THE SNAKE
AND
THE MIRROR
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
Presentation by Jayant Bhattacharya
TGT English
Jnv Jabalpur
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, fondly known as Beypore Sultan, was an Indian independence activist and writer of Malayalam literature. He was a writer, humanist, freedom fighter, novelist and short story writer, noted for his path-breaking, down-to-earth style of writing that made him equally popular among literary critics as well as the common man. Basheer is known for his unconventional style of language. He did not differentiate between literary language and the language spoken by the commons and did not care about the grammatical correctness of his sentences.
The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 1982. He was also a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Story.
“This laughter is god’s special gift to the human race”
ABOUT THE STORY
The story is a narrative within the narrative. The writer tells us the story which was told to him by a homeopathic doctor. It is a humorous story about a homeopathic doctor who encountered a snake, the snake fell on the doctor. When the snake saw it’s reflection, it started admiring it’s own beauty and the doctor was saved.
Once the doctor in the company of his friends was discussing on the incidents related with snakes. Suddenly he came up with his personal experience of encountering a snake in his room.
NARRATION
One hot summer night; about 10 o’clock, doctor returned to his house after having a meal at the restaurant. He was welcomed by a familiar noise. One could say that the rats and he shared the room .
Gable - Upper part of a wall below a sloping roof
He came back to his room and sat down on the chair. He opened the box beneath the table and took out a book, the Material Medica. He kept it at the same table on which stood a lamp and a large mirror; a small comb lay beside the mirror.
As he was sitting infront of the mirror, he was distracted by his own beauty. He was unmarried, well-educated and was a great admirer of beauty and believed in making himself look handsome.
All this while he kept hearing a voice from above.
Now, the other sound had stopped but all of a sudden there came a dull thud as if a rubber tube had fallen to the ground and the doctor didn’t bother to check.
As soon as he turned around to take a look, the fat snake had already wriggled over the back of the chair and landed on him. Within no time it coiled around his left arm. The doctor turned to stone and started praying to god.
To his surprise, the snake turned his head. It looked into the mirror and saw its reflection.
Was it admiring its own beauty?
Was it making an important decision about growing a moustache or using eyeshadow and mascara or wearing a vermilion spot on its forehead?
The snake uncoiled itself from the doctor’s arm and crept onto the table and moved towards the mirror. Perhaps it wanted to enjoy its reflection at closer quarters.
The doctor took this opportunity to run for his life. Ran till he reached a friend’s house and took a sigh and bath of relief.
The next day around eight-thirty, the doctor took two of his friends to empty the room but there was not much emptying to be done as some thief had already removed most of his things
The thief only left a dirty vest, to which the doctor said, “ My vest, the dirty one. The fellow had such a sense of cleanliness ….! The rascal could have taken it and used it after washing it with soap and water.”
THINK BEYOND
The humorous plot revolves around the theme of human vanity and fears and how they affect people. This story reflect on the pride, foolishness and stupidity found in human beings and how quickly they turn to gods in times of trouble. We learn that it is in the moments of fear that humans realise the futility of worldly achievements. The doctor is cured of his pride after the encounter with the snake and realise the true value of life.
Fangs
Hood
Slither - To move smoothly
Wriggle - To move swiftly with twists and turns
WORDS & PHRASES
HUMOROUS EXPRESSIONS
Thank you!