Back to: JKBOSE Class 8th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Colours of Rainbow is a Dogri short story translated to English by Shivnath. It is about a couple who engage in small quarrels and arguments. Finally, things settle at a lovely and joyful note. The story shows us how an ordinary couple deal with issues of family and love.
Characters
The narrator– Munni and Bittoo’s father
The narrator’s wife– Munni and Bittoo’s mother
Munni and Bittoo– two of the narrator’s four kids
The Swing of Gudda-Guddi
The rain had just stopped and the narrator was looking out of the window. The sun was shining just after the rain and nature looked very pleasant. The narrator silently watched rain drops slide down some chili plants. Small patches of clouds were moving across the sky, sometimes covering the sun.
His daughter Munni came up to him and told him to look at the swing of gudda-guddi. The kids’ grandma had told them that the rainbow was the swing of gudda-guddi. The natator then got lost in his own thoughts. His grandmother also used to tell him that the rainbow was the swing of a gudda-guddi and occurred when the sun came out immediately after the rain. He used to think he would become the gudda on the swing and his guddi would come along and they would swing together. But then he grew up and got married and his dreams of swaying together seated on the rainbow remained a dream only.
Now they were on the swing of life. The narrator’s father had passed away but his mother was still with them. They had four kids, with the same limited salary. The kids were growing up and expenses were increasing. The narrator had to do many odd jobs to meet the expenses.
The Couple’s Quarrel
The narrator’s wife came in and said that she had been shouting for him for a long time and wanted to know if he would have his tea. She was annoyed and said that she was fed up with him and had felt no happiness since she came to their house.
The narrator was very annoyed and remembered the fight he had had with his wife the previous day. He said it would be better to drink poison than to have tea from the hands of a woman like her. His wife then accused him of being concerned about the kind of people who would poison him.
The narrator was angered by the new accusation and left the house, although his mother came in and asked the couple to stop fighting. He returned late at night. He had his morning meal outside and spent the afternoon in a cinema hall. In the evening he went around with friends.
By then his anger had reduced. He felt homesick and returned home. His wife brought him food. Her anger had also disappeared, and she looked sad and regretful. She had not eaten since morning and her face was pale and weak. She asked him to forgive her and eat. He refused. She said that he had been getting too angry recently. He said something had been wrong with her too, and she should have married into a rich family if she found it difficult in this household.
Finally, his wife caught hold of his arm and made him sit down to eat. He had already eaten and had no appetite. But he washed his hands and broke a morsel of chapati. His wife seated herself close by and began fanning him with a hand fan. She looked like the incarnation of Sita to him. He moved his hand to her mouth instead of his own. After some struggle he fed the chapatti to her. But she also bit his finger while he was feeding her and he howled in pain. Then both of them burst into laughter.
The next morning when the narrator’s wife brought him tea, Munni was waking up Bitti and told him that their parents who had been cross with each other were friends again. They both laughed. Later while bathing, the narrator heard Munni showing Bittoo the swing of gudda and guddi in the sky. Bittoo was saying that its colours were brighter that day.
Conclusion
This story shows us how couples fight and make up. Although they lead a hard life, the narrator and his wife truly love each other. That is why they are able to make up at the end of the story despite the big fight they have. No matter how much a couple fight and disagree, they ultimately come to a mutual understanding if there is love between them.
