Ghugu and Jamuni is a story taken from a collection of stories (Half a Rupee: Stories) by Gulzar, and offered here as an independent read. It is from part six, which is about rather more personal stuff closer to heart or so it would seem from the couple of stories out of the three in this part.
This one is more of a parable, being as it is about a bird, presumably parrot or parakeet, usually named Ghuggu in Hindi speaking central parts of the nation (which are mistakenly labled north in an attempt to pretend there are only two noticeable different parts north and south while in reality it is as complex as it gets and various other corners are not to be forgotten or dumped with others and also the fact that there is a north way north of the Hindi belt and comprising of various other languages).
This parrot or parakeet Ghuggu is according to the writer in love with a kite - the kind children fly rather than the predatory bird of course - which happens to be very colourful and very beautiful, and the protagonist bird proceeds to attempt to mate and begins to understand that his beloved whom he names Jamuni after the colour purple (or the fruit that gives that name to the colour) is rather bashful and would fly away as soon as he approaches. Undaunted he goes on chirping at her, marvelling at her not chirping back, and proceeds to build a nest for her in spite of her being so non committal.
In an effort to warn her away in an impending thunderstorm he risks his life and falls unconscious having hit an electric pole, after valiantly battling with strong winds of the storm and more, and comes to consciousness in captivity having been saved by a child. It so happens the child also subsequently manages to catch the bird's beloved kite and the kite comes to rest a few feet from his cage.
One may wonder if this is the way the writer chose to tell himself where he failed in his marriage, for his wife left him to live a life of her own but never did divorce, so it was not about general male excuse of her being with someone else. She was not to be caged by him, and this is what perhaps he finds incomprehensible, because it is only possible for him to sympathise with women - real or otherwise - he does not need for personal life,while his wife he like most men needed to play the traditional role common to all cultures - that of someone who exists only to take care of him.
Thursday, April 3, 2014.
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