When Telegrams Were
Bad – Sudha Murty B A English RTMNU Nagpur University
About the Author
Sudha Murty was born in 1950 in Shiggaon
District in North Karnataka. Today she is the chairperson of Infosys
Foundation. Sudha Murty is an author and philanthropist. She is a prolific
writer in English and Kannada. Her books are translated into all principal
Indian Languages’. She has received several awards, like Padma Shri in 2006, R
k Narayan award for Literature, the Attimabbe Award from Karnataka government
for her excellence in Kannada writing in 2011.
About the Story
The short story When Telegrams Were Bad is taken from the book Wise and Otherwise – A
Salute To Life by Sudha Murty. Her focus in this story is every word in a message
and communication is important and
essential and that omitting even a small word two-letter word can create a
terrible situation. Clear thinking and clear communication are very essential
in life and can reduce many misunderstanding in life.
Summary
Sudha and Lata are close friends and lived in a small town.
Probably people from small towns are close to
one another and depend on each other more. The culture is different from a big
city. Sudha Murty and Lata her friend enjoyed closeness and visited each other’s
houses and new each another’s families
very well.
After completion of her degree Sudha went to
Pune for a job and got involved in her career. In those days Telephone was a
privilege of rich people. If anything was urgent Telegram was the only channel
of communication.
One day Sudha Murty received a telegram, FATHER
EXPIRED START IMMEDIATELY sent by Lata. Sudha was shocked, her colleagues were kind,
one of the colleagues booked a ticket on the next train to her home town. The
other applied for leave on her behalf. Sudha was crying and remembered her
father. He was more than a friend to her. Both used to talk a lot and discuss
many things. She remembered her mother and though how difficult it would be for
her.
One of Sudha’s colleagues every year once used
to receive similar kind of telegram, GRANNY EXPIRED START IMMEDIATELY. He would
tell Sudha that was the best method to get leave. He asked Sudha did she have
enough leave.
Sudha’s journey back home was unbearable. She
remembered her childhood and college days, when her father was part of
everything. First he was her role model but later he became more of friend than a hero. Sudha had many dreams of
travelling with her father, reading many books and discussing things. When
Sudha reached her home town she was surprised there was no one from her family
to receive her. She was upset and consoled herself that how would the family
members know about her train details. She
took a auto and reached home. She noticed the house was quiet and calm and no
sign of people inside. She was surprised
as her father was a popular doctor and a professor. She thought people
would come to give respect. The house was white washed decorated with flowers
and mango leaves and looked it was a happy occasion.
Just then she heard noise coming from her father’s
room. Sudha could not believe when she saw her father standing and smiling. He
said he knew that she would come for her cousin Lata’s engagement somehow. She
was Sudha’s favorite cousin. Sudha asked about whom he was talking.
Father replied saying Lata’s
marriage is fixed and today evening is her engagement. The boy is in Delhi.
Sudha stopped him and enquired who had sent the telegram and why did he wrote a
lie to her. Father asked about the telegram as he could not understand. Sudha
was upset and agitated and father replied that he had not sent that telegram.
Suddenly he said that Sudha’s friend Lata’s father had expired as he was sick.
Lata may have sent the telegram. Lata could have sent a telegram, MY FATHER
EXPIRED. The word my was missing in the telegram which created a havoc. Sudha
understood how an incomplete message created havoc in her life. Sudha was
wondering how her colleagues would feel after receiving the other telegram.
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