The Gold Frame

Humour

The Gold Frame - R.K. Laxman

Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman is an Indian Cartoonist and Humorist. He is widely regarded as India’s greater-ever cartoonist and is the best known for his creation ‘The Common Man’.

The Gold Frame is written by R.K. Laxman. The Gold Frame, a short story speaks about a person called Datta, hardworking man, who commits a mistake and tries to rectify it. Laxman tries to bring out the satirical character of man in the customer who meets Datta.

The Modern Frame Works, A Photo Frame Shop was an extra-large wooden packing case built on shaking wooden stand. It was situated between a drug store and radio repair shop. Datta was its owner. He was silent, hardworking man. He gave laconic answers to his customers. Datta does not like casual friends, who tried to intrude on his silent zone. He always sat amidst cardboard pieces, bits of wood, glass sheets, nail boxes, glue bottles, paint tins and other odds and ends that went into putting a picture in a frame.

Many times he had to shake his dhoti vigorously in search of a lost object. This would shake his whole shop. His shop was fully covered with pictures.

One day a customer standing in the pavement, outside his shop showed him a picture and said ‘ I want this picture famed’. Datta ignored him. The customer unwrapped the newspaper and showed Datta the photograph.

The customer wanted the best kind of frame. Datta had a glimpse of the photograph. It was just another elderly person’s photograph.

The customer started to describe the greatness of the old man and the man in the photograph was God in his home.

Datta asked ‘what sort of a frame do you want?’. Datta gave the customer options like plain, wooden, lacquer, gold, plastic or just enamel painted. The customer surveyed the frames, which shown by Datta. The customer repeated ‘ I want the best’. He was unable to select the frame. At last, Datta came to his rescue and suggested one with a profusion of gold leaves and winding creepers. Datta said that it was imported from Germany. The customer was seemed, impressed and satisfied. Datta helped the customer with the mount also. The customer tried to bargain but, later on, agreed with Datta.

Datta had learned by long experience that his customers never came punctually. Either they came in advance and went away disappointed or they came months later and some of his customers never turned up. Therefore, he waited for them at least twice before executing their orders. Ten days later the rustic-looking customer came and asked if his frame was ready. Actually, he had come four days early.

The next morning Datta made his first job, keeping aside all the others. He wanted to finish the frame for the photograph. He took the picture out carefully and kept it on the wooden plank. As usual, his pencil stub was missing and he was frustrated. Finally, he stood up and shook his dhoti so violently that he upset tin containing enamel paint. Unfortunately, the paint spilled on the photograph.

Data stood transfixed. He could not recover from the transfixed state he had created.

When at last he fully recovered his senses he set about rescuing the picture. He rubbed the picture so hard with a cloth, and then he peeled off thin strips of the filmy coating from its surface. Before he realized what he had done half the old man’s face and nearly his entire turban were gone.

Data was now worried about how he would answer his customer, who had a fanatic devotion to the photograph.

Data racked his brain for a long while till he was overtaken by exhaustion.

In his state of mind, it did not occur to him that a particular photograph on the wall had caught his attention. It was an ordinary portrait of a middle-aged man. Data was amazed to see that he had the resemblance to the old man in the photograph.

An idea struck Datta. He brought down the old wooden box. He found a lot of photographs he could pick, which looked more or less like the old man.

At last, Datta found one photograph, which could replace the old man. After a couple of hours, he had a resplendent looking photograph in front of him. It had a gold frame asked by the customer.

The days that followed were filled with suspense and anxiety. Datta was nervous about the hoax he had played. At last, the customer came for his photograph. Datta's heart began to race. Nevertheless, he gave the photograph to the customer.

The customer was struck by its grandeur. He was silent like one who entered the inner sanctum of a temple. Datta held his breath and watched the customer’s expression. Suddenly the customer straightened up and asked indignantly ‘what have you done?’. Datta stood silent for a moment. He had rehearsed for this situation for a long time. Before he could speak, the customer said that he had asked for an oval gold frame whereas Datta had out a square gold frame.

Though, Datta was prepared for all kinds of question. This was unexpected. Thus, R.K.Laxman tries to bring about the humor through the absent-minded customer and cunning shop owner.

1. What was the intention of the customer in this story when he went to Datta?

The customer wanted the photograph of an elderly person framed.

2. What feature of the photograph made Datta think of it as just another photograph of an elderly person of those days?

It was a standard photograph with the usual whiskers and the large, heavy turban.

3. What was the disaster that struck the photograph? What was Datta’s reaction to this disaster?

A tin of white enamel paint accidentally fell on the photograph damaging it irreparably. Datta horrified, started rubbing the picture with a cloth to save it, but only made it worse.

4. How did Datta plan to repair the damage that had occurred?

Datta planned to replace the ruined photograph with a similar unclaimed one of the same period.

5. How did Datta go about his plan of action?

Datta searched among the unclaimed photographs in his shop until he found one that he felt could pass as the lost photograph; put it in a shining gold frame.

6. Explain the humour in the ending of the story?

Datta prepared for the customer’s anger on finding out what he had done, but man annoyed for a far less serious reason altogether – because the shape of the frame was not the one he had asked for.

Meanings

Laconic- brief or concise

Intrude – to disturb

Odds and ends – pieces of things

Vigorously – strong and active

Unwrapped – to remove the covering

Glimpse- very brief look

Lacquer- used to form a hard shiny and usually transparent covering on wood and metal

Profusion-overflowing; excessive

Creepers- creeping plants

Rustic-rural

Violently- using extreme physicalforce

Transfixed – to immobilize through surprise, fear, horror, etc.

Strips- to remove the surface

Racked one’s brain – to think as hard as one can, especially in order to remember something

Exhaustion- to make (person) very tired

Resemblance – likeness or similarity

Resplendent- brilliant appearance

Anxiety- strong feeling of fear