The
Postmaster – Rabindranath Tagore
The
postmaster, who belongs to Calcutta, is posted in a small village of
Ulapur. His office and living room are
in a dark thatched shed. He is educated
and refined and he is not able to mingle with the local
illiterate workers of
the indigo plantation. Ratan, an orphan
girl of about twelve or thirteen years does most of the household chores for
him. She brings him water from the river
for his bath, and lights up his hookah.
Sometimes she tells about her family, and the postmaster too describes
his mother and sister. In his spare
time, the postmaster teaches her alphabets.
The poor girl is greatly attached towards the postmaster.
One
day, the postmaster becomes ill suddenly.
At once Ratan is transformed to a tender – hearted mother. She calls the local “vaidya” and gives him the
medicinal pills at the right times. She
prepares his special diet and remains awake all right by the bedside. She affectionately calls him ‘dada babu. Gradually the postmaster gets well, but he
decides to resign his job and go back to his native place, as his repeated
appeal for transfer is rejected.
As
the postmaster packs up his belongings, Ratan asks him to take her also along
with him. The postmaster laughs and
says, “How can I do that? “ Ratan is terribly upset by these words, and they
words ring in her ears even in her sleep.
In the morning, the postmaster finds water ready for him to take
bath. After his bath, he asks Ratan not
to worry because he will tell his successor to look after her. She cries and asks him not to tell anybody
about her. Before leaving, the
postmaster gives her a part of her salary to support her for a few days. Ratan falls at his feet and asks him not to
give anything to her. She runs away from
that place.
The postmaster sighs, and walks slowly towards the
boat. As he gets into the boat, he
suddenly wants to go back and bring the orphan girl with him, but the boat
starts moving fast. He consoles himself
with the thought that life is full of such painful partings. As for Ratan, she has no such insight. She wanders around the place with the faint
hope that her “dada babu” will come back.
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