All the stories you have been telling tonight seem to fall into two categories. There is the type where you have the world of the living on one side, the world of the dead on the other, and some force that allows for crossing over from one side to the other. This would include ghosts and the like. The second type involves paranormal abilities, premonitions, and the ability to predict the future. All of your stories belong to one of these two groups.

In fact, your experiences tend to fall almost totally under one of these categories or the other. What I mean is, people who see ghosts just see ghosts and never have premonitions. And those who have premonitions do not see ghosts. I do not know why, but there would appear to be some individual predilection for one or the other. At least that is the impression I get.

Of course, some people do not fall into either category. Me, for instance. In my thirty-old years I have never once seen a ghost, never once had a premonition or prophetic dream. There was one time I was riding an elevator with a couple of friends and they swore they saw a ghost riding with us, but I did not see a thing. They claimed there was a woman in a grey suit standing right next to me, but there was no woman with us, at least as far as I could make out. The three of us were the only ones in the elevator. No kidding. And these two friends were not the type to deliberately play tricks on me. The whole thing was really weird, but the fact remains that I have still never seen a ghost.

But there was one time-just the one time-when I had an experience that scared me out of my wits. This happened over ten years ago, and I have never told anybody about it. I was afraid to even talk about it. I felt that if I did, it might happen all over again, so I have never brought it up. But tonight each of you has related his own scary experience, and as the host I cannot very well call it a night without contributing something of my own. So I have decided to just come right out and tell you the story.

I graduated from high school at the end of the 1960s, just when the student movement was in full swing. I was part of the hippie generation, and refused to go to college. Instead, I wandered all over Japan working at various manual labour jobs. I was convinced that was the most righteous way to live. Young and impetuous, I guess you would call me. Looking back on it now, though, I think I had a pretty fun life back then. Whether that was the right choice or not, if I had to do it over again, I am pretty sure I would.

In the fall of my second year of roaming all over the country, I got a job for a couple of months as a night watchman at a junior high school. This was in a school in a tiny town in Niigata Prefecture. I had got pretty worn out working over the summer and wanted to take it easy for a while. Being a night watchman is not exactly rocket science. During the day I slept in the janitor’s office, and at night all I had to do was go twice around the whole school making sure everything was okay. The rest of the time I listened to records in the music room, read books in the library, played basketball by myself in the gymnasium. Being alone all night in a school is not so bad, really. Was I afraid? No way. When you are eighteen or nineteen, nothing fazes you.

I do not imagine any of you have ever worked as a night watchman, so maybe I should explain the duties. You are supposed to make two rounds each night, at nine p.m. and three a.m. That is the schedule. The school was a fairly new three-storey concrete building, with eighteen to twenty classrooms. Not an especially large school as these things go. In addition to the classrooms you had a music room, an art studio, a staff office, and the principal’s office, plus a separate cafeteria, swimming pool, gymnasium, and auditorium. My job was to make a quick check of all of these.

As I made my rounds, I followed a twenty-point checklist. I had made a check mark next to each one-staff office, check, science laboratory, check… I suppose I could have just stayed in bed in the janitor’s room, where I slept, and checked these off without going to the trouble of actually walking around. But I was not such a haphazard sort of person. It did not take much time to make the rounds, and besides, if someone broke in while I was sleeping, I would be the one who would get attacked.

Anyway, there I was each night at nine and three, making my rounds, a flashlight in my left hand, a wooden kendo sword in my right. I had practiced kendo in high school and felt pretty confident in my ability to fend off anyone. If an attacker was an amateur, and even if he had a real sword with him, that would not have scared me. I was young, remember. If it happened now, I would run like hell.

Anyhow, this took place on a windy night in the beginning of October. It was actually kind of steamy for the time of year. A swarm of mosquitoes buzzed around in the evening, and I remember burning a couple of mosquito-repellent coils to keep them away. The wind was noisy. The gate to the swimming pool was broken and the wind made the gate slap open and shut. I thought of fixing it, but it was too dark out, so it kept banging all night.

My nine p.m. round went by fine, all twenty items on my list neatly checked off. All the doors were locked, everything in its proper place. Nothing out of the ordinary. I went back to the janitor’s room, set my alarm for three, and fell fast asleep.

When the alarm went off at three, though, I woke up feeling weird. I cannot explain it, but I just felt different. I did not feel like getting up-it was like something was suppressing my will to get out of bed. I am the type who usually leaps right out of bed, so I could not understand it. I had to force myself to get out of bed and get ready to make my rounds. The gate to the pool was still making its rhythmic banging, but it sounded different from before. Something is definitely weird, I thought, reluctant to get going. But I made up my mind I had to do my job, no matter what. If you skip out on doing your duty once, you will skip out again and again, and I did not want to fall into that. So I grabbed my flashlight and wooden sword and off I went.

It was an altogether odd night. The wind grew stronger as the night went on, the air more humid. My skin started itching and I could not focus. I decided to go around the gymnasium, auditorium, and pool first. Everything checked out OK. The gate to the pool banged away in the wind like some crazy person who alternately shakes his head and nods. There was no order to it. First a couple of nods-yes, yes-then no, no, no…It is a weird thing to compare it to, I know, but that is what it felt like.

Inside the school building it was situation normal. I looked around and checked off the points on my list. Nothing out of the usual had happened, despite the weird feeling I had had. Relieved, I started back to the janitor’s room. The last place on my checklist was the boiler room next to the cafeteria on the east side of the building, the opposite side from the janitor’s room. This meant I had to walk down the long hallway on the first floor on my way back. It was pitch black. On nights when the moon was out, there was a little light in the hallway, but when there was none, you could not see a thing. I had to shine my flashlight ahead of me to see where I was going. This particular night, a typhoon was not too far off, so there was no moon at all. Occasionally there would be a break in the clouds, but then it plunged into darkness again.

I walked faster than usual down the hallway, the rubber soles of my basketball shoes squeaking against the linoleum floor. It was a green linoleum floor, the colour of a hazy bed of moss. I can picture it even now.

The entrance to the school was midway down the hallway, and as I passed it I thought, what the?

I thought I’d seen something in the dark. I broke out in a sweat. Regripping the wooden sword, I turned towards what I saw. I shone my flashlight at the wall next to the shelf for storing shoes.

And there I was. A mirror, in other words, it was just my reflection in a mirror. There had been no mirror there the night before, so they must have put in one between then and now. Man, was I

startled. It was a long, full-length mirror. Relieved that it was just me in a mirror, I felt a bit stupid for having been so surprised. So that is all it is, I told myself. How dumb. I put my flashlight down, took a cigarette from my pocket, and lit it. As I took a puff, I glanced at myself in the mirror. A faint streetlight from outside shone in through the window, reaching the mirror. From behind me, the swimming pool gate was banging in the wind.

After a couple of puffs, I suddenly noticed something odd. My reflection in the mirror was not me. It looked exactly like me on the outside, but it definitely was not me. No, that is not it. It was me, of course, but another me. Another me that never should have been. I do not know how to put it. It is hard to explain what it felt like.

The one thing I did understand was that this other figure loathed me. Inside it was a hatred like an iceberg floating in a dark sea. The kind of hatred that no one could ever diminish.

I stood there for a while, dumbfounded. My cigarette slipped from between my fingers and fell to the floor. The cigarette in the mirror fell to the floor, too. We stood there, staring at each other. I felt like I was bound hand and foot, and could not move.

Finally, his hand moved, the fingertips of his right hand touching his chin, and then slowly, like a bug, crept up his face. I suddenly realized I was doing the same thing. Like I was the reflection of what was in the mirror and he was trying to take control of me.

Wrenching out my last ounce of strength I roared out a growl, and the bonds that held me rooted to the spot broke. I raised my kendo sword and smashed it down on the mirror as hard as I could. I heard glass shattering but did not look back as I raced back to my room. Once inside, I hurriedly locked the door and leapt under the covers. I was worried about the cigarette I had dropped on the floor, but there was no way I was going back. The wind was howling the whole time, and the gate to the pool continued to make a racket until dawn. Yes, yes, no, yes, no, no, no…

I am sure you have already guessed the ending to my story. There never was any mirror. When the sun came up, the typhoon had already passed. The wind had died down and it was a sunny day. I went over to the entrance. The cigarette butt I had tossed away was there, as was my wooden sword. But no mirror. There never had been any mirror there.

What I saw was not a ghost. It was simply myself. I can never forget how terrified I was that night, and whenever I remember it, this thought always springs to mind: that the most frightening thing in the world is our own self. What do you think? You may have noticed that I do not have a single mirror here in my house. Learning to shave without one was no easy feat, believe me.

Kendo: a Japanese form of jerking with two-handed bamboo swords originally developed as a safe form of sword training for Samurai.

Understanding and appreciating the story

1. What types of stories have been told before the narrator takes his turn?
2. How long is it since the narrator had the frightening experience?

Why has he never shared this experience with anyone? Why does he choose to share it now? 

• Why did the narrator refuse to go to college?
• What did the narrator do with his time after finishing school?
• Write an account of what happened on the night the narrator had the frightening experience.
• In your opinion, why is the narrator unhappy with himself?
• What does the sentence, “It was me, of course, but another me…” mean?
• In your words, write a paragraph detailing the character’s routine as a night watchman.

Discussion questions

1. “…The most frightening thing in the world is our own self.” Do you agree or disagree with the narrator? Why?
   1. Discuss the relevance of the first person narration. Is it effective in telling this story?
   1. Discuss a situation where you experienced a conflict between your internal and external self. How did you deal with it?

Answers

1. Before the narrator takes his turn, stories have been told that fall into two categories. The first category involves the world of the living and the world of the dead, with some force that allows for crossing over, like ghosts and supernatural entities. The second category includes paranormal abilities, premonitions, and the ability to predict the future.
2. It has been over ten years since the narrator had the frightening experience.

The narrator has never shared this experience with anyone because he was afraid that talking about it might cause it to happen again. He kept it to himself all these years to avoid any potential recurrence. He chooses to share it now because as the host of the storytelling session, he feels obligated to contribute his own scary experience after each person has shared theirs.

• The narrator refused to go to college because he was part of the hippie generation and believed that wandering around and working at various manual labor jobs was the most righteous way to live. He rejected the traditional path of pursuing higher education and embraced a more unconventional lifestyle.
• After finishing school, the narrator wandered all over Japan and worked at various manual labor jobs. He did not attend college and embraced a carefree lifestyle, convinced that it was the right choice for him at that time.
• On the night of the frightening experience, the narrator was working as a night watchman at a junior high school in Niigata Prefecture. It was a windy night in the beginning of October. As he made his rounds, he noticed something unusual: a full-length mirror in the hallway, which had not been there before. When he saw his reflection in the mirror, it looked exactly like him but with a deep sense of loathing and hatred towards him. He felt a strange connection between his actions and the reflection’s movements, as if it was trying to take control of him. Overcome with fear, he smashed the mirror and fled back to his room. The next morning, there was no mirror, and he realized that what he saw was not a ghost but his own terrifying self.
• The narrator is unhappy with himself because of the frightening experience he had with his own reflection in the mirror. The incident revealed a side of himself that he didn’t recognize, filled with loathing and hatred. This internal conflict and realization of a darker aspect of his own personality have left him disturbed and afraid.
• The sentence “It was me, of course, but another me…” means that the reflection in the mirror was the narrator himself, but it was like seeing another version of himself that should not exist. It was his physical appearance, but the reflection carried a deep sense of hatred and malice that was unfamiliar to the narrator.
• As a night watchman, the narrator’s routine involved making two rounds each night, at 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. He followed a checklist of twenty points, which included checking various rooms and facilities in the school, such as the staff office, science laboratory, music room, art studio, cafeteria, swimming pool, gymnasium, and auditorium. During the day, he slept in the janitor’s office and spent his free time reading books in the library, listening to records in the music room, and playing basketball alone in the gymnasium.

Discussion Questions:

1. The statement “The most frightening thing in the world is our own self” is subjective and can be interpreted differently by individuals. Some may agree with the narrator, as inner conflicts, regrets, and unresolved emotions can indeed be deeply unsettling. Others might disagree, believing that external threats or supernatural phenomena are more frightening. It could lead to a discussion about the nature of fear and what truly scares different people.
2. The first-person narration is effective in telling this story because it allows readers to experience the narrator’s emotions and inner turmoil firsthand. It creates a sense of intimacy and helps to convey the fear and uncertainty he felt during the frightening experience. Readers can relate to his perspective and empathize with his struggle to come to terms with the encounter.
3. The third discussion question requires personal reflection and an opportunity for participants to share their own experiences of internal conflicts. It could lead to meaningful discussions about self-awareness, personal growth, and how people cope with their inner struggles in various ways. Participants can explore the importance of self-understanding and acceptance in dealing with internal conflict

The Mirror by Haruki Murakami

1. Setting

The story is set in the narrator‟s house in the night. He is seated with some friends and they are relating scary stories or those of premonitions.

There is however, another setting in which the narrator rebels a frightful moment in his life. This is at a school junior high school in which he was employed as a lone night watchman at the age of 18 or 19. The night was windy and hot. Mosquitoes buzzed all over amidst the noise of the wind. The broken gate of the swimming pool made banging rhythmic banging noises in the dark night. This description creates a scary mood which is consistent with his frightening experience.

• Plot

The narrator is hosting a number of friends and they pass time relating scary experiences or those of premonitions. The narrator says that there is a force linking the world of the living with that of the dead giving rise to the narrator of stories being related.

These forces he says restrict people to either group those people who see

ghosts are unable to have premonition and vice versa. The forces don‟t give

people the ability to do both (that is, they are mutually exclusive) The narrator then distances himself from these experiences. He says that in his 30yrs he has neither seen a ghost nor had a premonition. However, he admits that he has had a scary experience which he narrates for the first time. He had kept it secret for fear that if he spoke of it then it might happen all over again.

He relates how in his 2 am round on a scary night, he thinks he notices something in the hallway. Upon closer inspection it turns out that a mirror, which had previously not been there, gave his reflection. The mirror has him spell bound until he forcefully tears himself from it and shatters it rashes back to the janitor‟s room to sleep.

In the morning, he goes back to inspect the scene of the incident. He finds the cigarette butt and his kendo that he dropped. However, that shattered mirror is not there.

• Conflict

• The first conflict is about the nature of these supernormal experiences. The narrator tells his friends that all their experiences fall into two broad categories. The repetition of the phrase “all your stories”, suggests that his friends were not in agreement with him.

• The second conflict is that the narrator is immune to verse experiences. He describes an incident in an elevator with two friends who swear they could see a woman standing next to the narrator. He insists it was only the three of them in the lift.

• The third conflict is between the narrator and his parents.

At seventeen they expected him to proceed to college after high school. He declines, and instead wonders all over Japan working at various manual jobs.

• The last conflict is internal. He believes that he is immune to the supernormal experiences. Yet he has this encounter with a non-existent mirror that

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holds him captive and seems to control him. He keeps this event secret for over 12 years, but finally he relates it. What is more, he keeps away from mirrors. He is afraid the scary incident would happen again yet he swears he does not believe in supernormal forces.

• Character and characterisation.

1. proud

• Thinks that people that have encountered ghosts or have had premonition are not normal and that he is unique because he‟s never had those experiences.

• fearful

• Feels apprehensive about mirrors and does not keep them around him.

• He was too scared to fix the broken gate because of the dark night.

• Terrified by the mirror incident he runs back to the janitor‟s room.

• rebellious

• Refuses to go to college and chooses to do manual work.

• Hospitable

Hosts his friends and having been entertained by their stories he too narrates one that he has kept secret in order to further entertain them.

• Analytical

Upon listening to his friend‟s stories he separates them into two categories: those of ghosts and premonitions; further, he says a force links people to these things. He goes a step further and says the impression he gets is that these experiences are mutually exclusive.

• Themes

1. Identity Crisis

• At 17 when the narrator should be proceeding to college, he chooses to wander all over Japan doing manual work. This is a typical teenage problem as they try to identify who they really are, different from what their parents want them to be.

• What is disturbing though is that at 30, more experienced with life, he says he‟d do it all over again. This rebellious streak is stuck with him.

• He also believes that he is different from other people. Other people see ghosts; he doesn‟t. Other people have premonitions; he doesn‟t. Yet he is very much like them because of the encounter he had with an imaginary mirror that still controls his life.

1. appearances vs reality

It appears to him that the supernormal operates at two levels: ghosts and premonitions. He believes he does not belong to either. The reality is different, a third level exists which is even more ruinous than the other two as demonstrated by his fear of mirrors based on an encounter with an imaginary mirror. i.e. things are not what they seem.

• POV

Story is told from the first person pov. This is apt because the personal story of the narrator becomes credible coming from his own mouth. That traumatic experience helps us understand his phobia for mirrors.

• a) Is the title appropriate?

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Yes it is. It discusses the profound effect an imaginary mirror has on the narrator.

In real life mirrors do not show real objects; they are merely a reflection of what those objects are. The narrator‟s experience is an illustration of the power of the mind to create illusions. Ironically, this is the reality for human beings; their minds are constantly creating illusions: of ghosts and what the future holds. This is what is normal. Running away from this reality creates a disturbed mind like the narrator‟s who is now avoiding mirrors.(It exemplifies the saying: things are not what they seem.

• What is the significant event?

The narrator‟s rebellion. His not going to college has him serving as a night watchman. It

Is in this job that he has his experience with an imaginary mirror.

• What is the author‟s aim?

He draws out attention to the fact that things are not what they seem.

The narrator has built this façade that he is immune to the experiences of ordinary people: sighting ghosts and having premonitions. It turns out that he had had a traumatizing experience that has him running away from mirrors. And the important thing is that this experience was created by his imagination. Discuss the saying that things are not they seem. Use The Mirror by Haruki Murakami for your illustrations.

1. Setting

The story is set in Bharti Nagar, an urban civil servants residential area in India. The events take us from Mr. Das‟ house, to the streets of Bharti Nagar, into the Lodi Gardens and down the alleys of the town.

• Plot

We are introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Das and Diamond,

Mr. Das‟ problematic dog. It is not only a nuisance to Mrs. Das but to service providers and children as well. To Mr. Das, he is a lovable pet hence the name Diamond.

As a result of Diamond‟s nature C.P. Biswas asks Das why he named the dog Diamond and not the more probable coal after its black colour. Das wouldn‟t hear of this neither does he have an explanation for Mr. Biswas. What is more, Das outs his dog before family; on return from work he greets Diamond then the family members. Mrs. Das has a premonition that all this is not going to end well. But Das is unstoppable. He even frolics with Diamond in public something that displeases his colleagues. His friends Biswas and Base see Das‟ behavior as bringing shame to them before their superiors:- the undersecretary and the retired Joined Secretary.

Mrs. Das too disapproves of this attachment to Diamond. Over the years she has had to clean after Diamond: its urine, smell and fur from floor rugs and seats. She has even sacrificed a cooking pot has to move out of the house for one hour as Diamond‟s meat cooks. Her protests do not yield any change.

Ironically, Das complains that an animal‟s nature can‟t be changed by domestication.

Children, though they approved of Diamond, teased him when Das wasn‟t around. He cautions them against using sticks or stones against Diamond or

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running away from him. They protest that they‟d be bitten the way Ranu was if they don‟t run.

However, the real problems begin when Diamond matures into a full grown god. He moves from a nuisance to a menace. First, there is his phobia for uniform. He bellows at the postman, chases him and tears his trousers. The result is Mrs. Das doesn‟t get her mail regularly for it is thrown at the hedge. Then there are the other service providers: electricity meter readers telephone repair men, and garbage collectors who do not render their services to the Das family because Diamond attacks them when they do. Finally there are the school children who cannot get to the bus stop without adult protection. Neighbours however do not report him to the police out of both propriety and pity.

In the end, Diamond becomes a pain to Das during mating seasons. He disappears for long stretches and during this period Das spends days and nights in search of him. What is more, his behavior when he catches Diamond mating alarms parents. Mrs. Das too wouldn‟t have Diamond back in the house until he‟s been cleaned. Further, Diamond is a threat to his job. He spends time looking for him instead of going to work or when he does go to work he is distracted.

Diamond‟s final escapade ends badly for both of them. Diamond is caught by the dog catchers and he faces certain death. Das sees him in the moving van jumps onto it and plunges to death.

3. Conflict

A conflict arising from Diamond‟s actions

1. Diamond & Mrs. Das

Diamond generally upsets Mrs. Diamond. He upsets the table, when she sets Das‟ food. He knocks her down. He gets more attention than her children do. She had to mop after him when he was a puppy and constantly urinated on the floor. She had to put up with the smell of the dog in her next house. Diamonds further had to be constantly removed from rugs, sofas and armchairs. Her letters got lost or never reached her because Diamond attacked the postman when he made deliveries. She had to nurse Mr. Das when he caught flu in the cold nights in search of Diamond. Finally, her husband dies when he tries to save Diamond from the moving fog catcher‟s van.

1. Diamond and the neighbours

1. The children would throw stones or sticks at Diamond, then he‟d break loose and run after them nipping at their heels or stopping when they fell in the dust.

• When his phobia for uniform grew he would chase children on their way to or from school. The result was that they could neither go to

the bus-stop nor come from it, without adult protection.

c) During the „badmashi‟ days, Diamond would howl so loudly keeping the neighbours awake. This would go on until he snapped his collar.

• Conflicts arising from Mr. Das‟ actions:-i) Das and Mrs. Das

1. Mrs. Das complained that he gave more attention to Diamond than he did to his children or grandchildren pp 3 Not even about our

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children – not even your first-born son – or your grandchildren, have you made so much of us that dog. She also complains that on his return from work Das greeted the dog “Diamond, my friend” before greeting Mrs. Das, his grandchildren or anyone at all.

• She refuses to go to the butcher‟s for buffalo meat for Diamond nor would she cook the meat when Das brought it he had to do it himself. Further, she asks him to substitute milk and bread for Diamond‟s meat but Das would hear none of this.

• She complains that her letters don‟t reach her because Diamond attacks the postman when he makes deliveries. Das instead accuses the postman of being cowardly.

• When Diamond goes out on his last escapade in Nov. the night chill made Das sick and she had to nurse him every time he came back empty handed. Further, she pleaded with him to give up Diamond before the search kills him to no avail.

1. Das and his colleagues/neighbours

1. C.P.Biswas is convinced the name Diamond is too good for the dog and wonders when it was given such a name. He‟d rather it be named coal after its black coat. Das says he‟d never do such a thing to Diamond.

• His colleagues had caught him frolicking with Diamond in public like a child. They feel he‟s taken leave of his senses and this worries them. Further, they feel that his behavior embarrasses them before their superiors, the under-Secretary and the retired Joint

Secretary.

• When  Diamond  starts  running  after  school  children,  many  parents went to complain to Das but he remained deaf to their pleas. Parents also took offence too when he led the children in search of Diamond

upon his first disappearance. What annoyed them was Das separating Diamond from his partner before the children.

1. Das and Diamond

Diamond, following his animal instinct would go out in search of mating partners. Das feared the dog catchers would catch up with him and kill him. So, he would go out in search of Diamond every time he disappeared. Ultimately, it is the arrest of Diamond that leads to Das‟ death.

• Diamond and Service providers

The postman suffers the worst attack of the service providers. Diamond bellows at him, chases him and tears a strip off his trousers‟ leg. After this he delivers the Das letters at the hedge. The other service providers who decline to serve the Das‟ indene officials of the BOE, telephone lines repairman and garbage collectors.

4. Characters and Characterisation

1. Mrs. Das

Tolerant – tireless cleans after Diamond

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• Does not give up living with Das on account of Diamond Neat – cleaned the puddles and fur Diamond left behind her own pet, a cat, fed neatly off its bowl.

1. Mr. Das

• Inconsiderate

Although his pet makes many people suffer, he‟d not give it up.

• Unrealistic

He expects animals to remain true to their nature but not his Diamond.

• Themes

i) Obsession

Das‟ obsessive nature towards his dog disrupts the lives of his family, neighbours/colleagues and service providers

1. Animals‟ nature

We should not expect animals to change their nature just because we have domesticated them. This is illustrated by Diamonds disruptive behaviour in Das‟ life as well as that of his family and neighbours.

• POV

Third person point of view. Appropriate because the first person would have been very biased. We are therefore able to experience Diamond‟s disruptive behavior in all spheres of Bharti Nagar.

• a) Is the title appropriate?

Dictionary .com defines diamond dust as pulverized diamonds uses as an abrasive.

Diamonds abrasive nature rubs everyone the wrong way including its owner.

• What is the significant event?

Mr. Das‟ obsessive behavior towards Diamond.

• What is the aim of the author?

1. The author cautions against obsessive behavior Mr. Das does because of the excessive love he has for his dog. Besides, he is oblivious to the pain it causes other people. ii) The author also cautions against the danger pets pose to both their owners and society in general. An animal nature can‟t be changed simply because it is domesticated. Diamond stays true to this statement which ironically is made by Mr. Das. The other irony in relation to this statement is that Mr.

Das‟ personality does not change despite the many pleas from friends and family.

Task: One person‟s pleasure can be a terrible displeasure to someone else. Write an essay that is in support of this

statement with illustrations from Anita Desai‟s story “Diamond Dust”