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A Shadow

Sambu is a young boy who wants to see a movie starring his recently deceased father. His mother is reluctant to see her husband on screen after his death. She fears it will be too upsetting. Sambu convinces her to go with him to a showing of the film. During the movie, she sees her husband talking, singing, and interacting just as when he was alive. The scene of him reading a newspaper, which she strongly associates with him, causes her to break down sobbing uncontrollably. Sambu hears his mother's cries and finds her fainted in the women's section. They leave the theater, with Sambu accepting that this was his final parting from his father.

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mandy021190
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357 views

A Shadow

Sambu is a young boy who wants to see a movie starring his recently deceased father. His mother is reluctant to see her husband on screen after his death. She fears it will be too upsetting. Sambu convinces her to go with him to a showing of the film. During the movie, she sees her husband talking, singing, and interacting just as when he was alive. The scene of him reading a newspaper, which she strongly associates with him, causes her to break down sobbing uncontrollably. Sambu hears his mother's cries and finds her fainted in the women's section. They leave the theater, with Sambu accepting that this was his final parting from his father.

Uploaded by

mandy021190
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Summary: A Shadow

Sambu is a young boy of about 12 or 14 years old, who demands to


see a movie that stars his father. Since the movie has been made, his
father has died. Sambu, the young son of his dead
father begs four annas to see the film the next
day. But his mother feels fear in her heart
because she does not want to see her husband
again on film screen because he was dead since
six months ago. She fears that her husband may
not be seen on screen. She had a vague idea that
the producers would not release the picture in
which her husband was acting. Sambus mother
could not tolerate the view shown by the young
boys who holding the pictures of her husband
were moving across and along the road. The
mass protest rose. But at last she came to know
that the picture was going to be shown and her
husband was again going to speak, move, and
sing and so on. Actually, Sambu was highly
delighted as if his father had come back to life.
He repeatedly asked his mother to see the
picture. But she explained that she could not
tolerate to see her husband again move and
speak like alive. Sambu explained her that a
mere photo was also no more different that from
film photo. Sambu could not do his class
properly. Getting a chance, he would speak up
to his friends that his father had been paid ten
thousand rupees for the film acting. Sambu
persuaded his friend to go to cinema for
observing the show acted and story written by
his father. Previously his father had told him the
gist of the story. The story was about a young
girl named Kumari who was forced to marry at
the age of fourteen and who refused and wanted
to study in a university and earn an independent
living. Then after, she was away by her stern
father who was not other than Sambus father.
Sambu was seen sitting in the film hall eagerly
waiting for the picture to begin. Since his
fathers death he had not seen any film and the
hall started to be darkened. After the show of
trailers, the real picture started. His father came
on the screen. He was wearing the dhoti and
shirt he used to wear at home. Then Sambu saw
a little girl on the screen to have been patted on
her head by him. The girl was with a slate on
her knee and he started dictating to her. He
asked her a little arithmetic to which she
accurately answered. Then his father was
delighted. Sambu remembered how he once
committed mistake in solving a puzzle. After the
film ended, Sambu gazed at the aperture in the
projection room as if his father had vanished
into it. The world seemed very lonely to him
and he started running to his house where his
mother had been waiting for him. He told his
mother that it was a lovely film show and he
also narrated how his father sang and acted. His
mother listened to him in grim silence. He also
asked her why she did not say anything. He also
requested her to give him four annas every day
for film. His mother warned him to be careful
for his study. Then she refused to go to film but
Sambu went everyday and at the end of every
show, he felt sorrow because his father was no
more seen. Sambu was always longing for to
have his fathers company, but his mother felt
sorrow at his neglect in study. His mother was
unable to understand his carvings for the film
enacted by his father.
After a long persuasion, Sambus mother agreed
to go to film. Both son and mother went to the
cinema at the night show. She sat in the
womens row. She gathered all her courage to
view the picture. After trailer, the real show
began and by the time, she had been ready and
her heart started beating faster. She could see
her husband talking to her, singing and playing
with children and everything seemed as usual.
She felt the show as an affliction to her and she
shut her eyes several times. Then she came to
saw her husband sitting in a chair reading
newspaper. She remembered how he had been
reading the newspaper before he died. Now she
could not control her. The scene was really
unbearable and she started sobbing. Meanwhile
Sambu was observing his father on screen and
father was talking with a girl named Kumari
who was about to cry. Immediately Sambu
heard a high-pitched sobbing from womens
class (row). People present there shouted for
light to on, because there was an accident.
Sambu woke up and saw his mother was being
lifted from the floor. So he impatiently rushed to
the spot and found his mother being faint.
Coming back to her sense, she told Sambu to go
away. They both left the place ridding a small
horse carriage. Sambu realized it was the last
parting from his father.

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