Summary of the lesson 'The Castaway'.

 

The Castaway (Rabindranath Tagore) One evening heavy rain and storm raged with thunderbolts and lightning. It was like a battle between gods and devils. The river Ganges overflowed furiously.  In one of the riverside houses in the Chandernagore village Sharat and Kiran, a husband and wife, engaged in a verbal battle. Kiran had seriously fallen ill and all villagers advised her husband Sharat and mother-in-law to send her to her house for a change.  But they took her to a riverside house in the Chandernagore village for a change of surroundings.    After having stayed many days in the riverside house, Kiran believed that she was perfectly recovered and wanted to go back to their native village. The lonely life in the riverside house without doing anything was a burden for her. But Sharat and his mother wanted her to stay a little longer there as she had not recovered fully.  This was the subject of their verbal battle.   They heard someone’s call and Sharat went outside and saw a boy in the garden. He was a survivor from an upturned boat in the river.  Kiran showed her hospitality by giving the boy clothes to change and milk to drink. His name was Nilkanta and he belonged to a drama group.  They were going to a neighbouring village and their boat perished in the river. He survived and he had no idea about the others.   Nilkanta’s presence was a boon to the family. Sharat and his mother were happy as Kiran would stay longer there in the company of Nilkanta. But Nilkanta soon made bad friendship with the naughty village boys and made a village mongrel dog his pet.  He and his friends made all mischief and Sharat and his mother wished for his departure from the house.   Nilkanta performed various theatrical performances to entertain Kiran and she enjoyed his company. Nilkanta was also very happy as he got motherly and sisterly love and care from Kiran. She supported all his naughtiness while Sharat opposed him and punished him.  Meanwhile Sharat’s younger brother Satish came there to spend his vacation. Kiran and Satish were  of the same age and they engaged all the time in merry-making with peals of laughter.  Nilkanta felt that Kiran ignored him and this thought made him angry. He wanted to take revenge upon Satish, so he took Satish’s favourite inkstand to throw  into the river.  Satish quarrelled with Nilkanta over his missing inkstand and called him thief.  This incident pained both Kiran and Nilkanta.   Finally the family decided to return to their native village. Kiran wanted to take Nilkanta with them, but all others opposed.  Kiran wanted to give him some surprise gifts because they were returning to their native village without taking Nilkanta with them.  She opened his box to place the surprise gifts and she saw Satish’s missing inkstand in it. She sat puzzled for a while not knowing what to do. Meanwhile Nilkanta came there and saw Kiran sitting in his room holding the inkstand. He knew that he could not prove his innocence anymore and he left the place.  Since then he was nowhere to be found!