Unit I - Flights of Freedom

III. Read and reflect:

“There are two ways of spreading light…
To be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.”
Women should choose between being a candle or a mirror, and work
for their own emancipation as well as for the generations to come.

MATCHBOX
Ashapurna Debi

I always compare women to A flame goes up dop in all Nomita's

matchboxes. Why? Because of the nerves and veins. She drops the
way matchboxes are - even though clothes in her hand and sits on the
they have enough gunpowder to set bed to open the letter; the first
a hundred Lankas1 aflame, they thing she looks at is the date.
sit around meek and innocent, in Going by the date, the letter must
the kitchen, in the pantry, in the have come about three days
bedroom, here, there, anywhere - earlier.
women, too, are exactly the same!
She turns over the envelope and
You want an example? matches the postmark to the date;
Then, look carefully at that that too bears the same witness.
enormous three-storey house in Yes, the letter came three days
front of us — ago.
Sunday morning. Ajit has opened it and read it, then
The washerman has come and is crumpled it and twisted it and
waiting. dropped it into his pocket and left
it there. Hasn't felt the need to
Moments before handing over a mention it even once to Nomita.
heap of Ajit's dirty clothes to the
washerman, Nomita goes through The flame that had gone up dop now
the pockets one last time and burns steadily, hissing, sounding
discovers the letter. its note on each of her mind's
strings.
A twisted, crumpled envelope with
its mouth torn, and on the Because this incident is not a
envelope, Nomita's name. casual oversight; it's deliberate.

Read and respond

1. Why are women compared to 2. What makes Nomita furious?
matchboxes?

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 Textbook for Class XII - ENGLISH

Ajit's nature is exactly like that. the record the news of her various
Somehow, he's gained possession hardships and complaints getting
of the key to the letter-box, fishing worse, misfortune upon
it through the gaps among the fifty- misfortune, the ceiling of her room
two hands of this joint family. And is cracked and the rain water falls
whenever there's a letter with through in ceaseless streams; if
Nomita's name on the envelope, he this is not immediately remedied,
opens and reads it first, and only she will have to die crushed under
then does he give it to her. It's the weight of a collapsed roof. Of
possible that oftentimes he doesn't course, she does not dread that
give it to her at all. At least, that's eventuality. Her daughter is a
the suspicion that has taken root, queen, her son-in-law high-
taken deep root, in Nomita's mind. minded, large-hearted. Therefore,
—etc. etc.
Even though, to this day, Ajit
cannot truthfully make the claim An indigent widow, without
that he's been able to discover any husband or son, she was successful
letter in the slightest degree in consigning her daughter to a
suspicious. wealthy family's house on the
strength of looks alone. But the
Still - still - this ugly habit of his good lady has never stopped taking
won't go. credit, at the slightest opportunity,
- Not with Nomita's anger, not with for her skill in the matter. And
her taking offence, not with bitter she's been finding such
reproaches, her trying to shame opportunities all along.
him, sarcasm - not with anything. Whenever Ajit sees a new letter
If she mentions it, first he tries to from Nomita's mother, he smiles
laugh it away, and if laughter derisively and says, "Why bother
doesn't get him out of deep water, to read that? I'll go and fill out a
he scolds her. money-order form."
She sits perfectly still for a minute Nomita's head hangs low with the
and reads the letter through. shame and the insult of it. So,
It's nothing much, a letter from some time ago, out of anger and
Nomita's mother. grief, Nomita forbade her mother
from writing to her on postcards.
It's her standard speech—the good
She thought that from then on she'd
woman has once again placed on

3. What is the suspicion in Nomita’s mind? 6. What are the expectations of Nomita's
4. What is called an “ugly habit”? Why? mother?
5. How does Ajit react when Nomita 7. Comment on Ajit's attitude towards his
mentions about his “ugly habit”? mother-in -law.

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 Unit I - Flights of Freedom

try to send her a little money, letter? Oho, yes yes! Indeed, there
whatever she could pull together, was a letter from your mother. I
in secret. So—this was what came just hadn't got around to giving it
of letters in envelopes too. to you."
Suddenly, Nomita flames into "Why hadn't you got around to it?
anger at her mother. Why? Why? Answer me, why hadn't
Why, why, does she keep on begging you got around to it?"
like this? "What a nuisance!" Ajit says. "I'd
Why won't she let Nomita keep her forgotten—why else?"
self-respect, her dignity. No, this "Liar!" Nomita hisses like a snake.
time she will write and tell her "Why are you saying whatever
mother clearly: "I can't do any comes to your mouth? Don't people
more, don't hope for anything from forget?"
me."
"No they don't! Why did you open
Right then, Ajit steps into the room my letter?"
after finishing his leisurely
Sunday bath. Nomita's sharp This charge Ajit tries to scatter to
indignation at the insult, the winds. "What if I opened it? My
simmering all this while, seems to own wife's letter—"
want to dash itself violently against "Be quiet, be quiet, I tell you. For
him. Nomita roars out, "When did what reason should you open my
this letter arrive?" letters? Haven't I told you a
Ajit glances at her obliquely, thousand times not to?"
estimating the magnitude of his Ajit doesn't fear Nomita's anger, he
error. fears a row. So he smiles an
"Another handful of cash for this," affected smile and says, "If you're
he had thought, and decided not forbidding it, then it's a definite
to give the letter to Nomita; he was something. Shouldn't I make sure
going to tear it up and throw it that no one's passing you love
away. He's made a big mistake. letters in secret?"

Not that Ajit is going to feel "Stop it! What a common, vulgar
abashed about that. man you are!"

As though trying hard to After this, it's not possible for Ajit
remember, he says, "Letter? What to smile his fake smile any longer.

8. What makes Nomita call Ajit a ‘liar’? Is 9. Comment on the simile in

her action justifiable? Why? “Nomita hisses like a snake.”
10. How do you think Ajit would react if
Nomita reads the letters addressed to him?

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 Textbook for Class XII - ENGLISH

Now, he too picks up the poisoned there, bright, blazing red.

knife. He says, "Is that so! Those He doesn't have the courage to put
who whine day and night and hold out that fire by slapping it between
out their palms to their son-in-law,
his hands, so he tries to pour water
they're the high-class people! A on it. With great difficulty, he
dung-picker's daughter becomes a attempts to speak normally. "You
queen, and so—" lose all common sense when you
"Shut up!" Nomita yells. get angry, don't you? A woman, and
Their room's on the third floor, such anger! Oof!"
that's a blessing. Otherwise, with Who knows what Nomita would
that scream, everyone would have have said next, but right then, her
come to look! niece Rini steps into the room.
"Shut up?" Ajit roars out. "What Immediately, she says, piercingly,
shut up? I'll do what I want, what I"So, Khuri-ma,2 how much longer
please. What will you do? Can you does the washerman have to wait?
do anything?" If you don't want to give him any of
"I can't? I can't do anything?" your clothes, at least tell him that!"
Almost panting, Nomita pronounces For a second or two, Nomita is still,
each word clearly: "You want to see perhaps recalling the washerman's
if I can do anything?" face, waiting for her downstairs,
And immediately, she does then she picks up the dirty clothes
something that is astonishing. She and starts sorting them. She says
grabs Ajit's matchbox that's lying in a calm tone, "Go tell him I'm
near his cigarettes on the table, coming. I'm bringing the clothes."
and fssh! She lights a matchstick Nomita speaks her mind, so no one
and touches it to her sari. attacks her outright, to her face,
Instantly it flares up, the very fine they only pinch her with sharp
anchol of a wealthy wife's sari. words. Her second sister-in-law is
almost exhausted with work this
The very next instant, Ajit, "Have morning, and, seeing her, she puts
you gone mad?" he says, and jumps a twisted smile on her sweat-
to her side and grabs the burning streaked face and says, "Well,
patch and slaps it between his that's something, at least, you
hands and puts out the fire. finally decided to come down from
And—to tell the truth, now he's a upstairs! Baba! There's no good or
little afraid. He looks fearfully at bad time for you, you find the
Nomita's face. Sees a fire burning smallest excuse to go into your

11. What is the “poisoned knife”? 13. What is the plight of Nomita in the family?
12. How does Nomita frighten Ajit?

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 Unit I - Flights of Freedom

room and get cozy with your warning me about. I didn't listen,
husband. Does the love-talk never and see what happened! I used my
get old?" anchol to lift a hot pot of water off
Nomita looks around once, to get a the stove—and that did it."
sense of the atmosphere. Sees the Nomita pulls the basket of potatoes
hurly-burly of the morning, sees towards herself and sits down to
the forest of people on either side. peel potatoes, and in her mind she
Her voice must not tremble. So she keeps thinking about how she
too smiles a small smile and says might be able, secretly, to send her
in an extremely soft voice, "Oh, it's mother a few rupees. She can't
nothing like that! You should come really write to her: "I can't do any
and peek in sometime. Our talk is more, don't hope for anything from
all angry talk, do you know?" me."
Mejo-wife 3 laughs Hoo-hoo and Over there, the entire village
says, "Stop it, Naw-wife 4, don't knows Nomita is a queen—
cover up the forbidden fish with Nomita's husband is high-minded,
your pious spinach. We haven't large-hearted.
been raised on donkey grass. Why This—this is precisely why I
do we need to peek in? What you're compare women to matchboxes.
showing us right in front of our Even when they have the materials
eyes, twenty-four hours a day—" within themselves to set off many
Nomita laughs a laugh that can raging fires, they never flare up
bring an attractive flush to a white and burn away the mask of men's
face. After laughing that laugh, high-mindedness, their large-
she says, "Go on. You say the heartedness. They don't burn away
naughtiest things!" their own colourful shells.
The busy Boro-wife5 runs up. "Have They won't burn them—the men
you chopped the vegetables yet? Or know this too.
are you just telling stories?" And That's why they leave them
suddenly she stops and starts, scattered so carelessly in the
"What's that? What's this unlucky kitchen, in the pantry, in the
thing, Naw-wife? How did you burn bedroom, here, there, anywhere.
your anchol that way?"
Quite without fear, they put them
Nomita too starts, but only for a in their pockets.
moment. The next instant, she
(Translated from Bengali by
folds the anchol back quickly and
Prasenjit Gupta)
says, laughing, "Oh, don't remind
me! It's exactly what you keep

14. Comment on the expression 'forest of people'. What does it tell us about the structure of
Indian joint families?

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 Textbook for Class XII - ENGLISH

Notes:- 2. Khuri-ma: father's younger

brother's wife
1. A reference to the Ramayana and the
3. Mejo-wife: second-oldest brother's
story of Rama's army of monkeys
wife
who set fire to Ravana's Lanka.
4. Naw-wife: fourth-oldest brother's
The following are kinship terms in wife
a Bengali joint family. 5. Boro-wife: eldest brother's wife.

About the Author

Ashapurna Debi (1909-1995) is a prominent Bengali novelist and poet,
widely honoured with a number of prizes and awards. She was awarded
the Jnanpith Award and the Padma Shri by the Government of India in
1976, and the degree of D. Litt by the Universities of Jabalpur, Rabindra
Bharati, Burdwan and Jadavpur. For her contribution as a novelist and
short story writer, the Sahitya Akademi conferred its highest honour, the
Fellowship in 1994.
This short story is translated from Bengali by Prasenjit Gupta, a translator and writer.
Glossary:
meek (adj) : humble derisively (adv) : contemptuously
sarcasm (n) : irony indignation (n) : resentment
eventuality (n) : possibility row (n) : quarrel
indigent (adj) : extremely poor

Think and write

m Sketch the character of Nomita. (You may analyse the sentences
given below.)
• Why, why, does she keep on begging like this?
• "Stop it! What a common, vulgar man you are!"
• Nomita laughs a laugh that can bring an attractive flush
to a white face.
m Do you think there is a set pattern for exhibiting a woman's
emotions? Is she always emotionally under stress? Justify your
answer.
m Prepare a write-up discussing the space of women in a family.
m How does the author substantiate the comparison between a
woman and a matchbox?
Activity I (Review)
r It is often said that an empowered woman is the one who can
‘find her own voice’, ‘speak up’, and ‘be seen and heard’. In the
present world, what we need is to foster a man-woman
relationship which contributes to healthy, mutual development.
Man and woman should move forward together, supporting and
respecting each other, and being open to different opinions and
situations.

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