ORU MANUSHYAN

- Vaikom Muhammad Basheer

Meaning of the title:

‘ORU MANUSHYAN' when translated to English means ‘A MAN’. The title refers to a man
who comes to rescue the narrator who was in a foreign land.

Summary:

The story ‘ORU MANUSHYAN’ stresses on the need of human value to understand and help
the human beings when they are caught in strange situation.

When story begins, we are able to know that the writer is in a foreign land. He doesn’t know
their local language. He only knows to speak English and Hindustani. But many local and
inhabitants of that place don’t know either of these two languages.

About the people:

A big city in the valley of a mountain, which was some thousand five hundred miles from his
home. The inhabitants were cruel. Murder, robbery, pick-pocketing were daily occurrences.
By tradition the people were professional soldiers. Some of them went to distant places and
lent out money on interest. Many other served as watchman in the banks, mills and large
commercial establishment in big cities. Many was highly valued by them and they would do
anything for it.

Narrator’s profession and his routine:

The narrator stayed in that city teaching English to some migrant labourers. He taught them
how to write name, address in English. They get paid to write name and address in English
thus he too earns little. He gets up 4pm in the evening only in orders to avoid spending
money on breakfast and tea. He eats one meal a day. He would teach migrant labourers from
nine-thirty till eleven in the night.

Embarrassing experience of the narrator

One day narrator gets up at 4 in the evening. As usual, finished his daily chores and walked
out for his tea and meal. He was in a suit. He had 14 rupees in his wallet, which was his life
saving during that time. He entered a crowded restaurant and ate full meal consisting of
chapatti and meat curry. He drank tea as well. The bill came to 11 annas. When he checked
his pocket to pay, the wallet was not there. His pocket was picked. He told his problem to the
restaurant owner who just laughed out loud. The owner said that it is very familiar story, and
he hast to pay somehow. He threatened to gouge his eye out. He then asked the narrator to
take off his coat, shirt, shoes and then the trousers as well. It was really embarrassing. The
narrator said that he had nothing underneath. Everyone started to laugh.

How a stranger saved narrators day:

When he started to unbutton his trousers. Exactly then, he heard a voice “Stop I shall pay the
money!” a fair complexioned man, six foot-tall, with red turban and white trousers stood in
front of the speaker. He sported a handle bar moustache and had blue eyes. He paid the
amount and asked speaker to go out with him. And at the deserted bridge the stranger took
out five wallets from his various pockets. One of them belongs to the narrator. The money
was intact.

Point to Remember:

 The narrator shows us how even a pick-pocket can transform into human individual
under circumstances.
 The story stress on the true manifestation of human values.
 Kindness is a virtue that moves even a heart seems stone-hard.