ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT

Q. Comment on the role of nature in the Blue Umbrella.

The Blue Umbrella is a short novella written by Ruskin Bond

which was published in the year 1980. One of the most well-
known writers of children's books, his incredibly
entertaining writing style has made his works a big success
all over the world.
The Blue Umbrella comes under children fiction genre.
Children fiction is a prominent genre meant especially for
children to read. The common themes of this genre deals
with moral values, educational values, family and unity, for
the younger minds to learn.
The author has exceptional talent in writing about nature
and children. His depiction of the beautiful Himalayas serve
as the backdrop for the human activities that are depicted in
his enthralling tales. His stories centre on everyday issues
and are about regular people who live in small Himalayan
communities. His account of early post-independence Indian
bazaars is a mirror reflecting the social environment,
culture, and traditions of small-town residents. These
settings and locations are weaved around the child
protagonists and other key child characters in a semi-
compassionate manner to create a rich tapestry of
fascinating stories. It is impossible to deny the importance of
nature to human existence. Every part of human life is
surrounded by and influenced by nature. Due to the fact that
nature and human life are inextricably linked, literature that
explores all facets of humanity must naturally respect nature
in all its splendour and moods that correspond with those of
people. They are usually always illustrated in all literary
genres because a writer's presentation would be lacking
without mentioning nature. The worlds of plants and
animals are enchanting to humans; especially children are
drawn to the natural world of wonders.
The novella ‘the blue umbrella’ is set in a part of the
Himalayas known as Garhwal. The protagonist of the story
‘Binya’, a girl of 9-10, belonged to the mountains. The
Garhwal region consisted of dark forests and lonely hilltops.
There was a crowded market-town, 5 miles away from the
village that she lived, was a holiday attraction for tourist
from all over India.
One day, Binya comes across a group of picnickers while
searching for her cows where she sets her eyes on a blue
umbrella that belonged to a woman and immediately
becomes obsessed with it. She exchanges her precious
leopard claw with the umbrella. The bright blue umbrella
soon becomes an object of envy for all the villagers
especially Ram Bharose, a small tea stall owner.
The story thrives on the themes like innocence, greed,
simplicity, childlike wonder; it offers a simple juxtaposition
of the ways of the people of the plains and the mountains as
well as juxtaposition of children and adults.
Once when Binya was sitting below a pine tree we see nature
playing a game with her. It was summer, when the wind was
strong and the breeze was light. The winds swept away the
umbrella across the grass and hilltops, away from Binya.
Binya was attached to her umbrella and eventually she had
rescued her umbrella but she experiences nettle stings all
over her legs during the procedure. But even after this
incident, we find that she is so much in resonance with
nature that she is resistant to nettles and other similar
difficulties. Bond similarly portrays her brother Bijju as
resistant to bee stings.
Similarly we find so many instances in the story where
nature played a prominent role in the lives of the people.
During the monsoon season, every day after exploring the
hills, Binya returns home with a few leeches clinging to the
skin of her exposed legs. As they took their thimbleful of
filthy blood from Binya, they slipped off on their own. Bond
specifically states in the book that Ram Bharose applies a
leech to his hurting temple because he has a headache. Leech
bleeding is still regarded as a treatment for a number of
illnesses.
The endless rain of the monsoon also affected the outer
appearance of the umbrella. The umbrella, which happened
to be bright blue in colour, was starting to fade a little. But it
was still a pretty thing to look at and both Binya and Ram
Bharose were still taken by its beauty.
By the time autumn ascended in Garhwal, in early October
we find that the rains have ended, the leeches had
disappeared and the green hills were flushed with mellow
golden sunlight. Binya’s umbrella had turned a pale milky
blue, and was patched in several places. It had been worn
out by the tactics of nature. This however did not wear out
Binya’s spirit and she was still in awe of her pretty umbrella.
On the other hand, October wasn’t kind to Ram Bharose. He
had tried to steal Binya’s umbrella through Rajaram, his
employer. Rajaram had failed in his evil plan but Ram
Bharose was the one who was being punished for his greed.
The villagers were unkind to him and had turned against
him, refused to buy stuff from his stall. The children taunted
him and twisted his name around. From “Ram the
Trustworthy” he became “Trusty Umbrella Thief”. By the end
of October, Binya hands over the umbrella to Ram Bharose
in the hope of redeeming herself. She felt small and blamed
herself for hurting the people around her. She questioned
herself for having given so much importance to the umbrella
than the feelings of the people.
Nature writing emerges from a place of love, respect, and
amazement. Writing about the outdoors, the flora, and the
animals is not considered nature writing. It discovers its
theme after days of careful study of the natural world. It is
the voice that emerged from a connection with nature that
was formed back then. It focuses on relationships and the
connections that make up this world. The Blue Umbrella
beautifully illustrates the beauty of the village of the hills.
Bond teaches readers the value of ecological modesty and
humility as well as how to live in peace with nature.
According to the ecological modesty, humans are just one
species among many others and do not have any unique
rights. The path to true humility is to live in harmony with
nature.