A tattered blanket
Tattered (torn) blanket is written by Kamala Das (Madhavi Kutty was her pen name) an Indian author. This story was written in Malayalam and later was translated by KM Sheriff.
From her childhood she was interested in writing poems and short stories. Since her parents were educated so she didn't have to go against her Family.
She was provoked by her parents to do something in the educational field and later she started writing stories, poems, autobiography in professional way.
Gopi was working as a senior position at Government official in Delhi miles away from his family with his wife and four children)
Gopi visits his mother in Kerala after five years. He went to Thiruvananthapuram for business purposes.
He simply popped in on his way back to see his mother as her house was on the way.
His mother was in her late 70s/early 80s. Kamala, his widowed elder sister, looked after her mother.
When he arrived at mother's home, his mother was taking rest in an armchair in Balcony.
She has a variable memory in certain circumstances but has trouble remembering the current situations due to her age. yet recalls the past in others.
Gopi's mother could not recognize her son Gopi.
Gopi's mother inquires about Gopi's letters with her daughter.
"Gopi, his wife, and their children are fine" replied her daughter by telling a lie.
Infact Gopi, didn't wrote any letter to his mother or sister but her daughter always used to say that Gopi frequently writes us a letter.
But their mother doesn't recognize her own child. "Who is your Amma?" she asks her son, Gopi.
Mother had an image of her son in her head, though. She still thinks her son is small and has gone somewhere to play.
Gopi's mother tells Gopi that if he meets her son and encounters her son, he should ask him to give her a red blanket.
There's a blanket on her bed that Gopi got her when he was in Madras for school which was completely torn and no longer warmer.
But Gopi was there for selling his part of property, nothing more.
Kamala is well aware that Gopi has here just for property and not to meet his mother.
It took him more than five years to find the time to return home.
'Amma is now eighty-three years old,' Kamala explains.
I doubt she will last much longer and it took you so long to see her after your last visit.
Gopi has his reasons for avoiding paying a visit to Amma. 'Amma has forgotten who I am,' he continues.
The story ends with Kamala's inquiry to Gopi, 'However, do you remember your Amma?'
Amma is unaware of her son since she has lost her memories.
Indeed, her forgetting is a godsend. Her son has no affection for his mother.
The mother in 'The Tattered Blanket' yearns for her son's affection.
Believing her son would live on in her memories forever.
She had been suffocated by amnesia. She kept on asking her daughter about her son.
She tells Gopi to inform her son that she needs a crimson blanket since her current one is torn.
This blanket symbolizes the warmth of her son's affection.
She truly needs warmth of her son's love.
After five years Gopi comes to Kerala to see his mother.
Gopi is a big officer in Delhi living with his wife Vasantha and four children.
He has come to Thiruvananthapuram as a part of his official assignment.
He ‘Just dropped in his way back’ to meet his mother.
His mother is very old and her age is around 83.
She lives with his eldest sister Kamala who was a widow and took care of her mother.
When he arrived unexpectedly at his home in the countryside, his mother was lying in an armchair on the veranda.
But his Mother fails to recognise her son Gopi.
She believes that Gopi is still a school boy.
She doesn’t recognise anybody. Sometimes her memory is quite sharp, sometimes she forgets the present, but used to remember the past.
When her memory is very sharp she asks about Gopi’s letters which he didn't write to his mother and sister from Delhi.
Kamala tells her a lie that everything is fine with Gopi, his wife and kids.
Because of his mother's age, her Mother couldn't recognise her son.
She asks her son Gopi
‘Who is your Amma?
What is her name?
Where does she live?
Is it far from here?’
His mother just had the picture of her son when he was small.
She says, My son ‘is in Delhi... a Government Officer.
He has Kesariyogam....
He draws a salary of two thousand five hundred rupees’.
Mother tells Gopi if he meets her sons ask him to send her a blanket.
A red one. She has a blanket, the one Gopi bought for her when he was studying in Madras.
It is all tattered now, just a ball of knotted yarn.
Gopi has come home to ask his sister to sell his share of land and get some money for him.
Kamala knows that Gopi has come only for money, not to see his mother.
It took more than five years for him to find time to come home.
Kamala says, ‘Amma is eighty three now. I don’t think she will pull on much longer.
It took you so long to visit her after the last time.’
But Gopi has his excuses for not visiting Amma.
He says ‘But Amma can’t remember who I am.
The story ends with Kamala's question to Gopi, ‘But do you remember your Amma?’
Amma doesn’t recognise her son because she has lost her power of memory.
In fact forgetfulness was a blessing for her.
Because her son doesn’t have any love for his mother.
This is one of the brilliant short stories penned by Madhavikutty in Malayalam.
Her focus has always been on the tormented female self craving for love.
She is concerned with the condition of women and the way in which they are betrayed by society.
In ‘The Tattered Blanket’ mother craves for her son’s love.
Her son is evergreen in her memory.
But she has been overpowered by forgetfulness.
She needs a red blanket because the old one is tattered.
Blanket represents the warmth of her son’s love.
She truly needs warmth of her son's love.
The Tattered Blanket
-Sarvesh SJB Rana
PhD in Political Science
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