Class 12 English Lesson 3 Story: A Devoted Son: Anita Desai Literature Section

 

Lesson 3 Story: A Devoted Son by Anita Desai

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About the Story Writer

Anita Desai, original name Anita Mazumdar, (b. 1937- ) is an Indian novelist, short story writer and the writer of children’s books. As a biracial child born to a German mother and Indian father, Desai was exposed to German, Hindi and English language from her childhood. After completing her B. A. from University of Delhi, Desai began to publish her stories and novels. She received Shahitya Academy Award for her novel 'Fire on the Mountain'. ‘The Devoted Son’ is extracted from her collection of stories, The Complete Short Stories.

Characters in the Story

Rakesh: Main character of the story and the son of Mr Varma

Veena: Wife of Rakesh,    

Mr. Varma: Father of Rakesh              

 Mrs Varma: Rakesh's Mother 

Rakesh’s Children: Unnamed children who play with their Grandfather

Bhatai: An Old man, a Neighbour of Mr Varma

Theme of the Story

‘A Devoted Son’ is a realistic story set in a middle-class Indian family in an Indian village. The story shows how parents cherish their ambition towards their children and how a son should fulfill his duty towards the parents. The story is about the relationship between a father and son and examines how time and perspective can change the way actions and intentions are perceived.

Summary of the story

This story starts with looking at the news of getting success in the medical field by himself (Rakesh). He first went to his father and bowed down to touch his feet as a devoted son and told him this good news. His father was very happy after listening to it. All their neighbours and relatives come to congratulate his parents by saying “Mubarak, Varmaji, your son has brought you glory,”. They bring different types of gifts, and flowers to congratulate him but some of the neighbours also expressed their jealous feeling toward him. Rakesh’s father is not a big tycoon, he is a kerosene dealer. Rakesh was the first son in his family to receive an education. His father sacrificed much to send him to school and then medical college and at last, the fruits of their sacrifice had arrived, golden and glorious.

Rakesh went to the USA for higher study (MD) on a scholarship. But his father didn’t know the difference between the USA and America. Here, the author makes fun with the words ‘America’ and ‘the USA’. He got a career opportunity in the most prestigious of all hospitals and won many prizes from his American colleagues. He sent these prizes to his family from the USA which bring a glowing to his family’s faces. After some time, Rakesh came to his home, in a poor village again. Rakesh’s first thing when he entered the house was to slip out of the embraces of his sisters and brothers and bow down and touch his father’s feet as a devoted son. He left the USA permanently and came intending to serve the nation and his family.

His mother was quite surprised because Rakesh did not bring a foreign wife like other many Indian boys. His mother already selects a girl for Rakesh without his argument. She(a girl) is plump, uneducated, old-fashioned, even temper, charming, cooperative, and good-natured. A girl selected by his mother doesn’t make Rakesh leave home and set up independently, like any other girl. Rakesh married her and got their first baby a son.

Rakesh worked in the city hospital for many years. He was also promoted to director of the city hospital after working for a long time. After some time, he opened his clinic. He took his parents in his luxurious car and went to where the clinic was built. His parent saw the large signboard over the 13 Class Note of A Devoted Son by Limbu CB door on which his name was printed in letters of red, with a row of degrees and qualifications. Now, he is not only the best doctor in town but also the richest doctor in town. So his parents were happy and felt proud of their son, after seeing his success. Now, his father has grown into an old man and retired from his job as a kerosene dealer. He takes proper care of his parents. His mother also died after some time with a sigh that sounded positively happy. It is only because he pays proper attention and takes care of her to the last illness and also sat pressing her feet even at the last moment. 

After retirement from his job and having lost his wife, Varma fell ill with mysterious diseases. His son also wasn’t able to cure those diseases. All day, Verma sat on the bed. Once there was a birthday party for his younger son and the celebrations had to be suddenly hushed (stopped), after listening to his father in serious condition. Rakesh takes care of his father in such a condition. In the morning, he brought tea for him (Varma) not in the china cup from which the rest of the family drank, but in the old man’s favourite brass tumbler, and sat at the edge of his bed, comfortable and relaxed and also read out morning news to his father. His father made no response apart from spitting. In the evening after returning from the clinic, Rakesh calls his father (an old man) to come out of the room and take the evening air in the garden. He set a nice place on the open verandah for his father. On a summer night, he settles a bed on the lawn for his father under the star for a whole night.

All this was very satisfying for the old man. The only thing that did not so satisfy him was that his son even undertook to supervise his father’s diet. One day, an old man was sick, and he order his daughter-in-law to make him a dish of sooji halwa. He ate this dish with a sauce of cream. At the same time, his son Rakesh arrived. Rakesh warned his father about eating oily fried foods and sweets in a cracked voice ‘This harms your health’.

The old man became weak day by day. He didn’t believe that oily fried foods and sweets harm his health. The old man told his son; Rakesh that oily fried foods and sweets like sooji halwa didn’t harm him. But Rakesh did not pay any attention to his father’s voice and went to his clinic with a medical shelf. A type of misunderstanding and misinterpretation grew in his mind that his son Rakesh didn’t care for him, did not pay attention to him, and also did not accept the things he was speaking. So he hated his son. Varma remembers his past time when his wife gave him spicy and fried food and also sweets. But now, his son gave him only a frugal (simple and plain and costing little) food – dry bread, boiled lentils, boiled vegetables, and, if there were a bit of chicken or fish, that was boiled too.

Once, Varma called his grandchildren and gave them fifty Paisa for buying sweets for him. Varma said to his grandson you go down to the shop and buy thirty Paisa for jalebis (Sweets) and rest spend on yourself. When Rakesh knows all these things. He shouted at his father and said, “Now papa, are you trying to turn my little son into a liar?”. He also said to Varma, ” the sweets of the bazaar were unhygienic. It causes cholera, typhoid, gastroenteritis. I daily see these types of cases in my clinic. I don’t want to see my family at such risks?” Varma saw old Bhatai who was living next to his door. He saw that old Bhatai bathe in the tiled bathroom indoors and insist on carrying out his brass mug and towel in all seasons. Bhatai got all those things that Varma expects, but he didn’t get them from his son.

One day, Varma and Bhatai talked about their ills with each other. On the conservation, Bhatai told Varma that he had at least a doctor (child) who took care of him. Varma cried after listening to it, he express his all pain in front of Bhatai. He said, his son had not even given him enough food to eat. My son weighs the food, not more than two hundred grams of cereal a day. When I asked for fried, spicy, and oily food, he shouted at me with a cracked voice. I have brought him up and given him an education which made him a great doctor but this is the way he treated me.

Rakesh didn’t give too much food to his father, only a miserable diet on which Varma found himself slipping, weakening, and soon becoming a genuinely sick man. Only provide him different types of pills- pills to regulate his bowel movements, pills to bring down his blood pressure, pills to deal with his arthritis, and, eventually, pills to keep his heart beating. Pills became a part of his diet. From time to time, Rakesh brought his father for a stomach pump and enema, which left him frightened and helpless. Varma hated all these things but when Varma complained about it, Rakesh would simply open another bottle of pills and force him to take one. Varma did not like to eat only medicines. He wants to die. He cries in genuine pain. The quantities of vitamins and tonics gave him a kind of strength to live like a dead man only. It was as though he were straining at a rope, trying to break it, and it would not break, it was still strong. One day when Rakesh went to his father after coming from the clinic. He gave Varma a new tonic to make him feel better. But Varma wish to die. He didn’t want to take more medicine. The bottle of tonic was suddenly fallen and closed his eyes and pointed his chin at the ceiling and died.

Understanding the Text: Answer the following questions.

a.      How did the morning papers bring an environment of celebration to the Varma family?

The morning papers bring an environment of celebration to the Varma family because Rakesh scored the highest rank in the country for his medical examination.

b.     How did the community celebrate Rakesh’s success?

The community celebrated Rakesh's success by presenting the small yellow house at the end of the road to congratulate the parents of this Wunderkind, slapping Rakesh on the back and filling the house and garden with the sounds and colours of a festival. They had flowers, and different gifs to present to him.

c.      Why was Rakesh’s success a special matter of discussion in the neighbourhood?

Rakesh's success was a special matter of discussion in the neighbourhood because he was the first son in the family to receive higher education and he topped the Medical Examination in the country.

d.     How does the author make fun with the words ‘America’ and ‘the USA’?

The USA seems like the more weighty and prestigious word to Verma. That's why he suggests to the family member to call it "The USA" rather than 'America'. According to him, America is just a common nation like Nepal and India. But the USA is such a dream nation of a student where students to develop their careers. Verma feels calling 'The USA’ a more sophisticated, disciplined, academic, and career-building nation rather than America. Therefore, the author makes fun of the way people think about America and The USA.

e.      How does the author characterize Rakesh’s wife?

The author characterizes Rakesh's wife as old-fashioned, uneducated, and fat. She was lazy and calm but she was too good-natured to even try and make Rakesh leave home and set up independently.

f.       Describe how Rakesh rises in his career.

There is a great struggle for Rakesh and his family from being a poverty-stricken child to the wealthiest physician in town. Rakesh worked in the local hospital for many years, quickly rising through the ranks to the position of director before leaving to start his clinic. He rises through the ranks at the hospital until he is promoted to the position of Director. He is promoted as a result of his honesty and obedient manner. With his newfound popularity and financial success, he becomes well-known. He eventually quits the municipal hospital and opens his clinic. Thus, Rakesh rises his career.

g.     How does the author describe Rakesh’s family background?

The author describes Rakesh's family background as the man who was born to illiterate parents, his father having worked for a kerosene dealer and his mother spent her life in a kitchen and his grandparent working as vegetable sellers.

h.     What is the impact of Rakesh’s mother’s death on his father?

Rakesh's father died from a mysterious disease named a peevish whim who was stricken with grief by the death of his wife as well as retirement.

i.       What did Rakesh do to make his father’s old age more comfortable?

Rakesh brought his father morning tea in one of the china cups in the old man’s favourite brass glass, and sat at the edge of his bed and discussed or read out the morning news to his father.

j.       Why did the old man try to bribe his grandchildren?

The old man bribed his grandkids to buy sweets for him because he was forbidden from eating his favourite meal, sweets.

k.     Are Mr Varma’s complaints about his diet reasonable? How?

No, his complaints are not reasonable in my view. Rakesh has abstained from his favourite meals since such foods began to make him ill. Additionally, he felt a sense of duty as a doctor, and he hoped for his father's long life. 

 

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