A Season of No Return

 (e-content developed by Prof. (Dr) N. A. Jarandikar)

“A Season of No Return”

“A Season of No Return” is a short story written by Gurudial Singh, a Punjabi writer who received The Jnanpith Award in 2000. The story deals with the mental and emotional crisis (मानसिक आणि भावनिक पेच) of the protagonist and sheds light on the problems of communication and loneliness in modern times. It also discusses family tensions due to changing family patterns.

Kauri is a central character in this story. She is a middle-aged Punjabi woman. Santokh is her elder son. The story revolves around Kauri. Kauri is shifted to a metropolis (महानगर) after Santokh’s marriage. Santokh is an engineer. His wife is a teacher in one college. Kauri comes to this place when her daughter-in-law is pregnant. Kauri has come there to look after the baby.

Right from the beginning of the story, it is seen that Kauri is feeling restless (अस्वस्थ). The reasons for her restlessness are gradually (हळूहळू) explained. Santokh’s father had opposed this marriage because Santokh’s wife belonged to a lower caste, but this is not the reason for Kauri’s restlessness. The daughter-in-law respects Kauri, and Santokh takes care of his mother. There seems to be no reason for Kauri to complain against Santokh or her daughter-in-law.

Kauri suffers from the problems of communication and loneliness. In Santokh’s house, both the husband and the wife are busy in their daily routines and have no time for Kauri. Kauri’s problem intensifies when she recollects (आठवणे) her village life and the family of her younger son. She longs (तळमळणे) for the colourful seasons of her village, while in the city, there is only one monotonous (एकसुरी/कंटाळवाणा) season. Kauri compares this boring season with her uninteresting city life. She is trapped (कात्रीत सापडणे) in the tension between the joint family and the nuclear family.

Kauri’s problem is resolved at the end of the story, but in a dramatic way. Observing Kauri’s situation, Santokh and his wife assume (गृहीत धरणे) that her condition will worsen (खालावणे) in the coming years. The daughter-in-law does not want to take any responsibility, so they decide to send Kauri back to the village. This unexpected (अनपेक्षित) decision marks the end of the story, with Kauri departing (निघून जाणे) for her village.

The major setting of the story is a city, and most of the events take place within twelve hours. The story is narrated through a flashback technique. The overall atmosphere in the story is serious. The title, “A Season of No Return,” aptly suggests that a permanent season of gloominess (खिन्नपणा) will be Kauri’s fate as she will never return to Santokh and his family.