The Taste of Hilsa

N. KUNJAMOHAN SINGH
About the Author
 Nongthoubam Kunjamohan
Singh was born on 18th
November, 1935 in Assam and
passed away at the age of 79.
 Besides being an incredible
writer, he was a thoughtful
educationalist.
 “The Taste of Hilsa and the other
stories”, published in 1973,
earned him Sahitya Akademi
Award, Soviet Land Nehru
Award, Tagore Literature Award,
Telem Indubala Award and
many other famous awards.
WHAT IS HILSA?

Tenualosa Ilisha is a species of fish related to

the herring, in the Clupeidae family. It is a
very popular and sought-after food fish in the
indian subcontinent.
It is Bangladesh’s national fish
It contributes about 12% of the total fish
production and about 1.15% of GDP in
Bangladesh
A hilsa fish is also considered a status symbol.
WE DO NOT PROMOTE SMOKING.
Summary

 Mani’s father turns down the head of the Naorem family who was
insisting on buying the Hilsa. He asks him to excuse them since it was
their only catch.
 Mani’s father did not feel any displeasure when he denied the
Naorem head the fish because according to him “His very sight
portends ill for me.”
 It was now that Mani’s father turned around only to see fish being
trapped in the net of Rahimuddin and his son’s. This upset him
because they got their catch immediately after they had arrived at
the river.
 Then Rahimuddin conversed with Pabo about their catch.
 Pabo explains that he wont part with his catch because it had been
a while since they had eaten some hilsa and they also had a good
occasion for the same.
 As soon as the two got home, it was within no time a visitor enquired
about the hilsa. Pabo was stunned as he owed Kanhai and hence if
he found out they had a hilsa, Pabo would have to part with it
without any return.
 Before Pabo could reply, his babbling little son replied saying it had
been a big one. It wasn’t certain whether Kanhai heard him or not,
but Pabo told him they were unlucky and had come back empty
handed from the river.
 As they started fishing in the deep waters of Langor Baba, their fishing
rod was jerked. The father thought it was a fish, but once he dragged
up the net, he found that it was nothing but a twitch due to a
porpoise. After pitching the net a few more times, they realised that
fishing there would be a vain. So, they moved southward. By then, a
bunch of boats were returning with their catch. It was going to be
dawn in no time.
 As they were near the ghat of Naorem family, their net was struck by
a big silvery-white hilsa. The father and the son rejoiced. While the
son, Mani, was dreaming about the deliciousness of the fish, the
father rebuked him not to talk like that.
 At that instant, someone walked down the ghat. The father turned
around to recognize the head of the Naorem family. Though the man
called for Mani's father, Chaoba pretended like he didn't hear a thing
since he never felt comfortable with this man.
 Chaoba interpreted the man's call as a harbinger of a
deal to buy the hilsa. Though he was rich, this man tries
to haggle forever to get the lowest price.
 After a persistent call, Mani's father asked what the
man what he wanted as an obligation. As anticipated,
the head asked for the catch. With the scarcity of fish
after a fall in supply from Pakistan, everyone was close
to malnourished.
 Chaoba grumbled about this man's parsimony and
self-inflicted torture. Later, he informed that they only
had a single catch following which the elder man
asked Chaoba to give him that.
 Privation of Fishermen
The author admitted in an interview that the story was based on the experience of a poor neighboring
family whose livelihood was fishing.

The father and son duo, Chaoba and Mani, represent the underprivileged and dispossessed class. By
underprivileged and dispossessed we mean anyone who has been deprived of his rightful share. They toil
to get something they need only to be taken away by somebody.

Their poverty symbolizes the challenges they face. Their pre-dawn activities symbolize men's struggle to
make the ends meet. A livelihood is a tragedy when you do not know from where your next meal will be
coming. The father and son duo wanted the fish desperately for different reasons. While the father
wanted his married daughter to relish it, his son Mani wanted to have it simply because it was tasty. But in
the end, the father had to sell the fish despite his wish not to sell it.

In the story, we see how poignant little Mukta feels when he saw the fish being taken away. It is the same
poignancy that marks the frittering away of the fruits of development where we toil without any reward.

How sensible is a social system where everyone has a right to work and a few only have a right to the
fruits of labour? The story, thus, transcends the boundaries imposed by the river and taste of the fish. It will
remain meaningful for all times to come.
Poverty stricken state of the family
 There was no rice to feed the family and their dog.
 Old and dying dog- lost its fur, almost looked like a skeleton. In this story, the
dog is a symbol of poverty and hunger.
 Chaoba flung the wooden stool at the innocent dog in a fit of anger. The dog had
to bear the brunt of the family’s misfortune.
 Chaoba’s wife was bedridden for a long time. In anger, Chaoba asked his wife to
“pass away” in order to make his financial problems better. This instance
portrays his insensitivity and cold-heartedness.
 He was not ready to bear the hardships of the family all by himself. He had not
realized the value of his wife, and how her illness affected his entire family
Need vs Greed

 This story perfectly describes the difference between need and greed.
 Need is something we require for the purpose of survival or for fulfilling
our basic requirements.
 On the other hand, greed is when we want something out of sheer
selfishness. It is a trait which can alternatively be termed as materialism.
 Pabo sold the fish to make some money in order to ensure that his
family didn’t go to bed on an empty stomach. He didn’t think twice
since he was in a desperate situation where he had run out of rice to
feed his family.
 If it was greed that influenced his actions, he would have cooked the
fish and enjoyed a hearty meal for dinner.
 This shows that Pabo was a practical man. He sold one night’s dinner
(the fish) in order to feed his family for an entire week.
CHARACTER SKETCH OF PABO:
1.Bread Winner:
 He is the protagonist or main character in the short story.
He fishes for a living and that is his only source of income.
 He is a father and has many children of whom he is to
support. He is under a lot of stress as he has not caught
any fish for quite some time.
 The entire family is dependent on him as we can see in
the story. They are unable to buy food if Pabo does not
come home with fish to sell.
2. Hot Tempered:
 Pabo is a man who has a hot temper. He gets angry very
fast and at the smallest of things.
 This can be seen at the start of the story when “Hey
Mani! Why are you still dozing though the sun is about to
rise? I should rub your eyes with a hot chilli ! Look here,
wash your face with this cold water.”
 There are many instances in the story where Pabo’s inner
anger surfaces.
 Pabo ignores his neighbors blatantly who he thinks are
the slightest bit annoying.
THANK YOU!