A Devoted Son is a novel written by Indian woman author, Anita Desai. The book was originally published on 1978. The story of novel revolves around a story of devoted son, Rakesh, who look after his father with all his heart and does not give up on him no matter what.
A Devoted Son By Anita Desai
Summary of A Devoted Son By Anita Desai
Anita Desai’s ” A Devoted Son ” story begins with character, Rakesh, who recently gave a medical exam. He is excitedly waiting for his result which is going to come next day. In next day, Rakesh was so excited that he goes to see his results without wearing slippers.
After checking his result, Rakesh goes to see his father, Verma Ji, who was sitting in balcony and drinking tea. Rakesh took his father’s blessing by touching his feet. His father asked him smiling, have you scored first division ?
Rakesh replied that he scored a top marks from his whole country. Everyone in Verma Ji’s family are very happy to see Rakesh’s result as he is a top scorer of his country. Rakesh was the first person from his complete family who took such level higher education, and his father and mother sacrificed many things to send him school and college.
Everyone was congratulating Verma Ji as his son became a top scorer of India. Rakesh father told everyone that first thing Rakesh did after result was he touch my feet to took my blessings. This made many people emotional especially women.
Thereafter, Rakesh went to U.S.A for further education as he got a scholarship from his college. After studying with top minds, Rakesh came back to his home where he grown up. As soon as Rakesh came back from America, he first took his mother and father’s blessing by touching their feet. He does not forgets his roots even after living in America.
Afterwards, Rakesh got married to a girl which his mother chose for him. First, that girl was fat and second, she was illiterate. Rakesh still married her because his mother choses that girl for him. Even though that girl is fat but beautiful. She gave birth to a one boy.
Rakesh started working in one of the cities hospital and soon he started his own clinic. Rakesh became very rich through his work in hospital and clinic. Day after day, Rakesh loses his fame, people do respect him but not like when he came from America.
The time has changed, Rakesh’s father is an old person now and his mother is no more but still he has same respect for his mother and father. He now look after his father. The people around their village calls him good person as he take care of his father, mother and son. Rakesh is a good son, husband and father.
As Rakesh’s father get old, he became irritable and short tempered person. One day, there was big party going on in Rakesh’s house but suddenly he felt that his father is no more so he stopped the party immediately.
Everyone was upset with Rakesh’s old father but Rakesh does not, he was tolerating everything about his father. Rakesh is a devoted son who loves his father and look after him with his all heart. He gives tea to his father everything morning, he reads him news paper and gives him medicine on time.
One day, Verma Ji was very sick and wanted eat Semolina halwa, so he asked his daughter in law to make it for him. Rakesh came outside from his room but not as son but doctor and said to his father that we won’t give you halwa because it will make you sick. We can give you milk or Kheer with very less sugar on it. On that Rakesh’s father get offended on him because this is the first time their son is not obeying their order.
Rakesh was doing all this for his father only because he wants him to recover from disease but his father doesn’t understand him. Verma Ji just get offended and sad whenever Rakesh does not listen to him. One day, Verma Ji send his grandson at sweet shop to bring some sweets for him. Rakesh catch his son and slapped him, and shouts on his father in anger.
Verma Ji has only one happiness in life which is his old friends. Verma Ji has one friend named, Bhatia, who is their neighbor. Verma Ji is jealous of him because Bhatia is old like him but free as his son does not scold or interrupt him in anything he does. While Verma Ji’s son, Rakesh scolds him in everything.
One day, Bhatia tells to Verma that atleast your son look after you while mine son does not care me. Verma Ji replies that I’m upset with my son, Rakesh because he does not let me eat sweets, oily food and many things which he crave for. He does not even let me eat fish, chicken, butter and gives me food after calculating its amount on calculator.
There is pain in Verma Ji words but Rakesh is doing all this for his father’s health. He want his father to recover from disease. Verma Ji is taking medicine for everything like for heart, blood pressure and stomach pain. That’s why Rakesh does not let him eat oily and heavy food.
Finally, Verma Ji got fed up and asks Rakesh to release him from home and make him free. Its better that I die than to live with you. I don’t want to live to eat your given medicine. Leave me alone and let me die because I can’t live like that. Verma Ji wants to die but his son, Rakesh’s medicine doesn’t let him die.
The story of novel ends with Rakesh who tries to give tonic to his father, Verma Ji, but his father does not drink it as he just wants to die. The story is about perspective and we should look at both father and son’s perspective to understand the story of novel.