About the author: N.

Kunjamohan Singh is widely known as a Manipuri writer of short stories

and travelogues. His concern for the oppressed classes comes through in his stories. His

collection titled Ilisha Amagi Mahao won the Sahitya Akademi Award.

Introduction to the text

The short story provides a glimpse of Manipuri society and explores the various facets of class

difference and its manifestations in terms of attitude and behaviour patterns. With the

characterisation of Chaoba and Thaninjao, the author has represented two ends of the spectrum

in terms of wealth but they share a common bond as caring fathers wishing to nurture their

daughters. The story also maps Chaoba’s sentiments from being utterly delighted at having

caught a Hilsa, fantasising about sharing a tasty meal with his family to giving up his aspiration

when faced with the reality of empty rice sack, a hungry household and a sick wife. Moreover,

N. Kunjamohan Singh by transliterating words of local dialect and by incorporating life - like

setting and narrative style makes the entire short story very realistic.

Themes for discussion

 Class Difference

 The hilsa as a symbol of power and prestige.

 Chaoba’s attitude and psychological transition as the story progresses.

 Transliteration of ideas and phrases.

Comprehension Questions:

1. Elucidate how ‘attaining the hilsa’ becomes a symbol of class supremacy and class

difference.
 - “hilsa” a very rare type of fish well known for its rich taste

- The fishermen who catch it usually sell it away as it fetches them good money

- As it is high in price, people who rich alone can afford to buy it – so it has come to be

associated with class supremacy – hainv hilsa for food is considered a sort of social

status

- Also, it is a symbol of class difference – the poor people cannot have as they do not

havemoney to buy it. even the fishermen who catch hilsa cannot to afford to have the

fish as they have more important needs which they can fulfill with themoney the get

by selling hilsa.- e.g., the case of Chaoba

2. ‘Fathers are the protectors and providers of the family.’ Compare the characterisation of

Chaoba and Thaninjao in the light of the above statement.

- in traditional family setups, father is a very important person in the family.

- they are not only the breadwinners of the family, the responsibility of protecting and

providing the family from difficulties and fulfilling their needs also falls on their

shoulders.

- Chaoba, a loving and dedicated father, - goes out fishing even before the day breaks –

tries to catch fish in order to provide for his family – hope of catching more fish to sell

and get money for family – manages to catch only one hilsa – decides not to sell it though

it may fetch him more money – want o feed his fmily and his pregnant daughter – love

for family is seen – tries hard to save the fish from other people and brings it home – but
 is compelled to sell it away when he realizes that there is no rice to be cooked – helpless

and sad at his inability to provide something good for his family.

- Thaninjao – a loving father – who comes all the way enquiring about the availability of

fish for his daughter – his eagerness to provide for his family and daughter can be seen –

even ready to take away what others havein order to feed his family.

3. N. Kunjamohan Singh presents a slice of Manipuri life in his short story ‘The Taste of the

Hilsa’. Elaborate citing suitable examples.

- the writer presents a slice of Manipuri life – and in particular the life of Manipuri fishermen and

their struggles and hardships

- the writer brings to us the harsh realities of the people in the village

- man as the head 0f the family shouldering all responsibilities

- life of poverty and suffering

- cannot have he tfish which he caught by this hard efforts

4. Discuss the father- son bond as it exists between Chaoba and his sons.

- they share a close bonding

- the father though slightly strict in his demeanor, is very understanding and friendly towards his
son to the exten of sharing a bidi stub with him

- the father pities the son as he has to get up very early in the morning and at the same time proud
of his son, as the son carries the instructions of his father without a grudge.

- the father scolds his sons when they do something not expected of them

- he scolds Mani, his son, when talks about the taste of hilsa

- he also scolds his youngest son when he talks about the fish to a person who comes to buy the
fish
- chaoba is a loving and dedicated father and the sons too have a deep attachment with him

5. ‘The Taste of Hilsa’ could be read as a story describing the difference between ‘need and

greed.’ Comment citing suitable examples.

- difference between need and greed – one of the major themes in the story

- Chaoba is driven by need

- while the elderly man who wanted to buy the fish first is driven by greed

- chaoba is not greedy for money – he wants to give the fish to his family so that they can have

good food - but he is driven by his need to sell the fish

- Thaninjao is driven by his greed when he bus the fish from Chaoba and he even takes pleasure

in taunting the youngest son of Chaoba.