FRITZ

. J" ll
--------~~-
~- AB~_!:!.!_!.H~
'! ,l . ~UTHOR ;
.-f#"•"' ......... ,., .,..
-S"t,·a,;·
O,t

1
Satyajlt Ray (1921-1992) Is J.,est knom a s a n-pulcd,
1nternat1onal-level film maker and dirt'ct o r, thoui:h he oicd
Ws hand successfully in other fields such as w rittinJ:. music.
grapWc design, advertisement, calli!,<raphy. etc. I I<' is n -i:,inl<'d
as one of our best film makers- He won ~l2 JnJi,ul i\:ali<•1MI
Film Awards. a number of international awarJs indud in/! the
prestigious Oscar for life-time a r hie\'t'll1en ts in 19>'2 - J lc w,is
also honoured with the Bhan•t Ratna in 1992. lie \\TOI<' sc,·cr,JJ
shmt stories and novels. both for child ren anJ adulls. Jlis
most famous characters are Feluda. tl1e sleuth. and Prq/i...>s~vr
Slwnku. the scientist. He was awarded a n h o n orn1-v Jc,fn' t' u,· - ,:---t -

Oxford University.
1-= .... ~ -~w•

, 2. ABOUT THE STORY

...
,,...... __.,...,_
1 1 11
·Ftitz' by Ray ts a mysteriou s s toiy blending I!1r clc m en I s Of 111<' n,. I. h ,. : witul
and the weird.
unfolding Toe author
the layers builds
of the plot u p thendin,
slowly e atmosphe
. re <'I_ . s u , p,-ns,' .ind mys1ny l•Y
seems puzzled as to what the~ lihr r' .
~
g ,nr ll a ~llll~ 111 the t.,k. Tl1c n ·,h.kr
... a ' J o Fntz a snnll c:: . I II .
he really a ghost and what kind f h ..· ..... ,n:-.:-- l t) () f .111 t)ld t11,u1. 1~. h
• o g ost 1s 1t ?

Jayanto the stoiy an old smilin r .

came to beinfrlendly had the
with d 0f
a doll · g nMn wh1t·ll w.1~ n,1J11('d fiitl . lk
unrespon tng doll. He was then f o11_. and ~pent I .. .
. HltII:-- Ill ctm, ·t' n·,,lfit)Il ,,ith tht'
apart · Tued boY b uried JI under a. udeoJ· s t six years old · O n,, ' I"Y sllsl\· d, •i.!s h ,n· th<' d,•11

~
thirty-one years later h e returned to thear tn·t· in the g,r 1IL- I('Il ()f· hb · bun,<,iltn,·
· \L)l.1t1t

s oWiy. 1
P acc. The
his quiltOne h he h a d the creeping ft'cliI
Henight . chi!, II llKXI l!l<'Ul<>Iics c.1n1c· I<' ' hilll
I . hiss owed some circ u 1ar ma rks 1g ot :--c)ml't • 11~tng
.
came into . llin gr \\.l nn tlh' co, ·t·r t'I.
O11 11 I
companion Shankar room thand those little marks c w ti qmlt · c·tnJ I H'n dcd.1n·J tl1,1t Fnll
111
~-ethegroundwhe
...u~t1'fnd' • e narrdto
th r , d ecided tog
· · t 111.H111' quilt
. w tit• - , l 11s
· ft><.)tprint:-- . }11..
inch-long perfect little hu re e doll was LmrieJ t\ \ 1 , n<l nf Ius · " ·l 11 Ill. I k , u i.!,>!<', 1<,1
man skeleton, the s~t.. t~<f'n· th<' grnund w ~1s d u l! ..t .( \\"(' h ·t··
• 0 ntz·· \\"ost,>u
· n d thcn·. ·

22
 Middle Endln&
• The story actually be- • This visit makes Jayanto • The story moves forward
gtns in the middle. recall his past: his child- and comes to its climactic
• Jayanto and his friend hood in Bundi and his ending.
Visit Bundi. association with a doll. • The buried doll turns out
to be a human skeleton:
a Fritz.
The plot of this story moves backward and fmward in a neat sequen ce. The
action ucgins With the visit of the protagonist, Jayanto, and his friend Shankar, the
narrator, to Bundi in Rajasthan. Jayanto has spent his childhood years in Bundi.
lie has come h ere after thirty-one years.
This visit proves to be momentous in Jayanto·s life. A deodar tree in th e circuit
house , whe re they (Jayanto and Shankar) stay, takes him back to his childhood
days. Slowly and s lowly he recalls his fondness for a Swiss doll. He remembers how
he buried the doll - a twelve-inch -long figure of an old man na med Fritz - after it
was badly torn apart a nd ruined by stray dogs.
After Jayanto has narrated his past story to his friend, the story comes back to
the presen t, only to move forward in time. After narrating the story, Jayanto and
Shanka r fall a sleep . Jayanto suddenly wakes up and complains of something ha,·-
ing walked over the cover of the quilt above his chest. This brings about the feeling
of mystery in the story. Shankar feels that his frtend has some hallucination.
Jayanto asserts th at it was Fritz who walked over his chest. There were some little
marks on t h e cover of the quilt. The mystery deepens. When the earth be low the
deodar tree where Fritz was buried, thirty-one years before, is dug a human skel-
eton of the same s ize as Fritz is found out. Thus, the story ends on a n ote of
mystery and s u s pen se. We are haunted by the question : Was the doll rt"'a lly a
non-active ghost (a fritz) ?

'Fritz' is a mystery story. It plays on the deep-seated human belit'f in, a nd

curiosity about, th e supernatu ral. We human beings a re always fascinate-ct by the
things which are beyond huma n understanding. Ghosts , witches a nd fairies con -
tinue to haunt us from our childhood. Even though no logic can jus tity their exist -
ence, they continue to exist in our memory. There are many who accept the super-
natural as real.

WORKBOOK ON ECHOES -A COLLECTION OF ISC SHORT S T O R I E S ~ - - - - - - - - -.. ,@]

 There the atolY : the protagontst J
aft! two matn rhaN rl~l'II tn 11t.t.fflll to be a person Wh ay~
ftll fttor, ht11 li:)
trtrntl, Stu&nklaa·, J1tyanto ·~. Jlf,t mind Is hin
ged on~ ~ ~\
bellew. in thr mdtty ot P1Upc r 11tth•r~I
1

When hr. 11uddrnly WHkrN up 011 llat, 1 '

~~1r. fr.dtt tha t f<'rttz, the doU ~e , ~
htM <'hc!-11.. 'l11fs ts logtcau r ~"\
has walkrd 011 tlu- t·owr ol 1hr '111111
iil.K>~'~ ~ t,m1cd ts dug out y l.lna.~,
Bu t wht•n the ~rouml In whtdi thr
dol ~· n1nccJ to sec tha t ~ hsollleth1:ra,
rn·dt·rn·c to his tnrxpltt·nhh~ krlln~. We 1-1rt-
~o u , ~:,
the stzc of tht· doll. ts tltst·ovt·n·d t11Ukt'~
J'Ollll •
\
What dot's tlw wrt h'r wunl lo conV(.Y . 't l8 ft that ghosts rea lly c.xtst?
J f th ·t Or,~..
the tlgmt·nt of si<'k tma~lnatton ,? ,Il ''·. 0 pen enc ing o c s oiy ts Ill "'t i
speculation. earit ft,,
I
1

Vis it to Bundi : Jay ant o (the protago t

· nlS in the st0IY) a nd h.is frienc.1, S~
(the nar rato r of the sto1y) wer e sitt ing 1n th garden of the circ uit hou s .
e
wa s on the ins ist enc e ot•Jay ant o t h th had com e to Bu ndi m
.. e 10 Bun•.r~
at. cy RaJ· asth 1
to som e wel l-kn own plac e like Udr
an, a ,
Jaip ur, a 1pu r or Ch it tor. Act ual ly , J aya%no~
J~
com e to Bun di before as a child, whe
n he was six. He h~d - ret urn ed afte
yea rs. 'Th e For t of Bun di' was an attr rthiny~:
acti on for both the vis itor s.
Jay ant o's sta te of mind : Afte r som
e tim e S han kar not ice d tha t Jayantoi
tur ned rat her quiet. l-fe see med to
be in low spi rits , tho ugh h e den ied
frie nds wen t for a stroll in the gar den it. Both,:
a fter tea . Sud den ly Jay anto was rem
deo dar tree wh ich , he said , oug ht to inded q,
be the re somewh ere . \Vh en he saw
a jub ilan t mo od : it, he was:

'Yes , i(_s her e! Exa ctly w here it was

bef ore !'
Afte r this inc ide nt, his mem orie s of
the pla ce bega n re tur nin g one by one
He rem em ber ed tha t the nam e of the quid:;
ir coo k was Dila wa r, wh rn the y \WT
cou ld rec all wh ere his fath er u sed to e herej
sit or wh ere h is m Jth . :- r u~1.'d to knit
.
The me mo ry of the doll named Fri
tz : Jay ant o rrc a llc'd e\·erything aoou:i
uni que dol l his unc le had bro ugh t
for him from S\\i tze rl.in J . It wa~ a
lon g figu re of a n old ma n. 1t was Ye~ twrlve·if,)
y likl ikc. llis tl. h ' L' tc!, l him tlld t tht> man
sold him t he dol l tok l him tha t 'the \il
olu m~m· \\'~l s c,tl kd i'n tl , ! J tha t lw must
him by tha t nam e. Jay ant o was so rn-i 11 :£
ml) tll\\ ~ t'l Frit z tlu t h e pt1.
yt'J only \\1thr~~
tho ~gh he haJ a \·aril"ty or oth er lx'.1
ut iful ll)ys. l k lx'~,u tu s0-' nd hour
Lilking to the olJ ma n. ew n tho u~h he 1 s f~
did iwt n. '~l-"-'t1d . His p..irents wdrnt>d
against pld )in~ tr,o mu ch \\i t..,
i h the Lloll.

@
24 -- -- -- -- -- -- 1
-~
WCRI\.BOOI\ C'N ECHC't S - .\ C.:'LLEC
T:.:''4 CF !SC SHC~T s•""
,~
...
 tile •••rt...:resu
While nan atfn g his stor y abou t the don · J
med his story. He told his friend ho~ :~
to
·
b" -,mc Ume , and then
title . . was tom apart and ruin ed by a coup le of stra y dogs . The doll's face
0
wa!
ped to exts f for htm any
~ ly disfi gure d and was beyo nd recognitloJ1, Fritz stop
tree. Sha nka r now realized why
- ~ e doll was then buri ed und er that deod ar
en of the circ uit hous e.,
Jayanto was sc."rtous to find out the deod ar tree in the gard
nka r - wen t to bed at
suan,e hap pen ln,: Both the frien ds - Jaya nto and Sha
e woke him a little later. He
aoout ~1~ Shankar was the flrst to slee p. ~ sligh t nois
ng up on his bed. Jaya nto told
sawthat Jaya nto. with alThiety on his face, was sitti
that had wok en him up. He
tum that som rthin g had walk ed over his ches t, and
had woken up, and that the frrst
addt·d that actu ally that was the seco nd time he
tiJ11t' he hear d a shuf tling noise near the window.
@te r havi ng wok en up, he swit ched
nka r rule d out the poss ibili ty of a
the light on. but ther e was noth ing to be seen .1Sha
rat or a cat sinc e both the door s were bolte
d from the. insid e. Jaya nto said that
this, Sha nka r got up and sear ched
whocnT cam e in mus t be still in the room. At
start led by the alar m in Jaya nto· s
cwrything to find anyt hing , but in vain. He was
call. Jaya nto showed him som e tiny ,: brow n circ
ular mar ks on the cove r of his quil t.
a cat.
Shan kar said that thes e coul d have been mad e by
r was sure that his frie nd had
Jaya nto' s obs essi on: Jaya nto kept quie t. Sha nka
coul d see that Jaya nto had not
a bad ctn-am. He slep t soun dly. In the mor ning he
nto' s forgotten memorie s bega n
slept well. They wen t to see the fort in a car. Jaya
mor ose. On the way back to the
coming again. After som e time he was quie t and
to,,11 he start led his tiien d With his revelation.
'Fritz came into our room last Hight. Tlws e
little mar/cs
01t my quilt were his foot prin ts. '
the shou lder s and shak ing him .
Shan kar coul d not help catc hing hold of him by
I k thou ght how an adul t pers on like him coul
d be so obse ssed with such an absu rd
his friend rid of his fanciful idea .
idea. Back at the circ uit hou se, he decided to get
deod ar tree whe re Fritz was buri ed
\ He sugg ested digging the grou nd und er the
be requ ested to dig the grou nd. At
several year s ago. He said that a gard ener coul d
first, Jaya nto did not acce pt the sugg estio n,
but later he acce pt ed it.
oach ed and requ este d for the
( A shoc king disc over y : The gard ener was appr
got read y for the job afte r som e
digging of the grou nd und ei:: the deod ar tree. He
Jaya nto beca me very serio us and
n·lul'tance. \Vhe n the garci e"ner start ed digging,
wea ther the colla r of his shiJ1
rontinucd to star e at the site. Even in the plea sant
was soak ed in swea t. Afte r som e time, his eyes
were seen bulging. He was poin ting
at the hole in the grou nd. Ifis finger was visib
ly trembling. His voice was hoar se
Sha nkar gape d at the grou nd and
\\ith fear whe n he said : "Wha t... Wha t is that ?"
Wet!-> huni ficd.

In the hole, lying flat on its back was ·a

twelve-inch-long, pure whit<', p<Tft-l't
Utt)<> hum an skeleton.·
l WORKBOOK ON ECHOES -A COLLECTION OF ISC
SHORT STORIES r- -- -- -- -- -~ ,[i ll
 I ,_ _. I
L 6. SEI IING 1
n actf 0 n ts It
nx- stor y ts set in a tow n call ed Bun di in Raj asth an. The mat -
en. The circ uit hou se has old fash tone Illtteii
to a t'fn' Uit houst> w1th a big gard 1
roon 1s ha,1 ng big win dow s. Th~ __
8-_~0J¥ _tha~ h~~ elem e~~~ _?f mys te ry requ ir~~ art
8
con tem pora ry. So the idea oJ the · ghos t"-·'"- whe ther re 1.tth
af__!l~~~phcn-_.\ The Urne 1s
st is, thus , purp osely _set in a al or
ui1n 'al - fs Jell une xplo red. The stor y of the gho ll!lJ:lott
Hn-a of_~ Jas t~an whe re the sup erna tura l
is ge n eral ly belie vable.,
---- · · . --- --- -· . ---- ·------ - - ~-

I J
17. GLO S~-~~~.J
pn·<><'cupied afr abse nt-m inde dn ess due to being lost in
thou gh ts
kno wn
Jan1 Utar
con fu se
pu7..zle
a d ep arh n e nt d evot ed to th e s tudy of cuJ.
An· haco logi cal De part me nt
tu r es by exa 1nin ing the r ema ins of build-
ings , e tc.
exce lle nt
splt 'ndt d
han ging
dan glin g
clea rly
ol>, ious ly
paved with sma ll, smo oth ston es
col>l>led
proo f
e,id ence
skilled p e rson s
crcift s1ne n
h op ele ss
dep ressed
leis u r e wal k
stro ll
wal king with long step s
strid ing
with gr eat h app ine ss
jubi lant ly
com ing out
stick ing out
the name of a d oll, m ean ing som ethi ng that
Fritz
is inac tive but a live

over do
use too muc h of som e thin g/ex agge ra te
dest roye d ruine d
stra y dogs dog s of infe rior breed , whi ch m ove a bOut
~
in our stree ts
ffS
I...._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ...J WORKBOOK ON ECHOES -A COLLECTION OF ISC SHOR T sroR

r a
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!8.-CHARACTERS
,p.1 p1T llld ll. Ik ac tua lly
wo rks in t}w ecJ it o-
cn ·n yc, n-s llld 11t• w:,,
~.iy.ir:t ,) 1-. thirr~·-s rou s an d a scn sil i\'l ' hu ma
n be ing .
r. I k is ~<' lli. d. dd ,·1· 11l u
r.dJ ~:\ ;~: : n l'! .i 1:,·w:--p.ipc in a r<' mu lc 10 "'11 of
he h,1 s sp en t Sll llll ' ye ars as a C'hJlcJ
Jk n -~: , ?1, ~ l ·lJ Il1l' Ilh ' Ill' S. ,\s ka r, a s c ho ol
he op ts ,,~it
to it in the cn mp ,rn y of his lii1 ·nd Sh an
R.a_la~t~un. lhm ,li.
lt• rh l r.

ON ECHOES - A CO LLECTI
ON OF ISC SHOR T STORIE
S t- -- -- -- -- -- -- ,( fi l
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2. THE NARRATOR
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t• s" fittll~I hknd F .. ' ' · · :-. ·.,· \\·1111 lib It h·11d .• 1., , -.111 f1>. n·,·,-.1h lit.ii
1 11
by his frt · ·' ti 1< 'll~h It,· ts 1111( · . , • •,
~nll, h,· Hl-!n·,·s t \( I) IPtld Pl , ·tsif1tllf 1111· pl.11 ·,· ~ll1'1 '1· .. (,u
eye on th 11 . o "''t•o111p,111,· l1i11 1 . 11I ., ,.,
~'--- - t· tll·h111ttng m . · h'.II y. l'l1n 1
11~l1t 1 t1I th,· \'f:-.11 lie' l,t'1'J'"' •11 '
-,.-4q1to tn lo c"'I( 1s nl hf s Iii, ·11d J I 1 .
w ~phits. lie· t1·t . I I · It'd~ t'Plh'tTltnl Wlh ' Jh'\'cT 111· (11t-l'
- \ ~ c, ' . h ·1 'l' IIf Ill lip.

W09'Kaoot( ON ECHOES
-A COll(CTION o, _ __.-'!
ISC SHO,-T sro,u£S)
 Hr e..~ bll~-«ll\· ~ ,·111t,,u ... f"l'&~,,n . \\'h,·n ,1,,yml tn l"t'\'UII~ ~ts n1t·m011,.s. om• by
,1tlf, hr l•''"1"·~ ""'"' ,Uhl m, t,· .m,h'"" "' l,1"'"' llw ,ktuls . lktng
1 u ~t)(11.l Ifs•
..... '-• l\;I\'~ tun .,t h'l\f h 'I\ t,' , ,.,y ,lllh '. :-. ,h ·, ·, )lt 111 1 I HS ;i ,s,"
11 ·1. t I lt111 wtt h his s .....
• Wl~S

,9'~l n.-tlll\'\I t'Ht:i \\'hn\ ,1.,y~mh, l,ll"·s ., }\Ills,· ,111d l":n 111, ·s :-.1k11I. Ii,· .isk~. "\Vlmt
""" • '" " • 1

usks,
h-•l'i'·u ,,I "' th, d,,11 ·:· \\'lh'l\ lh' ts t,,ld th.It th,· d, 11 w.,s 1k,tn,y 1·d. h1·
1

wllh 11 11 ,
·t\·st\\' ~\'\l ·.• l(,,w ·:· .\Iler ,1.,yan h, h,b r, ld hint .d¼ 11t llll' I.ti!' nt' tl11 · d,,11
1 1

:i-m,y ,1,-,,::-. ..uhl h.1s t\\'\'1\\1 .' siknt. lh· sth,ws his l'llriPs ily a>,.!,1h1 by asktnl,!. ·,\mJ
t!lt.'ll ·:•
h, t~ r:1th'll. tl :111d l'l'..h'tk. 11. \\'llt·11 ,J.1y.111lt> suspc1 ·1s llut ,,,111\·

·.l\,.i:o- ,~i.! 1:::,\' u :--~i .. ::;1 ,\1rn,· 111 llm1u_t1!1 d1w11., . J;1a /'1
1
t'

u,·i~.-r ,n,,u-n 1/!..:::11,1 ,·::m'. >,'ii 111,· l~·d. ··

\\ h,n lh,' i.k.\ ,'1\'l'S up tlut wlu h'\\T Ii.is t Tt'}'I ,,,·,-r ._J,1y,111 1,1·s d 1(·,1 llltt!->I
.sltll
urnkr lhc.:
!\.' t;\ ,?:, nv:;1. it b th,' n.nT.lt ,,r w lh) ns,'s ,1ttkkly .l!ld l>q~ins s1-.1rch ing
' 11111,·. he
!\',!. t,:~:~n,l tb' :-:u :t,\\:--..'~ .md t'\\T) wlhTt' l'!,,, in th,· rP1,111. ,\lier sPllH
::,::,·::.,::y ,,,:1,·h1,!,:-- llut ,1,iy.Hl l,' m11:--t h.l\\' Jud ,l l>,1d dn-.1111. \\'lw11 lie limls lhat
lizt-r.
:·.-.. :::~,·::J w:i :-- in ,1 d:~11:n1:-:lll :-Uh' Ii,· h'cb tlut ht' mttsl gin' him a _I ranqull
whi111s ica l
L ::::-...1.~,-1y. h,· uh, :-- th,· llh':--( r1:h' lh'.ll d,','!Sh) ll (,) gt'! his hi,'lld nd 11( his
:::.·::;~: r. E, =---. ,~·:-- th.ii th,·y ,:1,'tdJ d:.: 1!1t' ~n'llth l tllhkn1 ,-.1th till' d,·\ld,1r tin· wli,Tc
t~·.,· L'Y w.;:-- h,n,·-1 y, ·.tr:-- .l;,'.
! :, b ,t'.:,,,, ,1rnt,· u,·t:i.11 .m-1 r,-r~1u:--i\·c .it times. \\'hen tht' gankn cr sus1-x ds
Utt'
on
!::..·::\-_- t, !::::,! 1!1-·:r ,!::..:_.:_'Ii::_! ill,· ~n. 1111hl under the tn't'. he lays a ftic ndly ham.1
n·aso11. I'll
~::, :--:,,,u l,!,r .i:i.l \\1::-. h:-. l l't:!I,!, th, l 1y :--,lYlll:-!: "!),111·t \\'1)rry dl)(ll tl till'
.
~~·. \, y,,~ 1 ;; \ , • n : i-, , :--
l , .1....., ' l I" 1 .1 :-. y, ,11 .n.· t , ,11l I -
I

n~:::'. 1h1: run-.u, ,r p l 1\1':-- It> be ,l ~l""' lrkn.! .• 1 ill'lplul 1·,,111p,111i,111 ,md 1-; 1tin 11;tl
t1; :::;. I !is rur.:H in: ~h,1\\ :-- lus ,d 1:11~· t.i 1, 11,111 i11t·ilkn1 ,•indly ..ind dkctin ·ly.
~

; 9. CRITICAL APPRECIATION :

Title : 111.. · 111k t'f lilt' ~( l11y 'Frill. b quite apt aml sug_~estin'. First. the whole
~,.-:y 1-. .th.,u( the tftill n.u11t·d Fntl. It h the 11lt'llllll )' of Fritz thdt nldkcs Jayan to
\'i~il tu, chiklh i,"1 (l1\\ll. 111c tl1t1u~ht t 1f Fritz kads to str.. lll~l' indJcn ts.
The Lliscov -
<'n· c,f .-i hum..ul skcklt 'Il h,1ni!k s us. anJ we l>q~ ' in to \\'Olltk r wheth er Fritz was
n-,ny d ~h\.1~( in tilt' l~)nll ()f d Jtlll. ·nms. it is F1itl lh.tt is at Ille l't'Jltn.· of this story,
anJ h,·nl"t' tht' litk Tricz· b txith approp1i,Hc am.I su~1·s tin·.
tJnaaaal Ghos t Story : ,.\ ~lwst ~tC1ry is oth-n a sl'ary or horror story, \\1th an
tlflU!->Ual ~ho~t
actt\,- t"\11 ~pint _ d ~host. d ,,ill'h. cit'. 'Fritz· l>y S,H)'d.fit Hay is an
.
lloly. Jt ?us dlmn~t dll the n-qub! tc ckmn1 ts of a gho:-.t !'-tnry - um1su ,d sdtfn~

ON ECHOES_ A COi..LECT IC~ CF ISC SH.:'RT STOR;ES r--- --- --- ----rn
 au freUng of ·c-n•t·ptrwss-. c-te. ·nw only f hfn~ 1nfssfn~ fs hnportantly
BC,
811
. ; . Only when 8 hun1an skdt'ton, shuflar fn <'<>lour and sfzt' to th<' n1tn ~ 1·1
named Fritz. fs <Jfscovcn'll that we co111c to n•c-11fzc that the 'fnacth·t•' luy <'OltltJ~
1

ghost. not 8 wtckt·d but an innocent m1<·.

Point of View : 111t: story fs told l>y Shankar. a school fl'aeher, in tlw
pc·rson. A..; Shankar fs a participant in the act ion of the _strny, his tlrst -P<'rs.11
a(-c·ount fs quftc- n'alfstfc anti authentic. gvcrything fs seen trou1 his pcrspt't'll\·i·
fhfnJ-pc-rson pofnt of view would h a ve l>ccn less a uthentic. ·
Lan&uaie : 11w language of the s to ry is sirnpk' and pn' cisc. It is mostly drnot
tf\•c. Toe writer has not used figura tive la n guage dl'lil>cratcly . The story <knian~
plafn language, shorn of a )) orna m e nt s . I lowcvcr. it d ocs not HH' Hn that thnt
nothtn~ to dcJfght us. 111c tksc 1;pt i vc imagery fs s u perb. The whole a t mosphcn.•
1.mflt up of minut e uctatJs :
Uiyl1l oppusile il u 1a s a l n1_qe _qcude 11 w illi a la1ne 1u1111bc r
q{r~ses in.Jilli /Jluon t He/J in cl ( /Jere were a lo t uf trees
w/Jicll obviously lwusc<l a t 1(tst sedio11 qf locll l b irds . l'an-ul s
cuuld /Je seell e l'ery1w l w re; cuul peacocks cuuld /Jc /Jectr<l ...

~ 10. LONG ANSWER QUESTION (SOLVED)

Q. What ls a 'ghost' story ? How ls 'Fritz' an unusual ghost story ? Discus1

and Illustrate. I
Ans. A ghost story is oft en a scary or hon-or story. It has an evil spiri t in the fornj
of a ghost meant to fright en u s. In son1e ghost stm;es the Hgun· of the ghost
ts l'Omic'al. In The Cwilerville Ghos t, the ghost is so powerless a n ti h clpks~
that it becomes
a laughing s tock even 1<Jr ch ildren. The a trnosph c rc in a ghost
st
oiy ts such as to evoke crc<:>pinc-ss. There is no cxpla n a t ion o f a ny s u per·
natural happening. The se tting is often the writ e r·s· or reader 's own d ay.
'Frttz· by Satyajit Ray is a ghos t s tory whic h is son1c wha t unu s u a l. There ts
no doubt that ft has f
the C'Ontempo most o the c lements o f a usua l g h ost s tmy . It is set in
smau, sleepy ~ry timl's, a n u a t a place whic h i s r e 1notc and lonely. The
c-trcutt house ; : of Bu nd i in Ra.fasthan fr>rms a suftal>lc l>ac kgro un<l . Tilt'
The anctent fort eref the main tnctd en t s. take place is a l>ig, lonc smnc phH•t,·
8
ctrcutt house wh? unctt only adds to the myst e ry about the place. 111c
llarrat ere the protago i t
or, stay durtng th n s · Jayanto, and his frie nd Shankar. tilt'
- Y"-51,ta hav l
:h 1
~~ has an old-worlde Visit is at least a hundred y e ars old. The wnolt'
arm. The roo h I
tbc111 o e ong dangling ms ere have high ceilings and t tt'

~z:-----------e_pa__
· ne can se ~opes Which c be · . I
rr_o~t~s, peaCOC'k . -an pulled to open and ~hU
s and several O th
w er local birds around.
OR1<Boo1< ON ECHOES
-A COLLECTION OF IS
 Ill dds mystenous setting Jayanto revtves memories of his childhood which
lead to some strange happenings at night. He remembers a deodar tree which
used to be 1n the garden when he was here at the age of six, after a gap of
thfrt}'-one years. The discovery of the tree reminds him of his Swtss doll _ a
twelve-inch-lon g old man named Fritz. He recalls his one-sided conversations
with Fritz for hours together. Then he recalls the day when Fritz was torn
apart and disfigured by stray dogs. He clearly remembers his burying the doll
under the deodar tree.
Tue old memories lead to weird and eerie incidents at night. The narrator,
Shankar, finds Jayanto fully awake and scared. Jayanto tells him that some-
thing has crept over his chest. He suspects some cat or rat might have
climbed up his bed. Later, he declares that it was Fritz who came into the
room, and that the little marks on the quilt were his footprints. Several
questions crop up in our mind : How could a doll move about ? If the doll
were inactive, whose marks could be there on the cover of the quilt ?
Jayanto·s obsession with the idea of Fritz moving about on his ch est is both
horrifying and ludicrou s. It is here that for the first time we confront the fact
of an unus u al 'gh ost'. Norma lly, the ghost is a figure of flesh and blood, or at
least is very active. The gh ost in the form of a non-living, inactive doll is
simply unimaginable. Some oblique hints of its being an entity other than a
lifeless d oll are provided by Jayanto himself :
Fritz had such afwmy smile on his lips and such a
look in his eyes, that it seemed to me as ttwugh he
could widerstand every word. Sometimes I wondered if
he would actually converse with me if I could speak to
him in German.
The ma n who sold Fritz to Jayanto·s uncle in Switzerland made a statement
in jest. which a cquires sinister meaning in retrospect a t the end of the s tory.
'He's called Frit z. You must call him by this name. He won't respond to any
other.·
The reality of the doll comes to light only when th e ground undern eath the
deoct"ar tree is dug on the suggestion of the na rrator. How could a battered
doll turn into a human skeleton ? The ·twelve-inch -long, pure white, prefect
lit tle human skeleton· in place of a do11 of the same size defies all rational _
cxplamitions. Those who have faith in the reality of th e supernatural would_ at
once declare tha t the doll Fritz was a ghost. But those who have no s u ch faith
would find nothing to explain the reality of Fritz.
Thus, 'Fri tz· with an unusual ·~ho_st' is .basic~lly a. superna~ural sto~. The_
writer has bcC'n al>lc to create a fcelmg of ereepmess_.? Y blend mg atmosphere,
emotion a n d plot harmoniously toge ther. The u n u su a l, inactive ghost in the
story ma kes it a pleasant aesthetic experien ce.

WORl<BooK ON ECHOES - A COLLECTION OF ISC SHORT STORIES 1----------.. . ,lli]

 A C.ORll.l,A IN r' u: ca Jl:s' Roo
I ........... ...... ,
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II. 111,lli ,,I wl1•1•11
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t',11t••• 1,,11t1111 l'n1 .•,I 1111d l'lw 1)1111dl \Vtldlll1 • l '111h 1111 ·11,, ·
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1
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11,,,,
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1
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,~ - - - --
2. AUOUT Tiff: STOBY ,
·---------- --
, ~- ..,.,,_.._..
l'lac • .-.1111y rt·\·1 ·, 11.'1 llw 111111•11,-·.-.. l11v1 · l11r llw wlldlll• ·. l11 :1 1·111wc ·111 l11r p11 ··w 1vl11~( lllf'
1 1 11
l1Ut' nllll fli~r11fc'1wd t•p1 ·1·f1·,._. 1111d ltf."i 1111d, · ud 1111cll111 ! 111 flw 1wc ·d .•1 1111d 1111~ ·: 1 llir
1 11 11111
t111h1a,1IN . Hdlf11g ...... 1d,· ,di nl,j1 ·1·ft1111 .~ Ctl ltl.·• wlft' , Iii• · 1111ll111r 1~1'1 :--1 11 l,;il,y 1~01111.
HII ntlhltael ck11lc-r 1111d lu ·q1,•• 111111 111 ltf.'1 ow11 1:iw :ll 11111111 111•111 lw l.·1 :w lll 111 11,, · '/.'~'·
111
Nut only alnc·k lac• lrc·,tl 11111111llc-dl1111.ald,Y lw 11l.• u, l 1d<c ·,•t , ·1 111 · lo p1ovfd1 · 1111 ·~ >', 111W'' '
Jilnrtllt, nunw&I N'l'l111~n wlfla II k111,1lc · 1111llc · 11i111wcl N1111cly .
S11d1 t•n·ul111c·H uu· l1r11fnl u .-. 11w111lwn◄
nf Ill.·◄
111•·1,fly . /\II ('1101 I.•• "" ' 1,itH ·11 1,1
•tt..-nd
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1
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cl••'l1lJr I "' M

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1 ' IUluT:• ,,, II 1111111;111 ,·111~,· Joal ., 1. 1 , . 11111Y

..,,.r• " 1 "I*"'"

from nu puh IN h I paov,i• I In~ ••HLu- 11H,il 11ac-cll1 ·ul , •11n · lo N'l '1111>,!', wI ,r fl ''. '·
,a a • I I'11
••nu~ MlMlo111l1111I 110111,lc· • /\111111"~. I I~ 11111 I ollwr ,·1nlf111c ·f1 ~ I ''' ,aid 111

10◄
 ee,r. of if we· have to preserve ec-ology. Animals must be treated nicdy
h shOUld not Ix~ men~showplaces of animals but contribut e something
tton of wtklltfr.
t------.........____. ..,
, 3. PLOT :

Middle .Ending Form

brlllgs a bab Gorilla N'Pongo gets N'Pongo·s abdomi- factual, narrative
N'Pongo a mat e, the two come nal problem causes
1ngall closer, their anxiety but is
des behaviou r compared resolved
to that of humans

story lJ<'gins with the author getting an offer from an average animal dealer
the author if h e wanted to have a baby gorilla. The author, who had already
the gorilla on his top priority, gets over all the hurdles and brings the gorilla
tteps him in the guest room till h e can be sent to his zoo.
1be gorilla N'Pongo grows up , and the author plans to proVide him a companio n,
1hna}e mate, to take care of his inner urges. The female companio n Nandy hesitantly
:-<inrs rloser. The bchaViou r of the two is closely observed.
Just when the author was to go out, N'Pongo suffers from abdomina l proulem .
:\II care ts given to N'Pongo till h e is fully recovered. Only then does the author leave
lfiilttend his important conferenc e. The story develops in the chronological sequence .
!tis narrated with all the factual informati on necessary for the telling of the story.
lhr !itory has a well-knit plot.

~ 4. THEME(S)

The zoos !)hould not be m ere showplac es of animals, but must contribut e
""'.nlially towards the conserva tion of wi1dli1e. They must be fully equipped with all
'he amenities and should provide the animals, birds, reptiles their natural habitat
'~far as possible. The greatest concern is how to preserve the most endanger ed and
~«l'f:spcc:tcs and protcc:t them from extinction . The author's sincere efforts in bringing
'tt baLy gonna in his house overcomi ng all obstacles Ly his wife or arranging
~:r.s arc laudable in this r espec:t.
Another theme of the ~tory is that animals have their own urges and needs. ThC'y
llllli to have the c:ompany of their own species, _e~pecially of the ot~er ~ex. The
:1'" in this story suc:c:eC'ds in his search for providmg female compamo.n t\~ndy to
t>r1l}a N'Pon~o so that the latter does not go morose or bec~me antisocial . The
'-tor c•cJmpanion~hip is the basic requireme nt of men and ammals. Treatmf'n t of

ON ECHOES - A COLLECTION OF ISC SHORT STORIES 1--- ----- ---.. . ,~

 :tie - ~ oth er bt.1ng t'Xl" 't"pt hu1 nan s to nu ~· Uw rn
in the ir
.• k .
.. Sac.•
u,., anb nol )s 1.. uh1 tdl n>n skk rnu u11 slm ,· thC.sic.·k t antl lloll ~~
i~~s s. ~ a ~,
talDr,s L'dn<"t"l'I'" paf ns fo brin,-? N"l \,n~ o to hi~ nnn tMI hc..drh hy pnl\
,··1 \ ,n!,!1.l ,U"t' nwr \\il h l>,·~tn~
. ·1n en t s l'' ,· ., · h·llll fin-
\tll,~
l n·q um
. I,it tt·r·.s sick nes s. 11 ,. . ,the qh'-'thrr.~
ixx l and mt"t Ht·h tt'. "\II t u-
. ion t o .'-1'- . !tl 1n •
•• ~ 1ws t'tlllc.-t'rn. l<Wt' an
J a fl cc.-t , ~lll!, t IS (''\", I•
t n """q.},.'~
.:»I"
t--arJCt'I his ~·hc.'C.fukd pnl~tr..u11n1 c so tha t he is ~n-a il,ib lc ro :\'l\ ln~o .
ll~S sJw uld sl;t l\\" l"\)[1 ('(' . • '
nw llk'SS..-1!,!t' of the Slll l)' is t11at hllll ld.ll lx..'i
ir n.... itura l Jub itd. t s 1.1 tlu t lht· re ~
k r t:,. .
s anJ ~11,·c the ani lna ls the
an1 nial
llll~·- ~ "":.:~::_~
con sc.· n·at ion. whi ch is ncc css dl)' ti.)r t'l'l

5. SUM~1ARY
cie s : TI1e au rlw r d ccid cu l L) co"
Aut hor 's zoo to con ser ve end ang ere d spe
(.)f \\i lJliti..· anL l ~, .-n ·c the c nd...:in~c rr J •:tr:\:;·.
si~n ific antl y tow ard s th~ cons c:·1 Yatio n
from t'.X1inction. It was a !-,1gantic tas k
to equ ip h b /LX) ,,i rh this P llfl..X •N."' to:c1t"~.·:-:~
cie s _rhn: 'a tc n cJ ,,; t h c ~1incliL)I1. It
W ds
the ctm 1mo ncr ani nm ls ,,it h the spe kr if he:> ,\·=.. --:;.--•
Jrt) Ill Lui ,.:n -e rag c an1 1nd l dca
poin t whe n he rt'c t"in."'d a tt"'k pho n e call ·,
a bab y gori lla.
: The gLHilla was alrc aJy hi~h t'n :.~
Dif ficu ltie s in get tin g the bab y gor illa r 'ii:,
n o t irne anJ ran ~ up the dni md l dc>alt'
aut hor 's list of prio ritie s. S o h e w asr c d J.2.,~:.::-
dcm arn.ku twe lve hun drt"'d pou m.ls fo
r t h e bdb y gL1ri1ld. Tiw autl1L1r·s \\ik
u nt on this . The ....u1th L1 r i~1W n:'J his w:.:~~
was not in fan mr o f spe ndin g h u g e a 1no ·,
con su lted his ban ker frie nd H'-' ~- w~:•
pes sim istic and ant isoc ial a ttit ud t~ a nd
<lid not sup por t the aut ho r on the issu t"'.

gori
Enl isti ng pub llc con trib utio n : TI1e a u
the peo ple to comt"' forw ard a nd con trib
lla. l3y con tac ting
J)t'r
a
son
fr
the
w
a
per
uth
s o
o
ns
r
.
con tact
tho r h cH1 full Liit h in the ~cnc>n."':-::y ..
ut e- the ir bit in his 1ni ssio n ro acq uirt
the aut hor cou ld co1 kct jus t two ht.:::.:
t>d w as ~1a_jor D01 110 ,,·h o \\"'d. S ~rJ. ,' i,•:.: ~
' d l-.:~~
:-.-_
·~
I
pou nds . The n c.xi
gen erou s to fun d the re n1a ining r e q u ire
big n-It cf tha t he felt in his mis sion of g e
d a rno u nt of one tho u.sa nJ ix1u nds .
t ting the"' bdb y g o rilla .
It W.:.:i !
I
y gor illa : It wa s a grc. 'dt tidy wllt'Il r>
Aut hor 's visi t to Lon don to bri ng bab R::;~
aut~ or flew ove r to Lon don Air por t to
collec t the ape-- bei ng she lter ed at the>
\·r ·
Ani rna ls. T h e ani rna l dea ler hd111..IcJ
~·i ety for the Pre ven tion o f Cru e lty to . ·
N Pon, go in a crat e to the au th or. Th u s N'" Po n go w a lke d into t he aut hL) r·s hk. . L .-·
ear an d b ~ . L'"L1 Wd ~ .:: ._ ..
N Pon go - app . ce an eha vio ur : T l11s l.Jal. Jv lroJ illa :\ '"f\1n
.:-, . .-
etgh tee inc h es hig h ·t h· nd - ~ \Y fr)r 111:::- :--·
n son e a nd h t"'alt
1 hy. H e w a s q u ite hea
With soli d bo • qui e a - . , .. .•.:
ne and mus cle. He had thi k . , . . h c.x--·o la t e-c olo u n.'d 11, •. ·.
. c a nd s o H hgh t-c . 1 •
and glos sy skin - hi s han ds feet d 1· . ll a n J dc·c> p- ~ 't. • ··
on · an a ce· His eve s w e re s rna
eye s sho ne With a ullK'f l!J.\"t' t:.:::·
the ban ana Whicahmhuesemtednta.in Wh en the aut hor tic kl..,c-d hi s Ii l.J~. Th e> - , f'· .,.
ti] Pu r- .
we a e t o the c-r:1 .t c tht· ...
HJ•·· ·
nt off to catc h the plane 1<:>r " y. tttn g N Po ngo b ack in ... ·
~ Jers ey. _
~A=i ::
WOR KBo oK ON ECH OES -A COL LEC TIC N OF JSC SHC RT 5 . ~ •
 . . . . . .t room I ., ~ th,· ,·,,~,· 101 N' P1111..iu W t l N 1101 yd rt·u<ly tn tlu-
41f1•1'1,~I h• k,·,·p h111, 111 lit~ ~th 'NI 1110111 tor !"lllllll' l111u· . N'l'1111J,to'!i
,11.-nn,·1 ,,11,l ht-. 1,,llhT ~.,111 , ·,p11•~..,t1111 l1111111·,1l,1tc-ly w1111 ov,·r both
ti1Ulll\'l ':"l l\\\llhn . ,\ ..,. lh, · , \\1lh11r dhlu't h ,l\'1· i1 v1 -ry pkasm1t c·xp,·11,· rwc·
('h,unky ""' t 'hh\\1',Hl t , ·, · 111 ll w 111111 !'-,1 ', Ill' wi1 !-l v, · 1y c·i1t1ll11t1 !-I al,rntl
P"~h h,· w,u. "''·'"'"'" t,,. 1,1 ~, l 1, ·1111tt111I lll'lu1vt1111 r. /\ltl11111gll N' l 1u11gu·s
• " ''''' t\\pl.H\' , t\"· ""'"''' did 111 11 ,·,p,·d N'l'1111g11111 illllt1111itlh·ally a ~!-,\IIIIC'.
~ rl\tl\ t1\\\\. ~""l'lY hY.I \I ~.,· h ,· w.,~-1 11\'lng 111 llw how-.,·. 'l'lwrd111r, 1111 · g,w ~I
j;rl .,tll'\\ , .,,,n~,, k l\ tt . \ ~1" ' " """ '11 111 s lr.i, ·,·~ 11I Ii i~ p n·~1·111·1·. 11 1,u,k1·cl Ilk,· "
__,. th ~,·nt\11~· .1kl11 •\\~,· ll \\'t\1 1\:-. .1l11'r N'l \ 111g11·s so11111 r 11 ll 11T1 ·. T l w l1.1nd lt- , if IIH'

.
--:'._,t~,\l\ h ·nt .u,d l'\llkd d,,w 11 . I'll\'\\ ' \\'t'I\ ' ~1'\'tTil l 111.ttks (Ir dlS<'ll l11r;tl l< 111 111
rt
"'"''
rflDl'I" - thti ,1,ullna: ,~{ tht' z oo :
,rt\.d\ ,k \'\' h'l''\\ !°'\ '\ \ M' ,,1 \\\\\1\\1\\\'
N ' l'1111~~11·s tlls p11s ll lo11 , good
\11,llk N' l\11\~~,1 11 11' d :1r ll11g ()r
ll lill lll lTS

1111' ZO(), U nli ke ii

itlHI "

~ \'hl\\l\'-l\\:\·,' \\ lh lh\\ 1 1
\\' :--t.\llllllll\s \II\ l11·l11g h11'1,1 ·d li p hi till' 1·ag1·, N' l '<>11go d id
\'(,_~•\\ .my ~,t.·h l\y:--krks. ,\ \lh, 1u~J11kpl111 l11g ii . Ill' \Vll llld :w<'q> I 11 11' IH'l't'SSl ly or
., .. ._h·k,, l '1\' \\\ llh' ,-.1~1· . ,\ I lh\h'S his l>l'\1.l\·h11tr will\ 11 11' vlsllors was u11n 1~l 11g
_.,!~, t-·1~1:--lnn~ ,1s lh' w,,uhl pull s1,\\h' p1·1s1111's kg :111d 1·, 111s,·d 11 1111 :--lfpp1·d ells<' .
Gtttln& a mi1h· fo r N 'Po n j!o : \\' llhl11 ., p1·11t1d ,,r lwdv,· 1111>1111\s, N' l'ongo was
.~·\.·~t \!,,nl•k \\\ his sl: ,· . \'he ,1utl1t1r kit th.II N' l 1u11go 111\\s l l)\' provld,·d with lhc
•~"t\\\l~ ,,t ., km.,h' \\t.11\' . \ k l 1dh'vnl 111.,t wll,·11 ll l\ .1p1 · or n g()rlllil .illc1lns llln ·c or
,,.:~r.u.. ._ ,,f.1~, . it is~\\~ · Ill kt 11 1·11j11y \111m.1111·11H1p:111y 1111ly . 1h 11 ii' IH' is cl1 ·vc ·n or
,•:'\t·. tins m.,y \\h'.1\\ ,1 \ln,k1·\\ kg t1r n l1n1k,·11 n1 ·1· k . I It' ts \lkl'ly lo turn 111<ffosc· tr
·c~\!,'}'nwd llh' n,mp.u,y Pl his 11w 11 k!11d .111d tll:11 or IH1111.1n l wt n gs . Taking into
·i:..~!\T,H1, 1n ,11\ tlh·~,· thing~. llh' .111ll1t1r \\'1 ' \ll 11n In pn11 ·11r1· c1 wtk for N'i>ongo. So
\·:c\,, ''~·"" ,.,,\\l.h' lnl till' ~.Ill\\' ,111i m.d d1·i1 kr to gd 111111 a li.·111ak gortlla . Gl'lltng
h:::w n ·~l"-'ll~,·. tlw ,,ut\H ,r trh'd 1,1 :--Ph ·c llH' rt11a1whll tmpl lt-atio11s. On his
~-~ll, 111. llh· .,uthPr :--lnh·h.• , ,k. 11 \\' il l\ the ,111tm.1I d,·. ,kr and gut I ll,· li.-lllak lmuy
l ..., •1 .
, .....1 ,,n msl .,hth' llt tern 1s.
luidy, th~ f~tnnlr- baby gorllln nrrlves : N;1rnly w :,s lksp: ll dwd tu ;_1 small
~tc \\'hn, ~he ,\ITt\'nl. ~he ,, p 1~•.,rnl tti IH ' 111 pt-rkl'I <'l11 1dll io11 : h er l'u r was
~h,-.y. ~th· \\ ,h I.it . .ind h,-r s k ill 11.,d a s \1,·cn likt· satin . T Iil' m 1t lmr was tmpn:ss<'u
':\~ by h,·r cy,·s .,t
ni·~t sl~ltl. \ kr 1·y1 ·s \\'en· \.1rgt· a11d htslrous. B u t tllcy w1Tl' tlw
~ ,\I" nn ,m im., l th.it h ~,d nP t\u:--1 tir n·sp,·1·1 1'11r l H11 nall bd11gs. T l w author
~\l\\'t\\l ,\ :--,-.,r \\I\ hi-r skull. 11 \\\IS , •; \\1:--nl l>y .1 l>tg k n it',· t h rown by a m an whtll'
""hh~ hn . ~.ltH r·. ,ll\' l'\,ltld\' \\': \S ;111tts111·i.tl ,llld s1·.1n·d or l \\11\\il l\S.
~ ~ and N'Pon~o ln t~ie san1e c age : ,\ l"tt-r k n·ping Narnly hl a s1'}Ktrnk <'agt·
....._'-nty luur h nu r:--.. s l w \\".IS s,·111 tnl11 N'l't1n go's l'ilgt·. N' l \ m go l'on s idlTl'll a ll
~ hls h1ntd-.. b ut l\:,llld \' w .1s ,m tt -l n1m;m. \ Vh , ·11 logl'llwr, Na m.ly s h o w ed
~ lk't• whtk :\:';'\,n~11 w ,1s 1,d1.,,ing 111tsd1 h'\'u u s ly . T h tTl' w as muc h lltlliut'nt ·e

~ECHOES_• COLL[ CTION OF 1$C $HORT STORIES t--------------,[ili)

 ~ - fJf)th Ofthetn
aitd antlf!8 ~ tietter one. Although ni.,_;
_,.. ottier'& )llld a another. N'Pongo \Vas lhe ~
_..c tbe,_,-1v adored one ufeter, more lntrosJlec,L
.... ,ne pp:u.auJ much q h
~
1..1.ve a11..
, pelt, ..-- NandYr;rongo
11111 Vlhlle was teastng Nandy w o In turn " ·i
1fthe run to see
9
'I - pt rematned anxious about the heaith a,.
1flth tlsts. . nie author d when he learnt that they ·"'
cern ~ It deeply co
· ta en rellarci~
- ncerne be k
19 !llaltb con
~
arelessness to
l'f rol
tlllfdl'8 u,rse both. He e indiscretion or c nt that N"Pongo was tncttsPo
1 wanted no Wh he lear Setl
~ - he t variety. en and gave the best mecttcai atd
llllftll h was of grea hysiciaflS, ki fll .I
........
u - food, whir tns to consult vets and p eks m . Fr ance for ma ng, a I m about 1111ia~1
tr took all pa be away for three w~ . t ould not leave N Pongo untreated
hf was to hi visit bu c N'P ·
- whrn tic could sacrtfice s . . ttons were given to ongo. SimiN
Solhr
In Cama~~-
dtffrrrnt th eveand
rc,uuS were trted. antibiotics l~Jedc eparture, N'Pongo started sho\Vin'Ig
of his
flirt
hlH o • '=re ~• . rrutt. Luckily on le in eFrance. the a uthor kept in touch about. N'Pongo·)
.
1
,. 1111a<1ory lmpM'Cmcnls. Whl big relief to him when on his arrtva] he
"'-alth and steady tmpmvcment. It was a . ht I
•~
found N'l'ungo having rcgame . d h'is health and we1g .
r- "-.C-, . p

L~~~!~
TI1r M·tttng of the ~tory is in J ersey, a state in the USA, where the author's world
famous sanl'luaiy "Durrell Wildlife Park" shelters the rare but most endangered
sprt1l·s. Tot· gortllas being on lhC top pliortty list of the author are gotten from
Mr1<·a and _put In his zno. The sloiy is set in the zoo in the adjoining area of which ;
1111" authors rrs1d,·nce. II is here that the baby gorilla named N"Pongo is kept unW
hr ts old rnough lo be shifted to the zoo Th !
Whc.·n· N'Pnngo lh . bab . · e scene is set in the guest room firs
· e Y gorilla, grows up He d • al
Dk'mbt·rs of the author's family that he is ke. en ears himse lf so much to
ilSt-lf. Latrr he is shifted to th h pt for some months in the guest roorr
by th th e zoo w ere the rem . . d
3
e •u or hililself. Only for a brtef . 1I\ing Part of the story is narrate
fies to rt'<'en., the baby gor111a from th ()enact does the locale shift when the autho1
e animal dealer.
~
Rhesus lllonkey t!~SARy~
-----......J

a sman South . .
SCientific 1:8
expenments
1
an monkey, often used iJ'.
a sttuatton in
Way of 1u•
Qle, etc Which
t .a plant ' an animal, 8

; .. . sops CJd.sttng

I
r,oN OF 1sc SHORT sroR'ES''
 : hr1t\')', t'Xh,•m<'ly l•u~•
IWW nnd ~ltll tlt'\'l'loptn~
wtp,·, 1 out. kllle'd ull llw m,·1111 M'l'H of tt f,(n,up
((n andt·nl slnrks} II ,·1v11t11n• ltl<r· II NIUtk,•,
whkh ''"" ktll 1lt·11ph- l,y ltK1klt1J.t ul llwm or
\ln-athh1g till lhl'lll
l-.,~u. 111r. 111 a ,·:,1t11. 1r1.,xl't1 w.. y
hk;1 k. t 111pk:1~;111t
pl.1tnl\'
~ •Y
cxbtnl ht l.11).~t· 1\\ttlllhT
~ tJ\\1th
d.ml'i11g rll~·t11 111h',llly
~
c·xpcl'll11g l1.1d thlltgs In h.1pp1 ·11
~llli~th'
J.n1glih1g h1Hdl>' 111 :111 111 sc 1111 ·111
l-t,_'(t lill~
t 'l 'l ·n It rh ·
.).~(\'
:--t.11l' ll( hdng l,1 ·pt ft1 c·1111lf111 •11w11t
,,pt1'11Y
~~•11t11ly :--:1dl>'

thuducJ 1.ntglll'd quktly

gn ' I 'l i

,ind platter ).!l\'l'll l', t:--lly

a l.1rg1· ,nll1d1 · 11 t·1H1 t ; li1ll'r
l'flllt'
a n1kr who h.,s ., lot nl JH>W1T
i,\1lc'nl..th'
;\ p.lllSl' Ill .tl'I l\'lty
hiatus
IIlt'brtateJ hc,1\'ilr drunk
111akc s 1lllll'l>od y llk1 · yn u lo g.1!11 some
to\\'orm its way
:1d,·;mt ;1g1·
cn·1y part of a space
~andcmmw
drooPt>u lx: nt
1111p1i:--lltll'd ag;1h1. l(ld,nl up again
rtin(>-cU\"'t'rd tell
talk;1tl\·c
hiuactous
full l1f cmTK\', t'Xl'lll'mt·nt
~berclnt
h1okl11g like a lnm1an
lllfhropotll
uit tl'r
ntous

ECHOES -A COLLECTION OF ISC SHORT STORIES.,__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _...,.. ,[ili]

 .• f<'"dfnli( vr"'•., anxtous or CXcft~d
• 1<·1:trkss .
• a brrnuJ heavy knHc
stdk-d walkc·d fn a shy wc1y
brm~,n·n t IJosl fie· .
sullra~d t<' OIIC WOI
·kf I 1g for I he rfgh Is oJ Worn,'. n
jousts argumc-nls .
sm1~kll gol dos('r• fr1 c, 1 warm c·omfortc:1LJe P<is1t1rn
'

en1Jth' lcanwd
sqmkharnl I fllg ·sc1 d and s eriou s
loo<
ornithlihi~tfst a )><'I .SOil
. who st uc.J tcs bi rc.Js
dwruhtm
a ngels .
subtnhtgl'
u
,11 s·hon cs l way of IJc having
' I S ('( ' l(' I ,
.
~
a 'I ropfcc1 I 1.n.111 Wi th h c:1rc.J c.fa rk skin, &if1

culitb gr<'rn lll'sh 1nsfUc . . . .

a <l iS('clS(. I Il a I
. , , l . , <'a uses p a in and swc.:l!mg u:
lhc colon
tn a quanua1y
tnwiglc in dilc n unc:1
l.H'hkvc contro I ()v(
Wciy
:r s o m c lJody in a clever

. 8.CHARACTERS
1. N'PONGo II

When N'l\1ngo ca111c fnlo lh<' a utho r's Ilk, he was abou 1 c ig lc<'n tnc · n«

-~w~<
Was quuc h,·a,y, for his UoUy was all solf<1 a nu n1usc1c . ·n1c rc was h not· a ·hes
SfJ'l_rc ou hi>
high.
of fat on hilll. Ills liir, I hi, ·k a nll son . was Ifg it I -cl""
•o la I c , ·olou red. The ,sk m
hands, I"'' •nu lae,• Was Soft anti glossy. I ifs "Yes We re s m a u a nu Uccp -se(, ( WJ
like <hips of <·oat Wlll•n lhe author llrsl saw h im, h e hl'!U his a rms up lo be ·u
up. Ho lnv,••ugatcct
""1usellll'n1 When thethe author's
•ulhor ll<•khllx·arct I Jc gfggl,·<1 hoarse ly, his ey es shone 1• '
his .libs.
1
N'Pongo IOok k<·,•n Int · ·8·1 I l 1hr zei-'
ho look a tll>,at tn1cn•s1 In'"the n, tis. surrnu11<1111gs.
. .. Whe n h e llrst e nl C"ret!. rt('flll·•
lllonner..
..,.,..__. 1'1lthcr a !la<! .
0
'ow,onPassing aro11n<1. I le hau g rave anti w h uJacJOt'-
~~~
Xpn•sston f ., /\I I
....IUl'"s "Ntfe, and hts llloth
~- "''
or. llctnii a k"'' ·
I I h c s c Wor, htrn owr IJot ....
fa .,.
11 0
"''Yllllng In th, '"<·
1-v,•r, NH,ngo sul:'Vcye<J I h e so r-
; - ---......,...._...._...._...,t...._
. r<...)(....r'lll. 111<• "'llhor found his lx·haV1our and manJII'·
0
Wo~l<Sook " ECHoes -A COLLEC710,. OF ISC SHORT s ~
 "llC~unt of his decent behaviour that everybody loved him and
~ hP.rs of his famtly de:cided to keep him in the guest room itself. All
jtlSt a baby. perfect civilized behaviour could not be expected of
it,test room. when he left it. bore numerous traces of his presence.
th raspocny .1uic-c and other eatables. The floor of the room. as the
tt humorously. looked like a sixteenth century alehouse. The door
9
the guest room stood bent and twisted.
'ti ~ry interesting thing about N"Pongo was his disposition and his outlook.
~ :rdtffercnt approach to a problem or a situation. As compared to a baby
,Jseld e that throws tantrums when locked up again after being brought out of
~N'Pongo behaved more re signedly, although deploring being locked up
It~~ had the grace to accept the inevitable. He would just give a couple of
"'11· and faintly peevish screams as h e saw the author after locking him up. So
snal'P to attractive appearance and disposition, his good manners, and his very
~cvclopcd sense of humour, N"Pongo was in a ve ry short space of time the
~of the zoo. He would play antics b e fore the visitors. Sometimes a photographer
11)-mg to have a snap would suffe r a s lip disc b ecause of N"Pongo·s sudden move ment.
Within twelve months N"Pongo almost doubled his size . He b ecame such a fearfully
extroverted characte r that h e obviously conside r ed h e was the only gortlla in the
l'Orld and all human b e ings w e re his frtends. Compared to him, Nandy was sullen
and anti-human. She was b e llige re nt in h e r te mpe rame nt. Whe n toge the r in the
same enclosure, she would b e labour N'Pongo with h e r fists while N'Pongo played
practical tricks on h e r.
N'Pongo was fond of d e lic ious and succulent fruits and vegetables. But whe n h e
W'dS indisposed h e lost his appetite. His giggling exube rance was gone . His powe rful
lxxly grew gaunt. He suffe red first from diarrhoea and the n colitis. His indisposition
caused a lot of con cern to the author, who consulted vets and physicians to bring
~Tongo back to normal h ealth. The author could sacrtfice his visit just in order to
~ readily available to N'Pongo in his sickness. It was after a lot of efforts that
N'Pongo was re stored to h ealth with injections, antibiotics, etc. H e was treat e d
Clltirely as affectionate ly and carefully as any human by his own family.
2, NANDy

1-dNandy, the baby gortlla, w as brought to give companion~hip to N'Pongo whe n h e

~\Vn.double in size. She was gotte n from the same animal d ealer who provided
~ to the author. Whe n Nandy anived, crouched in a veiy small crate, she
to be in perfect condition. Her fur was glossy, she was fat, and her skin had
like satin, but at first sight of h e r it was her eyes that impressed the author
compared to N"Pongo·s ey es, which were small and deep-set, calculating
Of humour. Nancty·s ey es w e re large and luminous. But they were frtghtened
es of an animal that had little e xpe rte nce of human beings.
 11w1••• ..fal bebtadtbfa:
• __,. whkh wa• about afx or seven inchea
_ . boJJ1,t C'aUght, 80me very rash and ovcrenthusi..Iii
. . bk>W with ll knUh wht<."'h spUt her scalp like a tic
her ~>t be• llbun<'<l fhr 1.>ctn~ a JU tic anUsoctal. Thfs grea~ ~
. . coukl
t"(llllplt'f<'ly h<'H 1t't 1• n 1
.... uJ there wus only fhc Jong whfte scar to lash~
be .....
thr h,lir t'f hc·r hcutl. '1
. ·t ,s rrn m h1cd u na ba f cu. So when she was k
._ IC'.. r ,,t htUlldll 1)( I 1~- h ept
I "r ltl • tnh·n·st 111 hhn. She hacJ sue a woebegone, frtcra.. ,
~ ........... , :J,,. c·,·1rl\'t't I 11t . • . ~•te
_. ,,... ~~• r > J>ick her up and cornlorf her. But havmg been lle.J 1
a:i..-c• Uldl ,,nt· ant~11t 1,lll~ 1' ,, .. • dee111,. 1
"" . ·i·tt, sudi a kind g<-.sfurc. When put Jnto the cage nn "'' '
huai ~"· '"'uld ah>I appn t. • t • . . V\.:eupied •
·· . t . 1 tit HUllghly di.sf rusflul of hhn. Iler eyes darted to a
h\" ~-· \ lll~'t l, sh,• l't.'11 l, l 1H l ( nct fro
• • i t , \' ·t L>dligcrcnt c.xvrcssion on h e r face.
\\1th u c.-urt,lllsly susp,. ,nts. t
~.ind,· was ,·,·t)' l'Pllsl'iP\IS of her rights and self-respe ct. Whe n N'Pongo PUlleda
h.tndhtl ~,f her hair. she slu>wt·d her fndfgnafion and disapproval by baling of her
h"t.·th .uh.I IH·r ~runt. ,\s lhc nurhor h111norously remarke d that she looked like a
ltl\\";.trtr,I suffr;.~~d tc Pll st·dug N'Pongo slee ping on his woode n shelf while she
"·urk,1 up PH the lllltll". She could dahn he r lost p osition and room as enjoyed by
~-1\,u~\l \\ith her attitude .
.\Hth,u~h I\'.utdy ditkrnl greatly frmn N"Pongo, bo th quite pla inly adored each
,,th\·r. \\'lh'n'.1s N'l\mgo wns the hfl-cat giggling clown of th e p air, Nandy was much
quieter. 11ll)n' intn>sr)(Tlin· and watchfitl. Very s oon she began to rea lize that N'Pongo
bulhcd and ft'ast'd her \\it hour a ny 1na licc a nd j u st out of pure fu n. A t times, his
.~\ll,1 -humottrt'll tc.1sh1g' dro\'l' her to uisl rac tion . Bu t when she r each ed the limit of
her ('ndur,tlll't'. she wPuld lose her tc n1pcr. Th e n wit h flashing ey e s a nd open mouth
~lw wt 1uld ch.tsc him round I he cage while N'Pongo ran b e fo re h e r, giggling
hy~h•ti,\dly. If she caught hint, she would be la b our h im wit h her fists while N'Pongo
!dY on the ~r-n.>und curku up in a ba ll. i\s s oon as s h e tire d of trying to make some
uupn·s~inn on hfs nn1scular body , she would sf a lk off lo the o lhcr end of the cage.
; ...............~ ........~ • . £ ~ - ~ .::lirf'~~-
' 9. CRITICAL APPRECIATION bi
L.a...--t-t•--..a,.--· ..-.:- •-· ....... a,,.;~"'• .. ,._-... .. .. .. ~
Title : TI1f• title of the stc "AG . . .
~nd ~anhl~ul b t . I· Hy onlla in the Gue st Roo m " is n o t o nly appropnate
_,._ u a so startlingly su r 1 ·ti d to
- .........~ intt-n•st tn th. , ggcs vc as 1t at once pre pares the rea er
&Ueat room of the Zl~ ;otoryth. Which is about kee ping or she lt e ring a gorilla .tn we
~ r c preserva t1 f " lll
lltQ
~ crau
Gt-llt"nilly a ,Tortll· i,
~
on
a s not expected t 0- L
°
the rare and e ndange r e d species ,ro t-
,..1.,d
.._ ~ -- on its lac-k of iVfl . · , c lodged in a gue st room, taJUJie
---...sure 0 f a zoo. But c-k. tzcu behavt
·
I -
our. Is habitat should be elsewhere
W
out or co1111110 t eptng a gonna . '. . iS
n . But th · a uaoy gorilla, 1n the ,,uest room
e author·s d . ,., _.,.nrrl
cctsion to keep Jt fn the guest ruv-_
WORt<aooK ON ECHO -:--....et
ES-A COLLECTION OF ISC SHORT ST~
 p ,eady shows the author's deep concern for ht8
ha• founded a wildlife park for the conseIVatton of comforts. We
a.aN~rs been on his top priority. The author t t rare spectes and
human bdn" and leaves no stone unturned treat· sk·tbts gortlla N'Pongo
. o a c <'are of him t hi
N'Pong<>'s dtsposttton and t'Xemplary bchavio d · st n s
, thou~h later he ts shifted tnto the zoo ·a nd 1~rp ~~dcivdcd his ay in
....,..,... h . rov, e With a female
NaJldy. Thus t c title ol the story ts betlt.t.tng and convincing.
__.. JaDPA'e : 111c story
....,_.. . is narrc1tcd by the author in a lucid . smpe
t 1 and
.,..-
,...rt - • Hts dcscrlptton
"
of the 1Ja1Jy gorilla N'Pongo and tha t of 1emale baby
1
,..-Nan<fY ts so graphic that the two appear very much like human beings living
,,.~tnal'Y ctviltzcd couple .. The behaviour and manners of the two in difJerent
~d()llS ts Itvrly. TI1c wtitcr s sympathy and concern for N'Pongo in providing him
oi,tt- or tn treating hin1 in his indisposition are evident. There ts an element of
~nse and romai:cc. Th~ cmning together of N'Pongo and Nandy in the same
,~urr ts dcscrtlx.d romantically. There is a great element of humour tn the
~ptton of the brurst room after N'Pongo had left it : Look at the way N'Pongo·s
~'tS Irll behind are descrtl>cd in the extract below.

()lone wall for instance, was something that resembled a map of Japan drawn
~Mlt? of the more inebriated wtcient mariners. This was 11icely executed in scarlet
,rlu~ due to the fact that I had thought N'Po11go might like some tirnied raspberries.
1he comparison between N'Pongo and Nandy has been lively, as is clear from the
;:bJfng:
Alll¥Jugh they were so dijferent in character, they quite plainly adored one wwt/Jer:
.\'lmgo was the great giggling clown of the pair, while Nwidy was much quieter,
ilospective w 1d watcl ifuL
lleuage: The story contains an inherent message in that all animals need love
~affection. They must be attended to in respect of their urges and needs. Com-
~ship in animal species is equally of great significance. In this story we learn
~ the author takes interest in providing a female mate to N'Pongo just to avoid his
ttt!ng morose or losing his liveliness of manners and disposition. When N'Pongo
:,S from diarrhoea and later colitis. he is provided best possible treatment and

~ author wishes that the zoos should be well-equipped to p_rnvlde proper

....._t to the animals These zoos should cease to be showplaces ot arumals, but
..~ tea- ti · .... ,atton of the wildlife, especially those rare and
&&"a y towards the conse 1 v
S"'""i hi h re threatened with extinction in the wild state.
r-'- es - species w c a
t'Ome forward and donate generously for the upkeep of such animals.

ECHOES -A COLLECTION OF ISC SHORT STORIES L---------...111111l(}ill

 Bl the author encounter In procartng the
, ~
_,.,aowcoaid he resolve them ? What did he do ,or~
~ th
1JS •~
wtth
ll" up ? want ed
who
'::'re
and most
haotnd' a baby go a
his Wildlife Park to replace the corn
endangered species of animals, at
lllon
once ~r
..
rill tO his Park as soon as he received the telephone eeiri·-,,
;
·
,i
ua•~ al d aler. Toe gorilla had been high on his list ean~.
an average antm e of Pl'i ·i
aler told him that he wanted twelve hundred po Oil~
But when the de . llndsfi ·
baby gorilla, he felt discouraged, though determined to procure thisG~b
~rilla- .
The first difficulty he encountered came from his wife, who was not in .
of spending the huge sum on a gorilla. ~he reminded hi~ th~t he had ~ ;
tncurred huge debts in bringing rare arumals and on ma1ntaming the zeo.~:
the same his mother supported the idea and was enthusiastic about it.\½-~·
his wife asked him how he was going to arrange the money , he thought 011 ·
"
bank manager Hope. He also thought that he would ask the public to do~-
liberally for the noble cause of conserving rare animals.
Ignoring his wife's pessimistic and antisocial attitude, h e rang up Hope a:.
asked him to furnish him a list of the richest people on th e island. Hope ~~
bewildered at this request. He could not support t h e a u thor's idea that tt
rich should help him in buying the gorilla. All the same h e agreed to supf'
him the list, saying .the idea was worth trying. In a bou t half an hour Hw g.
dictated the author a list of fifty rich people who could be contacted for tt
purpose.
Taking a deep breath, the author started contacting the probable and pr.-
spectlve benefactors. The first person the author contacted was Mrs Macgw1'
He got a positive respons fl h nl'!'f
aft e rom er. Thus he kept on contacting one r· ,
er another and by lunch ti h J-le ft.
that th me e could collect two hundred pounds.
e remaining one thous d '[be net
person Major Domo he con an pounds would also come soon. . &i
the author needed th tacted solved all his problems. On IearniJl;i
&aid, "You'd bette e remaining balance of a thousand pounds, Major rl.·
r come alo thi t)alaJlL'
The author expressed hi ng s afternoon and I'll find you the ttf~
~ lltlCll'.d over to him s gratitude. He felt that the baby gorilla was JJ,(
his on a platter It i fl to , ....
J)l'OJect was going t · was a big relief and satisfact O (j} sr~ 1
~ IIJb, exctted at th o see the light of the day. So the entire z
e prospect of
I ..
getting a baby gorilla.
~ "'"""-------.iWORKBool ( ON ~f s~
ECHOES -A COLLECTION OF !SC sHO
 th
gorilla N'P ong o wal ked into the auth or·s life · The au or kep t him
e) was read
t1me in the gue st room unt il his enc losu re (cag Y· He
ber taking
afte r N'Pongo as he wou ld to his own family mem • care ofh ts
ale mat e. A varte of
}lealth and eve n inn er urg es by pro vidi ng him a fem ty
ftems was seiv ed to bot h the gori llas .
the gorillas, his hu-
1llC auth or's con cern , his sym path etic atti tud e tow ards
rho ea. Tho ugh diar -
JP8.0C outlook was disc ern~ ble whe n they developed diar
ongo looked off colo ur at
Jtioea disa ppe ared soo n wit h car e and cau tion , N'P
to spe nd thre e wee ks in the
the crocial tim e whe n the aut hor had arra nge d
g of a film abo ut life in the
south of Fra nce in con nec tion With the sho otin
e. He had gon e gau nt. The
camargue. N'Pongo·s gigg ling exu ber anc e was gon
, but to no effect, thou gh
author tried man y vegetab les and frui ts on him
per sua ded to drin k a little
N'Pongo seem ed to reli sh waterm elon. N'Pongo was
piri n on his gum s. He was
skimmed milk by the sub terf uge of rub bin g a Dis
ema ciat ed. Antibiotic injec-
dtagnosed to be suf feri ng from coli tis. He looked
tion was given wit h a syri nge . All the time the
aut hor was in a qua ndr y. He
was even in a moo d to can cel his pro gram me.
But to his good luck , N'Pongo
aut hor cou ld go on wit h his
began to sho w signs of imp rov eme nt and the
h his family and kep t on
planned visit. Eve n the re he kep t in tou ch wit
the aut hor felt mu ch sati s-
enquiring abo ut N'P ong o's hea lth. On his retu rn,
fied with N'Pongo·s stea dy hea lth.

AS Sl~ NM :~T
- -,J
be mer e sho wpl ace s of
i1. The author say s tha t the zoo s "m ust cea se to
ard s the con ser vat ion of
animals and sta rt to con trib ute som eth ing tow
this ide a ?
wildlife." Elu cid ate . How doe s he him self foll ow
Value Poi nts
ered spe cies
• zoos to pre serve and con serve rare and end ang
mit ted staf f
. • mu st be wel l-eq uip ped , wit h trai ned and com
anim al care
• people to gen ero usly con tn"b u te• tow ard s
. b by gori lla and kee ps him in the gue st roo m
.author him self bnn gs a a
nd
feeks help of the pub lic for fu s
d trea tme nt to inm ates of the zoo
nec ess ary care an

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