My Favourite Part in "The Village By The Sea" by Anita Desai

My favourite part are from Chapter 7 ~ 9. That was where the start of Hari's real adventure in Bombay really begins and where he met his benefactors one after another. Hira Lal, which was one of the first benefactors, brought Hari to Sri Krishna Eating House which provided him with a shelter and a job. What touches me was that in midst of so many rude, busy and uncivilised people, there was a kind person who was willing to lend a hand to Hari. The shroud of helplessness and hopelessness that covered Bombay seemed to be lifted by that simple, helpful act.

Jagu, the owner of the Sri Krishna Eating House, who was also one of the benefactors of Hari, was hospitable though he definitely was not well-to-do. It was evident from the squalid eating house he owned and the vile smelling, dingy house of his. Despite such poor living conditions, he was still generous with the salary and the amount of food provided. Such selfless spirit really made me think again whether people are really benevolent, neutral or malevolent towards one another. I like this part because it brought me warmth and a comforting sensation.

Mr Panwallah, the old watch-repairer, whose shop was right beside the Sri Krishna Eating House, proved to more amiable than Jagu. He carries hope as a character in the story. Hari, whose life seemed onerous, was given hope with the skill that Mr Panwallah imparted him. His friendly demeanour and willingness to teach Hari new skills seemed unlikely in this compeititive society where one must benefit from helping another. Such a person seemed like a fairygod(father) in a fairytale. The aid given to Hari was filled with such kindness and incredibility so much so that its very enjoyable.

Lastly, it was the de Silvas family that surprises me. Who says that wealthy people are snobs? Anita Desai seems to try and show us that there certainly will be compassionate people in this world that we lived in. No matter how depressing our lives may be, there will certainly be assistance from other people.

The numerous benefactors in this part of the story gave me much heartwarming and comforting thoughts and it really gave me a Positive Mental Attitude. The countless miracles in this fateful part of Hari's life gave a very seemingly fairytale-like storyline and as a pre-teen, I really like it a lot.