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The Sacred Turtles of Kandavu

  The Sacred Turtles of Kandavu A Fijian Legend 1.     What is a legend? A legend is a very  old   story  or set of  stories  from  ancient   times about famous events or persons. These   stories are not always  true . 2.     Where does the story “The Scared Turtles of Kandavu” take place? The legend of the sacred turtles of Kandavu takes place in the Fijian island of Namuana. 3.     Fiji:  Fiji, a country in the South Pacific, is an archipelago (group of islands) of more than 300 islands. It's famed for rugged landscapes, palm-lined beaches and coral reefs with clear lagoons. 4.     How, according to the legend, did the warriors of Kadavu save themselves a long journey by sea? The Fijian islands are surrounded by sea. The legends says that the warriors of Kadavu saved the time for a long journey by sea, by sliding their canoes on rollers up over the narrow neck of land. 5.     What is the strange custom observed by the women of Namuana? The women of Namuan

Character Sketch of Ajit and Nomita from Matchbox

Character Sketch of Nomita   Nomita in the story  Matchbox   written by Ashapurna Debi is a typical Indian housewife who is bound to sacrifice many of her ambitions and hopes and be enslaved in the kitchen. Ashapurna Debi portrays her colorless – without the hues of a happy life. Her widowed mother thinks that she is successful in consigning her daughter to a rich family which is not on the merit of finance but by looks alone. Nomita expects a minimum freedom of reading the letters addressed to her. Her husband seems to be dubious about the letters when he tries to read it without her consent.  It is true what Ashapurna Debi says about Nomita and women in general that they are like matchboxes settled at the corners of the house with their hidden power to explode at any time. Nomita follows the example of a matchbox and she burns with anger when she is helpless. To break the shackles of marital slavery she is ready to kill herself. Again, she is depicted as a meek innocent woman w

Matchbox By Ashapurna Debi : Summary

Matchbox Ashapurna Debi “Matchbox”, is written by Ashapurna Debi, a Bengali Novelist. It tells the story of Ajit and Nomita , young married couple. The story narrates the unhealthy man-woman relationship existing in most Indian families. Ashapurna Debi, in the beginning of the story compares women to matchboxes. Matchboxes have the potential to light up everything into fire. The tiny bit of gunpowder in it can burn down a hundred Lankas, she says. But in appearance, they are meek and harmless. You can place the matchbox in the kitchen, pantry, bedroom, in pocket or anywhere without fear. We know that it won’t cause a fire by itself. It is the same with women. They also appear to be meek and harmless. Men treat the like matchboxes. Men don’t fear women and take them lightly. But Ashapurna Debi tells us that if they want, they can set everything into fire within no time. The central character of the story is Nomita. Her husband Ajit has the habit of opening his wife’s letters a