Bhabani Bhattacharya's "The Faltering Pendulum"

 Bhabani Bhattacharya writes about the realities of life. His short stories have an Indian vision. In “The Faltering Pendulum “, Bhattacharya gives a touching and moving sketch of the life of a dejected young woman.

A rag woman purchases three ripe pumpkin seeds embedded in the flesh of a sliced crescent piece, and a month-old goat youngling. She lives in a hut lonely amidst rags. She is often chased and teased by the young boys in the weavers’ settlement around the mango grove. The boys mock at her goat calling it a puppy. In a fit of anger, she curses them badly. But soon she regrets to use those contemptuous words.  At every moment of her emptiness, the goat fills her with soothing sounds like Moo-oo.

She is a widow who led her life without bearing a child. The barrenness within her makes her believe that she is unlucky. As a result of shocks and disappointments in life, she wants to seek some fulfilment through the young limbed pumpkin vines. But the vines have tricked her. It seems that whatever she touches must become barren. She often loses her temper.

One day, the goat refuses to obey her. It even chops the leaves of the pumpkin vine. She can not stop it from nibbling the vine. In a fit of rage, she chokes its neck. She impulsively kills her own pet and cries aloud. The neighbours assure to get her new goat but she keeps on wailing “My Goat!” realising her mistake.

The next day, a young girl gladly informs about the two pumpkins in the vines. The old hag instructs the girl not to point the fingers at the younglings for avoiding their fall. She understands now the reason behind the goat’s attempt to lop up the vines for uncovering the blooming little pumpkins. The goat tries to soothe her with the fact that her touch is no longer barren.

The short but pathetic sketch of the death of the goat in the hands of the hag explicitly presents the drastic end of social pressure and impulsive human nature. However, the balance was achieved in the soil through the sprouts of pumpkins. Hence Bhattacharya says that the faltering pendulum (the woman) has regained its swing(aliveness).