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
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 and
reading it. He argues that it his right to screen her mail to confirm any case
of lovers. He doesn’t pay any attention to Nomita’s protest. Whenever she
protests him, she is treated badly. Besides her poor family background makes
her suffer everything in silence.
Nomita belongs to a poor family and she
has only an old widowed mother. Ajit, a member of a rich joint family married
her because she was very beautiful. Nomita’s mother, who think that her daughter
is living like a queen, and that her son in law is large hearted, often request
money from them. Ajit is weary of her financial requests. He makes fun of
Nomita’s mother and her poverty.
One Sunday, when Nomita was checking
Ajit’s dirty clothes, before giving it to the washerman, she finds a twisted
and crumbled letter addressed to her in his pocket.
It was a letter from her mother. The old
woman had written about her misfortunes and the miserable conditions of their
house. She asks for money to find a solution. She is afraid of dying under the
weight of a collapsed roof.
Ajit had not given the letter to her. It
makes her angry. The duo picks up an argument which turns ugly. Ajit insults
Nomita and her mother.
Nomita gets
angry and goes out of control. When Ajit comments, a woman, and such anger, and
what she can do, Nomita picks up Ajit’s matchbox and sets fire to the anchol of her own sari. Now Ajit is
frightened.
When Nomita
goes to the kitchen to help her sisters in laws, Elder sister in law notices
the burned anchol. Nomita tells a lie that it caught fire while she lifted a
pot from stove. She does not mention her fight with Ajit. Even though she can
set of many raging fires, burn away the mask of Ajit’s high mindedness, his
large heartedness, she doesn’t betray her husband. She does not like to burn
down the little colourful shell in which she lives. Nomita does not like others
to know her issues with her husband.