The Imagery of the ‘Rest House’
The narrator affirms, “For several years now, thanks to the recommendations of my former colleagues, this rest house situated halfway up a hill of the Vindhya Range has been my forest retreat. It is a double-storeyed building constructed from copper-coloured local stone, the upper floor comprising three spacious and self-contained floor occupied by a dining room and drawing room opening onto an ideal veranda. Happily, the interiors retain their original mosaic tiles, having escaped the attention of a British administrator who plastered the outside walls at the turn of the century, giving the exterior of the bungalow with its pillared portico and balustrade steps an air more Victorian than Moghul.” The imagery of the expansive bungalow supplements its ambiance making it idyllic for contemplation. Having the forest as a backdrop, places the narrator in close vicinity to Mother Nature. The omnipresence of the Victorian air renders the bungalow a comfy dwelling that would appeal to introverted individuals who are interested in extended meditation.
The Imagery of the Jain Monk’s 'Renunciation Ceremony'
The Jain monk narrates, “Today’s procession is only the culmination of a dozen ceremonies already held all over the world when limousines filled with members of the international diamond trading community followed the Rolls- Royce in which I rode beside my father to distribute our charity at the offices of the Red Cross and UNICEF. I can feel the angry skepticism in the stadium even before I hear the yelled jeers below the stadium which I am standing with my father.” The ceremony is a precise farewell to all the extravagances which the monk will not relish as a Jain Monk. Jain monk’s father is spectacularly well-off based on his capability to sponsor the renunciation ceremonies across the globe. ‘Red cross and UNICEF’ are signals of the father’s worldwide supremacy. The jeers which the monk distinguishes are censures of his resolution to forfeit treasures for the sake of his monk calling; the crowd considers that he should have elected prosperity over the monk role.
