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बूढी काकी (Boodhie Kaakie),
by Munshi Premchand, मुंशी प्रेमचंद.
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One forgets that this author's reputation was due to his superlative quality of writing, over and above language that now is so rare a treat.
The first story, that gives the small collection it's name, is heartbreaking. The horror and pathos of an old woman, forced into living with relatives who treat her I'll despite her having bequeathed her considerable wealth to them, is a universal thing that could happen anywhere, to anyone, and that it lacks any villains as such, only makes it worse.
One is reminded strongly of a similar tale from Tagore, where the old relative was dependent but took the senior position, and although the storylines are different, there is the deep similarity of helplessness of dependence of powerless.
The story is so heartbreaking, one stops reading this and goes on to other, less gripping reads, until one has gotten a little over it. But the next is just as gripping, although very different in content in almost every way. And not just heartbreaking but fills one with dismay.
Fortunately the book ends with these two. One couldn't have taken any more!
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June 03, 2021 - June 19, 2021.
Purchased February 13, 2021.
Kindle Edition, 32 pages
Published by Public Domain Books
ASIN:- B01MG9N6FV
Edition LanguageHindi
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