Book Review - The Blue Umbrella

Ruskin Bond's 'The Blue Umbrella' is profound in its simplicity, and through the lucid narrative, shines through, a deep insight into human behaviour and society. The author has created a masterpiece and enchanted us at myriad levels of conscience and consciousness. Its beauty lies in the layering of the story, and through this Bond has done what less talented writers fail to in much larger and if I dare say so, rather cumbersome pieces. Very accessible to even young and new readers, it is an equally enjoyable read for connoisseurs of literature. At the first read, a very simple story to follow, which enchants us with the beauty of language. A striking feature is the immaculate use of short sentences making text very readable and crisp, which characterizes the writer. The author gives vivid descriptions of nature and people , though never trying to go overboard with such exercises, ensuring the reader never loses interest.On trying to understand the story at a deeper level, one realises Bond's deep insight into society. The story starts with a young village girl going in search of her cattle, and ending up getting a blue umbrella in exchange for a leopard's claw pendant - a sort of lucky charm. This is when the reader realises that the blue umbrella is a metaphor for human desire, and this continues throughout the narrative when it becomes the object of almost desperate desire for her fellow villagers, especially Ram Bharosa ( the name is ironical, almost a mockery). Further the fact that the young girl gets the umbrella from outsiders, in exchange for her traditional pendant, indicates the tendency of our youngsters giving up their traditions for modern lifestyles and adopting certain ways of living which have been canonized to be the better ways of living. But this aspect of the metaphor does not occur at many other instances in the story. Another thing one must notice is the portrayal of the pettiness of human desire - Ram Bharosa, the trader even tries to resort to unfair means to acquire the umbrella. The irrationality the whole thing also strikes the reader much later in the story, as Bharosa's whim to get the umbrella become almost a dangerous lust for it - despite him being in a situation to buy umbrellas himself. Te book is thus thoroughly readable - it has something to offer to all kinds of readers -young and old.