Book Review: The Canal by Ruskin Bond

The Canal is a short story featured in the book ‘Secrets’ by Ruskin Bond. The story is about some adolescent boys’ frolic activities in and around a canal in Dehradun. Ruskin (the narrator) and some of his friends used to bath and while away time in that canal during simmer time. The canal used to come from the mountains up the valley. The canal was famous because once it was a battle point and historians called it Nalapani. Well, the gang of boys called it Panipat battle point, since they were weak at history lessons.

Their only interruption to the fun was Miss Gamla. The canal flowed touching the backside edge of her house. There were a lot of pot plants in her house and for this reason the boys called her Miss Gamla. She was around sixty year old spinster. Because of her presence, boys hardly ever bathed in full nakedness. At the sight of grown up boys, she felt upset. Boys’ noise often disturbed her afternoon siesta. She would often warn them to be off but boys never listened to her even if she complained to the police.

Having tired of the boys, she one afternoon began chasing and beating the boys in sheer frustration. In an attempt to save himself Ruskin pulled her into the flowing water unwittingly. Before the boys could act she was carried off by the strong streams and lost in the covered canal that stretched for at least two hundred meters. Boys became frightened and also felt guilty of her death. They stopped going to the canal and feared that sooner or later the police would come searching them. They would be arrested on the charges of murder.

After hiding for a few weeks, they went back to see the canal and there they found Miss Gamla coming out from her home and shouting at them. They heaved sigh of relief. They were happy to see her alive and at the same time stopped visiting that canal.

The book is fun to read because Ruskin has showed that grown-up boys often bully old people. Though they never mean harm, but some or other serious misdeed happens inevitably. As usual the language is light and easy to grasp. Ruskin brings alive the charm of the young age with no difference at all.