Translation Studies

ANALYSIS OF THE STORY "GARDEN OF SPICE'

Character Sketch of Sayali

The story “Garden of Spice” has been written by Shubhangi Bhadbade. The story was originally written in Marathi titled “Phulrani”. The story has been translated from Marathi into Hindi by Usha Bande. It has been translated from Hindi to English by Sapna Sanjay Pandit and Anshu Kaushal. There are three major characters: Jaidev, Rupa and Sayali in this story. Rupa and Jaidev are the parents of Sayali. Sayali, the central character, is a beautiful, attractive, intelligent but crippled child who is lifeless below her waist. Sayali’s birth fills their home with joy as she is born after much wait by the couple. Baby Sayali has a chuckle for everybody. She is a healthy and attractive child. However, below her waist she was lifeless like wood. Both Rupa and Jaidev try every available remedy to cure Sayali but nothing works. Slowly, Jaidev realises that there is no hope of Sayali’s recovery, he grows rude and bitter towards her. He wants to get rid of her and send her to an orphanage. Jaidev constantly whines about his fate. Rupa however has accepted her fate and she defends Sayali’s rights as a daughter and as a human being whenever there is a threat to her existence. Rupa also tries to makes Jaidev understand and accept his role as father of a crippled child. Sayali is very fortunate to have such loving parents. Rupa proves to be a kind mother and she tries to reform Jaidev by making him realize his responsibility towards Sayali. Rupa provides the necessary emotional and moral support to both Sayali as well as Jaidev.

Sayali notices that her crippledness makes her parents, particularly Jaidev, embarrassed in the public eye. There is a silver lining in Sayali’s life when Jaidev discovers that Sayali, aged 4, has talent for music. Jaidev is also fond of music and he starts teaching music to Sayali. Sayali shows great promise in her performances and she gets a resounding applause for her maiden performance. After the first successful public appearance people start inviting Sayali to various occasions but Jaidev does not want Sayali to lose focus on her studies. He plans carefully and selectively to find a balance between studies and singing. Both Rupa and Jaidev are now hopeful that someday Sayali will live her life normally and respectfully because she is a very talented girl and music and a good education can support her throughout life.

Sayali has grown quite nonchalant by the time she is in class 10th. She sits by a certain window in her room and looks down at the people, school-going children who can be seen from the window. One day, Rupa finds Sayali looking intently at the public tap below and she is engrossed by the scene . Rupa finds out that Sayali has been looking at young naked boys taking a bath at the public tab and the boys are making some obscene gestures. Rupa is shocked to learn that she has really been enjoying all this. She sternly asks Sayali to move away from the window. Sayali tries to hide her frivolity from her mother. Sayali comments that she will never be able to go out and play like other children and have fun. Rupa is touched by the way Sayali has taken her attention away from the awkward situation. Sayali has grown quite shrewd and deceptive in her behaviour. She is in the adolescent phase of her life.

There are other incidents in the story that indicate the deceptive nature of Sayali's behaviour. Sayali is taught music by a tutor named Pathak ji. After sometime Pathak ji stops coming to give lessons to Sayali. One day Pathak Ji's son comes to the house. This boy is taken aback to see Sayali and asks her a few polite questions. Sayali is in the room with him and when Rupa comes back from the kitchen the boy has left without saying anything. This surprises Rupa. When asked about it Sayali expresses ignorance. Rupa has to ignore it too. In another incident Rupa notices that Sayali is kissing the mirror reflection of the neighbour boy Chandu, who was somewhere at a distance in his home, while combing her hair. This infuriates Rupa very much. She immediately understands all the past incidents and is convinced of Sayali's flirtatious intentions.

Rupa is shocked at Sayali's behaviour because she never thought Sayali would stoop so low. She thinks about all the sacrifices and choices that the couple had to make to give Sayali a secure and peaceful life. Rupa is disappointed to learn that the hard work done by the couple to train Sayali has been wasted. Rupa lashes out at Sayali. She unintentionally hurts Sayali with her nails, drags her on the floor and throws her out of the house and shuts the door behind her. Rupa is crying inside the house whereas Sayali is crying and asking for forgiveness outside the house by the door. At this moment Rupa realizes that she has been very harsh in her reaction to Sayali's adolescent quirks. Rupa has been behaving as an overprotective mother who would not let her child grow and explore life as per its wishes. Youth is not Sayali's fault and Rupa has no right to deny the natural inclination of a growing adolescent girl.

Rupa resolves that she will not let Sayali's garden of youth be destroyed; instead as her mother Rupa should take care of her child and help her move forward onto the next stage of adulthood. With this resolution she opens the door and forgives Sayali for this imaginary act. Finally, Sayali is accepted by Rupa as a daughter who will be given every chance to lead a normal life.

Character Sketch of Rupa

Character Sketch of Rupa:

The story “Garden of Spice '' has been written by Shubhangi Bhadbade. The story was originally written in Marathi titled “Phulrani ''. The story has been translated from Marathi into Hindi by Usha Bande. It has been translated from Hindi to English by Sapna Sanjay Pandit and Anshu Kaushal. There are three major characters: Jaidev, Rupa and Sayali in this story. Rupa and Jaidev are the parents of Sayali. Rupa is the mother of Sayali, the central character, who is a crippled girl. In the story we come to know that Jaidev, Rupa’s husband, was a jovial person during the initial years of his marriage. However, there is a change in Jaydev’s behaviour after the couple have had no child for a few years. Sayali’s birth fills their home with joy. Baby Sayali is healthy and beautiful but is crippled below her waist. Both Rupa and Jaidev try every available remedy to cure Sayali but nothing works. Jaidev realizes that there is no hope of Sayali’s recovery, he grows rude and bitter towards her. He wants to get rid of her and send her to an orphanage. Rupa is like an ideal mother. She defends Sayali’s rights as a daughter and as a human being whenever there is a threat to her existence. She even leaves Jaidev’s house over this matter and goes to live at her parent’s house. Later Jaidev brings her back. Rupa also tries to support Jaidev emotionally and makes him understand and accept his role as father of a crippled child. Rupa proves to be a kind mother and she tries to reform Jaidev by making him realise his responsibility towards Sayali. Rupa provides the necessary emotional and moral support to both Sayali as well as Jaidev.

Rupa feels sad by Jaidev’s behaviour for their daughter. Sayali’s crippledness makes her parents, particularly Jaidev, embarrassed in the public eye. There is a silver lining in Sayali’s life when Jaidev discovers that Sayali, aged 4, has talent for music. Jaidev is fond of music and he starts teaching music to Sayali. Sayali shows great promise in her performances and she gets a resounding applause for her maiden performance. Both Rupa and Jaidev are now hopeful that someday Sayali will live her life normally and respectfully because she is a very talented girl and music and a good education can support her throughout life. They also start thinking about the second child, a boy, who would be healthy in the body that Jaidev always craved for. Rupa had always objected to Jaidev’s craving for a boy in the past because she thought the second child would make them ignore Sayali’s needs. But Sayali is moving towards a secure future and this has relaxed her mother as well. Finally Rupa also gives in to Jaidev’s demand and is ready to bear the burden of motherhood again.

Sayali has grown quite nonchalant by the time she is in class 10th. She sits by a certain window in her room and looks down at the people, school-going children who can be seen from the window. There is a public tap outside their house and at this public tap young boys and girls and people come to fetch water. One day, Rupa finds Sayali looking intently at the public tap below and she is so engrossed by the scene that she doesn't even notice her mother looking over behind her back. Rupa finds out that Sayali has been looking at young naked boys taking a bath at the public tab and the boys are making some obscene gestures. Rupa is shocked to learn that she has really been enjoying all this. She sternly asks Sayali to move away from the window. Sayali tries to hide her frivolity from her mother. Rupa is touched by the way Sayali has taken her attention away from the awkward situation. Rupa notices that Sayali has grown quite shrewd and deceptive in her behaviour.

Rupa later realizes that there were other incidents that indicate the deceptive nature of Sayali's behaviour. Sayali is taught music by a tutor named Pathak ji. After sometime Pathak ji stops coming to give lessons to Sayali. One day Pathak Ji's son comes to the house. Rupa goes to the kitchen to prepare coffee. This boy is taken aback to see Sayali and asks her a few polite questions. Sayali is in the room with him and when Rupa comes back the boy has left without saying anything. This surprises Rupa. When asked about it Sayali expresses ignorance. Rupa has to ignore it too. In another incident Rupa notices that Sayali is kissing the mirror reflection of the neighbour boy Chandu, who was somewhere at a distance in his home, while combing her hair. This infuriates Rupa very much. She immediately understands all the past incidents and is convinced of Sayali's flirtatious intentions.

Rupa is shocked at Sayali's behaviour because she never thought Sayali would stoop so low. She thinks about all the sacrifices and choices that the couple had to make to give Sayali a secure and peaceful life. Rupa is astonished to learn that the hard work done by the couple to train Sayali has been wasted. Rupa lashes out at Sayali. She unintentionally hurts Sayali with her nails, drags her on the floor and throws her out of the house and shuts the door behind her. Rupa is crying inside the house whereas Sayali is crying and asking for forgiveness outside the house by the door. At this moment Rupa realises that she has been very harsh in her reaction to Sayali's adolescent quirks. Rupa has been behaving as an overprotective mother who would not let her child grow and explore life as per its wishes. Youth is not Sayali's fault and Rupa has no right to deny the natural inclination of a growing adolescent girl.

Rupa resolves that she will not let Sayali's garden of youth be destroyed; instead as her mother Rupa should take care of her child and help her move forward onto the next stage of adulthood. With this resolution she opens the door and forgives Sayali for this imaginary act. Finally, Sayali is accepted by Rupa as a daughter who will be given every chance to lead a normal life.

Character Sketch of jaidev

Jaidev is the major character of the story “Garden Of Spice” written by Shubhangi Bhadbade. He is the father of the protagonist of the story, Sayali. He is a jolly, cheerful and happy-go-lucky man. Having no child for a long time becomes the cause of disappointment for the middle class couple Jaidev and Rupa. The birth of Sayali makes their life happy, cheerful and pleasant but Sayali’s crippledness disappoints Jaidev. Whenever Jaidev looks at her he curses himself and thinks that it is the result of his previous “karma”. He can't accept her as his daughter and feels her as a burden on him. He feels embarrassed in front of people due to Sayali’s deformity. He doesn't like the sympathetic way people treat Sayali as a helpless child. He is depressed by the attitude of society towards his daughter. He doesn't even want to take her out for evening walks. He fears what people might say. The condition of Sayali becomes a problem for the middle class family. There is a serious quarrel between Rupa and Jaidev. Rupa leaves the house because of Jaidev’s irritating behaviour. After this incident Jaidev realises his mistakes and brings Rupa and Sayali back to home.

Now, as a father he performs his duties and takes care of Sayali. Rupa’s positive attitude changes his attitude too. Jaidev starts taking Sayali out in the playground in the evenings and has started to make peace with the fact that she is a differently-abled child. Now he wants to make her educated and self dependent to secure the future. As a musician he observes that she has an aptitude for music. He feels that in the field of music, her future is secure. He has a deep desire for a healthy male child which reflects the typical middle-class patriarchal attitude. It shows that as a husband he is a cheerful and caring person and as a father even though he takes a turn away from his obligation but later changes his behaviour towards Sayali and encourages her to be happy. By the end of the story he becomes an encouraging, loving and caring father.

justify the title "garden of spice''

The story “Garden of Spice” has been written by Shubhangi Bhadbade. The story was originally written in Marathi titled “Phulrani”. The story has been translated from Marathi into Hindi by Usha Bande. It has been translated from Hindi to English by Sapna Sanjay Pandit and Anshu Kaushal. The title is fully justified because it represents the essence of the story and its conflicts. There are three major characters: Jaidev, Rupa and Sayali in this story. Rupa and Jaidev are the parents of Sayali. The main focus of the story is on the development of Sayali, a crippled girl, the central character and her acceptance as a ‘normal’ child by her parents. The story traces her growth from early childhood to adolescence. The garden of Sayali's youth is the garden of spice. Jaidev, Sayali’s father, was a jovial person during the initial years of his marriage. However, there is a change in Jaydev’s behaviour after the couple have had no child for a few years. Sayali’s birth fills their home with joy. Baby Sayali is a healthy and attractive child. But below her waist she is lifeless like wood. Jaidev soon realizes that there is no hope of Sayali’s recovery, he becomes disappointed and slowly his attitude towards Sayali changes. He grows rude and bitter towards her. He wants to get rid of her and send her to an orphanage. Jaidev constantly whines about his fate. Rupa defends Sayali’s rights as a daughter and as a human being whenever there is a threat to her existence. Rupa supports Jaidev emotionally and makes him understand and accept his role as father of a crippled child. Rupa, a kind mother, lends the emotional and moral support to both Sayali as well as Jaidev. Jaidev discovers that Sayali has talent for music. He is also fond of music and starts teaching music to Sayali. Sayali shows great promise in her performances and she gets a resounding applause for her maiden performance. Both Rupa and Jaidev are now hopeful that someday Sayali will live her life normally and respectfully because she is a very talented girl and music and a good education can support her throughout life. They also start thinking about the second child, a boy, who would be healthy in the body that Jaidev always craved for. Rupa had always objected to Jaidev’s craving for a boy in the past because she thought the second child would make them ignore Sayali’s needs. But Sayali is moving towards a secure future and this has relaxed her mother as well. Finally Rupa also gives in to Jaidev’s demand and is ready to bear the burden of motherhood again.

Sayali grows quite nonchalant by the time she is in class 10th. She sits by a certain window in her room and looks down at the people, school-going children who can be seen from the window. There is a public tap outside their house and at this public tap young boys and girls and people come to fetch water. One day, Rupa finds Sayali looking intently at the public tap below and she is so engrossed by the scene that she doesn't even notice her mother looking over behind her back. Rupa finds out that Sayali has been looking at young naked boys taking a bath at the public tab and the boys are making some obscene gestures. Rupa is shocked to learn that she has really been enjoying all this. She sternly asks Sayali to move away from the window. Sayali tries to hide her frivolity from her mother. Sayali comments that she will never be able to go out and play like other children and have fun. Rupa is touched by the way Sayali has taken her attention away from the awkward situation. Sayali has grown quite shrewd and deceptive in her behaviour. She is in the adolescent phase of her life.

There are other incidents in the story that indicate the deceptive nature of Sayali's behaviour. In one particular incident Rupa notices that Sayali is kissing the mirror reflection of a neighbour boy Chandu, who was somewhere at a distance in his home, while combing her hair. This infuriates Rupa very much. She immediately understands all the past incidents and is convinced of Sayali's flirtatious intentions.

Rupa is shocked at Sayali's behaviour because she never thought Sayali would stoop so low. She thinks about all the sacrifices and choices that the couple had to make to give Sayali a secure and peaceful life. Rupa is astonished to learn that the hard work done by the couple to train Sayali has been wasted. Rupa lashes out at Sayali. She unintentionally hurts Sayali with her nails, drags her on the floor and throws her out of the house and shuts the door behind her. Rupa is crying inside the house whereas Sayali is crying and asking for forgiveness outside the house by the door. At this moment Rupa realizes that she has been very harsh in her reaction to Sayali's adolescent quirks. Rupa has been behaving as an overprotective mother who would not let her child grow and explore life as per its wishes. Youth is not Sayali's fault and Rupa has no right to deny the natural inclination of a growing adolescent girl.

Rupa resolves that she will not let Sayali's garden of youth be destroyed; instead as her mother Rupa should take care of her child and help her move forward onto the next stage of adulthood. With this resolution she opens the door and forgives Sayali for this imaginary act. Finally, Sayali is accepted by Rupa as a daughter who will be given every chance to lead a normal life.

"The Garden of Spice" is a metaphor used for Sayali's innate ability to be a mother someday despite the fact that she is lifeless below her waist. Rupa's initial reaction reflects her fears as a worried mother and later her acceptance of Sayali's youth reflects her maturity. The garden of Sayali's youth is the garden of spice. It may be called so because of the problems that a handicapped Sayali may have to face to lead a normal life. Sayali has been very fortunate to have such loving and caring parents. Her character reflects the pain and struggles of a handicapped girl and difficulty of acceptance of such a child by her parents. Expectations are very high of Sayali and the parents take her to be an ideal but crippled girl at first but later by the end of the story they accept her as a normal adolescent girl with normal everyday problems and joys.

relaTIONSHIP BETWEEN MOTHER AND DAUGHTER IN THE STORY "garden of spice''

The story “Garden of Spice” has been written by Shubhangi Bhadbade. The story was originally written in Marathi titled “Phulrani”. The story has been translated from Marathi into Hindi by Usha Bande. It has been translated from Hindi to English by Sapna Sanjay Pandit and Anshu Kaushal. The story has a rich flavour. The title is fully justified because it represents the essence of the story and its conflicts. There are three major characters: Jaidev, Rupa and Sayali in this story. Rupa and Jaidev are the parents of Sayali. The main focus of the story is on the development of Sayali, a crippled girl, the central character and her acceptance as a ‘normal’ child by her parents. The story traces her growth from early childhood to adolescence. The garden of Sayali's youth is the garden of spice. Rupa and her daughter enjoy a deep, cordial and positive relationship. Rupa has full confidence in Sayali's abilities and she keeps supporting and sustaining her till the end of the story. Rupa is only briefly disappointed in Sayali but she soon realizes her mistake and accepts the difficulties and changes in her growing adolescent handicapped girl. Jaidev was a jovial person during the initial years of his marriage. However, there is a change in Jaydev’s behaviour after the couple have had no child for a few years. Sayali’s birth fills their home with joy. Baby Sayali is a healthy and attractive child. But below her waist she is lifeless like wood. Jaidev soon realizes that there is no hope of Sayali’s recovery, he becomes disappointed and slowly his attitude towards Sayali changes. He grows rude and bitter towards her. He wants to get rid of her and send her to an orphanage. Jaidev constantly whines about his fate. Rupa defends Sayali’s rights as a daughter and as a human being whenever there is a threat to her existence. She even leaves Jaidev’s house over this matter and goes to live at her parent’s house. Later Jaidev brings her back. Rupa supports Jaidev emotionally and makes him understand and accept his role as father of a crippled child. Rupa, a kind mother, lends the emotional and moral support to both Sayali as well as Jaidev. Jaidev discovers that Sayali has talent for music. He is also fond of music and starts teaching music to Sayali. Sayali shows great promise in her performances and she gets a resounding applause for her maiden performance. Both Rupa and Jaidev are now hopeful that someday Sayali will live her life normally and respectfully because she is a very talented girl and music and a good education can support her throughout life. They also start thinking about the second child, a boy, who would be healthy in the body that Jaidev always craved for. Rupa had always objected to Jaidev’s craving for a boy in the past because she thought the second child would make them ignore Sayali’s needs. But Sayali is moving towards a secure future and this has relaxed her mother as well. Finally Rupa also gives in to Jaidev’s demand and is ready to bear the burden of motherhood again.

Sayali grows quite nonchalant by the time she is in class 10th. She sits by a certain window in her room and looks down at the people, school-going children who can be seen from the window. There is a public tap outside their house and at this public tap young boys and girls and people come to fetch water. One day, Rupa finds Sayali looking intently at the public tap below and she is so engrossed by the scene that she doesn't even notice her mother looking over behind her back. Rupa finds out that Sayali has been looking at young naked boys taking a bath at the public tab and the boys are making some obscene gestures. Rupa is shocked to learn that she has really been enjoying all this. She sternly asks Sayali to move away from the window. Sayali tries to hide her frivolity from her mother. Sayali comments that she will never be able to go out and play like other children and have fun. Rupa is touched by the way Sayali has taken her attention away from the awkward situation. Sayali has grown quite shrewd and deceptive in her behaviour. She is in the adolescent phase of her life.

There are other incidents in the story that indicate the deceptive nature of Sayali's behaviour. In one particular incident Rupa notices that Sayali is kissing the mirror reflection of a neighbour boy Chandu, who was somewhere at a distance in his home, while combing her hair. This infuriates Rupa very much. She immediately understands all the past incidents and is convinced of Sayali's flirtatious intentions.

Rupa is shocked at Sayali's behaviour because she never thought Sayali would stoop so low. She thinks about all the sacrifices and choices that the couple had to make to give Sayali a secure and peaceful life. Rupa is astonished to learn that the hard work done by the couple to train Sayali has been wasted. Rupa lashes out at Sayali. She unintentionally hurts Sayali with her nails, drags her on the floor and throws her out of the house and shuts the door behind her. Rupa is crying inside the house whereas Sayali is crying and asking for forgiveness outside the house by the door. At this moment Rupa realizes that she has been very harsh in her reaction to Sayali's adolescent quirks. Rupa has been behaving as an overprotective mother who would not let her child grow and explore life as per its wishes. Youth is not Sayali's fault and Rupa has no right to deny the natural inclination of a growing adolescent girl.

Rupa resolves that she will not let Sayali's garden of youth be destroyed; instead as her mother Rupa should take care of her child and help her move forward onto the next stage of adulthood. With this resolution she opens the door and forgives Sayali for this imaginary act. Finally, Sayali is accepted by Rupa as a daughter who will be given every chance to lead a normal life.

"The Garden of Spice" is a metaphor used for Sayali's innate ability to be a mother someday despite the fact that she is lifeless below her waist. Rupa and her daughter enjoy a deep, cordial and positive relationship. Rupa's initial reaction on Sayali's flirtatious quirks reflects the fears of a worried mother but later her acceptance of Sayali's flowering youth reflects her maturity. The garden of Sayali's youth is the garden of spice. It can be called so because of the problems that a handicapped Sayali may have to face to lead a normal life. Her character reflects the pain and struggles of a handicapped girl and difficulty of acceptance of such a child by her parents. Expectations are very high of Sayali and the parents take her to be an ideal but crippled girl at first but later by the end of the story they accept her as a normal adolescent girl with normal everyday problems and joys. The story also celebrates the idea of motherhood. Rupa is now determined to let the garden of Sayali's youth bloom and allow her ability to bring new life in to the world blossom at all costs.

ANALYSIS OF THE STORY "The Inner Eye'

Summary of the story "The Inner Eye" by jaiwanti

The story “The Inner Eye” is written by Jaywanti Dimri. The original title of the story is "Antardrishti" in Hindi. It has been translated from Hindi by the author herself. The story describes a complex relationship between a student and a teacher. The storyline is simple and it explores the subtle, complex psychological aspects of teacher-taught relationships. The name of the teacher is Miss Nagar and the name of the student is Gauri Prabha.

The style of narrating the story as well as the point of view from which the story is told makes it complex. The story is predominantly told from the point of view of Gauri. There is not much action in the story and it follows the patterns of stream of consciousness technique. Gauri’s reflections about Miss Nagar occupy the central place in the story. Gauri continuously reminisces about her past as a student of Miss Nagar during her school days. The relationship between the two characters is not cordial. Miss Nagar is a child widow who is rude and bitter towards everyone in general and Gauri in particular. The story explores the memories triggered by a sudden and surprising encounter between Miss Nagar and Gauri in an old age home. The meeting is somewhat unwanted for Gauri because she had been the victim of Miss Nagar's biased behaviour for seven years. Gauri had to suffer humiliation and undergo mental torture for these seven years and so she feels that Miss Nagar had been unfair to her. The incidents keep highlighting in the memory-flashes of Gauri. Years later, in the present, the teacher-taught duo meet unexpectedly when Gauri is on a visit to India from the US where she has taken up a teaching assignment at the University of Wisconsin. She has reached an old age home in Kasauli after travelling through hilly terrain for about 280 km. In this old age home she unexpectedly meets Miss Nagar. Gauri has come here to deliver gifts to Mrs Simon sent by her brother, professor Richardson from the US. When she suddenly finds herself face to face with her old teacher, Miss Nagar. Bitter experiences from Gauri’s past start flashing before her eyes. There are continuous flashbacks that dawn whenever Miss Nagar criticises or satirises Gauri. Each ridicule by her makes Gauri re-live humiliation she once suffered as a student. The memory-flashes take us into Gauri’s school days and her encounters with Miss Nagar.

Gauri, however, decides to fight back and give a stone for every verbal brick thrown by Miss Nagar. She enjoys an impish pleasure on seeing Miss Nagar alone in this desolate old age home. Gauri feels that Miss Nagar deserves the loneliness and poor living conditions.

On the surface Miss Nagar appears to be a rude and ill- natured character with a razor sharp voice. She passes sarcastic comments on Gauri's personal and professional life. It seems she wants to disapprove of the way Gauri's life has turned out to be. After wishing her good morning, Gauri senses the rudeness in her voice when Miss Nagar asks for Gauri’s “Shankar”. This comment reminds Gauri that Miss Nagar was showering blessings on the bride and bridegroom in a wedding party once. It shows how she was obsessed with ideas of couples and marriages. Miss Nagar had an infatuation with the male species. In fact Gauri remembers that on the annual functions where girls were accompanied by young siblings Miss Nagar displayed her love for the kid brothers whose names she never missed. She was never an ideal teacher for Gauri. She could not even maintain the dignity of a ‘Guru’. Miss Nagar was unpopular with most of the students but she was after Gauri's life ‘like a fighting bull’. Miss Nagar treated Gauri poorly and because of that Gauri grew indifferent and apathetic towards Miss Nagar. A specific incident keeps surfacing in the story. This incident is one of the most unpleasant memories printed in her consciousness. She remembers the day when one of her classmates, Neelima, while mimicking from behind her chair, generated ruffled, nervous giggles and sideway glances in the girls. Miss Nagar , however, singled out Gauri and cross examined her. Gauri, who was not laughing, protested and said that she had done nothing. But Miss Nagar would not believe it and rudely ordered Gauri to get out of the class. Gauri has not been able to understand why she was punished like that to this day. Towards the end of the story, Miss Nagar gives her own perspective about this incident which adds a new point of view to her character.

When Gauri is about to depart, Miss Nagar is with her. She comes out of the gate of Mrs Simon’s Cottage and folds her hands to bid goodbye to her teacher. At this juncture Miss Nagar says that she had an intuition that Gauri would not be married. She shares that while she taught children and spent time with them she developed an insight. This ‘insight’ is very clear because she had observed the faces of girls over the years. She realised she had developed an ‘insight’ and she could put their future on the screen of the faces just like the ‘third eye of Shiva’. On the first day, she noticed Gauri’s face was hers; exactly like hers and she took it on herself that she was committed to change this face. She never wanted Gauri to share her loneliness. Immediately, Miss Nagar recalls the Neelima-episode and explains to Gauri that on that day she had sent her out of the class knowing fully well that she was not laughing and that was the very reason that made her expel Gauri out of the class because if everyone else was laughing then why didn’t she. Miss Nagar hated that sad look on her shadowed face. She wanted Gauri to laugh like other girls and be happy about it. Miss Nagar’s confession makes us sympathise with and her decision to turn Gauri out of the class that day. She wanted to save Gauri from loneliness and dejection. The confession gives us an insight into the nature and personality of Miss Nagar as well as into the personality of Gauri.

Miss Gauri is like her teacher in many respects. She can be called her alter-ego and her mirror-image. Gauri is unmarried like Miss Nagar. All through the story we are told that Miss Nagar is a sadist. She gets pleasure by inflicting pain on her students. Gauri has been treated in a biased way by her. However, Gauri also shows a similar pattern of sadism when she starts retorting back at Miss Nagar. She is particularly thrilled to see Miss Nagar alone and desolate in the old-age home. She feels that her teacher deserves this situation. She tells Miss Nagar with ‘a marked pride’ that she has been teaching in the university of Wisconsin and not in some public school like her teacher. Similarly, she spitefully reminds her teacher that old age is not a bar for marriage in India like the US has the trend of late marriages. She specifically emphasizes on old age to hurt her teacher’s feelings. She clearly she wants to satisfy herself by causing hurt or discomfort to her teacher.

Finally at the end of the story Miss Nagar reminds Gauri of the time when she had offered Gauri the role of a wife in a play. Gauri admits that she had failed to deliver those dialogues. She told her teacher that she didn’t know why those words would not come out from her mouth. Miss Nagar empathised with her and pointed out that these dialogues of a wife were not meant for people like Gauri and her; delivering them was a golden opportunity for Gauri. Had she accepted the role of the wife she would have got a chance to be united with her ‘Shankar’. This shows that the teacher can see into Gauri’s real nature with her ‘inner eye’. Miss Nagar replies to Gauri’s inquiry about the harsh treatment she received in school by saying that she gave whatever she received and how she could become partial to her own face. On hearing these words Gauri panics and their eyes meet for a moment and she discovers a strange kind of admixture in Miss Nagar’s eyes; desperation, inquisitiveness, supplication and compassion. These nouns suggest the nature of Miss Nagar’s character and her feelings towards Gauri who has projected her as a cruel and sadistic person in the story.

Character Sketches: Gauri and Miss Nagar

Character Sketch of “Gauri”

The story “The Inner Eye” is written by Jaywanti Dimri. The original title of the story is "Antardrishti" in Hindi. It has been translated from Hindi by the author herself. The story describes a complex relationship between a student and a teacher. The storyline is simple and it explores the subtle, complex psychological aspects of teacher-taught relationships. The name of the teacher is Miss Nagar and the name of the student is Gauri Prabha.

The style of narrating the story as well as the point of view from which the story is told makes it complex. The story is predominantly told from the point of view of Gauri. There is not much action in the story and it follows the patterns of stream of consciousness technique. Gauri’s reflections about Miss Nagar occupy the central place in the story. Gauri continuously reminisces about her past as a student of Miss Nagar during her school days. The relationship between the two characters is not cordial. Miss Nagar is a child widow who is rude and bitter towards everyone in general and Gauri in particular. The story explores the memories triggered by a sudden and surprising encounter between Miss Nagar and Gauri in an old age home. The meeting is somewhat unwanted for Gauri because she had been the victim of Miss Nagar's biased behaviour for seven years. Gauri had to suffer humiliation and undergo mental torture for these seven years and so she feels that Miss Nagar had been unfair to her. The incidents keep highlighting in the memory-flashes of Gauri. Years later, in the present, the teacher-taught duo meet unexpectedly when Gauri is on a visit to India from the US where she has taken up a teaching assignment at the University of Wisconsin. She has reached an old age home in Kasauli after travelling through hilly terrain for about 280 km. In this old age home she unexpectedly meets Miss Nagar. Gauri has come here to deliver gifts to Mrs Simon sent by her brother, professor Richardson from the US. When she suddenly finds herself face to face with her old teacher, Miss Nagar. Bitter experiences from Gauri’s past start flashing before her eyes. There are continuous flashbacks that dawn whenever Miss Nagar criticises or satirises Gauri. Each ridicule by her makes Gauri re-live humiliation she once suffered as a student. The memory-flashes take us into Gauri’s school days and her encounters with Miss Nagar. Gauri, however, decides to fight back and give a stone for every verbal brick thrown by Miss Nagar. She enjoys an impish pleasure on seeing Miss Nagar alone in this desolate old age home. Gauri feels that Miss Nagar deserves the loneliness and poor living conditions.

On the surface Miss Nagar appears to be a rude and ill- natured character with a razor sharp voice. She passes sarcastic comments on Gauri's personal and professional life. It seems she wants to disapprove of the way Gauri's life has turned out to be. After wishing her good morning, Gauri senses the rudeness in her voice when Miss Nagar asks for Gauri’s “Shankar”. This comment reminds Gauri that Miss Nagar was showering blessings on the bride and bridegroom in a wedding party once. It shows how she was obsessed with ideas of couples and marriages. Miss Nagar had an infatuation with the male species. In fact Gauri remembers that on the annual functions where girls were accompanied by young siblings Miss Nagar displayed her love for the kid brothers whose names she never missed. She was never an ideal teacher for Gauri. She could not even maintain the dignity of a ‘Guru’. Miss Nagar was unpopular with most of the students but she was after Gauri's life ‘like a fighting bull’. Miss Nagar treated Gauri poorly and because of that Gauri grew indifferent and apathetic towards Miss Nagar. A specific incident keeps surfacing in the story. This incident is one of the most unpleasant memories printed in her consciousness. Miss Gauri is like her teacher in many respects. She can be called her alter-ego and her mirror-image. Gauri is unmarried like Miss Nagar. All through the story we are told that Miss Nagar is a sadist. She gets pleasure by inflicting pain on her students. Gauri has been treated in a biased way by her. However, Gauri also shows a similar pattern of sadism when she starts retorting back at Miss Nagar. She is particularly thrilled to see Miss Nagar alone and desolate in the old-age home. She feels that her teacher deserves this situation. She tells Miss Nagar with ‘a marked pride’ that she has been teaching in the university of Wisconsin and not in some public school like her teacher. Similarly, she spitefully reminds her teacher that old is not a bar for marriage in India like the US has the trend of late marriages. She specifically emphasizes on old age to hurt her teacher’s feelings. She clearly wants to satisfy herself by causing hurt or discomfort to her teacher.

Finally at the end of the story Miss Nagar reminds Gauri of the time when she had offered Gauri the role of a wife in a play. Gauri admits that she had failed to deliver those dialogues. She told her teacher that she didn’t know why those words would not come out from her mouth. Miss Nagar empathised with her and pointed out that these dialogues of a wife were not meant for people like Gauri and her; delivering them was a golden opportunity for Gauri. Had she accepted the role of the wife she would have got a chance to be united with her ‘Shankar’. This shows that the teacher can see into Gauri’s real nature with her ‘inner eye’. Miss Nagar replies to Gauri’s inquiry about the harsh treatment she received in school by saying that she gave whatever she received and how she could become partial to her own face. On hearing these words Gauri panics and their eyes meet for a moment and she discovers a strange kind of admixture in Miss Nagar’s eyes.

Character Sketch of “Miss Nagar”

The story “The Inner Eye” is written by Jaywanti Dimri. The original title of the story is "Antardrishti" in Hindi. It has been translated from Hindi by the author herself. The story describes a complex relationship between a student and a teacher. The storyline is simple and it explores the subtle, complex psychological aspects of teacher-taught relationships. The name of the teacher is Miss Nagar and the name of the student is Gauri Prabha.

The style of narrating the story as well as the point of view from which the story is told makes it complex. The story is predominantly told from the point of view of Gauri. There is not much action in the story and it follows the patterns of stream of consciousness technique. Gauri’s reflections about Miss Nagar occupy the central place in the story. Gauri continuously reminisces about her past as a student of Miss Nagar during her school days. The relationship between the two characters is not cordial. Miss Nagar is a child widow who is rude and bitter towards everyone in general and Gauri in particular. The story explores the memories triggered by a sudden and surprising encounter between Miss Nagar and Gauri in an old age home. The meeting is somewhat unwanted for Gauri because she had been the victim of Miss Nagar's biased behaviour for seven years. Gauri had to suffer humiliation and undergo mental torture for these seven years and so she feels that Miss Nagar had been unfair to her. The incidents keep highlighting in the memory-flashes of Gauri. Years later, in the present, the teacher-taught duo meet unexpectedly when Gauri is on a visit to India from the US where she has taken up a teaching assignment at the University of Wisconsin. She has reached an old age home in Kasauli after travelling through hilly terrain for about 280 km. In this old age home she unexpectedly meets Miss Nagar. Gauri has come here to deliver gifts to Mrs Simon sent by her brother, professor Richardson from the US. When she suddenly finds herself face to face with her old teacher, Miss Nagar. Bitter experiences from Gauri’s past start flashing before her eyes. There are continuous flashbacks that dawn whenever Miss Nagar criticises or satirises Gauri. Each ridicule by her makes Gauri re-live humiliation she once suffered as a student. The memory-flashes take us into Gauri’s school days and her encounters with Miss Nagar.

On the surface Miss Nagar appears to be a rude and ill- natured character with a razor sharp voice. She passes sarcastic comments on Gauri's personal and professional life. It seems she wants to disapprove of the way Gauri's life has turned out to be. After wishing her good morning, Gauri senses the rudeness in her voice when Miss Nagar asks for Gauri’s “Shankar”. It shows how she was obsessed with ideas of couples and marriages. Miss Nagar had an infatuation with the male species. She was never an ideal teacher for Gauri. She could not even maintain the dignity of a ‘Guru’. Miss Nagar was unpopular with most of the students but she was after Gauri's life ‘like a fighting bull’. Miss Nagar treated Gauri poorly and because of that Gauri grew indifferent and apathetic towards Miss Nagar.

Towards the end of the story, Miss Nagar gives her own perspective about this incident which adds a new point of view to her character.

When Gauri is about to depart, Miss Nagar is with her. She comes out of the gate of Mrs Simon’s Cottage and folds her hands to bid goodbye to her teacher. At this juncture Miss Nagar says that she had an intuition that Gauri would not be married. She shares that while she taught children and spent time with them she developed an insight. This ‘insight’ is very clear because she had observed the faces of girls over the years. She realised she had developed an ‘insight’ and she could put their future on the screen of the faces just like the ‘third eye of Shiva’. On the first day, she noticed Gauri’s face was hers; exactly like hers and she took it on herself that she was committed to change this face. She never wanted Gauri to share her loneliness. Immediately, Miss Nagar recalls the Neelima-episode and explains to Gauri that on that day she had sent her out of the class knowing fully well that she was not laughing and that was the very reason that made her leave the class because everyone else was then why didn’t she. Miss Nagar hated that look on her shadowed face. She wanted Gauri to laugh like other girls and be happy about it. Miss Nagar’s confession makes us sympathise with and her decision to turn Gauri out of the class that day. She wanted to save Gauri from loneliness and dejection. The confession gives us an insight into the nature and personality of Miss Nagar as well as into the personality of Gauri.

Finally at the end of the story Miss Nagar reminds Gauri of the time when she had offered Gauri the role of a wife in a play. Gauri admits that she had failed to deliver those dialogues. She told her teacher that she didn’t know why those words would not come out from her mouth. Miss Nagar empathised with her and pointed out that these dialogues of a wife were not meant for people like Gauri and her; delivering them was a golden opportunity for Gauri. Had she accepted the role of the wife she would have got a chance to be united with her ‘Shankar’. This shows that the teacher can see into Gauri’s real nature with her ‘inner eye’. Miss Nagar replies to Gauri’s inquiry about the harsh treatment she received in school by saying that she gave whatever she received and how she could become partial to her own face. On hearing these words Gauri panics and their eyes meet for a moment and she discovers a strange kind of admixture in Miss Nagar’s eyes; desperation, inquisitiveness, supplication and compassion. These nouns suggest the nature of Miss Nagar’s character and her feelings towards Gauri who has projected her as a cruel and sadistic person in the story.

Relationship between Miss Nagar and Gauri prabha

The story “The Inner Eye” is written by Jaywanti Dimri. The original title of the story is "Antardrishti" in Hindi. It has been translated from Hindi by the author herself. The story describes a complex relationship between a student and a teacher. The storyline is simple and it explores the subtle, complex psychological aspects of teacher-taught relationships. The name of the teacher is Miss Nagar and the name of the student is Gauri Prabha.

The style of narrating the story as well as the point of view from which the story is told makes it complex. The story is predominantly told from the point of view of Gauri. There is not much action in the story and it follows the patterns of stream of consciousness technique. Gauri’s reflections about Miss Nagar occupy the central place in the story. Gauri continuously reminisces about her past as a student of Miss Nagar during her school days. The relationship between the two characters is not cordial. Miss Nagar is a child widow who is rude and bitter towards everyone in general and Gauri in particular. The story explores the memories triggered by a sudden and surprising encounter between Miss Nagar and Gauri in an old age home. The meeting is somewhat unwanted for Gauri because she had been the victim of Miss Nagar's biased behaviour for seven years. Gauri had to suffer humiliation and undergo mental torture for these seven years and so she feels that Miss Nagar had been unfair to her. The incidents keep highlighting in the memory-flashes of Gauri. Years later, in the present, the teacher-taught duo meet unexpectedly when Gauri is on a visit to India from the US where she has taken up a teaching assignment at the University of Wisconsin. She has reached an old age home in Kasauli after travelling through hilly terrain for about 280 km. In this old age home she unexpectedly meets Miss Nagar. Gauri has come here to deliver gifts to Mrs Simon sent by her brother, professor Richardson from the US. When she suddenly finds herself face to face with her old teacher, Miss Nagar. Bitter experiences from Gauri’s past start flashing before her eyes. There are continuous flashbacks that dawn whenever Miss Nagar criticises or satirises Gauri. Each ridicule by her makes Gauri re-live humiliation she once suffered as a student. The memory-flashes take us into Gauri’s school days and her encounters with Miss Nagar.

On the surface Miss Nagar appears to be a rude and ill- natured character with a razor sharp voice. She passes sarcastic comments on Gauri's personal and professional life. It seems she wants to disapprove of the way Gauri's life has turned out to be. After wishing her good morning, Gauri senses the rudeness in her voice when Miss Nagar asks for Gauri’s “Shankar”. This comment reminds Gauri that Miss Nagar was showering blessings on the bride and bridegroom in a wedding party once. It shows how she was obsessed with ideas of couples and marriages. Miss Nagar had an infatuation with the male species. She was never an ideal teacher for Gauri. She could not even maintain the dignity of a ‘Guru’. Miss Nagar was unpopular with most of the students but she was after Gauri's life ‘like a fighting bull’. Miss Nagar treated Gauri poorly and because of that Gauri grew indifferent and apathetic towards Miss Nagar.

When Gauri is about to depart, Miss Nagar is with her. She comes out of the gate of Mrs Simon’s Cottage and folds her hands to bid goodbye to her teacher. At this juncture Miss Nagar says that she had an intuition that Gauri would not be married. She shares that while she taught children and spent time with them she developed an insight. This ‘insight’ is very clear because she had observed the faces of girls over the years. She realised she had developed an ‘insight’ and she could put their future on the screen of the faces just like the ‘third eye of Shiva’. On the first day, she noticed Gauri’s face was hers; exactly like hers and she took it on herself that she was committed to change this face. She never wanted Gauri to share her loneliness. Immediately, Miss Nagar recalls the Neelima-episode and explains to Gauri that on that day she had sent her out of the class knowing fully well that she was not laughing and that was the very reason that made her leave the class because everyone else was then why didn’t she. Miss Nagar hated that look on her shadowed face. She wanted Gauri to laugh like other girls and be happy about it. Miss Nagar’s confession makes us sympathise with and her decision to turn Gauri out of the class that day. She wanted to save Gauri from loneliness and dejection. The confession gives us an insight into the nature and personality of Miss Nagar as well as into the personality of Gauri. Miss Gauri is like her teacher in many respects. She can be called her alter-ego and her mirror-image. Gauri is unmarried like Miss Nagar. All through the story we are told that Miss Nagar is a sadist. She gets pleasure by inflicting pain on her students. Gauri has been treated in a biased way by her. However, Gauri also shows a similar pattern of sadism when she starts retorting back at Miss Nagar. She is particularly thrilled to see Miss Nagar alone and desolate in the old-age home. She feels that her teacher deserves this situation. She tells Miss Nagar with ‘a marked pride’ that she has been teaching in the university of Wisconsin and not in some public school like her teacher. Similarly, she spitefully reminds her teacher that old is not a bar for marriage in India like the US has the trend of late marriages. She specifically emphasizes on old age to hurt her teacher’s feelings. She clearly wants to satisfy herself by causing hurt or discomfort to her teacher.

Finally at the end of the story Miss Nagar reminds Gauri of the time when she had offered Gauri the role of a wife in a play. Gauri admits that she had failed to deliver those dialogues. She told her teacher that she didn’t know why those words would not come out from her mouth. Miss Nagar empathised with her and pointed out that these dialogues of a wife were not meant for people like Gauri and her; delivering them was a golden opportunity for Gauri. Had she accepted the role of the wife she would have got a chance to be united with her ‘Shankar’. This shows that the teacher can see into Gauri’s real nature with her ‘inner eye’. Miss Nagar replies to Gauri’s inquiry about the harsh treatment she received in school by saying that she gave whatever she received and how she could become partial to her own face. The relationship can be loosely expressed in terms of mother-daughter relationship as well where Miss Nagar acts as mother and Gauri Prabha is her daughter.

Justify the title of the story "the inner eye"

The story “The Inner Eye” is written by Jaywanti Dimri. The original title of the story is "Antardrishti" in Hindi. It has been translated from Hindi by the author herself. The story describes a complex relationship between a student and a teacher. The storyline is simple and it explores the subtle, complex psychological aspects of teacher-taught relationships. The name of the teacher is Miss Nagar and the name of the student is Gauri Prabha. The title of the story is fully justified as it reflects the unique relationship between the two central characters and queer point of view of Miss Nagar.

The style of narrating the story as well as the point of view from which the story is told makes it complex. The story is predominantly told from the point of view of Gauri. There is not much action in the story and it follows the patterns of stream of consciousness technique. Gauri’s reflections about Miss Nagar occupy the central place in the story. Gauri continuously reminisces about her past as a student of Miss Nagar during her school days. The relationship between the two characters is not cordial. Miss Nagar is a child widow who is rude and bitter towards everyone in general and Gauri in particular. The story explores the memories triggered by a sudden and surprising encounter between Miss Nagar and Gauri in an old age home. The meeting is somewhat unwanted for Gauri because she had been the victim of Miss Nagar's biased behaviour for seven years. Gauri had to suffer humiliation and undergo mental torture for these seven years and so she feels that Miss Nagar had been unfair to her. The incidents keep highlighting in the memory-flashes of Gauri. Years later, in the present, the teacher-taught duo meet unexpectedly when Gauri is on a visit to India from the US where she has taken up a teaching assignment at the University of Wisconsin. She has reached an old age home in Kasauli after travelling through hilly terrain for about 280 km. In this old age home she unexpectedly meets Miss Nagar. Gauri has come here to deliver gifts to Mrs Simon sent by her brother, professor Richardson from the US. When she suddenly finds herself face to face with her old teacher, Miss Nagar. Bitter experiences from Gauri’s past start flashing before her eyes. There are continuous flashbacks that dawn whenever Miss Nagar criticises or satirises Gauri. Each ridicule by her makes Gauri re-live humiliation she once suffered as a student. The memory-flashes take us into Gauri’s school days and her encounters with Miss Nagar.

On the surface Miss Nagar appears to be a rude and ill- natured character with a razor sharp voice. She passes sarcastic comments on Gauri's personal and professional life. It seems she wants to disapprove of the way Gauri's life has turned out to be. After wishing her good morning, Gauri senses the rudeness in her voice when Miss Nagar asks for Gauri’s “Shankar”. This comment reminds Gauri that Miss Nagar was showering blessings on the bride and bridegroom in a wedding party once. It shows how she was obsessed with ideas of couples and marriages. Miss Nagar had an infatuation with the male species. She was never an ideal teacher for Gauri. She could not even maintain the dignity of a ‘Guru’. Miss Nagar was unpopular with most of the students but she was after Gauri's life ‘like a fighting bull’. Miss Nagar treated Gauri poorly and because of that Gauri grew indifferent and apathetic towards Miss Nagar.

When Gauri is about to depart, Miss Nagar is with her. She comes out of the gate of Mrs Simon’s Cottage and folds her hands to bid goodbye to her teacher. At this juncture Miss Nagar says that she had an intuition that Gauri would not be married. She shares that while she taught children and spent time with them she developed an insight. This ‘insight’ is very clear because she had observed the faces of girls over the years. She realised she had developed an ‘insight’ and she could put their future on the screen of the faces just like the ‘third eye of Shiva’. On the first day, she noticed Gauri’s face was hers; exactly like hers and she took it on herself that she was committed to change this face. She never wanted Gauri to share her loneliness. Immediately, Miss Nagar recalls the Neelima-episode and explains to Gauri that on that day she had sent her out of the class knowing fully well that she was not laughing and that was the very reason that made her leave the class because everyone else was then why didn’t she. Miss Nagar hated that look on her shadowed face. She wanted Gauri to laugh like other girls and be happy about it. Miss Nagar’s confession makes us sympathise with and her decision to turn Gauri out of the class that day. She wanted to save Gauri from loneliness and dejection. The confession gives us an insight into the nature and personality of Miss Nagar as well as into the personality of Gauri. Miss Gauri is like her teacher in many respects. She can be called her alter-ego and her mirror-image. Gauri is unmarried like Miss Nagar. All through the story we are told that Miss Nagar is a sadist. She gets pleasure by inflicting pain on her students. Gauri has been treated in a biased way by her. However, Gauri also shows a similar pattern of sadism when she starts retorting back at Miss Nagar. She is particularly thrilled to see Miss Nagar alone and desolate in the old-age home. She feels that her teacher deserves this situation. She tells Miss Nagar with ‘a marked pride’ that she has been teaching in the university of Wisconsin and not in some public school like her teacher. Similarly, she spitefully reminds her teacher that old is not a bar for marriage in India like the US has the trend of late marriages. She specifically emphasizes on old age to hurt her teacher’s feelings. She clearly wants to satisfy herself by causing hurt or discomfort to her teacher.

Finally at the end of the story Miss Nagar reminds Gauri of the time when she had offered Gauri the role of a wife in a play. Gauri admits that she had failed to deliver those dialogues. She told her teacher that she didn’t know why those words would not come out from her mouth. Miss Nagar empathised with her and pointed out that these dialogues of a wife were not meant for people like Gauri and her; delivering them was a golden opportunity for Gauri. Had she accepted the role of the wife she would have got a chance to be united with her ‘Shankar’. This shows that the teacher can see into Gauri’s real nature with her ‘inner eye’. Miss Nagar replies to Gauri’s inquiry about the harsh treatment she received in school by saying that she gave whatever she received and how she could become partial to her own face. Thus the story justifies the title and the unique love-hate attitude of main characters towards each other.