The Axe(R.K. Narayan)

 

The Axe(R.K. Narayan)

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayan (1906-2001) was one of the foremost Indian writers in English. He wrote many short stories and novels. Some of his well-known books are The Man-Eater of Malgudi, The Guide, The Sweet Vendor and The English Teacher. He was awarded Padma Bhusan in 1964. The present text is an edited version of his short story ‘The Axe’.

 

Let’s read:

Velan was perfectly contented and happy. He demanded nothing more of life.

As far as he could see, the people in the big house too seemed to be equally at peace with life. One saw no reason why these good things should not go on and on for ever. But Death peeped around the corner. One midnight he was awakened and told that the master was dead. “What is to happen to the garden and to me? The sons are no good,” he thought at once.

And his fears proved to be not entirely groundless. The sons were no good, really. They stayed for a year more, quarrelled among themselves and went away to live in another house. A year later some other family came in as tenants. The moment they saw Velan they said, “Old gardener? Don’t be up to any tricks. We know the sort you are. We will sack you if you don’t behave yourself.” Velan found life intolerable. These people had no regard for a garden.

Fortune, however, soon favoured him. The tenants left. The house was locked up for a few years. Occasionally one of the sons of the late owner came round and inspected the garden. Gradually even this ceased. They left the keys of the house with Velan. Occasionally a prospective tenant came down, had the house opened and went away after remarking that it was in ruins. A year later another tenant came, and then another, and then a third. No one remained for more than a few months. And then the house acquired the reputation of being haunted.

Even the owners dropped the practice of coming and seeing the house. Velan was very nearly the master of the house now. The keys were with him. He was also growing old.

When the mood seized him (about once a year) he opened the house and had the floor swept and scrubbed. But gradually he gave up this practice. He was too old to bother about these things.

Years and years passed without any change. It came to be known as the “Ghost House,” and people avoided it. Velan found nothing to grumble about in this state of affairs. It suited him excellently.

But one day a car sounded its horn angrily at the gate. Velan hobbled up with the keys.

“Have you the keys? Open the gate,” commanded someone in the car.

“There is a small side-gate,” said Velan meekly.

“Open the big gate for the car!”

Velan had to fetch a spade and clear the vegetation which blocked the entrance. The gates opened on rusty hinges, creaking and groaning.

They went round the garden and said, “We have to clear every bit of this jungle. All this will have to go…..” Some mighty person looked Velan up and down and said, “You are the gardener, I suppose? We have not much use for a garden now. All the trees, except half a dozen on the very boundary of the property, will have to go.”

A week later one of the sons of his old master came and told Velan, “You will have to go back to your village, old fellow. The house is sold to a company. They are not going to have a garden. They are going to build small houses by the score without leaving space even for a blade of grass.”

There was much bustle and activity, much coming and going, and Velan retired to his old hut. When he felt tired he lay down and slept; at other times he went round the garden and stood gazing at his plants. He was given a fortnight’s notice. Every moment of it seemed to him precious. He would have stayed till the last second with his plants. The sound of an axe which stirred him out of his afternoon nap. It was just two days after he was given notice. The dull noise of a blade meeting a tough surface reached his ears. He got up and rushed out. He saw

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four men hacking the massive trunk of the old margosa tree. He let out a scream: “Stop that!” He took his staff and rushed at those who were hacking. They easily avoided the blow he aimed. “What is the matter?” they asked.

Velan wept. “This is my child. I planted it. I saw it grow. I loved it. Don’t cut it down…”

“But it is the company’s orders. What can we do? We shall be dismissed if we don’t obey, and someone else will do it.”

Velan stood thinking for a while and said, “Will you at least do me this good turn? Give me a little time. I will bundle up my clothes and go away. After I am gone do what you like.” They laid down their axes and waited.

Presently Velan came out of his hut with a bundle on his head. He looked at the tree-cutters and said, “You are very kind to an old man. You are very kind to wait.” He looked at the margosa and wiped his eyes. “Brother, don’t start cutting till I am really gone far, far away.”

The tree-cutters squatted on the ground and watched the old man go. Nearly half an hour later his voice came from a distance, half-indistinctly: “Don’t cut yet. I am still within hearing. Please wait till I am gone farther.”

 

 

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Who is the author of "The Axe"?

a) R.K. Narayan

b) Ruskin Bond

c) Rabindranath Tagore

d) Mulk Raj Anand

Why did Velan feel content and happy at the beginning of the story?

a) He received a promotion

b) He was satisfied with his simple life

c) He won a prize

d) He bought a new house

What happened to the big house after the death of the master?

a) It was renovated

b) It became haunted and avoided by people

c) It was sold to a school

d) It was locked and protected by guards

Why did Velan ask the tree-cutters to wait before cutting down the margosa tree?

a) He wanted to fix his hut

b) He wanted to say goodbye to the tree

c) He planned to plant new seeds

d) He was waiting for approval from the company

What did the new owners plan to do with the garden?

a) Grow more trees

b) Build small houses without a garden

c) Set up a playground

d) Make it a public park

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Fill in the Blanks

Velan was perfectly __________ and happy at the start of the story.

After the death of the master, the house acquired the reputation of being __________.

The gates opened on rusty hinges, __________ and groaning.

The sound of an __________ stirred Velan out of his afternoon nap.

Velan called the margosa tree his __________.

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Answer the Following Questions

Why did Velan have to leave the garden?

How did Velan feel about the margosa tree?

What changes occurred in the big house after the master died?

What did Velan request the tree-cutters to do before they cut the tree?

How did the reputation of the house affect its occupancy?

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Similar Words from the Passage

to satisfied

complain

humbly

cleaned

busy