“The umbrella was like a flower, a great blue flower that had sprung up on the dry brown hillside.” |
Shiny, pretty things always catch our eye, don’t they? A thing that is considered conventionally beautiful always makes us take a second glance towards it. It’s one of human nature. Similarly, in this little story by Ruskin Bond, a beautiful, blue umbrella catches Binya’s eye. Binya, a naive, little girl from a hillside village, acquires a dainty, bright blue umbrella in exchange for her lucky, leopard’s claw pendant. Binya loves it so much that she carries it everywhere she goes, unfortunately attracting the envious eyes of the villagers. The fresh-flowing rivers, flower-filled valleys, lush green hills, the deep mist covering it– Ruskin Bond weaves a story of heroic characters and redemption, in the midst of it all.
Bond’s writing has always made me feel warm and at home. He has a way of making a simple scene from the village life spring into life in front of me. In my opinion, no Indian author can describe the beauty of Indian hill stations, the ever-changing vivid seasons, and humor that makes you laugh out loud in simple yet effective words, as well as Bond. Here, the innocent thoughts and actions of Binya are portrayed perfectly, especially for a young reader, to understand. The greed and jealousy of the people are mentioned clearly, only that Bond withholds all the literal words. Not too ambiguous to confuse children who read this, not too obvious enough to bore them.
I loved Binya’s enthusiasm and the seeds of stubbornness in her that would grow her into a headstrong person.
You can take her as the perfect example of a village girl– one who finds comfort in the mountains, thick forests, and flowing rivers, knowing she belongs to those terrains. One who feels lost in the huge crowds in towns, terrified to the point of preferring her rough village life over any luxuries offered by the big cities. It was a joy reading about Binya breezing through her chores with an ease that only comes from habitual practices.
I think Bond’s writing is the only which does not make me assume or predict anything in the story. I become completely relaxed, immersed in just the present. Maybe that’s why I didn’t expect Ram Bharosa to get that ending. I was also unpleasantly surprised a bit when Rajaram lied, even if he was under pressure (quite literally and figuratively). It made me wonder what kind of person he would grow up into.
Biju’s vigor and willingness to help, due to the love he had for his sister, was really adorable.
I’ve heard people say and read a thousand times that greed can be a person’s downfall and jealousy poison one’s soul. To what extent?– I used to wonder. Until the person learns a moral lesson and until karma comes backbiting them. After that, it surely depends on the person’s choices– it could either lead them to their redemption or burn their life into ashes. This is something that I absorbed from this book. This is what Bond conveyed, albeit with much less intensity and without ultimatums.
The Blue Umbrella– the little story that brings you joy in its very simple if you’re a young one or makes you think a little if you’re older.
Goblin & Reaper 