The Telegram on the Table

                                                                                        Parashu Pradhan, Nepal (1943 - )

Summary in English

"The Telegram on the Table" is a most popular story written by Parashu Pradhan. The major character of the story is Krishna. This story makes a satire to those Nepalese youths who dream of the foreign land but forget and ignore their own motherland. In addition, this story centers on complex.

Krishna was born in the remote village of Nepal. After completing his school education, he comes to Kathmandu to fulfill his colorful desire leaving his parents and the society. From the very childhood, he has a golden dream to go to America. In Kathmandu, he learns English and works as a tourist guide. After being a tourist guide, he is influenced by the western music and culture.

Krishna passes several years to take tourists to different places describing them about the culture, customs, history, religion and archaeology of Nepal. He then forgets all about his birth place, beautiful village, parents and his wife. As a hardworking man, he forgets himself with the golden dreams of foreign land, America.

Krishna runs after money in the material individual city life in Kathmandu. Neither he visits his birth place and parents nor writes or informs anything about him. One night when he is ready to go to bed, he sees a telegram on the table.

Krishna reads the message "your wife died yesterday." After reading, he throws the telegram on the table and takes rest since it is late night. He forgets it for a week. It means as he gets the information of his death wife, he does not regret nor plans to go to his house.

However, after few weeks, he remembers about his death wife. He could not sleep at night. As he thinks his present profession, he gets no relief rather his death wife always comes as a memory in his mind. He compares his present life (being alone in the city) with past life (being together with his parents, wife and society). He starts hating himself because of being cruel, individual and selfish forgetting and missing his parents, wife and birth place. He even regrets on his dream of America as the main cause to forget and ignore his family and society. At the end, being alone with full of tears in his eyes he cries a lot realizing the realistic life in the city as the full of suffering, pain, alienation and regret.

The Stub Book

                                                                      Pedro Antonio de Alarcon, Spain (1833 – 1891)
Summary in English

This is a short Spanish story by Alarcon. The major event of the story beings in Rota, the smallest town in the bay of Cadiz. Rota is the smallest of those pretty towns that forms the great semisecret of the bay of Cadiz. The major character of the story is Uncle Buscabeatas who solves the mystery of lost pumpkins by using his creative and critical mind. Therefore, this story tries to represent the dedicated hardworking farmers of the town, Rota.
The land is fertile where hardworking farmers can grow crops three or four times per year. As uncle Buscabeatas a hardworking farmer, he seeks fertilizer for the groups. For that, he attends daily and takes care of the plants. He loves them too much and gives different names, too. In other words, he loves his vegetables and fruits like his own children.
Uncle Buscabeatas had grown forty good pumpkins. He worked very hard to love and take care of them. He was very conscious of size, number and names of all pumpkins. He decided to see those pumpkins in the market so that he could get the money as the successful achievements of his work or profession. He made a golden dream for that. However, his plan and dream got failed when all his pumpkins were lost next morning.
After losing all pumpkins, he became so sad and guessed that the thief his pumpkins to the market and sold them for money. Thinking such, he directly went to the market. He reported a policemen and he went to vegetable market along with him (Policemen). Several people gathering along with Inspector about this case. As inspector asked who stole his pumpkins, Uncle Buscabeatas recognized that his pumpkins were stolen by Uncle Fulano. He already came to know that Uncle Fulano did not have good crops in his farm. Then, people started laughed at him when he told different names of his lost pumpkins.
There was a great debate between Uncle Buscabeatas and Uncle Fulano about the lost pumpkins. Uncle Fulano challenged him to show the proof. Uncle Buscabeatas started matching the steams with the pumpkins to show proof among the people. At the end, all people supported Uncle Buscabeatas. He got victory over Uncle Fulano. In short, Uncle Buscabeatas got praised in his truth proof and Uncle Fulano got punished/arrested in his crime.

The Making of a Scientist

                                                                                             V. S. Ramachandra, India (1951 - )
Summary in English 

This essay talks the qualities or characteristic for being a successful scientist. Curiosity is one of the most important qualities to suit oneself for career in science. He/she needs good family background as well as high motivation. In addition, Science flourishes well in an atmosphere of complete freedom and financial independence.
The writer was highly influenced by his science teachers and his science mined uncle. His parents equally encouraged him by collecting and providing necessary materials and equipments. The writer was fascinated by science from the age of eleven. Nature was his friend and society. He loved history, particularly the study of ancient Indian history, archaeology, art, anthropology and ethnology. Botany was also his passion. He conducted experiments on plants and bugs. He also believed that many subjects he studied have many things in common. He was very much interested in neurology. There are two reasons why the writer was attracted to neurology. First, it was new-based research to carry out. Second, he chose neurology is obviously the curiosity to know about himself.
Ramachandran says that where there is atmosphere of complete freedom and financial independence, science and scientists flourish. He regards science as a great fun. Technology drives science as surely as ideas do. So, he believes that ideas and technology are equally important for science. How we use the tools of science are of great importance. His claims are of great importance. He claims that a scientific discovery receives more significance if it is made without delay. He says that science was a greatly existing subject during the Victorian era. Finally, he criticizes the modern methodology and science for just becoming a boring enterprise. Rather he praises the science of ancient Greece as well as science of Victorian age.

The Lunatic

      
                                                                        Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Nepal (1909 – 1959)
Summary in English

"The Lunatic" by Devkota is an autobiographical poem. The poet appears at the center of modern society wearing the mask of a Lunatic speaker and attack the modern corrupted world. This is the translated version of the Nepali poem "Pagal" by the poet himself. Each stanza brings out a different aspect of the speaker's character: confidence, abnormality, imagination, sensitivity, anger and awful majesty. The poet exposes the evils, corruptions, ugliness, injustices, prejudices and discrimination that are prevalent in the modern Nepalese society.
In the first stanza of the poem, the speaker is mad. It means he is a Lunatic person and attacks so-called sane world and its evils. Sane people are overconfident, oversensitive and extremely proud hollowly intellectual achievements. They always feel but do not think. In fact, emotional aspect of human soul is focused by the poet. In the second stanza, the speaker has pointed out the facts that prove a man insane. The world of the so-called insane people is the world of average understanding.
The speaker as a lunatic claims that he sees the sound and hears the sights. He tastes the fragrance and smells the taste. Similarly, he sees the flowers and beauty in the stones. He also touches the things thinner than air and believes the things of existence of which the sane world denies. He also communicates with the birds and animals. However, in the lunatic's world, everything is seen positively, but in the world of sane people, everything is viewed negatively. The lunatic speaker argues that he has even the sixth sense. He dances in the nature with the songs of cuckoo. Therefore, he says that he is mad at this condition.
The speaker compares and contrasts the world of sane with the world of insane. In the world of ordinary beings, the interpretation made with the sixth senses is not only illegible and incomplete but also nonsense, the corrupted person enjoys the time with wine and prostitutes, has no sense of humanity and judges everything from monetary point of view. If the person who dares to speak of their irrationality is to be mad, the speaker accepts that he is mad. The lunatic speaker says that he is emotional and works with heart. He melts and flows. He is like poetry. On the other hand, sane people are like prose (essay). They work with mind. The heaven of the sane is his hell. Their religion is his sin, and king is a beggar for him, their gold and diamond are valueless for him. Sane people think that they have five senses, they like progression, nature is unremarkable, they believe things is unremarkable, they believe things have limited meaning. In contrast, insane people are in miserable condition and say that they have six senses. They claim that their heart works over mind and the things have limitless meaning. For them, heaven is hell and progression as regression but nature is remarkable and enlightened one.

The Library Card

                                                                                    Richard Wright, USA (1908 – 1960)
Summary in English

This is an autobiographical story which focuses on the importance of education that helps us understand ourselves, others, the mysteries of the world and the essence of life. In addition, it shows the racial discrimination between the white and the black people in America.
The writer as a Negro boy reads a newspaper editorial in the lobby of a bank. He finds the article about H.L. Mencken, popular white writer. Mencken was badly denounced (hated) by the white race. The writer has never read such a sharp criticism to the white writer by the white races. It is because the boy has had bitter experience of the social and color discrimination. White people have never sympathy for the black rather they are taken as out-caste or animals. Therefore, Richard Wright is curious to know the reason of hatred and is highly inspired to real his books. Therefore, he wants to go to library to obtain the books by Mencken.
However, blacks are deprived of their rights, freedom, education, equality, justice and other opportunities. They are not allowed to use the library. Being black, the writer does not have a library card of his own. But he starts serving many white men on collecting books from the library thinking that he can get chance to use library card.
One day, his boss Mr. Falk, an Irish Catholic, gives him his two library cards. He warns the boy (writer) to use the card properly so that he would not get in trouble. However, the white librarian refuses to lend the books without the permission letter of the owner of the cards. Anyway, the boy uses his creative mind and forges a note i.e. the white man's name in the card, and collects books from the library.
The writer firstly reads "Prefaces" and "Prejudice" by Mencken. In the initial phase, because of his limited knowledge and poor English, he could not understand the books. However, he soon realizes that words could be more powerful than any weapons. He returns those books and borrows the other ones. His reading helps him to understand more about life and people. He becomes quite intelligent. He realizes the sufferings of slaves, suppression and oppression of cruel law by the white against the black. The hatred of the white men arises bitter feeling in his conscious mind and heart. Finally, he becomes the successful writer and scholar to fight against racial discrimination and prejudices of the whites over blacks in America.

The Great Answer

                                                                                        Fulton Ourseler, USA (1893 – 1852)
Summary in English 

"The Great Answer" is a persuasive short story by Fulton Ourseler. This story represents that life is full of challenges, troubles and problems that we can solves if we have the courage, self-confidence and socialized positive thinking. In our every step of life, these things play the vital role make our work and life meaningful.
The story takes place at a small town near the Spanish border. Many people (refugees, men, and women) are lodged in the Boarding house of the village who are feeling fear from the German police and by the Nazi armies. They are at the danger of being arrested by the Gestapo police of Nazi and being put into the concentration camp. If they were found by the Nazi police, they would be bitterly killed. They try to enter into Spain; however, the security guards don't allow them to enter. So, they remain no hope of survival rather feel deathing in life.
However, one night a stranger comes to Boarding School and says that he is volunteer from the underworld. He further says that he is sent by God for their rescue. He clearly tells them that he wants to guide them to Spain despite challenges in the darkness of the night. But he is confident that God would help in such difficult situation.
The refugees feel relief after listening the stranger's speech. They think have no alternative way than to take help from him. However, those people belong to different ages, for example; mother with her 4 years old child, three old people and others young ones. Anyway, all of them follow guide. They climb up the difficult mountain in the moonlight.
During their journey, the oldest man loses his courage and tells that it is better to die than to face such difficulties. But the leader (guide) encourages him that they would help in their problem each other. Then, old people get encouraged and short walking carrying the little daughter on their shoulders turn by turn. Finally, they become success to cross the border line and enter into safe country.
When they cross the border line and arrive at peaceful place, all people (refugees, old men, mother, and young men) feel new life. They are encouraged to face a new world of freedom. In fact, this is the great answer for the thoughtful journey of human life.

The Cabuliwallah

                                                                                          Rabindranath Tagore (1861 – 1941)
Summary in English

"The Cabuliwallah" by Rabindranath Tagore is a psychological story that deals with the nature of the children, parents and vendor. It also talks about domestic matter in which the parents should understand the nature (psychology) of the children. In addition, it tries to shows the class and caste discrimination, too. This story also reflects that we do have friendly relationship with stronger in the assumptions that helping to mankind is helping to ourselves.
Tagore has 5 years old daughter named Mini who is very talkative. She often comes to ask questions while he is busy in his work of writing. She also asks nonsensical questions to her father, Tagore. One day she sees a Cabuliwallah walking slowly along the street. Really, there is a Cabuliwallah, (fruit seller from Cabul) in dirty clothes carrying a bag on his back and box of grapes in his hand. As Cabuliwallah looks up, she runs to her mother.
The real name of Cabuliwallah is Abdur Rahman. He comes to the house of the writer in Calcutta. The writer buys some dry fruits for Mini. The Cabuliwallah gives Mini some nuts and raisins. Then, every time he comes to the writer's house and gives her something as a gift. Gradually, they become close friends. They talk and laugh for a long time. The writer is happy but his wife doubts. In her view, vendors are bad people because they may also steal the children. So, she does not like Mini's friendship with the Cabuliwallah.
One morning Tagore sees the Cabuliwallah walking blood stained. Two policemen are following him. The reason is that Cabuliwallah has punished a man to death when that man refuses to pay the money of the fruits. Mini arrives in the scene and asks whatever he is going to his father-in-law's house. He laughs and replies that he is going there. Then, he spends many years in the prison.
Mini grows up and forgets Cabuliwallah. After few years, Cabuliwallah is released from the jail. He comes to meet Mini. He observes there is the marriage ceremony in the house of writer. He could not believe that it is little Mini in the beautiful weeding aspiration. Unfortunately, he looks Mini in beautiful bride's dress. He finds everyone busy in the house. He gives a token of gift to the writer but the writer tries to pay. Rahman refuses to take money saying that he has also daughter like Mini names Parbati. When Rahman shows the letter to the writer, the writer is touched by his grief and tears. Rahman is surprised to see Mini. He imagines he could not bring back their past friendship. However, he asks her whether she is going to her father-in-law house and she feels ashamed because she now knows the meaning of the father-in-law. At the end of the story, Tagore gives him 100 rupees and tells him to go back to his house and join a company with his daughter.