THE BLUE BEAD
THE BLUE BEAD
The Blue Bead is a story of poverty and struggle. Struggle faced by the poor villagers residing in the foothills of the Himalayan villages. These villages were backward, untouched by urbanization.
THE BLUE BEAD
SUMMARY:
SIBIYA LOOKED AT SILVER THREADWORK WITH AMAZING EYES
The story is about Sibia, a twelve year old girl. The story begins with the huge mugger-crocodile coming out of the water to bake in the warm sun. Beside the crocodile where he lay under the sun was a glimmering blue bead.
THE BLUE BEAD
From here the story turns towards the protagonist Sibia, who comes out of a mud house. Sibia is a skinny little girl of twelve years with the complexion of the earth. She personifies poverty. Sibia wears an earth coloured rag torn to make a skirt and a sari. This shows the deplorable state of the people living in that backward village.
THE BLUE BEAD
(SIBIYA LOOKED AT SILVER THREADWORK WITH AMAZING EYES)
Sibia was eating the last of her meal of “chupatti wrapped round a smear of green chilli and rancid butter;’’. She knew what finery was. Sibia went to the bazaar in the little town with her parents and her brothers. She had seen the blown glass beads and the glass bangles kept on a stick, but never could buy them. She had also paused before the sweetmeat stall to `gaze at the brilliant honey confections’ with amazement. There were also various other wonderful items in the market.
THE BLUE BEAD
(SIBIYA LOOKED AT SILVER THREADWORK WITH AMAZING EYES)
Sibia could only see with wondering eyes but could never dream of possessing. Her only wish was to make a bead necklace for herself which would rattle round her neck. She was making a necklace for herself out of the shiny scarlet seeds, that grew everywhere in the jungle’. Sibia was `born to toil’. She husked corn, gathered sticks, put dung to dry, cooked, weeded, carried and fetched water and cut grass for fodder.
GUJAR WOMEN WORE LARGE SILVER EARRINGS
On the particular day when this story was set, Sibia was going with to the cliffs above the river to cut paper grass. On their way they passed a Gujar encampment. Gujars were nomadics who lived in grass huts. The Gujar women wore trousers tight and wrinkled at the ankles, and in their ears tinkled large silver rings.
SIBIYA LOOKED AT SILVER THREADWORK WITH AMAZING EYES
The women after collecting the paper grass came on the stepping-stones. They laughed and quarreled above the gush of the river to frighten the crocodiles, and they safely crossed the river. But Sibia trailed behind that day. She was carrying a heavy load and her muscles stretched and ached. So, she put down her load to rest. Just then she saw a Gujar woman who had come to fill her gurrah from the river.
THE BLUE BEAD
(GUJAR WOMEN WORE LARGE SILVER EARRINGS)
She was attacked by the big mugger crocodile. Sibia immediately sprang to rescue her. With her hayfork she aimed at the mugger’s eyes. The crocodile crashed back, exploded the water and disappeared in pain. Sibia put her arms around the Gujar woman and with effort dragged her out of the water. She put sand on her wounds to stop the blood and bound them with rag. She then helped her reach the Gujar encampment.
THE BLUE BEAD
(SIBIYA LOOKED AT SILVER THREADWORK WITH AMAZING EYES)
When Sibia bent to take her grass, sickle and fork she saw the bead rocking in the movement of the river water. She reached for it and though missed it at the first time, she got it in her palm. Her joy knew no bound. On the way back home she met her mother who was worried at her being so late and scolding her. Sibia forgot about the crocodile and the Gujar woman. She burst with her story, “something did! I found a blue bead for my necklace, look!’’ For Sibia her act of bravery was insignificant in comparison to that blue bead.
(SIBIYA LOOKED AT SILVER THREADWORK WITH AMAZING EYES)
THEMES :
The Blue Bead portrays the themes of poverty, struggle for survival and the extraordinary power of human will.
(GUJAR WOMEN WORE SILVER EARRINGS)
One of the most important theme of the story is poverty. Sibia, a twelve year old child-woman is poverty personified. She lives in a mud house in a backward village untouched by civilization.
THE BLUE BEAD
(SIBIYA LOOKED AT SILVER THREADWORK WITH AMAZING EYES)
Sibia is eating a `chupatti’ smeared with green chilli and rancid butter. She divides it into small pieces to make it seem more. Sibia can afford no luxury. She looks at the silks and satins with looking glass embroidery and silver thread works with eyes full of amazement. But she can’t dream of possessing any. She goes along with her mother to cut paper grass to provide for her daily needs.
SIBIYA LOOKED AT SILVER THREADWORK WITH AMAZING EYES
She loves to adorn her neck with a necklace and hear its rattling sound but has to wait till her family buys a new needle to drill the seeds.
THE BLUE BEAD
The struggle for survival is yet the next important theme of the story. Through the character of Sibia and her family Burke shows the hardships and challenges faced by these people every day. Even the lives of the Gujars in the encampments are continuously threatened by wild animals.
(GUJAR WOMEN WORE SILVER EARRINGS)
THE BLUE BEAD
The women go to the cliff crossing a river full of crocodiles. There is no proper bridge across the river. They have to jump from one stepping stone to another. The women laugh and quarrel loudly above the gush of the river to frighten away the crocodiles. They have to carry loads of paper grass. Not only the grown-ups but also children like the twelve year old Sibia.
THE BLUE BEAD
(SIBIYA LOOKED AT SILVER THREADWORK WITH AMAZING EYES)
However the most important theme of the story is the extraordinary power of human will. Sibia while returning from the cliff with her load of grass and sickle and hayfork saw a Gujar woman attacked by a mugger-crocodile. She instead of running away from there counter attacked the crocodile with her hayfork. Sibia pierced its eyes and killed the reptile. She then helped the woman go back to the Gujar encampment. It is her willpower and determination that saved the Gujar woman’s life and made her victorious over the crocodile.
