TV Malady by Ma San Dar

Translated by SM

U Maung Maung Latt looked hard a himself in the mirror.He was  haggard with hollow,
sleepy eyes.He sighed ,and looked askance at the TV in the corner of the room.
That blasted thing......

                                                            *              
Their was typical ward, crowded ,and infested with mosquitoes --and kids.In the evening,the narrow street was full of kids.There being no playground,they used the street as one.The din from their playing filled the air .Sometimes one could hear kids brawling.
With quarrels and scraps among them, games were broken up as irate mothers ordered their boys back indoors with exchanges of hard looks between them.
 
The next evening,however all were back again on the street at their noisy games.Gone too were hard looks on their parent's faces.
"You know what ,dear?I rather like living in ths little ward.It's so like my native village.People are nice and helpful to one another.They rush in to  help whenever something's up, without waiting to be asked ."

"Yeah,only they get together too often simply to gossip....."

"There's that of ourse but it's a way of one and all.Even people in plush residential ward do that.The only difference might be that they perhaps d it by phone, as they could not go over from one to another"

"So it's much easier here.We live so close one could even hear a neighbour next door pass wind, is that it? "

"Let them ,dear.People like to gossip.Why,even I do! Otherwise I'd be bored to death."

"Hmph...so you like gossiping.... what about another past time,like showing of? "

"That too. People like it."
"Hmph......"

He let it pass with a tolerant smile.In fact that he too liked life in the ward.He had to,for he could not hope to get settled in much better government quarters, being a junior officer in service.He could not think of renting a better apartment with a deposit of forty,fifty thousand kyats and a monthly rent of about K300,either.So,he had  to settle for a place in this ward he could afford.Even here it was not cheap.The deposit was twenty thousand with a monthly rent of K 125.

Around them too were folks like them of the middle class with homes sans
anenities such as refrigerators or telephones or TVs but if they wanted ice water they could get it from the  local cold drinks stand.If they wanted to make a phone call,they could at an apartment near the market paying a kyat a call.If they wanted to see TV they had to go to the council office, taking  along one's own mat to spread out and sit on in front of the public TV .

It was just his fate that he bought his own TV into his home in such a little ward.It was not a small TV set.It was a 21-inch model costing nearly a  hundred thousand yen.

He was lucky enough to get a chance to go on a study visit to Japan.He was there for about six weeks and could not save much but he scraped and managed to get a TV set,as asked by everybody  at home-- his wife ,his younger son  and younger daughter who were still children and his two elder daughters in the  seventh and eight standards.
"Try to get a TV set, dear ."  " Bring back  aTV set,will you,Dad ? Don't worry about the cholocate for us .We'll settle for a TV set !"  "Be sure to get a TV set,Dad, or else .... ."

He himself rather fancied it.He'd like to say at office lunch, "Did you see last night's Tv feature ?it's quite good,you know.It's a film just shown at the cinema in town......"

So for numorous reason like that,he was seen coming back from Japan carrying a TV set with him.
                                                               *

"Oh, It's so beautiful, is it your own? "

"Of course! Dad bought it."

"Wonderful "
"Why don't you come this evening to watch it?"
"Oh, gee,It'd be great!"
He heard telling his friend.He smiled.

"Look what Daddy bought!"
"Are you showing this evening? "
"Of course,you can come, if you want.Bring your younger brother too."
"I'm afraid he might not  stay quiet while we're watching TV."
"I've some jaggery to keep him quiet.We'll sit there,n the mat inthe front now.That's for us,you know ."
He heard his younger daughter's exchange with her friend.He smiled.

                                                          *
"Oh, good we won't have to go the council office any more!"
"Yeah, we won't have to keep up with passes made by boys there any more ."
"It's wonderful!it must be expensive.How much did it cost Ma Toe ?"
"A hundred thousand yen,I was told "
"One lakh! You must be rich! "
"Oh,not quite so."
That was elder daughter.Again he smiled.
"Oh,lucky you!It is so beautiful.It must be worth a packet !"
"Yeah,I'm keeping it simplly because it's something we should have at home.I could have made aprofit of 15 to 20 thousand if I sell it off !"
"You're so fortunate to be able to forgo even that much and keep it!"

"Well,it's for all at home and for others as well.You could come here and watch it "
"That'd be great! We'll be staying on  till the end of the programme, you know.So,don't drive as away."
"Of course  I won't .Just come  .I'll have some pickled tea for you ! "

"Excellent!We'd like it with a lot of dried prawns and oil ,you know ."

Of course  ,of course ."
His wife's  voice cheerful.He smiled.

                                                                     *
Evening came. There were many more than expected.The small drawing room was crowded, children in front  and elders at the back .
he had to move his usual desk chair to the entrance.There too it was crowded.He was hemmed in.the crowd was noisy.The evening TV programme came on the screen .All clapped.

He smiled.

                                                                   *
"Hey,is that all?"

"Fried eggs aren't cheap,you know.Each would cost something over a kyat."
"Still there should be some side dish and some salad to make it palatable. "
"I've to economics, you know.It's not easy to make ends meet."
"Of course,not when you've to offer savouries and sweetmeats to all who come in the evenings!"
"I can't just let them have nothing ,canI? They're our guests ."
" But they're coming just to watch TV ".
"All the same,I have to offer them something,at least plain tea and beans.I can't help it ."

 His wife was adamant .He no longer smiled .

                                                              *
"Hey,your report card's full of red ink.How come ?"
"Only this month,Dad "
"Why this month "
"I can't do my homework .I'm so sleepy these days."
"That's because you're always infront of the Tv at study time ."

His laughter fell silent.He no longer smiled .

                                                             *
"There's nothing wrong with you ,Just weakness ."
"The doctor examined him and said :
"Try to get good sleep at night."

He thought of the crowd that stayed on even beyond ten o'clock at night ."
"Get a good rest on office  holidays  when films were shown on TV.
"Try not to have too many worries "
He remered the red -linked  report cards of the children .
"Try and take good food to get a lot of protein, like meat and pulses ."

He remembered the fried eggs and fish sause that frequented the supper table .

"when you told me over the phone you're feeling tired and weak,I was worried.When u said you've been loosing weight too,I was afraid you might perhaps be suffering from some disease such as  TB."

The doctor prepare to leave.
"Just plain weakness.You've got no serious malady ."

"Oh ..but I think  I do."
"Oh? "
"You could not cure it though."
"Yeah ?"
" Yeah .It's called TV malady ! "


Guardian
Vol.37,No.4,1990 April