Real-Time - Summary
Amit Chaudhuri is a well-known Indian writer in English. Most of his stories are situated in Kolkata in the 1980s. He presents the lifestyle of upper middles class families in Kolkata. This particular short story portrays how even the death of a person is seen in a light-hearted manner. Even though the name of the city is not mentioned in the story it is understood from the reading as Kolkata.
The story revolves around a memorial service for a young woman, Anjali Poddar, who committed suicide by jumping off the third-story balcony of her parent's apartment building. The story is narrated in the third person from the point of view of the main character, Mr Mitra, a middle-aged, professional man who, with his wife, is attending the shradh ceremony for Anjali.
The story opens with Mr and Mrs Mitra in their Ambassador car on their way to the shraddha – the memorial ceremony for Anjali. His botheration about his white cotton dress and sandals on the way to buy flowers indicates his visit is a formal one.
They reach the apartment building and MrMitra hands over the tuberoses without saying anything that is no words of condolence are given. Then he walks around the rooms aimlessly, his mind resting on one object or another briefly. Mrs Mitra sits with Anjali’s mother quietly. Later men discuss business and women discuss dress shops and so no. Everyone’s presence indicate it was a formal visit and no one bothered much about Anjali.
The pain of loss and grief remain completely avoided and everyone becomes conscious to avoid discussion regarding Anjali. Mr Mitra eats a Sandesh, drinks a Fanta, and has a chat with an acquaintance. At the end he catches his wife’s eye to indicate that it was time to leave and felt that it had all been a waste of time. No sympathy, no condolences, no real concern about the tragic loss suffered by the Taluktars is portrayed in the story.
In the case of Mr. MItra, he comes there as a duty and he does not feel any sympathy for what the family is going through. He is keen that this duty to be over soon so that he can return home, back to the routines (going to the club, buying cookies for tea on the way home, visiting New Market, lunch of daal, rice and fish).The story satirizes society which looks at everything in a mechanical manner.