But she, his wife was so stubborn. He neither cried nor screamed. This attitude of her increased Dorai’s anger towards her.
Once for a cocktail party, all he found in the whisky bottles were pure cold water. When he asked why she did so she just laughed. He hit her head on the wall and slapped her. Even then she gave the same patient smile. Kothandam, friend of Dorai, gave Rs.25,000 to Dorai, which he saved for his daughter’s marriage and asked him to keep safely. Since his relatives are not trustworthy he gave the money to Dorai. But when he asked for the money after 6 months, Dorai said he lost the money and he will return it later and left the place. Later when he returned home, he got angry on Kannamma for returning back Kothandam’s money from the bureau. On hearing this, he literally stamped her and even then she didn’t cry or make noise.
Dorai can’t withstand Kannamma’s smile any more so he decided to kill her. He poured Kerosene on her and lighted up her. Even then there was no movement of protest in her. It was almost like a statue burning. But Dorai, sweated out of fear. First murder in his life and he thought there was no witness to it. But he was dumbstruck to find Jana, his child peeping through the holes of the door. He pacified her with a lie. He cheated the whole world by having a beard and a melancholic look.
Kannamma’s stare and her smile kept on piercing Dorai. He could sleep peacefully. The sleeping tablets no more had effect on him. So he started taking the opium. Once when he was under the effect of opium, Jana, the little girl poured the kerosene on her dad’s chest and after many failed attempts lighted the matchsticks on him. In the last moment of conscious, Dorai saw his daughter’s face and found the same smile in her.
This story brings out the effects of male dominated society. The smile in her face and in her daughter’s face are the words of silent revenge.
RED OLEANDER:
Krishnamoorthy wondered at Lekha’s scarlet colored skin. Other’s may call it differently but when the scarlet color reflects in her eyes it looks like a burning fire. She is the daughter of Major Suriya. He settled near Krishnamoorthy’s house and thus they two became close friends. Lekha was fond and loving girl. She used to drive fast and Krishnamoorthy was little worried about it.
Major Suriya was a clean man. He never used to drink. Even when the doctor advised him to do so to get relieved from the pain caused by a bullet, he refused to do it. He feels proud of his daughter, who was just like him in achieveing.
One day Lekha came along with a negro man named Louisima. She introduced him to her dad and said that they need to do some important assignments. The author here tells that like a black cuckoo the man followed her. Major said that the negroes never gets mixed up and that’s why it is easy for the whites to segregate them. He feels that the Negroes should never give up their rights and they are very intelligent too.
When Krishnamoorthy asked about Major’s plan regarding Lekha, he said that he is not bothered about the caste, religion or country but he is searching for a man who will fit his daughter’s figure. While they were talking, Lekha and Louisiman came down and Lekha was shining like a wet hibiscus and Louisiman following her shyly. Krishnamoorthy went to Chennai for a treatment and once he returns the Major complained that Lekha was so sure about marrying the Louisiman. He feels that there is no personality match between the two and he literally opposed this macth.
Krishnamoorth tried to convince Major by telling that the features the major expect may be hidden in the Negro, since they were been suppressed for nearly hundred years. But they excel in sports and exercises. They could not prove themselves because they have not been given any powerful posts or opportunities. The suffering and the shyness are because of refusing them, their rights in public places. If proper chance and time is given to them they may shine like the others too. But major refused all these explanation and said that the love is just out of sympathy. Lekha overheard it and got angry. She looked like a blooded hibiscus.
Krishnamoorthy took Major and Lekha to a circus show. He felt sad that the father and daughter were not speaking to each other and to solve this issue he took them to the circus. The circus show went well. When Krishnamoorthy saw Louisima, seated behind them he was quite worried. He thought if Major saw him, it will aggravate the problem. But the Major enjoyed each and every performance by the grown-ups, the kids, and even by the animal. When one of the performer did a show with the Tigers, one of the Tiger disobeyed him and broke the chains and started running. All the audience got afraid and they too started running.
Krishnamoorthy sticked to the chair out of fear and the Major stood behind a post and shouted shoot, shoot. The Tiger stood in front of Lekha and she too was grasped by fear. But Louisima fought with the Tiger bravely and he helped the ringmaster to catch the Tiger and to put it in the cage. The major was quite happy on seeing it and he understood that Louisima is not timid as he thought. When there is a need the Negro was courageous than anyone else.
The Major realized that wholeness comes only in the confluence of different colors. The reddened face of Lekha under her black colored hair and the jasmine like teeth of the black man has washed away all the thoughts of racial discrimination. Thus in this story the author speaks about how the racial discrimination has rooted deep down in the people’s heart unknowingly.
TOWEL
Bhagavathar’s was worried about the towel. He asked Thayarammal whether she washed it toughly. The hole in the towel made him worried. The towel takes many shapes in his family. It takes the form of a shall, bed sheet, bed spread, to tie hair and at times even a half saree when his daughter’s dress is put out to dry.
This torn towel was used in many places before. It has served him a lot. Only after his daughter was born he used to sit bare chest in the hall before that he always used to have the towel on him even in the hot days. When he dried the towel in the hot sun he found that it was torn in two places and he felt worse about it.
That was the day of election and Bhagavathar felt bad to go out without the towel on him. So he refused to come but Viyapuri insisted him to come and he even offered his silk shawl to Bhagavathar. Bhagavathar felt uneasy but still he went along with Viyapuri to cast his vote. Once he finished casting his vote, Viyapuri literally seized the shawl from him.
Bhagavathar felt very bad. He literally ran to his house from the election booth. He felt shy to walk in the streets without the shawl around him. When his wife Thay asked him regarding the election, he just said that politics and elections are not for ones who feel shy and modest. Here again the author highlights the poverty of the lower middle class people. The Towel is just a piece of cloth and they could not even have more than one towel in their house. The hole is just not in the towel but it is in the society, in the norms which could not be mended up easily
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