THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A TABLE

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A TABLE

Points: Introduction – Life in the jungle – Taken to a wood merchant – In the carpenter’s work shop – In the show room of the furniture merchant – Conclusion.

My dear boys! I am glad to see you so jolly, so happy and so full of spirits. I wish you to be in the enjoyment of all these things for all time. I am thankful to you for having taken me out from the go down and inquiring after my health. You are asking my history. Please listen.4essay.blogspot.com

You know that I was not born in my present form. A time was when I grew on a Shesham tree in a forest. I stood there for years and enjoyed the forest life to my heart’s content. The sights and sounds of nature gave me a poetic soul and I dreamt of a very happy and undisturbed existence. I was very hospitable. Although I had nothing in the form of fruit to offer to a hungry traveler, yet I gave shelter to him from the sun and the rain in the hot month of June and July. My life, thus was not only peaceful but also extremely useful to others. In this way my youth ended and I became sufficiently tough and tight. But who knew that this would be an offence?

One morning the Forest Officer went where I lived with some cruel looking men who had axes in their hands. He pointed at me and said, “Cut that big tree and carry it to the office yard”. Immediately thereafter the ruffians with axes in hand fell on me, hewed me down and lopped off my branches. I was cut into three logs. Then I was taken to the firm of a wood-merchant who sawed me through and through into planks. These were put up for sale.4essay.blogspot.com

After a few weeks a carpenter came to the wood-merchant godown and examined each one of us. He selected me. He gave the merchant some money and carried me to his workshop. The cruel carpenter cut me into several pieces of different lengths, planned each one of them, shaped into different parts and made a beautiful table by joining them all together. Having polished me he sold me to a furniture dealer for fifty rupees.

I remained with the furniture merchant for quite some time. There were several other tables in his show room with me. Every morning the merchant’s servant dusted us carefully. Almost daily many customers came to buy us. At last the Principal of your school purchased one for eighty rupees. I was thus removed to the school office. After ten years I was turned out of the office.

The peon of the school consigned me to the godown. I have been lying here for several months past. My dear boys, if you ever get a chance, please remind the principal that I served him faithfully for ten long years.