The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond, reviewed by Mira Dhandra

The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond

Reviewed by
Name: Mira Dhandra
School: Gyan Mandir Public School

There was a girl named Binya. She used to take them over the brow of the hill for grazing. Binya keep on shouting, calling “Neelu! Neelu!” as per the name her colour was blue-grey and the other one was Gori, meaning fair one so she was white in colour. They fond of wandering around on their own and came back by themselves. It seemed deliberately to Binya.

Binyahad a brother called Bijju. The cows preferred having Binya with them, because she let them wander. Bijju pulled them by their tails if they went too far.

Binya belonged to the mountains, to this part of the Himalayas known as Gharwal. It was a pleasure resort for tourists from all over India.

Binya was probably ten. She may have been nine or even eleven, she couldn’t be sure because no one n the village kept birthdays but her mother told her she was born during winters, when the snow had come to the windows. Two years ago her father had died, but his passing away made no difference to their way of life.

Like most mountain girls, Binya was quite study, fair of skin, with pink cheeks and dark eyes and her black hair tied in a pigtail. She wore pretty glass bangles and a necklace of glass beads. From the necklace hung a leopard’s claw. It was lucky charm, and Binya always wore it. Binya’s full name was Binyaevi and Bijju’s real name was Vijay.

Once she heard voices, laughter, the clatter of plates and cups, and stepping trough the trees, she came up a party of picnickers. They were holiday makers from plains. The all were well-dressed in pretty new clothes.

Binya was admiring their cloths, listening to unfamiliar accents, gazing hungrily on their food. And then her gaze came to rest on a bright blue umbrella. It was the first time Binya had seen such a small, dainty, colourful umbrella, and she felt love with it.

In between a lady among the picnickers exclaimed the girl. She went to tem feeling shy and nervous but the umbrella had cast a spell over Binya and she step forward.

The lady remarked the claw hanging in her necklace and wished to buy it but Binya refused when the lady produced a two rupee note, the lady offered anything that Binya would prefer in turn. So she pointed the blue umbrella, but the lady refused. At last they came to an agreement and the girl got her will, the blue umbrella.

At that moment she was the happiest girl of village. Every day she came out with the umbrella flaunting and twisting it gaily all around the village. When there was rain every one used to get shade in the nearby shops but she used to get shade under her blue umbrella.

Every one in the village dream to have the umbrella even the shop owner “Ram Bharosa” offered her money but she effused to sell it.

One day it was very cloudy outside and the wind was blowing and the wind took her umbrella too. She got very distracted and ran after it after passing through many hurdles and obstacles she got the umbrella.

As Ram, Bharosa was getting old day by day so he took a boy Rajaram as his helping hand. But now also he wished to get the blue umbrella and he was very greedy towards it.

So, he send Rajaram to steel the umbrella but Rajaram didn’t succeeded in it as he tried to ran from their with umbrella, Binya’s brother Bijju caught hold of him and dragged him on the ground. And when he asked him why he did so, he told the truth that the shop owner had send him here.

This news was spread all over the village and therefore Ram Bharosa’s earning was turned off and so Rajaram was removed from there.

As many days has passed through the blue umbrella got paled but it was as new it was for Binya. One day she was passing through she saw Ram Bharosa sitting lonely and having a feeling of sorrow on her face.

She felt very bad for all that and went to Ram Bharosa and said take this umbrella. He was surprised to listen all that but a little upset as he had realized his mistake, he apologized for that.

After all that Binya showed her mercy and she gave the umbrella to Ram Bharosa without any hesitation and in return he gave him a claw of tiger which was Mascot for her an there was a wide smile on both the faces.