About the Author:
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan
(1906-2001) popularly known as R.K. Narayan was a renowned Indian writer in
English. He was born in Madras, and educated at Mysore. He served as a teacher
for sometime and thereafter turned into a serious writer. In his first novel, “Swami
and Friends”, he created the imaginary small town called Malgudi. His novel
“The Guide” received Sahitya Akademi Award in 1960. He has published many
novels and numerous short stories.
Introduction:
“A Shadow” is a story of a little boy,
Sambu who lives in a village with his own mother. He waits eagerly for the
screening of a film, which features his father who is no more now. It is a
tender and emotional story where Sambu, demands to see his father’s performance
on the screen. He wants to see his father moving and dancing on the screen
which may make him feel that as if his father is alive. Hence he wants to see
the movie daily.
The film, “Kumari”:
The scene of the movie is very much
like in Sambu’s home. In the movie,
Kumari, the fourteen year old daughter does not want to marry but wants to
continue her studies. The father asks the girl questions about her school work,
and is pleased when she gets them right. The father asks her arithmetic to
which she accurately answers. Then his father is delighted. Sambu recalls how
he once committed mistake in solving the problem when his father asked him to
solve the arithmetic problem.
Sambu’s happiness:
Actually, Sambu is highly delighted as
if his father has come back to life. Sambu is trying to feel the presence of
his dead father through his performance in the movie, “Kumari”. The shadow of
his father makes him happy. He feels the presence of his father.
His mother’s memories:
He repeatedly asks his mother to see
the picture. However, she explains that she could not tolerate to see her
husband again moving and speaking around on the screen. Sambu explains her that
it is better to see his father on the screen than seeing him on the photograph.
Hence his mother agree to watch the movie with Sambu. At last, he takes his
mother to the last show. Seeing Sambu’s father reading newspaper in the movie,
she recalls the last breath that her husband breathed when he was reading
newspaper at the home. This memory kindles her emotions and she faints. On
seeing her, Sambu takes her back home, because he loves his mother much than he
loves his father. As a small child, Sambu could not understand the emotions of
his mother, yet he loves her very much.
Conclusion:
The story captures the joy and pain
experienced by a little boy and his mother when they see the dead man of the
house moving and dancing on the screen. In this story, we can see the emotions,
feelings, innocence and sentiments of a child who is deprived of his father’s
love.
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