ADDITIONAL ENGLISH

ADEEBA ANJUM
PJCE
2A

The story “Birthday” written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer. He is noticed for

his path breaking, disarmingly down to earth writing that made him equally
popular among literary critics as well as the common man. He is regarded as
one of the most successful and outstanding writers from India. The
autobiographical “Janamdin” or “Birthday” was published in the year 1945.
The author explains a day in his life, its his birthday and it is no different from
any other day. No one likes to stay alone on this special day, people always
want their special people and loved one with them like friends, family, partner
and if you don’t have these people with you on this day, you feel pathetic and
lost and alone. The author has no one around him today to celebrate with him or
to be happy with him and he is in a very sorrowful state. He has so many other
problems in life which he shares with the readers in the story.
We see in this story, its his birthday and he wants this day to go really well. He
lives in a small rented room whose owner hates him because he always pays his
rent late. The room has a chair in which the author sleeps, room is so small that
he does not even have space to breath. He is so poor that his everyday meal is
also not guaranteed to him that he might get to anything today or not. He craves
for a cup of tea in the morning but he cannot ask his neighbor Mathew because
on this birthday at least he didn’t wanted to borrow anything. His midday meal
was assured to him by Hamid who is a poet who invited him but he cannot stay
till midday without a tea.
He wanted to write in a dairy about his day from beginning to end but he had no
oil in his lamp so he got out of his bed with his pen and diary and came and sat
under this lone lamp near side. He feels nothing unusual about this day. He is
far from home, has no money and there is no way of raising a loan. The clothes
that he wears belongs to his friends. There is nothing which he can call his own.
He does not remember what his age is, he is in such a bad state that he doesn’t
have time to think of himself. He can only worry about how he can survive his
each day, how can he manage to eat his three meals everyday. His head starts
paining because he did not have any tea since morning. When he asked for tea
from the dirty urchin, he refused by saying that he is not allowed to give him
any tea until and unless he does not pay his dues.
Amongst all the worries that he had, another thing that strikes him was the
clothes, the chair, nothing he owns is of his own. Then he questions himself that
is that his naked self also his or not. He had so many friends in many different
parts of the world and he wanders around in many places but does anyone even
loves him. He asks himself, who is he today. A revolutionary, seditionist,
biasphemes, communist. He is all sort of things but he does not know who he
truly is and that made him feel even more ill.
Later when he went to Hamid’s place for food, he found that he was not at
home and most probably forgot that he invited him for lunch. He returned back
home, his bones were burning. Thirst, hunger, he was famished. He got really
depressed seeing his friends passing by without even looking at him and
wishing him. He wonders why doesn’t anyone wants to talk to him. He is all
alone.
He then thinks of borrowing money from someone but he didn’t know whom to
approach. Then he thought about his self-respect and thought of killing himself
and would what being dead be like. He then sees his landlord coming to him
with an angry face. He stood in front of him and asks for money and was not in
the mood to hear excuses. Author room was also in danger, it could be taken
away from him anytime. Author was supposed to write some stories for some
editors only then will he get paid but he is tired of his country. Nothing in the
town attracts him anymore. He sees the same road, the shops, the same faces
sop he cannot think or anything new to write.
He goes to the restaurant to have some tea, he was feeling so shameless that the
cashier gave a small boy two or three annas and asked him to bring him some
tea. Author comes back home at seven thirty and again thinks about borrowing
money from Mathew. He think about all the trouble. There is no light in his
room and does not know how to get kerosin oil for the lamp. He had no food.
When he thinks about borrowing, he doesn’t know if he will help or not. When
he goes to his place, he gets to know that he isn’t at home and had gone to see
movie so he went to a small gathering which was taking place in building next
door hoping to find something to eat or borrow money. He wrote on a slip of
paper that he needs a rupee. Shall return in two or three days but he got the
reply that don’t have change so he went away from there.
At the end we see the author doesn’t could control himself and his hunger. He
finally eats by sneaking into the neighbor’s house. The whole story is a journal
of the day in authors life and how nothing is easy in his life and how is passing
every moment with utmost difficulty.