“The Gold Watch” by Mulk Raj Anand explores the emotions of a fifty-year-old dispatch clerk who was forced to retire from the military early. The narrative paints a vivid image of the impoverished Indian clerk employed by a British company, as well as the unyielding, uncompromising white Sahib who could not be bothered to care about the poor man’s condition.
Henry King and Co.’s general manager, Mr. Acton, approached Sudershari Sharma at his table and informed him that he had brought a special gift for him from London, which he needed to pick up in two days at his office. Sharma was perplexed and could not comprehend Mr. Acton’s intentions. Acton’s smile at Sharma’s. To him, it was an enigmatic riddle. He desired to reveal the secret reason behind his smile. He was unaware of the reason behind his selection among the twenty-five sincere members of the distribution department. After twenty-five years of employment, he had left the company.
He was an honest and trustworthy despatch clerk, notwithstanding his occasional slip-ups that were duly corrected. According to the firm’s regulations, all employees had to retire at the age of fifty-five. Sharma, who was already fifty, wanted to work for the company for a further five years before retiring and settling down at Jullender.
Anglo-Indian typist Miss Violet Dixon was keen to find out what Mr. Sharma had been told by the general manager. To find out what the G.M. had brought for him from London, Sharma had to wait two days. For Sharma, having to wait for two days would be psychologically torturous. He hurried out of the building to see Mr. Acton, who was waiting for him in his car, in order to quell his restless curiosity. Instead of dismissing him, the general manager grinned more broadly than before. He introduced Sharma to a goldwatch that had an inscription on it.
Mr. Acton’s presumption about his query knocked Sharma even more off balance. He was stunned and stood in a daze. He quickly grasped the reality. His retirement from duty was desired by the general manager. His dreams were dashed by the mere notion of retiring too soon, and he was unable to bear the shock of disaster. He had no idea how to provide for his family. Making ends meet would be difficult for him with his meager provident fund.
Upon arriving at his house, he made every effort to hide his fear and bewilderment while feigning happiness. He took his wife and son to visit Ram’s Circus on Saturday night. He did, however, eat very little and appeared to be lost in contemplation for a short while. His smart but illiterate wife discovered that her husband was not quite right. Trying to act as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. He informed her that he was thinking about the unique present—a gold watch—that the G.M. had brought him. His small kid Hari immediately shouted out, demanding that he give him his silver watch. Sharma promised to give him his silver watch back.
Sharma went to meet the general manager in his office at the scheduled time, trembling with anxiety. Mr. Acton gave him a gold watch as a thank you for his allegiance to Henry King and Co. Mr. Sharma was unable to even say “Thank You, Sir,” and he remained silent. Sharma held the watch high and then dropped it. Upon picking up the watch, Mr. Acton discovered that it was ticking.
Mr. Sharma got the watch as a beggar accepting handouts. Tears ran down his cheek as he left Acton’s office. Sharma discovered that the gold watch was only functional when it was shook while traveling home.
He didn’t want to pay money to have the watch fixed. He desired to put money aside for his family. Sharma lacked the guts to tell Mr. Acton that it was wrong of him to retire him early for no apparent reason.
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