The Axe

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An astrologer passing through the 9illage foretold that .elan 2ould li9e in a three+storeyed house surrounded by :any acres of garden1 At this e9erybody gathered round young .elan and :ade fun of hi:1 For -oppal did not ha9e a :ore ragged and godforsaen fa:ily than .elan$s1 (is father had :ortgaged e9ery bit of property he had5 and 2ored5 2ith his 2hole fa:ily5 on other people$s lands in return for a fe2 annas a 2ee 1 1 1 A three+storeyed house for .elan indeedV 1 1 1 *ut the scoffers 2ould ha9e congratulated the astrologer if they had seen .elan about thirty or forty years later1 (e beca:e the sole occupant of -u:ar *aughKthat palatial house on the outsirts of Malgudi to2n1 )hen he 2as eighteen .elan left ho:e1 (is father slapped his face one day for co:ing late 2ith the :idday+:eal5 and he did that in the presence of others in the field1 .elan put do2n the baset5 glared at his father and left the place1 (e 8ust 2aled out of the 9illage5 and 2aled on and on till he ca:e to the to2n1 (e star9ed for a couple of days5 begged 2here9er he could and arri9ed in Malgudi5 2here after :uch nocing about5 an old :an too hi: on to assist hi: in laying out a garden1 The garden eGisted only in the :ind of the gardener1 )hat they could see see no2 no2 2as 2as acre acre upon upon acre acre of 2eed 2eed+c +co9 o9er ered ed land land11 .ela .elan$ n$ss :ain :ain busi busine ness ss cons consis iste ted d in destroying all the 9egetation he sa21 &ay after day he sat in the sun and tore up by hand the un2anted plants1 And all the 8ungle gradually disappeared and the land stood as bare as a football field1 Three sides of the land 2ere :ared off for an eGtensi9e garden5 and on the rest 2as to be built a house1 *y the ti:e the :angoes had sprouted they 2ere laying the foundation of the house1 About the ti:e the :argosa sapling had shot up a couple of yards5 the 2alls 2ere also co:ing up1 The flo2ersKhibiscus5 chrysanthe:u:5 8as:ine5 roses and cannaKin the front par suddenly created a 2onderland one early su::er1 .elan had to race 2ith the briclayers1 (e 2as no2 the chief gardener5 the old :an he had co:e to assist ha9ing suddenly fallen ill1 .elan 2as proud of his position and responsibility1 (e eenly 2atched the progress of the briclayers and 2hispered to the plants as he 2atered the:5 UNo2 loo sharp5 young fello2s1 The building is going up and up e9ery day1 If it is ready and 2e aren$t5 2e shall be the laughingstoc of the to2n1$ (e heaped :anure5 aired the roots5 tri::ed the branches and 2atered the plants t2ice a day5 and on the 2hole ga9e an i:pression of hustling nature and nature see:ed to respond1 For he did present a good+siDed garden to his :aster and his fa:ily 2hen they ca:e to occupy the house1 The house proudly held up a do:e1 *alconies 2ith intricately car9ed 2ood2or hung do2n fro: the sides of the house s:ooth5 rounded pillars5 deep 9erandas5 cheuered :arble floors and spacious halls5 ranged one behind another5 ga9e the house such an i:posing appearance that .elan ased hi:self5 UCan any :ortal li9e in this I thought such :ansions eGisted only in 2arga !oAa1$ )hen he sa2 the itchen and the dining roo: he said5 U)hy5 our 2hole 9illage could be acco::odated in this eating place aloneV$ The house+builder$s assistant told hi:5 U)e ha9e built bigger houses5 things costing nearly t2o  laAhs1  )hat is this house It has hardly cost your :aster a  laAh  of rupees1 It is 8ust a little :ore than an ordinary house5 that is all 1 1 1$ After returning to his hut .elan sat a long ti:e trying to grasp the 9ision5 scope and calculations of  the builders of the house5 but he felt diDDy1 (e 2ent to the :argosa plant5 gripped its ste: 2ith his fingers and said5 UIs this all5 you scraggy one )hat if you 2a9e your head so high abo9e :ine I can put :y fingers around you and shae you up lie this1 "ro2 up5 little one5 gro2 up1 "ro2 fat1 (a9e a trun 2hich t2o pairs of ar:s can$t hug5 and go up and spread1 *e fit to stand

beside this palace other2ise I 2ill pull you out1$ )hen the :argosa tree ca:e up approGi:ately to this 9ision5 the house had acuired a :ello2ness in its appearance1 uccessi9e su::ers and :onsoons had robbed the paints on the doors and 2indo2s and 2ood2or of their brightness and the 2alls of their original colour5 and had put in their place tints and shades of their o2n choice1 And though the house had lost its resplendence5 it had no2 a :ore hu:an loo1 (undreds of parrots and :ynas and unna:ed birds li9ed in the branches of the :argosa5 and under its shade the :aster$s great+ grandchildren and the ;younger> grandchildren played and uarrelled1 The :aster 2aled about leaning on a staff1 The lady of the house5 2ho had looed such a bloo:ing creature on the inauguration day5 2as shrunen and grey and spent :ost of her ti:e in an in9alid$s chair on the 9eranda5 gaDing at the garden 2ith dull eyes1 .elan hi:self 2as :uch changed1 No2 he had to depend :ore and :ore upon his assistants to eep the garden in shape1 (e had lost his parents5 his 2ife and eight children out of fourteen1 (e had :anaged to reclai: his ancestral property5 2hich 2as no2 being looed after by his sons+in+la2 and sons1 (e 2ent to the 9illage for   Pongal 5 Ne2 'ear$s and   &eepa9ali5   and brought bac 2ith hi: one or the other of his grandchildren5 of 2ho: he 2as eGtre:ely fond1 .elan 2as perfectly contented and happy1 (e de:anded nothing :ore of life1 As far as he could see5 the people in the big house too see:ed to be eually at peace 2ith life1 One sa2 no reason 2hy these good things should not go on and on for e9er1 *ut &eath peeped around the corner1 Fro: the ser9ants$ uarters 2hispers reached the gardener in his hut that the :aster 2as 9ery ill and lay in his roo: do2nstairs ;the bedroo: upstairs so laboriously planned had to be abandoned 2ith ad9ancing age>1 &octors and 9isitors 2ere constantly co:ing and going5 and .elan had to be :ore than e9er on guard against Uflo2er+plucers$1 One :idnight he 2as a2aened and told that the :aster 2as dead1 U)hat is to happen to the garden and to :e The sons are no good5$ he thought at once1 And his fears pro9ed to be not entirely groundless1 The sons 2ere no good5 really1 They stayed for a year :ore5 uarrelled a:ong the:sel9es and 2ent a2ay to li9e in another house1 A year later so:e other fa:ily ca:e in as tenants1 The :o:ent they sa2 .elan they said5 UOld gardener &on$t be up to any trics1 )e no2 the sort you are1 )e 2ill sac you if you don$t beha9e yourself1$ .elan found life intolerable1 These people had no regard for a garden1 They 2aled on flo2er beds5 children cli:bed the fruit trees and pluced unripe fruits5 and they dug pits on the garden paths1 .elan had no courage to protest1 They ordered hi: about5 sent hi: on errands5 :ade hi: 2ash the co2 and lectured to hi: on ho2 to gro2 a garden1 (e detested the 2hole business and often thought of thro2ing up his 2or and returning to his 9illage1 *ut the idea 2as unbearableL he couldn$t li9e a2ay fro: his plants1 Fortune5 ho2e9er5 soon fa9oured hi:1 The tenants left1 The house 2as loced up for a fe2 years1 Occasionally one of  the sons of the late o2ner ca:e round and inspected the garden1 "radually e9en this ceased1 They left the eys of the house 2ith .elan1 Occasionally a prospecti9e tenant ca:e do2n5 had the house opened and 2ent a2ay after re:aring that it 2as in ruinsKplaster 2as falling off in flaes5 paint on doors and 2indo2s re:ained only in a fe2 s:all patches and 2hite ants 2ere eating a2ay all the cupboards and shel9es 1 1 1 A year later another tenant ca:e5 and then another5 and then a third1 No one re:ained for :ore than a fe2 :onths1 And then the house acuired the reputation of being haunted1 #9en the o2ners dropped the practice of co:ing and seeing the house1 .elan 2as 9ery nearly the :aster of the house no21 The eys 2ere 2ith hi:1 (e 2as also gro2ing old1 Although he did his best5 grass gre2 on the paths5 2eeds and creepers strangled the flo2ering plants in the front garden1 The fruit trees yielded their load punctually1 The o2ners leased out the 2hole of 

the fruit garden for three years1 .elan 2as too old1 (is hut 2as leay and he had no energy to put up ne2 thatch1 o he shifted his residence to the front 9eranda of the house1 It 2as a deep 9eranda running on three sides5 pa9ed 2ith cheuered :arble1 The old :an sa2 no reason 2hy he should not li9e there1 (e had as good a right as the bats and the rats1 )hen the :ood seiDed hi: ;about once a year> he opened the house and had the floor s2ept and scrubbed1 *ut gradually he ga9e up this practice1 (e 2as too old to bother about these things1 'ears and years passed 2ithout any change1 It ca:e to be no2n as the U"host (ouse$5 and people a9oided it1 .elan found nothing to gru:ble about in this state of affairs1 It suited hi: eGcellently1 Once a uarter he sent his son to the old fa:ily in the to2n to fetch his 2ages1 There 2as no reason 2hy this should not ha9e gone on indefinitely1 *ut one day a car sounded its horn angrily at the gate1 .elan hobbled up 2ith the eys1 U(a9e you the eys Open the gate5$ co::anded so:eone in the car1 UThere is a s:all side+gate5$ said .elan :eely1 UOpen the big gate for the carV$ .elan had to fetch a spade and clear the 9egetation 2hich bloced the entrance1 The gates opened on rusty hinges5 creaing and groaning1 They thre2 open all the doors and 2indo2s5 2ent through the house eenly eGa:ining e9ery portion and re:ared5 U&id you notice the crac on the do:e The 2alls too are craced 1 1 1 There is no other 2ay1 If 2e pull do2n the old ra:shacle carefully 2e :ay still be able to use so:e of the :aterials5 though I a: not at all certain that the 2ooden portions are not hollo2 inside 1 1 1 (ea9en alone no2s 2hat :adness is responsible for people building houses lie this1$ They 2ent round the garden and said5 U)e ha9e to clear e9ery bit of this 8ungle1 All this 2ill ha9e to go 1 1 1$ o:e :ighty person looed .elan up and do2n and said5 U'ou are the gardener5 I suppose )e ha9e not :uch use for a garden no21 All the trees5 eGcept half a doDen on the 9ery boundary of the property5 2ill ha9e to go1 )e can$t afford to 2aste space1 This flo2er garden 1 1 1 ($:5 it is 1 1 1 old+fashioned and crude5 and apart fro: that the front portion of the site is too 9aluable to be 2asted 1 1 1$ A 2ee later one of the sons of his old :aster ca:e and told .elan5 U'ou 2ill ha9e to go bac to your 9illage5 old fello21 The house is sold to a co:pany1 They are not going to ha9e a garden1 They are cutting do2n e9en the fruit trees they are offering co:pensation to the leaseholder they are 2iping out the garden and pulling do2n e9en the building1 They are going to build s:all houses by the score 2ithout lea9ing space e9en for a blade of grass1$ There 2as :uch bustle and acti9ity5 :uch co:ing and going5 and .elan retired to his old hut1 )hen he felt tired he lay do2n and slept at other ti:es he 2ent round the garden and stood gaDing at his plants1 (e 2as gi9en a fortnight$s notice1 #9ery :o:ent of it see:ed to hi: precious5 and he 2ould ha9e stayed till the last second 2ith his plants but for the sound of an aGe 2hich stirred hi: out of his afternoon nap t2o days after he 2as gi9en notice1 The dull noise of a blade :eeting a tough surface reached his ears1 (e got up and rushed out1 (e sa2 four :en hacing the :assi9e trun of the old :argosa tree1 (e let out a screa:L Utop thatV$

(e too his staff and rushed at those 2ho 2ere hacing1 They easily a9oided the blo2 he ai:ed1 U)hat is the :atter$ they ased1 .elan 2ept1 UThis is :y child1 I planted it1 I sa2 it gro21 I lo9ed it1 &on$t cut it do2n 1 1 1$ U*ut it is the co:pany$s orders1 )hat can 2e do )e shall be dis:issed if 2e don$t obey5 and so:eone else 2ill do it1$ .elan stood thining for a 2hile and said5 U)ill you at least do :e this good turn "i9e :e a little ti:e1 I 2ill bundle up :y clothes and go a2ay1 After I a: gone do 2hat you lie1$ They laid do2n their aGes and 2aited1 Presently .elan ca:e out of his hut 2ith a bundle on his head1 (e looed at the tree+cutters and said5 U'ou are 9ery ind to an old :an1 'ou are 9ery ind to 2ait1$ (e looed at the :argosa and 2iped his eyes1 U*rothers5 don$t start cutting till I a: really gone far5 far a2ay1$ The tree+cutters suatted on the ground and 2atched the old :an go1 Nearly half an hour later his 9oice ca:e fro: a distance5 half+indistinctlyL U&on$t cut yet1 I a: still 2ithin hearing1 Please 2ait till I a: gone farther1$