The Telegram on the Table Four Levels and Question Answer
Parashu Pradhan
Four Levels of The Telegram on the Table
- Parashu Pradhan
1.LITERAL COMPREHENSION :
This story "The Telegram on the Table" by Nepali writer, Parashu Pradhan is about a village youth who goes to city and forgets his relations, home and village.
Krishna a Young boy from a rural village of Nepal goes to Kathmandu, the capital city. He works as a tourist guide. He passes his days by smiling to the tourists, answering their questions about art and culture of different places in the city. He likes to speak English and listens to western music. He has a dream that one day following a blue eyed western beauty, he will go to the foreign land and spend rest of his life there among the people who love him. He has almost forgotten his home and village.
A few days back, he had received a telegram from his home but he didn't care about it. The message in the telegram should brought tear into his eyes but he felt happy and free instead. He behaved as if he had needed to receive that message long before. Even his best friend's condolence didn't touch him. He said, "Thank you" just for formality.
However, one particular evening, he rereads the telegram and feels that he shouldn't have received it because it takes him back to earlier times and forces him to think about the things he want to forget. He has a mix feelings about the message. At first, he smiles and feels that the message has brought freedom to him. After all, the person it concerned had never meant much to him. But now, he feels restless. He tries to steep turning the radio on low volume but sleep doesn't come. He remembers the afternoon's events how he had explained the things to the tourists. Then he thinks about his room which was expensive but lacked facilities. He wants to invite girlfriends to his room but he can't do so because the room wasn't nice. After that the scene of the distant hill of his village comes to his mind. He hadn't gone there for many years. He thinks it would be nice to go to peaceful village at least at Dashain so that he could join the dancing and feasting and drive away the emptiness of the city life. Then he remembers the woman whom he doesn't like to define and identify. The telegram was about her. It said, "Your wife died yesterday." The sentence comes into his mind repeatedly. The message doesn't let him sleep even if it doesn't make any sense to him. Later, he regrets for not being able to make sense of the message. He gets angry with himself for loosing his sentiments and emotions of a husband. Perhaps his long stayed in the city alone has made him senseless. He tears the telegram and cries for long.
2. INTERPRETATION :
The story suggests that village people forget their roots or origin when they get accustomed to city life. It exposes how a village boy forgets his family and lives a fantasy life. Also, It can be interpreted that Nepalese youth are unnecessarily attracted to western culture and life style. Moreover, Krishna's realization makes us feel that there is no cozy place like one's home, no truthful people like family members and no intimate friend like one's spouse.
3.CRITICAL THINKING :
Krishna represents a typical Nepali village young man. Many men from village come to towns, finds some jobs and forget their home but nobody can be so heartless as to neglect a message about his one wife's death. Instead the young man who have gone abroad return home when they received message about the death of their close relatives. So Krishna seems to be an exaggerated character.
4.ASSIMILATION :
After reading this story, I have realized that city life is not so luxurious as I used to think before. Also villagers will forget their village after staying long time in the city. Even they start to think about another life partner forgetting their own life partner as like Krishna. Krishna forgets his wife and even after getting the news about the death of his wife ,he becomes happy instead of sad.
Also I remembered my friend who had gone to America 5 years ago but still has not come to the village. I think he killed the love towards his own village.
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Question Answer of The Telegram on the Table
Q.1. "Telegram on the table" carries out the burning issue of Nepali Society. Justify it.
ANSWER : "The Telegram on the table" is the story written by Parashu Pradhah. In this story a village boy goes to Kathmandu city. He works there as a tourist guide. Later he forgets his own village, home and even his wife. He has a dream that one day following a blue eyed western beauty, he will go to the foreign land and spend rest of his life there among the people who love him.
This story carries out the burning issue of Nepali Society. It shows how young generation is being attracted by foreign countries, like America, Australia, Japan, Korea etc. They are ready to abandon anything for that countries. Nepalese people are become senseless and heartless by the modern thinking and way of living.
I found many things in this story to be applied. I came to realize how the villages vanish in the city. People are leaving their family for the better future and education. But when they reach to the city, they are enchanted by modernity and slowly they start forgetting their family and village. They don't come to meet their family in the village for long a time even in the festival.
In my life I have seen same case. One of my friend name Sagar had gone to America five years before, and has not come to village yet. Now he got married a American girl and settled in the America. Last year I called him and he said he doesn't want to come Nepal because it is not developed enough. I feel very sad by his words.
Thus we can say that the story "Telegram on the Table" carries out the burning issue of Nepali society.
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