Odia Medium Class 8 Sahitya Surabhi Chapter 8 Notes: Ahuti

Class 8 Odia Sahitya Surabhi Chapter 8 Notes – Ahuti

Part 1: The Conspiracy of Division

First Paragraph: Family Structure and Mindset

This dramatic story revolves around the family of the late Gajendranath. Gajendranath had three sons—Devendra, Mahendra, and Rajendra—and an only daughter, Kuni. All of them are married and live in different parts of the city, busy with their own households. Chanchala, the wife of the eldest son Devendra, is extremely cunning and selfish. Regrettably, after their father’s death, the daughters-in-law held a grievance and did not participate in the post-death rituals (Shuddh क्रिया). The sons are also guided and controlled more by their wives’ advice and stubbornness than by their own conscience, which does not look good for an ideal family.

Second Paragraph: The Drawing Room Scene and Reminiscence

At the beginning of the play, as the stage lights up, the eldest son Devendra is seen offering a garland to a large photograph of Gajendranath gracing the drawing room wall, while the youngest son Rajendra helps him. This drawing room was no less than a sacred pilgrimage site for Gajendranath, because the final moments of his life were spent within the four walls of this room. Rajendra has also brought four small copies of their father’s photograph so that the four siblings can distribute them and keep them as a memory. Although this gesture shows their affection for their father, the subsequent events expose their true self-interest.

Third Paragraph: The Conspiracy of Property Distribution

The eldest daughter-in-law, Chanchala, has poisoned the minds of Devendra and Rajendra to sell the movable and immovable property in the village. They argue that taking advantage of the absence of the brothers living in the city, the village relatives and rivals might encroach upon the ancestral land. Portraying their mother as a witless old woman, they claim that thieves and dacoits might even take her life out of greed for the property. In this way, by using the mother’s safety as a mere pretext, they actually want to grab the ancestral property.

Fourth Paragraph: Personal Selfishness and the Harsh Truth

The greed of the three sons for the village property stems from different selfish motives. Since Devendra has five unattractive daughters, he wants to sell the village land to arrange dowries for their weddings. The youngest son, Rajendra, hopes to gather capital to set up a small industrial unit or factory. The middle son, Mahendra, needs money to complete his half-built house in the city. To fulfill these personal needs, they are ready to sacrifice their emotional attachment to the village and the memories of their parents. This clearly shows that in today’s society, money and property have become more important than family relationships.

Part 2: The Final Verdict

First Paragraph: The Question of Mother’s Responsibility

The sons did divide the movable and immovable property of the village among themselves, but the biggest question mark arose concerning their mother. With great sorrow, the mother asked, “In whose share did this ill-fated old mother fall?” Meaning, with whom would she spend the remaining days of her life? Hearing this question from the mother, the sons, daughters-in-law, and daughter all fell silent. No one had space to accommodate the mother. The eldest son cited the excuse of his small house in the city, the middle son mentioned that his wife did not get along with the mother, and the youngest son expressed his own difficulties. Even the daughter, Kuni, refused to keep her mother out of fear of public criticism and slander.

Second Paragraph: Mother’s Grief and Spiritual Agony

Seeing such selfishness in her children, the mother’s heart broke. Weeping bitterly, she said that the sons who so easily divided their father’s lifelong earnings could not divide the mother who bore them in her womb for ten months and ten days. The mother fell into nobody’s share. In the mother’s words, this was the “remainder of her fate” (Bhagyara Bhagasesha). This scene very clearly portrays the materialistic obsession and the degradation of humanity in society.

Third Paragraph: Entry of the Lawyer and the Dramatic Twist

Just at that moment, Gajendranath’s close friend, who was a lawyer, arrived there holding an envelope in his hand. While praising Gajendranath’s virtues, he expressed grief over his untimely demise. The selfish sons wanted to discuss their father’s property with the lawyer. However, when the lawyer revealed that Gajendranath had made a ‘Will’ leaving all his self-earned property in the name of his wife—their mother—everyone was stunned. The pride of the sons, blinded by the greed for wealth, was shattered to pieces.

Fourth Paragraph: The Will and the Success of the Sacrifice (‘Ahuti’)

The lawyer handed over the text of the Will to the mother. Even though the mother tried to smile while pressing that paper to her chest, tears streamed down her eyes. It was not just a piece of paper, but the final shield of protection provided by a self-respecting husband for his wife. In this final scene of the one-act play titled “Ahuti” (The Offering/Sacrifice), the children’s lust for property and selfish obsessions were completely sacrificed. The sons’ right over the ancestral property came to an end, and the mother’s dignity was preserved.