Shades of Green

‘Grandmother’s tale’ by R.K.Narayan is the story of his great grandmother, who lived in those days of child marriages. The writer’s great grandmother, Balambal, addressed as Bala was only seven when she was married and her husband being just ten years old. On one auspicious day she was clad in a sari, decked in jewellery and taken to the pillared hall of the temple where she was garlanded and made to sit beside a boy whom she was shy to look at. After the marriage, the girl’s life had changed. She could neither go out nor meet her husband except on special occasions. Bala’s husband, Viswa, had finally discovered a way to access her from the backyard of her house where she washed clothes. One fine day he told her that he would be going away. When enquired why and with whom, he had no answer. He only said that he was joining the pilgrims beyond the river. But Viswa’s disappearance had extended for more than a month and had become a sensation in the village. Bala could not go out bec