The Blue Umbrella

he Blue Umbrella is a novel set in the mountainous Gharwal region. The story is about a little girl called Binya, who on falling upon a group of picnickers, is enchanted by a beautiful blue umbrella belonging to one of them. Incidentally, one of the ladies in the group takes a liking to Binya s leopard claw necklace and offers to buy it from her. When Binya refuses, she is asked to choose anything that she would like in return for it and she chooses the blue umbrella. After much pleading, the lady consents to her wish and Binya becomes the proud owner of the umbrella. But, what happens when the village shopkeeper sets his eyes on the very same umbrella and decides to have it for himself? Binya s precious umbrella becomes the source of envy to him and he tries his utmost to get it from her. What follows is a story of greed, ignominy and kindness. The book was adapted into a movie called The Blue Umbrella in 2005 and which was later awarded the National Film Award for Best Children s Film.