Reading Strategies `Inzy Lets Things Flow Over Him' By Kadambari Murali
— Seema Suri Objectives
This section of the study-mater study-material ial includes a brief introduction introduction to reading strategies, a study-guide and key to the exercises in your text book. You will notice that a major component of the exercises in your text book comprise group-based activities activities to be done in the classroom. As a student learning through the distance distance mode you might feel isolated and disadvantaged as you are learning on your own. Try to do the exercises and check your answers with the help of the key. Introduction
What do we read? very day we read a variety of text-types without, perhaps, even reali!ing that they are texts. The newspaper you read in the morning, the billboard with an ad for a movie, the instructions on your bottle of shampoo, the rate-chart at the "etro station, the e-mail from your friend, the #"# you sent, or the prospectus for college that you bought $ all these are examples of text-types. %n addition we also read charts, diagrams, cartoons or photographs which accompany texts.
Why do we read? &e read primarily to seek information or increase our knowledge. 'eople also read for pleasure, to communica communicate te with other people, or to seek inspiration inspiratio n from religious texts. There is a wide spectrum of reasons, ranging from the purely functional to the religious or spiritual.
How do we read? There are various ways in which a text can be read, depending on your intention. (inguists have classified reading strategies into four major kinds. %f you are searching for some information, information, as when you are going through a railway time-table, you read )uickly and focus only on what you need. This is scanning . &hen you read a chapter of a book in your course with the aim to understand everything it is intensive reading but if you read a newspaper article )uickly just to get the general idea it is skimming . %f you go through an entire novel,without being bothered by things you don*t understand and because you enjoy reading fiction, it is extensive reading . The main re)uisite for reading comprehension comprehension is to develop the ability to read a passage without failing to grasp the general meaning of the text. The aim of the text book in your course is to provide you with a wide variety of authentic texts and sensiti!e you to differences in style. You must learn not only to pay attention to what is said but but how it is said . +ther skills that help you understand the text are the ability to deduce meanings of unfamiliar words, recogni!e the writer*s techni)ue and evaluate writing in terms of organi!ation, aim, function,and writer*s intention. ricket is a religion in the %ndian sub-continent sub-continent and for fans, sports stars are iconic figures. The first unit in your text book %n!y (ets Things low +ver /im* is about %n!amam-ul-ha), the captain of the 'akistani cricket team./e is regarded as one of the greatest 'akistani batsmen of the modern era. %n %nternational %nternational ricket ouncil rankings between 0112 and 3445, he has consistently remained among the top twenty batsmen in the world. Study-Guide
The first paragraph summari!es the content of the article. As we are told6 it is a human tale6 of two friends*.&e can guess that though the article is about %n!amam-ul-/a), %n!amam-ul-/a), or %n!y as he is known, it will focus more on his friendship with "ujtaba.
How do we read? There are various ways in which a text can be read, depending on your intention. (inguists have classified reading strategies into four major kinds. %f you are searching for some information, information, as when you are going through a railway time-table, you read )uickly and focus only on what you need. This is scanning . &hen you read a chapter of a book in your course with the aim to understand everything it is intensive reading but if you read a newspaper article )uickly just to get the general idea it is skimming . %f you go through an entire novel,without being bothered by things you don*t understand and because you enjoy reading fiction, it is extensive reading . The main re)uisite for reading comprehension comprehension is to develop the ability to read a passage without failing to grasp the general meaning of the text. The aim of the text book in your course is to provide you with a wide variety of authentic texts and sensiti!e you to differences in style. You must learn not only to pay attention to what is said but but how it is said . +ther skills that help you understand the text are the ability to deduce meanings of unfamiliar words, recogni!e the writer*s techni)ue and evaluate writing in terms of organi!ation, aim, function,and writer*s intention. ricket is a religion in the %ndian sub-continent sub-continent and for fans, sports stars are iconic figures. The first unit in your text book %n!y (ets Things low +ver /im* is about %n!amam-ul-ha), the captain of the 'akistani cricket team./e is regarded as one of the greatest 'akistani batsmen of the modern era. %n %nternational %nternational ricket ouncil rankings between 0112 and 3445, he has consistently remained among the top twenty batsmen in the world. Study-Guide
The first paragraph summari!es the content of the article. As we are told6 it is a human tale6 of two friends*.&e can guess that though the article is about %n!amam-ul-/a), %n!amam-ul-/a), or %n!y as he is known, it will focus more on his friendship with "ujtaba.
&here is the interview with "ujtaba taking place7 /ow long have "ujtaba and %n!amam known each other7 &hat is "ujtaba*s full name7 The interview is in a simple style. 8adambari "urali presents the 'akistani captain through through the eyes of "ujtaba.# "ujtaba.#he he allows him to talk freely about %n!amam, without intervening or interrupting with any )uestions of her own.9otice how direct )uotations comprise a large portion of the article. At other places the author takes care to remind us that it is "ujtaba who is narrating the incidents. 9ote how the paragraphs begin: According to "ujtaba;;;;;;..*
4 runs from only 5 balls and led his team to victory. %t is regarded as one of
the finest &orld up performances. %n!amam soon became a national celebrity and when he visited his home after the victorious match, "ujtaba conscious of the wide gap in their social position, did not join the cheering crowds welcoming their hero at the airport. But when the motorcade was passing "ujtaba*s shop %n!y went in and made his friend sit next to him. "ujtaba gets particularly emotional while recalling this incident. &ho was %n!amam*s father7 &here did %mran 8han meet %n!amam7 Curing which crucial match did %n!amam fall ill7 &hat is %n!amam*s son*s name7 The bond between the friends is a touching one. %t is obvious that %n!amam, in spite of his success, treats "ujtaba as his confidante and depends on him. "ujtaba defends %n!amam*s silence during allegations of match-fixing that marred his career. %n 344>, while playing against ngland at The +val, there were allegations of ball-tampering against his team and %n!y protested against the umpires* decision by remaining in the dressing roomand not coming out to play. The charges were later cleared. "ujtaba tells "urali that during all these controversies %n!y never reacted and kept silent. You must have now understood the significance of the title. %t refers to %n!amam*s characteristic personality trait: not reacting to either praise or criticism. "ujtaba, however, points out that %n!amam has changed and now started to assert himself The article ends with a surprising bit of information. &e are told that "ujtaba runs the barber*s shop in the hotel. This sudden revelation about "ujtaba*s humble occupation only increases our respect for %n!amam. The article succeeds in presenting a side of %n!amam that most fans might not have known about and makes him a more lovable character. %t is indeed rare to find a man so untouched by his success or a friend like "ujtaba,whose affection is not contaminated with jealousy or envy.
KEY TO EXERCISES Reading Comprehension
0. This article is easy to understand because it is written in a simple, straightforward style. The article on %n!amam-ul-/a) is written by 8adambari "urali, well known sports journalist. #he is currently the sports editor of the /industan Times.* As the first paragraph ends we know that this article is based on a conversation between the journalist 8adambari "urali and Dhulam "ujtaba, close friend of %n!amam-ul-/a) or %n!y, as he is known by his friends. Theconversation takes place in the lobby of a hotel in "ultan where "ujtaba is busy preparing for %n!y*s return home. "ujtaba and %n!y have been close friends for twenty years and "ujtaba narrates old incidents to 8adambari, telling her how %n!y and he would spend whole nights chatting with each other. /e also tells 8adambari about %n!amam*s early cricketing career, his rise to become a cricket sports star, his success and his problems. &e get to know that %n!amam has never been assertive and only recently started to assert himself. 3. This article tells us more about %n!amam, though it is based on a conversation between the journalist and "ujtaba. The reader would naturally be more interested in learning about %n!amam as he is a sports icon.%n!amam was captain of the 'akistan cricket team from 344-5. %n the %ndian subcontinent cricket is a religionand fans love to read about their favourite players. . The style of the article is informal and conversational 8adambari "urali does not go into details of %n!amam*s career or his achievements as a cricketer. %nstead she adopts the human approach and focuses on "ujtaba*s reflections < reflective= on %n!amam*s personality and his narration
complete and grammatically accurate sentences hesitations, false starts, and interruptions well organi!ed and well-structured paragraphs short and often incomplete sentences precise and accurate use of words contractions or short forms simple and compound sentences greater fre)uency of complex sentence structure use of jargon or technical terms clichFs, repetitive use of words Below are two examples, one each of a formal and informal style. You will find all the above mentioned feature s in both these extracts.
Inormal style The &oman : Are you happy7 The +lder Dirl : Yes, very. The &oman : #it down. Tell me the truth. %s there anything;7 The +lder Dirl : 9o. 9othing and yet;everythingG The &oman : or instance7 The +lder Dirl : or instance;everything7 The &oman : #o you mean7 The +lder Dirl : % mean;that;before % got married % thought % knew "anoj very well. But now; The &oman : /mm. %s he unfaithful7 The +lder Dirl : 9o.
<rom Aadhe-Adhure, "ohan Hakesh=
Formal style &e shall outline the four major subfields of anthropology that have emerged in the twentieth century: physical anthropology, archeology, linguistics and cultural anthropology. 'hysical anthropology deals with human biology across space and time. %t is divided into two areas6paleontology, the study of fossil evidence of the primate, including human evolution, and neontology, the comparative biology of living primates, including population and molecular genetics, body shapes = 2. +n the basis of the previous answers, attempt this one yourself. >. In!ormal Style ormal Style i= 9ow he has gone far ahead . iv= /e has greatly improved his position and status in life. ii= &e hit it off immediately. v= &e soon developed a warm, friendly relationship. iii= /e would hang out at my home. vii= /e would spend a lot of time with me at my home. iv= /e played that match coming straight ii= %mmediately after being discharged
off the drip. from the hospital, he played that match.
v= % wouldn*t fit in with his new life now. vi= % would feel out of place in his new lifestyle. vi= /e just lets things flow over him iii= /e remains unaffected by criticism or praise. vii= /e runs the barber*s shop in the hotel. i= /e manages the barber*s shop in the hotel. "riting
0. &hen "ujtaba recalls the early years of his friendship with %n!amam-ul/a) we learn that %n!amam did not make friends easily and was shy and reserved. "ujtaba tells 8adambari how they would stay up all night,chatting and eating omelettes and then go straight to the mos)ue for the early morning nama!. There is no doubt that he is a big eater, requires little sleep, and is deeply religious as well. "ujtabaand %n!amam have been friends for more than twenty years, in spite of %n!amam*s rise to fame. This proves that %n!amam is a loyal friend and not at all status conscious. The cricketer %mran 8han observed %n!amam practicing cricket at the "ultan #tadium and most probably saw the potential in him and invited him to (ahore. %n!amam went and joined the (ahore lub6 it is clear that he was ambitious and saw a good opportunity. Curing the semi-final against 9ew @ealand in the 0113 &orld up %n!amam was unwell but still went on to play the match,demonstrating his dedication to the sport. 3. "ujtaba, we get to know at the end of the article, runs the barber*s shop in the hotel in "ultan where 8adambari "urali has interviewed him. Although %n!amam has become a world famous sports person, "ujtaba is not envious but takes pride in his friend*s success. /is friendship with the cricketer is unusual because it has not been affected by the disparity in status and position. /is close emotional bond is evident in the preparations
he is making for %n!amam*s return home and the pride with which he tells 8adambari that %n!amam*s son also wants to be a cricketer, like his father. "ujtaba comes across as a simple and affectionate man, whose friendship with %n!amam is, as the writer says, is truly a human tale*. . /ere is a recipe for an %ndian omelette. #erves 3 Time taken: 2 minutes Ingredients
E eggs 0 tbsp oil 0 onion salt, pepper 0 green chilli 0 tbsp milk a= Break eggs and put in a bowl. Add milk and beat the eggs till the mixture is fluffy. b= hop the onions and green chilli finely. = /eat a non-stick pan. Add oil. After a minute add onions and chilli. E= ry onions till transparent and add egg-mixture. 2= ry on both sides till brown. >= #erve with toast and tomato ketchup.
Ways of Reading `It's Only a !ame" #n$oy' By #arun $% #ejpal
— Seema Suri
Objectives
This section of the study-material will attempt to draw your attention to the organi!ation of the article and discuss Tejpal*s techni)ue. %t also includes a glossary, study-guide and key to the exercises. Introduction
The history of %ndia*s sporting ties with 'akistan is a troubled one. The 01>2 and 0150 wars, 'akistan*s resentment over %ndia*s role in creating Bangladesh, %ndia*s resentment over 'akistan*s alleged role in secessionism in 8ashmirand the 8argil war in 01116 are some of the reasons why there is always an undercurrent of hostility in the stadium. 'olitical tensions have always affected the game of cricket. or instance, in 0111, %ndia, at the behest of the then #ports "inister and the intervention of the 'rime "inister, withdrew from the Asian Test hampionship. %n 015? television brought cricket matches into the drawing rooms and suddenly there was a national audience for cricket. The shift from five-day matches to one-day matches also increased interest in the mass spectacle.Tarun Tejpal*s article is a plea to sports lovers from both countries to disassociate the game from politics or nationalism. Glossary metaphor for life : a metaphor is a figure of speech in which two dissimilar
things are compared e.g. the house looked like a cake*. You don*t usually compare a house with a cake. pirouettes : a dancer*s spin on one foot or the point of the toe. morality play : nglish medieval drama of the 02th c., teaching a moral
lesson testosterone : chief male sex hormone surrogate : substitute for a person in a specific role or office
catharsis : feeling of emotional release in drama, freeing of repressed
emotion by association with something palliative : anything used to soothe pain or anxiety cataclysmic : violent upheaval or disaster Shoaibs thunderbolt : #hoaib Akhtar, recogni!ed as one of the fastest
bowlers in the world6 setting a world record by docking 044 miles per hour twice. /e has been nicknamed the Hawalpindi xpress*. Sachin Tendulkar : one of the greatest batsmen the %ndian game has ever
seen. straight drive : one of the most classical shots in a batsman*s repertoire !hamb-"aurian : a place on the (ine of ontrol in Jammu. %n 01>2 'akistan
launched +peration Drand #lam in order to capture Akhnoor and cut %ndia*s only road link to 8ashmir. Tiger #eak : the peak of Tiger /ill, on the (ine of ontrol in Crass sub-sector
where 32 %ndian soldiers E4 'akistani intruders were killed in a battle to recapture the peak in 0111. Study-guide
Tejpal*s article begins with general observations on the game of cricket and then moves on to %ndo-'ak cricket./e accepts that a good game of cricket can be enjoyable as it is an opportunity for players to display their physical prowess. %t can be both entertaining and exciting as it encourages a healthy sense of competition. Tejpal extends his discussion to talk about sports lovers, people for whom cricket symboli!es a lot of serious things. According to them cricket teaches us moral, religious, and philosophical lessons6 it is a metaphor for life*, a morality-play*, and a surrogate battle*. This group of inter-related metaphors reinforces Tejpal*s argument that cricket-lovers associate their favourite game with a lot of things. They identify with their players* loss and
victory and see reflected in the game their own everyday struggles. Belief in certain values is reaffirmed through the operative rules of the game. Tejpal picks up the thread of his main arguement. %n the first paragraph he said that games exist primarily to amuse us. To that, he adds another function. Ksing insights from psychology, he asserts that games provide a safe outlet for the aggression that is a natural part of a man*s physiological make-up. /e sums up his discussion in this line, The game exists to take the violence out of us, to drain us of real blood thirst. %f instead it generates violence,it loses its purpose, remaining neither amusement nor catharsis.
Being aware of the function of a passage is vital to its comprehension. +ne of the first things a student shoulddo is to find out whether the text aims to convince the reader, critici!e something, etc. &hat is the writer*s intention in this article7
l to amuse the reader l to critici!e sports-lovers l to appeal for a rational approach to cricket l to increase our knowledge of cricket #as& * ( Organi+ation o! the te,t
%n order to read efficiently one must be able to recogni!e the topic sentences, which are the ones that contain the main ideas of the passage. %t is often found in newspaper articles where the first paragraph sums up the main point and rest of the text consists of expansions of different kinds. The following points are all mentioned in the text. &rite down M if you think it is a main idea and S if it is a supporting detail. L "ore prose is written on a single game than in praise of seers or scientists. L The surrogate warrior and the surrogate battle must never become real. L ricket doesn*t cure diseases. L A game is fun only if it remains a game. L (et the teams play without feeling some cataclysmic national honour and shame ride on their shoulders. L #hoaib*s thunderbolt is as much a thing of beauty as #achin*s straight drive.
KEY TO EXERCISES '% 'ara 0
'ara 3
0. heck glossary. 3. Column . Column B i$ vaulting prose
ii$ morality play
hormone that excites. iv$ overloaded with baggage
behave. v$ in full cry
.
This sample answer on the topic %s cricket killing all other sports in %ndia*, has been written, specially for you,for you by a senior journalist. Head it and then write an essay on this topic, in your own words.
Is %ri%&et &illing other sorts in India? %n a democracy it is very easy to shift the cause of one*s misery onto others $ those who are richer and better. A similar thing is happening in %ndian sports. very time a federation is short of funds, support, and
success,cricket baiting starts. &hy ricket, ricket and ricket7* scream other sports federations and their inept officials. %t is really juvenile to blame cricket for the poor state of other sports in the country. Cid B% blindfold the %ndian viewers and stop them from watching the %ndian hockey teams perform7 Cid #achin Tendulkar strike a deal with the A%TA, not to produce more #ania "ir!as7* argues Hajesh #ahu, a #enior 'roducer with TM Today network. /e underlines three reasons why other sports have failed to strike gold. % think that the national broadcaster Coordarshan and their pathetic commentators* contribution is immense. +f course the way the various national federations run the game also has a huge role to play. But % think the biggest problem lies with the non-performance of the national teams at the international level.* #o the malady is self-inflicted. 9ot a contribution of cricket. Comestic football matches still get more spectators than Hanji events, but things turn on their head in the international arenaG (ack of professionalism of broadcasters in broadcasting non-cricket events, and also of various organi!ations is evident in the poor commercial gains. The B% may not be the most professional of organi!ations but is still more competent than other sports federations in the country simply because they are not dependent on government funding. They manage their own resources,* says Hajshekhar Hao, ditor, ricketnext.com. A large player base and the following that it has ensured over the years have given cricket a head start but mismanagement and lack of vision in football and hockey has ensured that these mass sports don*t have even a fraction of the fan following that cricket does. or instance, %ndian cricket cashed in on the success achieved in the 01? &orld up and the 01?2 Benson and /edges &orld #eries but in spite of a better show at the international level, with eight +lympic Dolds and one &orld up triumph, hockey has failed to deliver. 9ot many know that the
%ndian football team had )ualified for the 0124 &orld up finals in Bra!il, but could not appear as they still played with bare feetG %n those heady fifties and sixties, the %ndian football team won the 0120 and 01>3 Asian Dames gold medals, and in 012>, the team finished fourth at the "elbourne +lympics. But poor administration killed any future chances of commercial success. #till, lessons can be learnt from the games of Tennis and Dolf, and how corporatisation is supporting events and players. There may be more investment than money in these games, but the future looks bright if there is )uality administration and telecast. 'eople in %ndia, especially in the big cities, follow uropean football and ormula 0 more than domestic games, says Hao, adding, *%t only shows that there are sports lovers in the countrybut they are hungry for want of )uality sports action.* #o, improving the standards while actively pursuing and nurturing emerging talent, and improving the administration and the telecast )uality seem to be the only way out to pump some much needed money into other sports. They may not reach the level of popularity that cricket enjoys but they will not remain poor cousins either. lse they will keep on killing themselves, while blaming cricket. at the same time. %!ourtesy : Atul #ondhi, senior sports journalist=
`Haroun and the Sea o Stories' By Salman Rushdie
— Seema Suri Objectives
This unit includes an introduction to the extract from Hushdie*s novel /aroun and the #ea of #tories*, a summary of the plot, a studyguide, glossary and key to the exercises in your text-book. %n addition % have
attempted to draw your attention to Hushdie*s literary style and his brilliant imaginative power. Introduction
The first two units of your text book were written by journalists. The first one was in an easy-to-read collo)uial language and Tarun Tejpal*s article, though on the subject of cricket, used figurative-language )uite liberally.This unit comprises a very different narrative style. #alman Hushdie*s /aroun and the #ea of #tories* is the story of a twelve-year old boy /aroun and his )uest to restore his father*s lost gift of story telling. This does not imply that there is a clear distinction between fiction and other forms of writing. You must train yourself to notice the techni)ue of the writer and understand that a literary style is not the exclusive domain of the novelist. As you must have observed, even advertisements incorporate some extremely poetic expressionsand sometimes fiction can include some very dull and flat prose. Hushdie*s fiction is a superb example of how awriter uses language as a tool to create a fantasy world. Hushdie wrote this novel after a long gap when his ten year old son @afar complained to him that he never wrote anything for children. Hushdie wrote The #atanic Merses* in 01??, which was considered blasphemous for its ironic vision of %slam and Ayatollah 8homeini, #upreme (eader of %ran, had issued a death warrant or fatwa against him. As a result the British government provided him protection and he remained underground for nearly ten years. /aroun and the #ea of #tories*, published in 0114, was the first book that he published after going into hiding and it was dedicated to his son. %t is written in the fairy tale tradition but there are autobiographical elements in the troubled relationship between Hashid and #oraya, the love between father and son, and the writer*sN storyteller*s predicament when faced with the loss of his freedom to tell stories. The extract is from the beginning of the novel, from the chapter titled #hah of Blah*. %t is a brilliant illustration of Hushdie*s ability to create a magical world and his rich, innovative language
Glossary Alifbay : an imaginary country. %ts name comes from the /industani word for
alphabet. glumfish : Hushdie*s own coinage. %t means sad fish. &cean of 'otions : this nickname of Hashid*s would mean full of ideas Shah of (lah : another name for Hashid, means the king of nonsense raggedy : torn, frayed clothes alley : a narrow back-lane saga : a long, detailed story wobbly stomach : shaking because of the layers of fat witchy : here it would mean magical great story sea : in the book from which this extract in taken the magical
story waters are on 8ahani, a hidden moon of the earth )ater *enie : there is a water-genie in the novel and he is called %ff. mingy : mean, stingy politico : politician or a person who is interested in politics pan+andrum : mock title for an important person aroun and ashid : /aroun and Hashid are both named after the legendary
/aroun-al- Hashid, aliph of Baghdad, who features in many Arabian 9ights tales. Their surname 8halifa actually means aliph. /lot Summary
/aroun*s father is the famed storyteller Hashid 8halifa, the +cean of 9otions or the #hah of Blah, but his wife tires of his imagination and elopes with "r. #engupta, a dull and dreary clerical drone. This leaves Hashid heartbroken, and unable to continue his profession of storytelling. /aroun feels he started the problem
Head the first two paragraphs carefully. 9otice how Hushdie creates the overpowering image of a sad city in Alifbay. /e uses a cluster of closely
related adjectives, metaphors, and similes to create the overpowering image of a sad city*: it is ruinously sad * the saddest of cities* stood by a mournful sea* sadness factories* whose smoke was like bad news* glumfish* what made people *belch with melancholy * ruined buildings that looked like broken hearts* Hushdie*s language is rich6 he uses similes and metaphors imaginatively to create an atmosphere of dull despair. Against this sad backdrop the cheery storyteller Hashid 8halifa stands out by contrast. Hashid is famously known as the +cean of 9otions and the #hah of Blah. Con*t miss the brilliant use of rhyme to create these titles for Hashid. /is son /aroun is a happy young fellow* and his wife sings sweetly. Hashid is full of stories and into this picture of the happy family Hushdie introduces a sense of impending trouble. #uddenly /aroun*s mother stops singing. %t is a sign that something is wrong but no one knows exactly what. pages '0-'2 ( 3aroun and Rashid
Hashid 8halifa is busy with his storytelling, rehearsals and public events and does not notice the change in his wife*s demeanour but trouble is slowly building up. /aroun travelled fre)uently with his father. /e knew that Hashid was a magician* and a juggler*. &hen he spoke even animals and birds would listen. %t is clear that /aroun adores and admires his father. &ith a child*s natural curiosity /aroun pesters his father with )uestions about the source of his stories. very time he asks he gets the same reply: rom the Dreat #ea #tory;*. Hashid tells his son that he drinks the hot
water from a tap installed by a &ater-Denie. /aroun does not believe him. /e is a subscriber to the Dreat #ea #tory which is located on 8ahani
Con*t miss the rather unusual simile of a cake to describe /aroun*s colourful house. Hushdie knows how to create a fantasy world that will fascinate children. There is the description of the city, with its poor and rich inhabitants. The refrain of impending tragedy becomes more and more explicit, #o the truth is that /aroun was lucky: but luck has a way of running out without the slightest warning. +ne minute you*ve got a lucky star watching over you and the next instant it*s done a bunk. /aroun is a typical child, constantly pestering his parents with )uestions. /e wants to know why they did not have any more children. /is mother sadly expresses their failure but Hashid, as usual gives a more colourful answer. At this point the #enguptas, /aroun*s neighbours, are introduced. "r. #engupta is a clerk and his wife is a fat lady who is fond of /aroun as they do not have children of their own. The dull "r. #engupta is the exact opposite of Hashid the storyteller6 practical, unimaginative, lacking a sense of humour and cold. &hereas his wife is fond of /aroun and gives him gifts and hugs him all the time "r. #engupta is indifferent towards him. "r. #engupta spends a lot of time chatting with #oraya and /aroun fre)uently overhears him talk ill of his father,but one sentence sticks to his mind and troubles him:
&hat*s the use of stories that aren*t even true7* This )uestion is significant as it is indicative of an unimaginative attitude to life, without the fun, laughter and creativity that Hashid 8halifa represents. /aroun, with a child*s instinct, perhaps, senses "r. #engupta*s dishonourable intentions and dislikes him. %t is clear that the lonely #oraya, neglected by Hashid and full of resentment, is getting influenced by her neighbour. You must remember that Hashid and "r. #engupta represent two opposing attitudes to life. 9ot only are they different temperament-wise but their physical appearance is also contrasting. Hashid is plump and stuffed with cheery stories*, symboli!ing the abundant joy that he shares with everyone in the form of stories whereas the peevish "r. #engupta looks mean and sticky-thin.* ven his voice is mingy.* page '5-'6( Soraya)s elopement and the a!termath
+ne day /aroun returns home to find his father crying and he learns the terrible news: his mother has run away with "r. #engupta. %n a fit of rage Hashid has broken all the clocks in the house. #oraya has left a note that blames Hashid, saying that his brain is full of make-belief*. Traumati!ed by being abandoned by his mother /aroun shouts at his father: * )hats the use of stories that arent even true
%t is the same )uestion that "r. #engupta asked #oraya and which /aroun overheard. &ithout reali!ing it /aroun echoes the )uestion. The result is catastrophic because Hashid loses his storytelling powers. %t is indeed a tragic conse)uence because Hashid is famous for his storytelling powers and it is the only work that he has the talent for. Conclusion
Hushdie succeeds in creating a fantasy world that his young readers would love to read. There is an imaginary city where sadness is manufactured, an ocean of stories, water-genies, and a loving father with magical powers.At the same time, you must remember, that there are underlying meanings in
the story. +n one hand there is the cheery* Hashid, busy entertaining people, full of gripping tales, and a man who never gives a straight answer. /is immense popularity is clear from the fact that all types of politicians woo him and even animals pause to listen to him. Against him is the sad city which has forgotten its name and the unimaginative clerk "r. #engupta who is obviously jealous of Hashid. "r. #engupta wins a temporary victory by running away with Hashid*s wife but in the end of the novel, in true fairy tale tradition, #oraya comes back to her family and /aroun gets his father*s storytelling powers back. ritics believe that #alman Hushdie wanted to write a story that celebrates the triumph of the imagination and freedom of expression against fundamentalism and powers that seek to curb and stifle the writer*s voice. The novel is an assertion of the importance and value of storiesN literature in our lives. Reading Comprehension
0. /aroun was curious to know where the fantastic stories his father told came from. &hen Hashid, his father,told him that the stories came from the Dreat #tory #ea, /aroun wanted to know where his father kept the hot water from the Dreat #tory #ea. Another time /aroun wanted his father to tell him why he didn*t have any sisters or brothers but Hashid did not give a straight answer and told him that since /aroun was as good as fouror five children they could not have more. The third )uestion that /aroun asks his father is when his mother #oraya runs away with "r. #engupta, their neighbour. /aroun is upset and angrily asks his father,O &hat*s the use of stories that aren*t even true7O 3. Hashid 8halifa is a storyteller and he is used to creating imaginary worlds. %t is not surprising then that he does not give straight answers to any of /aroun*s )uestions. Hashid is the #hah of Blah. . /aroun feels terrible after asking his father what use it was telling stories that were not true. /e reali!es that it is precisely what #oraya has
written in the note that she has left for Hashid. #oraya has run away with "r.#engupta because she wanted to be with a man who was practical, not like Hashid whose head was full of make believe. As soon as he asks this )uestion /aroun regrets hurting his father. After this Hashid loses his powers and cannot tell fantastic tales. E. #oraya is tired of her husband who lives in a make-believe world. "aybe she feels that her husband is not practical enough or neglecting her but there is a hint that she feels unhappy. Curing the early years of her marriage she sings sweetly all-the time but then one day she stops singing all of a sudden. 2. 'oliticians pretend that they are telling the truth but the public could understand that they are lying. Hashid*s stories interested people because he would insist that they were his creation and they trusted him. >. Hefer to the plot summary. ocabulary Commonplace combinations 7nusual combinations
jealous rivals toothless old-timers sweet voice witchy fingers loving husband mournful sea bad news sad city ruined buildings sadness factories hummable tunes raggedy children huge audience super-poor pink walls child-stuff
delicious pomfret sticky-thin s ticky-thin huge audience wobbly-fat sweet voice unthinkable thing nasty things whiny-voic whiny-voiced ed serious business s)uiggly metal-railin metal-railings gs
UNDERSTANDING POINTS OF IEW !I(LS By Mrinal /ande / 0r. Anil Ane+a
Knderstanding points of view involves a reading of various perspectives Knderstanding perspectives in a piece of writing. %n *irls, we find three main points of view--- first, the point of view of the girl- child6 second, point of view of the older generation of women6 and third, more indirectly, the author*s point of view. You need to be attentive and alert while reading, so that you can get into the habit of reading between the lines and discover different perspectives in a piece of writing. Introduction
/ave you observed any instances of discrimination between girls and boys in the society and community you live in7 Co you feel that boys often get preferential preferent ial treatment as compared to girls in many %ndian families, even today, although girls are capable of excellence in various fields and walks of life7 Cespite education and career opportunities that have opened out to girls as compared to earlier times, society s ociety continues continues to have a maledominated outlook. The story *irls by "rinal 'ande is narrated from the point of view of a little girl. %t explores the issue of gender-bia gender-biass towards the girl-child. The young
narrator is the second of the three daughters of her parents. The three daughters represent three different attitudes attitudes of victims of gender bias: The eldest daughter is )uiet and submissive and plays the role that a girl in a male-dominated society society is docilely expected to fulfill. The second daughter
The narrator*s mother is expecting her fourth child. #he fervently hopes that this time she would give birth to a boy, otherwise, she would have to go through the whole process of another pregnancy and delivery. The mother is always stressed out and irritable, often giving vent to her irritability to her children, particularly, the middle girl child. The narrator observes OTo "a, everything in life is a problem. As far as she is concerned,whether concerned,whether we are at home or at school, ill or just playing around, we are a problem.O The girl-child*s playful spontaneity spontaneity is curbed, and she is treated as a lesser mortal in a male-dominated society. Although the story is narrated from a young girl*s point of view, the author "rinal 'ande points to elder women*s plight and pressures of living in a society where men hold most of the power and importance. The mother goes to her parents* house for her delivery, with her three children. The children*s "ama and "aami
mother they are warded off by the statement statement,, O(et O (et the poor thing have some rest at least while she is here.O The mother also gives vent to the woes of being a woman and behaves as if her three daughters always harass her at home. +n entering the grandmother*s grandmother*s house, the narrator is asked to bend properly and touch her grandmother*s feet.#he is told, OYou are born a girl and you will have to bend for the rest of your life, so you might as well learn.O This statement is significant because it depicts the conditioning of women and discriminatory attitude towards females in a male-dominated society. The old lady from the neighbourhood as well as the grandmother wish and pray that a boy would be born to (ali
response, OAll of us suffer like that, one just has to endure it.O &hen the narrator refers indirectly to this incident in the morning, she is beaten up by her mother. The mother is perpetually angry with her. Troubled by the double standards of women towards young girls, often thwarted by elder women in her playful and in)uisitive attitude to life, the little girl sits outside the house, and watches birds flying. #he wishes she was born a bird, and woefully reflecting on her own status in the family, asks, OCo mother birds too think their girl birds are inferior7O The grandmother shows marked preference for her grandson. /owever, on the festival of Ashtami, little girls are worshiped as OCevisO. &hile all the other little girls )uietly participate in the celebrations, the narrator rebels sharply against it. 8eenly perceiving the negative attitude towards girls in everyday life, the elements of violence and suppression meted out to female children, she refuses to be worshiped as a O8anyakumariO. #he breaks out in anguish, O&hen you people don*t love girls, why do you pretend to worship them7O Hejecting the ceremonial offerings, she screams, O% don*t want to be a goddess.O Critical Comments
Though the story is narrated from the perspective of a young girl, *irls raises certain key issues regarding gender injustice, not only towards the girlchild, but also towards the grown-up women. The adult women are victims of discrimination in a male-dominated social ethos. These women themselves become perpetrators of further discrimination by neglecting the emotional needs of the girl-child, often making the little girls targets of abusive temper and intolerance. re)uently snubbed and not cherished by women, the middle daughter
G8OSS.R9 nuisance ( botheration, burden preoccupied ( fill the mind completely pathetic ( arousing pity
Ashtami day : literally it means the eighth day. %n the context of this story the word refers to an auspicious day occurring twice a year according to /indu religious customs. This day is dedicated to the worship of the "other Doddess Kanya&umari ( %n the context of this story the word refers to young unmarried girls regarded as the symbol of purity and the image of the "other Doddess and worshiped on the Ashtami day
UNDERSTANDING POETRY I SIST#(S By Saleem /eeradina / 0r. Anil Ane+a
As compared to other kinds of writings, a poem is compact and compressed. %t is as important to follow the structure and story-line of a poem, as it is to understand point of view in poetry. or this reason, one has to read a poem attentively, and also learn to read between the lines. I:#RO;7C#IO:
#ibling rivalry is a phenomena which manifests itself even in the early years of one*s life. Puarrels between brothers and sisters, or siblings are )uite common. #ometimes the differences or issues raised by their fights are harmless, sometimes these are serious. 'arents are not always impartial when they intervene in the )uarrels of their children. The poem #isters*
written by #aleem 'eeradina, deals with the differences of temperament and age between two sisters. #<=#7.8 .:.89SIS 8I:
The narrator of the poem is the father of the two sisters. The elder daughter is less than ten years of age, while the younger one is a little more than five years old. The younger child is aware that she would never be able tobridge the difference of nearly five years* gap between the two sisters. #he feels that neither good behaviour -'*(-
The younger sister regards the age gap as a disadvantage. But she uses all kinds of strategies to turn the disadvantage or the OhandicapO of being the younger one into an advantage. The younger sister tries to outwitthe elder one by her manipulative nature: the younger one is bolder as well as sly by nature. #ometimes she uses sweet words and is obedient in order to impress her parents. But she is also capable of subverting rules, and deliberately influencing elders by shedding tears and shouting. 8I:(-
The father seems to be partial to the younger daughter. ven when the younger one is in the wrong, he tries to teach the elder one to be more tolerant, accommodating and protective towards her younger sister. The elder daughter often has to bear the brunt of the younger one*s smart and manipulative behaviour. The elder siblingresponds to the unfair treatment meted out to her through the expression on her face. #he tries to fight against the injustice she receives by accusing her father of taking the wrong side.
8I:
The speaker of the poem, that is the father, tries to talk to the elder daughter in a pleasant manner, placing the onus of all good behaviour on the elder child. But the elder daughter rebels against the moralistic and unfair attitude of the father. #ometimes when the father is not in a good mood, he suppresses the elder daughter by shouting at her6 but deep down, he is a loving father, and, he immediately regrets such behaviour on his part. &e find that although the father puts unfair pressure on the elder daughter by trying to make her endure her younger sister*s negative behaviour, he is good at heart. /e admits to the reader that he is unfair and morali!ing. 8I:
The impact of the father*s unfair shouting at the elder daughter is that she lapses into silence. But she is not cowed into submission6 the word OsimmeringO shows her )uiet anger against the injustice that she receives. The father is silently joyful at the outcome, although he did not deliberately intend to teach the elder daughterwhat she has learnt instinctively. By standing her ground, and revolting against injustice, the elder daughter demonstrates her ability to defy authoritative behaviour. The expression Oto overcome fathers, real and imaginaryO, refers to standing up against authoritarian figures in one*s life. CRI#IC.8 COMM<:#S
The poem #isters* deals with sibling rivalry and with the )uestion of one*s response to injustice. The elder daughter is expected to be docile, and submit to authority, and mould herself on the role of a traditional female figure. But even at a young age, she is conscious of her rights as a child, and, by rebelling against the authoritarian stance of her father, the elder daughter breaks out of the image of a meek submissive girl-child.#he is capable of combating injustice by assertively taking a stand. This defiance renders a note of celebration to the poem.
'arents are often not impartial in their attitude towards their children. %t is )uite possible that a boy in the place of the elder sister would have behaved more aggressively6 and perhaps the father would also have behaved differently towards a boy-child. G8OSS.R9( lead ( to have the advantage of snea&ier ( more crafty or sly sullen ( bad-tempered and sulky bla+es ( flares-up simmering ( to be in a state of anger or excitement which is only just kept under control.
UNDERSTANDING SATIRE ) T#* +), F)ST By 3arishan&ar /arsai / 0r. Anil Ane+a
%n the course of your study of 1luency in 2nglish, you are becoming familiar with the interpretation of many things, such as how to understand poetry, narrative and drama6 how to understand humour6 how to understand various points of view. Knit > of this book has been intended to teach you how to understand satire. Co you know the exact meaning of the word OsatireO7 The word incorporates Othe use of humour, irony, exaggeration or ridicule to reveal and critici!e people*s bad points.O %n literature, the term refers to a type of novel, poem or play, whereby a particular subject, vice or folly in human nature or in a system is ridiculed. OA Ten day astO was written by /arishankar 'arsai around twenty years after the independence of %ndia. Through this piece of writing, 'arsai holds up to
our scrutiny the picture of an independent country where some people with vested interests use various strategies to manipulate public opinion and political system. By using such a method, the writer satiri!es the functioning of democracy in the nation. #<=#7.8 .:.89SIS(
OA Ten Cay astO is written in the form of diary entry. pisodes between the dates 04th January to 30 st January in the life of Bannu and his supporters are recorded. Bannu goes on a fast for an unworthy cause, that is to procure another man*s wife. The diary form of writing seen together with the contents of the story give a tone of mock-seriousness to this satirical piece. 34 "anuary5
Bannu had been unsuccessfully pursuing #avitri, the wife of Hadhika Babu. At the outset the narrator points outthat nothing in this country functions on its own, whether it is the parliament, the judiciary, bureaucracy, or anything else. verything has to be influenced and manoeuvred, in contemporary society. According to the narrator, all major demands can only be met through threats of fast or threats to kill oneself by burning
33 "anuary5
Knder the able guidance of the narrator and Baba #anki Cas, Bannu proceeds on a Ofast unto deathO. +n January 00, /e is found sitting in a tent. A holy atmosphere has been contrived: incense sticks burn near him, and a group of people vigorously sing the favourite song of "ahatma Dandhi. A deceptively pious ambience is built up. QBut the reader can discern the wide gap between the kind of noble purposes for which Dandhiji used to undergo a fast unto death and Bannu*s base purpose.R Baba #ankidas craftily drafts the Ceclaration of 'rinciples on Bannu*s behalf. /e camouflages Bannu*s desire for another man*s wife in such a way that it sounds exalted and philosophic. %n the Ceclaration, Bannu declares that he has been prompted by his soul which is incomplete without #avitri: O"y soul calls out to me saying, %*m as only one half. "y other half is in #avitri. "y soul says, Bring the two halves together and make them one. +r else set me free from this world.O Bannu declares that he has gone on a fast to bring the two halves of his soul together. The diary record made on this day, that is 00 January, shows how Baba #anki das, the master strategist, uses language to manipulate others and influence public opinion. 36 "anuary5
Bannu finds it difficult to go through the fast as he has little tolerance for hunger. /e asks whether eminent personalities such as Jayaprakash 9arayan and Minoba Bhave had come to see him. #ome journalists come to see him and want to know if the fast is for a public cause. Baba #ankidas shrewdly replies that the priority was to do something to save Bannu*s life. /e adds, O&hen someone goes on a fast, he makes such a sacrifice that anycause becomes pure.O The )ueries of the journalists show how the media gets attracted to any public display.'eople like Baba #ankidas exploit the media to shape and sway public opinion.
37th "anuary5
Baba #ankidas continues to shape public opinion. +n 0E th January, he gets a statement by #wami Hasanand published in the papers. #wami Hasanand claims that his ascetic acts have given him the power to see both the past and the future. These
%t is clear by this date that public opinion has emerged in Bannu*s favour. 9ewspapers are full of the story of Bannu*s fast. 'eople in the city are heard saying that #avitri*s husband is a shameless man and that it is Oa greatsin to keep a sage*s wife as your own.O #uch shocking public views are the writer*s way of satiri!ing democracy in the country. The author shows how even immoral demands meet with public approval through artful manoeuvering. Also on this day, arrangements are made to send a small crowd of people to the 'rime "inister*s residence to appeal to him to intervene in the matter. Jayaprakash 9arayan visits Bannu that evening. Q%t must be borne in mind that in the process of writing a satire, the author uses imaginary scenes. The events are not meant to be seen as real episodes, but rather, their value lies in exposing negative social andNor political systems in a humorous way.R 39th "anuary5
Jayaprakash 9arayan, who has been persuaded to mediate and see the 'rime "inister on Bannu*s behalf, is not successful in his mission. The narrator feels discouraged, but Baba #ankidas remains unshaken. The latter
saysthat at first everyone rejects a demand6 and that the time has come to intensify the struggle. The Baba instigates the media as well as the caste system to create ripples of effect in society in Bannu*s favour.
+n 05th January, the newspaper headlines and a deliberately created advertisement further shows the use of media by a group of manipulative people to present the case in Bannu*s favour. Bannu*s supporters also go to the extent of hiring four local goondas
ierce fights take place between the two caste groups As a result of all the animosity kindled by the supporters of Bannu, such as the narrator and Baba #ankidas,#ection 0EE of the %ndian 'enal ode is imposed on the city as a result of all the provocation and violence. The government has been watching the situation carefully, although there is a deadlock as far as the talks are concerned. Thus we see how a trivial matter can be pushed to proportions of nation-wide interest by a handful of people with vested interests. To expose this social evil is one of the primary purposes of this particular satire. 3= th "anuary5
#o many days of fasting have made Bannu weak. /e raves and rants that he has been led into a trap. The narrator is worried that if Bannu reveals such a
statement to the public or the press, people such as the narratorand Baba #ankidas will be exposed. >4 th "anuary5
Bannu*s condition continues to grow worse. The narrator and his advisors issue a public statement on Bannu*s behalf: O% may die but % shall not retreatO. There is much uproar in the nation regarding the issue of Bannu*s fast.The Brahmin #abha threatens, O%f the demand is not met, ten Brahmins will immolate themselvesO. #avitri attempts suicide, but is saved. 'rayer meetings are held all over the country. /eightening the tone of satire, the author states that a telegram has been sent to the Knited 9ations. >3st "anuary5
All the crooked tactics of Baba #ankidas and the narrator finally yield resultsG The government accepts Bannu*s demands in principle. Baba #ankidas gives a glass of orange juice to Bannu, as a token of breaking the fast. (ha+ans and prayers are loudly recited. The author satiri!es the functioning of democracy in the country as Baba #ankidas says triumphantly, O%n a democracy, public opinion has to be respected.O The misuse of 0harma or religion is also mocked at, as hundreds of men and women come to touch Bannu*s feet, and people shout OMictory to TruthGO OMictory to CharmaGO CRI#IC.8 COMM<:#S(
You have already had an understanding of the meaning and use of satire in a piece of literary writing. Through satire, an absurd situation is highlighted: +ne man is steered by Owell-wishersO and experts to go on a fast unto death so that he can procure another man*s wife. The aim of the satirist /arishankar 'arsai is to expose the loopholes in a democratic system, whereby a handful of people with vested interests can manipulate a situationand subvert political ideology.
Throughout OA Ten Cay astO, ideas and means reminiscent of %ndia*s struggle for independence are used satirically to achieve unworthy goals. &e see how various kinds of people and agencies such as media, common man*s religious sentiments, the opinion of masses, the caste system and social miscreants can be manipulated to achieve petty personal gains G8OSS.R9( roughed up ( beaten up set up ( the way in which something is organi!ed or positioned @himpered ( feeble sound expressing fear or discontent crystalli+ed ( became definite and clear unanimous ( fully in agreement6 being of one opinion devout ( religious6 holy deteriorating ( becoming worse deadloc& ( a situation in which no progress can be made s&irmishes ( spell of unplanned fighting between small groups ;harma ( in %ndian religion, the eternal law of the universe
UNDERSTANDING A!UES !O -ISS TH# WO(L+ By Subroto Bagchi
L 'eeta *upta . Brie! Introduction(
#uccess is a relative and term and there can be many different ways of looking at success. or some peoplebeing successful means having a lot of material wealth while for some others it may mean being famous. There are people for whom success means having excelled in their chosen field of work while some others simply think that if they are happy they are successful too. Do, 8iss the &orld* gives us a very different and personal view about what success means. The extract is from the &elcome Address* by #ubroto Bagchi, hief +perating +fficer, ?ind Tree !onsulting, to "anagement #tudents at the %ndian %nstitute of "anagement, Bangalore. This &elcome Address* was delivered on 3 July 344E. Basing his address on his own life, Bagchi gives us a personal insight into what success means to him and talks in detail about ihe values that helped him achieve that success. /e draws examples from memories of his childhood days and of his upbringing in a middle class household by his parents of strong principles. /e recounts how the lessons that he learnt from his father and mother, helped him understand the essential truth about success, that su%%ess is not what you a%hieve in material terms .ut it is the lega%y that you leave .ehind in terms o ideals and values uheld .y you. This is surely a very different way of defining success. (et us take a look at the given extract from Bagchi*s &elcome Address* and see what some of these values and ideals arethat have made him the man he is today. ;etailed <,planation
Bagchi begins by giving a brief family background and tells the audienceNreader that he was the youngest child in a family of five brothers and that his father was a government servant in 8oraput, +rissa. 8oraput was a small, backward place with no electricity and no primary school nearby and no taps. #ince there was no primary school, Bagchi says that he was home-schooled till the age of eight. The family lived frugally and his father was transferred every year. Bagchi discloses that his mother was an orphan and had been brought up by a widow who was a refugee from ast Bengal. At the time of her marriage Bagchi*s mother was a matriculate.
#he 8essons learnt and alues imbibed !rom his !ather
Bagchi admits with pride at this stage of his address that his parents together set the foundation system of his life and gave him the value system which has made him what he is today and which has also defined success to him in his personal terms. /e then goes on to list those values one by one. illustrating each one of them with examples drawn from his personal life. The first of these values is learnt when he sees his father not using the office transport for personal use. `*ot to misuse ower and rivileges' was the first lesson in governance learnt from this simple example from life. Bagchi calls it his lesson in governance. The second lesson is learnt from the way his father makes sure that the driver of his office jeep is treated with respect and that children do not call him by by his name but refer to him as dada*. The lesson learnt is spelled out at the end of the paragraph: `It is more imortant to rese%t your su.ordinates than your sueriors' . %n an interesting manner Bagchi next recounts how from the simple routine of reading the newspaper everyday he and his brothers learnt good nglish along with the fact that the world is not just limited to 8oraput districtbut is a very large place. The act of folding back the newspaper neatly taught him another lesson which was `to show %onsideration to others'" Bagchi*s father did not set much store by material possessions. Thus he never gave in to the children*s demands for things like a transistor or radio or even a house. ven from this Bagchi learnt another valuable lesson. `It is imortant not to measure ersonal su%%ess and sense o well .eing through material ossessions'" 8essons in Success learnt !rom his mother
Bagchi next describes briefly how his mother strove and worked hard to beautify whichever house the family lived in. #he took great pains to plant flowers and make the surroundings beautiful even
leave a place more beautiful than what she had inherited. This, says Bagchi,was his first lesson in success: `It is not a.out what you %reate or yoursel/ it is what you leave .ehind that deines su%%ess" 0 &e as readers are next taken to that time in Bagchi*s life when his mother developed cataract in her eyes. /e remembers that he was a young child at that time and used to read the local newspaper for her. This in turn developed in him a sense of being connected with the larger universe. The year being 01>2, %ndia was at war with 'akistan and Bagchi recalls that he read the war news with immense interest ana imagined himself catching 'akistani spies in action. This act unblocked his imagination. The two lessons leamt from those early years were Ai% ,ou have to measure su%%ess in terms o a sense o a larger %onne%tedness and 1ii2 Imagination is everything" I we %an imagine a uture/ we %an %reate it/ i we %an %reate that uture/ others will live in it" This is the essen%e o su%%ess" &e are told that from his mother Bagchi learnt other valuable lessons. ven though she went completely blind,she always told him that she sees only light even with her eyes closed. /er positive outlook taught him that`Su%%ess is not a.out seeing the world .ut seeing the"light"' &hat do you think Bagchi means by this7 %s he talking here of being always optimistic in one*s approach even under adverse circumstances7 'robably yes. The next lesson he learns from observing his ?4 year old blind mother, doing Yoga every morning and cleaning her room and washing her own clothes, is about a sense of independence. /e concludes that paragraph by sayingthat `Su%%ess is a.out the sense o indeenden%e"' %f one doesn*t have to depend on others tor simple things, that itself becomes one measure of success% As time passes, Bagchi briefly narrates how from a clerk in a government office he went on to become a well-known name in the %T industry. /e travelled all over the world and worked on challenging assignments with outstanding people. Then at one point of time he learns of his father having suffered third-degree burns. Bagchi describes the few days spent at Celhi*s #afdarjung /ospital when his father was admitted. ven though critically ill, Bagchi*s father manages to teach his son yet another valuable lesson in
life. inding his father more concerned about the over worked nurse than himself taught Bagchi that `There is no limit to how %on%erned you %an .e ar another human .eing and the limit o in%lusion you %an %reate'"/is father taught him that `Su%%ess is your a.ility to rise a.ove your dis%omort/ whatever may .e your %urrent state"' #uccess is not about material comforts. Hather, `Su%%ess is a.out the lega%y you leave .ehind in the orm o a %ontinuity o your ideals and values" Heminiscing about the arguments that his parents had on political issues because both held differing opinion, Bagchi tells the audienceNreader that he learnt another lesson. Su%%ess is also a.out the unolding o thought ro%esses/ o dialogue and %ontinuum"' #he #itle
9earing the end of this Address, Bagchi comes to the point when he talks of his mother*s illness after a paralyticstroke. /e leaves work to be with her but her condition remains what it was, neither getting better nor movingon. #ince he has to return to work, he goes to kiss his mother goodbye. Bagchi describes how even in that paralytic state his mother has only words of encouragement for her son. #he tells him to go, kiss the world)instead. &hat do you think she means here7 %s she not implying that Bagchi should not concentrate or limit his time and his attention and his energies to just one place and one person. Hather he should be more inclusive,have a larger vision, welcome opportunities and stay connected to the larger world existence. `One has to have the a.ility to rise a.ove one's %ir%umstan%es and at times to rise a.ove the immediate ain"' This is what his mother*s last words to him are. And this is what Bagchi says, success is all about for him. Glossary
0. Back of beyond : remote 3. stablishment : a place of business or residence . ommute : travel some distance to and fro
E. Hesource : available 2. Heiterated : say or do again >. #tationary : standing still 5. ringe : to shrink in fear ?. /uddling : sitting closely together 1. 'recept : rule or guide especially of conduct 04. namoured : inspired with love or delight 00. Alluding : referring 03. %nfested : +ver-run 0. Haged : at its height 0E. oined : invented a new word or phrase 02. Dalvani!ed : forced into action by excitement or shock 0>. ervour : passion or !eal 05. Ceteriorated : became worse 0?. %ntervening : occurring in time between events 01. 'erpetrators : those who commit a crime or blunder 34. Cehumani!ed : having no human )ualities 30. Helented : relaxed, gave in 33. #toic : control of one*s feelings and passions 3. "imetic : of or practising invitation
3E. Civersity : variety 32. ontinuum : thing having a continuous structure 3>. #tint : allotted amount of work 35. Darbled : confused 3?. onfluence : coming together
UNDERSTANDING A!UES So"#ed E$er%ises Reading Comprehension
P. 0. &hy do you think that the children in the Bagchi household were not allowed to call the driver Othe driverO7 Ans. 0. The children in the Bagchi household were not allowed to call the driver Othe driverO but had to use the suffix OdadaO. This was in order to give him respect because Bagchi*s parents believed that it is important to respect your subordinates. %t is necessary to treat small people with more respect than you treat big people. P. 3. Cescribe in your own words, 8oraput as remembered by Bagchi. Ans. 3. 8oraput, was a small town in +rissa and Bagchi calls it a back of the beyond* place. By this he means that it was a backward place almost primitive and he remembers that there was no electricity and no primary school there. There was no piped water-supply and therefore no taps. &ater was probably available only through lakes, ponds or wells. P. . Bagchi learnt a number of lessons from his parents. (ist the three lessons that he associates with his fatherand the three that lie associates with his mother. Ans. . The three lessons that he associates with his father are:
UNDERSTANDING POETRY II .M.8K.:#I By :irendranath Cha&rabarti
L 'eeta *upta .Brie! Introduction
Knderstanding poetry is a very different exercise from understanding narrative because it is a very concentrated piece of writing where a lot is said in very few words and a lot that is left unsaid is implied and has to be understood from the various cues placed by the poet within the poem. These cues can be in the form of images, symbols, metaphors, or even in the ordering of words or repetition of some words. &ords are chosen with great care and a lot of thought goes into their structuring because in a poem words are used keeping in mind their connotations and subtle nuances of meaning. or example in Amalkanti* the title of the poem is itself a guide to an understanding of the poem for it gives us an idea of what the poet*s response is towards the subject of the poem. %n fact in a poem even the sound of a word is important. At times the tone of the poem is itself an
indicator of what the poet is actually trying to say. or instance in Amalkanti* the tone of the poem reveals that there is a distinction between the viewpoints of the speaker and the poet. By now you probably have an idea of the things to be alert to while reading a poem. (et*s move on then to the peom under consideration and take a detailed look at it. Amalkanti* is a poem written originally in Bengali by 9irendranath hakrabarti but made available to all non-Bengali but nglish knowing speakers in an nglish translation of the same by #ujit "ukherjee and "eenakshi "ukherjee. The poem deals with a very common situation in the lives of school-going children who oftendiscuss what*each one of them wants to be when grown-up. Amalkanti is a friend of the speaker and the two study in the same class. The speaker tells us that Amalkanti was not very bright and in fact )uite dull at studies.But he had a dream unlike any other student in class. /e wanted to become sunlightG &hile the rest of the students followed conventional paths and had common expectations in life which even got fulfilled, Amalkanti*s dream was very different. /e wanted to be sunlight*. This desire is very strong in Amalkanti*s heart but the poem ends by telling us that he could not become sunlight. %n fact he got a poorly paid job in a printing pressand worked in a dark and dingy room. %t is left lo the reader to read between the lines and determine who are the really successful people in this poem. %s it the group of those youngsters who become doctors and lawyers without caring too deeply about it or is it Amalkanti who is not at all successful in the conventional terms7 ;etailed <,planation
The poet begins the poem by introducing us at once to the person who is going to be the focus of the whole poem. /e begins by telling us that Amalkanti is a friend of Shis and they were together at school. The manner inwhich Amalkanti is introduced defines very clearly that the relationship between the speaker and this boy is neither too close nor too distant. There is a mixture of intimacy and distance. /e is not his closest friend or his best friend. But he is nevertheless a friend.
The stan!a progresses with a confident and amused tone and the speaker describes how Amalkanti was a weak student and he often came late to school and almost never knew his lessons. &hen asked to do even a simple thing as conjugate a verb*, he would look pu!!led and would look out of the window. All his classmates felt sorry for him. %n the concluding line we have to take into account what is left unsaid. %n any normal class room situation if a student fails to provide an answer to a simple )uestion, rest of the students often make fun of him. But here the case is different. The speaker tells us that we all felt sorry for him*. The reason for this is obviously Amalkanti. /e looks lost and so confused that he invokes a response of pity rather than ridicule from his classmates. The speaker continues in the same confident tone and tells us next about the dreams and desires of this group of students. "ost of them have conventional expectations from life. #ome want to become teachers, some doctorsand some lawyers. %t is only Amalkanti who stands apart with his dream. /e wants to become nothing of what his classmates want to be. But instead, he wants to become sunlight. &hen the speaker describes that sunlight in detail the tone becomes full of wonder, it becomes soft and lyrical.This should make us stop and think whether in these lines it is the poet who has stepped in to give a differentperspective on the situation. Amalkanti wants to become sunlight says the speaker, but it is the poet who tells us that he wants to become Othe timid sunlight of late afternoon, when it stops raining and the crows call again,the sunlight that clings like a smile to the leaves of the jaam and the jaamrulO. &hile on the one hand the above )uoted lines alert us to the change in tone and perspective, on the other hand they also underline the fact that Amalkanti*s desire is to spread the happiness associated with sunlight. That is why it is described as the timid* sunlight of late afternoon. %n late afternoon the sun*s intensity is on the declining side. Thus all the harshness that can be e)ually associated with sunlight is removed from
Amalkanti*s dream. %n his dream there is only softness and happiness associated with sunlight. %n the third stan!a, the speaker returns to tell us how everybody else*s dream gets fulfilled except Amalkanti*s.The tense of the poem changes at this point. rom past we now move into the present. The speaker tells us that from thai group of students, some have become teachers, some lawyers and some doctors. But Amalkanti couldn*t become sunlight. %n fact, we are told that he works in a poorly lit room for a printer*. &e are further informed that Amalkanti still makes an effort to stay in touch with his friend, the speaker of the poem, for we are told that he drops in now and then* to see him and chats about this and that* over a cup of tea and then gets up to go and the speaker sees him off at the door. The irony is obvious in the lines which tell us that the boy who wanted to become sunlight now works in a poorly lit room and is obviously engaged in a low-paying job. The speaker*s attitude towards his friend at this point is almost patroni!ing. You must notice lhat it is always Amalkanti who makes an effort to meet his school-friend. These visits are not very important for the speaker because his attitude is extremely casual, saying that his friend drops in now and then* and chats about this and that* and then leaves. &hat does this tell us about Amalkanti7 #urely it indicates that he stilt values his friendship with the speaker and therefore makes an effort to meet his friend. /e must be a wann, caring and emotional person. The last stan!a changes the whole perspective on the situation. +nce again the distinction between the speakerand the poet gets blurred. The speaker*s tone is not so confident now when he tells us that for those of them who had become doctors and lawyers, it wouldn*t have made much difference if their achievements had interchanged and if the doctor had become a lawyer and vice versa. All of them got more or less* what they wanted except Amalkanti who used to think so much about sunlight that he wanted to become sunlight.* There is no amusement in the words now, no patroni!ing tone. %t is only wonder at a person who can desire something so deeply that he wishes to become that thing itself. %n contrast, none of the rest of the classmates is so deeply desirous of anything. %n fact to them it
hardly matters if they become teachers or doctors or lawyers. &hat is implied here is obviously that as long as the aspirant is able to join a conventionally respectable and well-paying profession it matters little what it is. +n the other hand there is Amalkanti whose desire to become sunlight is so deep that he is constantly thinking about it. This is what makes Amalkanli special and very different from the rest. %t is almost as though he stands out from the crowd. /e may not be successful in conventional terms but he is not ready to compromise with his heart*s deepest desire. There is an irony in the situation being described here. +n the literal level, Amalkanti may be a failure, he may be earning very little and working in dingy surroundings. But the work he docs is that of spreading the light of knowledge through books. %t is mentioned that he works for a printer even though in a poorly-lit* room. /e may be far from sunlight but he is engaged in a task which can be likened lo that of spreading lightLthe light of knowledge. &hile we may think that Amalkanti could not achieve his heart*s desire, we would be far from the truth because in that group of boys it is probably only Amalkanti who has been able to get a little close to whathe wanted from life. ar from being a failure, he is moderately successful in his own eyes even though not in conventional terms. The poem is giving us yet another perspective on success and failure. %n the previous unit Do, 8iss the &orld*, the author #ubroto Bagchi had given us a number of perspectives on how to define success. %n Amalkanti* the poet is giving us yet another perspective on success. Su%%ess %annot .e measured .y the amount o money you earn or .y seeing how well3&nown you are" Su%%ess also means .eing a.le to get what you most desire even though in worldly terms you may aear to .e a ailure"
UNDERSTANDING POETRY II So"#ed E$er%ises Reading Comprehension
P. 0. Co you think that Amalkanti*s desire to become sunlight* is unrealistic or foolish7 Ans. 0. At first it does seem that Amalkanti*s desire is unrealistic as well as foolish because we know that no one can become sunlightG +ur disbelief however, results from a purely literal interpretation of this uni)ue desire.%f however we try to look at it metaphorically then Amalkanti*s desire is neither unrealistic nor foolish because his desire is lo brighten up the world by doing something that would bring joy into the people*s lives. /e does achieve this desire partly by getting engaged in the business of printing books. Books too spread light in the metaphorical sense and also brighten up people*s world. P. 3. /ow is Amalkanti*s dream different from that of the other boys in the class7 &hat does it tell us about him7 Ans. 3. Amalkanti*s dream is a very unconventional one. +ther boys in his class have the usual conventional desires of becoming doctors, teachers, lawyers. But Amalkanti wants to become none of these. /e wants to become sunlight. /e is different and he is special. Knlike other boys. Amalkanti*s desired is so deep that he constantly dreams about it and is not ready to compromise with it. P. . &hat do you think is the speaker*s attitude towards Amalkanti: full of pity, critical or sympathetic7 Ans. . The speaker*s altitude towards Amalkanti is full of pity most of the time. At first he feels sorry for him when he is not able to perform well at school and is constantly day-dreaming. (ater he feels sorry for him when he turns out to be a failure in conventional terms. P. E. &hat do you think is the poet*s attitude towards Amalkanti7 &hat in the poem alerts us to the possibilitythat the attitude of the poet might be different from that of the speaker7 Ans. E. The poet*s attitude towards Amalkanti is very different from that of the speaker*s. irst of all the choice of name Amalkanti* which means pure
radiance* itself indicates that the poet*s attitude is not very critical. %n fact it is sympathetic even full of wonder. As we read the poem a change in tone occurs in stan!a 3 lines 03-05. rom being amused and condescending it now becomes soft,lyrical and almost wishful in describing how Amalkanti wants to become the timid sunlight of late afternoon*and a sunlight that clings like a smile. %n the last stan!a we notice this change in tone once again when it becomes full of wonder at the depth of Amalkanti*s desire in comparison with the shallowness of his classmates.Amalkanti is very clear in his head on what he wants to be. /e may be an idealist but at least he does not compromise with his heart*s desire and tries to spread light in the metaphorical sense by engaging in a task that spreads knowledge. P. 2. The tone of the speaker in the first three stan!as of the poem is confident and amused but the tone in lines 03-05 and the last stan!a of the poem changes. Coes it become:
P. >. %n the first stan!a we feel sorry for Amalkanti because he comes late to class, doesn*t know his lessons and can*t conjugate his verbs. learly, Amalkanti is a poor student. Co you think Amalkanti is a failure not onlybecause he could not become sunlight* but also because he is confined to a low paying job in a printing house where he has to work in a poorly lit room* . %n conventional terms Amalkanti is a failure because he has not been materially successful and is not making a future. %n fact he is confined to a low paying job. But in another sense he is a success because he has been able to do what he most wanted to in life and that is to spread light. %f we look at his desire literally then we are missing the point that the poet is trying to make. "etaphorically Amalkanti has been able to do what he most wanted to. Thus in this poem we are being given yet another definition of success. #uccess does not always mean to be rich. %t also means to be able to join a profession of your choice. To be able to do what you most wanted to. P. 5. The poet says that it Owouldn*t have made much difference to him* if the one who became a teacher had become a doctor or the one who became a doctor had become a lawyer. &hat does this tell us about Amalkanti*s classmates. Ans. 5. Amalkanti*s classmates are materialistic people- or them any conventionally respectable profession would do as long as it brings money with it. They do not have any deep desire or goal or ambition as Amalkanti has. P. ?. &hat in the poem makes us feel that far from being a failure, Amalkanti is special and that the work he does is creative and fulfilling, though low paid7
Ans. ?. Amalkanti may be a failure in the conventional sense. /e may not have been able to get a well-paying job but this does not mean that he is a failure. %n this poem we are being given yet another definition of success. %f you are able to do what you want in life, if you are even able to join a profession of your choicewhich gives you satisfaction if not money then too you are successful. Amalkanti wanted to become sunlight. /e wanted to brighten up people*s lives. By working for a printer he is involved in the process of spreading the light of knowledge through the printed word in the form of books. /is job gives him satisfaction even though it does not bring him much money and he has to work in a poorly lit room. Amalkanti has come very close to reali!ing his dream. /e has finally become the means of spreading light therefore we can say that far from being a failure he has been successful. P. 1. %rony is a device through which the speaker or writer gives two meanings, one literal
person who wanted to become sunlight is ultimately confined to a poorly-lit room in a low paying job. But because we have reali!ed that there is a difference in the attitude of the speaker and the poet towards Amalkanti, we can see that the irony is working in the opposite direction too. rom the poet*s point of view it is ironical that the speaker cannot seethat Amalkanti has infact been able to spread light metaphorically through books and has lived up to his name.These finer meanings are certainly affected in translations but a good translation can come very close to the original as this one has. P. 04. Try and attempt this )uestion yourself. ocabulary
G. 'oets choose words and structures with great care and after much thought, for they can affect our responsewith their sound, connotations and subtle nuances of meaning. %n groups of examine the lines given below and list as many alternatives as you can find for the words and phrases underlined and then briefly state why the poet*s formulation is the best in the given context. S0 Amalkanti is a !riend o! mine SThis is a solved example in the text
% have known "r. Amalkanti Duha for 4 years. Though never a high performer he has always been a meticulous @or&er% &hat is more, he truly enjoys the work he does and since he rose up to his position as 'rinting 'ress#upervisor with Kjwal Jyoti 'rakashan from the workshop floor, he is familiar with every aspect of printing. /e is also creative and hard @or&ing and therefore % would recommend him unreservedly to every reputed printeror publisher. inally % would add that he @ould prove to be
an asset !or any company% % wish him all the very best in the new assignment.
#udhir 8umar Cas Advocate 8olkata /igh ourt.
UNDERSTANDING ARGU&ENTS 3I##I:G ;O"R9 OR . SI= By Kalpana Sharma
L 'eeta *upta . Brie! Introduction
/itting Cowry for a #ix* is an article by 8alpana #harma, first published in the June 0, 344 issue of the well-known newspaper The indu. %t is an article against the system of dowry and uses the most recent incident of9isha #harma*s case to launch into a discussion about the various reasons for the persistence of this evil in our social system and also suggests a few ways to deal with it. #ince the article is in the form of an argument it is full of very pertinent and provocative )uestions. +ne )uestion leads to another and the answers to these )uestions lead to yet more )uestions. The article probes the issue deeply and from various perspectives. %t concludes by saying that laws alone cannot help in changing the mindsets of people. Dirls have to be determined not to give in to dowry demands and their parents have to be supportive only then can we deal with the menace of Cowry. ;etailed <,planation
The article begins with a )uestion, O#o has young 9isha #harma of 9oida sparked off a new anti-dowry movement7O %n fact, posing )uestions is going to be the major thrust in the article, )uestions that disturb us and make us
think. &e might think that the article is going to be about 9isha #harma. But as we read on we findthat this is not the case. 9isha #harma*s case is just being used as an example or rather a springboard to launch into a discussion about the menace of dowry system that still prevades in our society despite there being explicit laws against it. By asking whether 9isha #harma has sparked off a new anti-dowry movement itself implies that there have been anti-dowry movements in the past. #atyarani haddha*s case is then cited as the other example when one woman was able to spark off a movement against dowry. There is a difference between the two cases,however. %n #atyarani hadha*s case she had already lost her daughter who had been tortured and killed for bringing insufficient dowry whereas in 9isha #harma*s case this sad outcome is averted because the girl is determined not to go ahead with such a marriage and finds support in her parents. %n both cases however, it is an individual*s action that bring about an awareness and have far reaching conse)uences. Taking cue from these two cases, the writer suggests that we should not shy away from doing something we believe in just because we are alone. The writer now turns her focus on these individual cases and tries to look deeper into the )uestion and asks many disturbing )uestions. &hile she applauds the parental support that 9isha receives, she at the same time )uestions why, both 9isha and her parents go along with these demands as long as these remain within OreasonableO limits. The next paragraph asks one )uestion after another exposing not only the kind of demands thai are made in the name of dowry but also laying-bare the fact, that none of these demands
we need to ask ourselves because these are central to the issue. %f we ignore the central issues then individual cases will be forgotten and the evil of dowry will continue to prevail. The writer does not stop at this but goes on to probe the ways and means that can make a difference. ducation is one issue. %n 9isha*s case, her being educated might have made a difference in the sense that it gave her some confidence in herself and she decided to call off her marriage. The writer, however points out that there have been other similar cases when the girl was not so )ualified yet she could take a stand because she got support from her parents and other family members. ducation alone cannot help to that extent because there have been cases when educated and working women have bowed down to dowry demands. 'arental and familysupport plays a major role in such situations when a woman refuses to give in to unjust social customs. Another issue that the article highlights is that of women not being allowed to work outside home after marriage. %n fact, it has been seen that even professionally )ualified women have been asked to sit at home simply because the husband wants it so. There is something drastically wrong here. The time, effort and money spent on a girl*s education is no different from that spent on a boy*s. After all those years of hard labour if a woman is barred from putting that education to professional use then it is not only a personal waste but a national waste as well. The fight against dowry needs a mu%ti-pronged approach. %t needs to tackle these various issues prevailing in our society. The writer points out that girls have an advantage over boys in this fight because they have numbers on their side. They are less in number so they should play hard to get and should in fact dictate the terms. Dirls being less in number than boys also exposes a very alarming and sad trend which has resulted from the son preference in our society. The imbalance in sex-ratio can lead to innumerable other problems in society towardswhich we are turning a blind eye at the moment.
%n the end, the writer suggests that a combination of the determination of girls, supportive parents and a change in our perverted culture* only can end this evil* of the dowry system. A law can only help to a certain extent. %t cannot change the way people think. Taking the example of a film OBend it like BeckhamO where a girl defies her parents to play football, which is her heart*s desire, the writer asks. &hy can girls not hit dowry for a six and send it flying out of our social system7
UNDERSTANDING ARGU&ENTS So"#ed E$er%ises Reading Comprehension
P. 0 %s this article about:
parent, has yet gone along with dowry demands and acts only after she loses her daughter. 9isha*s case teaches us to act in time. P. . &hat do protests like those by 9isha and #atyarani teach us7 Ans. . 'rotests like those by 9isha and #atyarani teach us that an individual*s actions can have far reaching repurcussions. &e should never think that because we are alone we should not go forth with doing somethingthat we believe in. &e should act on our beliefs and the rest will follow. P. E. in paragraph 3, the writer says that we need to ask some hard )uestions* with regard to 9isha*s case.&hat are these )uestions7 Ans. E. The hard )uestions point at the faults that lie within all those people who go along with dowry demands.Though 9isha receives parental support when she decides that the cash demand had become too much, yet tillthat lime both she and her parents had gone along with unreasonable demands.This leads to further )uestions whether any demands can he reasonable and why should there be any demands at all. P 2. Again, in paragraph 2, the writer says that we need to come to grips with this central issue.* &hat is this central issue7 Ans. 2. The central issue is the social mind-set that considers a woman to be a burden first in her parental homeand then in her marital home. The belief that dowry is given and accepted so that a woman is not considered a burden in her marital home results from this mentality. &e need to change this mentality or else individual efforts like those of 9isha and #atyarani will be forgotten very soon. P. >. According to the author what is the biggest advantage girls have in their fight against dowry7 Ans. >. The girls* biggest advantage in their fight against dowry is that they have the numbers on their side.There are less number of girls than boys in
our country. #o it is the girls who should be playing hard to get. They should not give in so easily. P. 5. Bend it 8i&e Bec&nam was an nglish film about a British-%ndian girl who wanted to play professional football while her family was completely against it. %n the last sentence of this essay the metaphor from footballis mixed with another metaphor from another sport. &hich sport. xplain the metaphor. Ans. 5. The other metaphor has been taken from the world of cricket. %n cricket if a ball is hit for a six
phrase and then replace the phrase in its original place and see if there is any significant change in meaning. Take the help of the dictionary if you find the exercise difficult. 0. a su!!icient dowry: an ade)uate dowry . apparent privilege: obvious privilege
0 wonder why boys and young men never ta&e a stand against dowry, why it is left to women alone to raise the .anner against it. Any man with any sense o sel3worth should not give in to the demands of customs and tradition and agree to be eted and eli%itated while his bride*s family is ruining itself financially.How on earth can young men agree a custom which may seem pleasant enough to them today but which they would love to set aside tomorrow, when it could be their turn to be marrying off their daughter.
"riting
0. Head through the given text carefully and then provide 0-3 sentence summaries of the last six paragraphs of the essay. +ne line summaries of the last six paragraphs: 0. &e need to come to grips with the central issue. 3. %s it only education that makes the difference7 . 9isha*s refusal to give in will give others some courage. E. 'arental and family support is absolutely necessary to help girls in taking a stand against dowry. 2. The rights of women are set aside once she enters her marital home. The needs of her husband and his family become supreme. >. Dirls have numbers on their side. Try and attempt the second )uestion and the 0iscussion on your own.
UNDERSTANDING 'U&OUR 4ho%olate By Manju Kapur / 'alini #rabhakar
Introduction(
hocolate is a short story which centres around certain events in the marital life of Tara. The narrative style of this story is humourous but the subject matter of the story is anything but that. The story raises some very serious issues concerning marriage and individual self-respect. %n the process of our analysis we shall take a closer look at these issues. But before we do that %
would like to outline the layout of this lesson. This would enable you to comprehend the lesson in a more meaningful manner. 0. 'art-wise summary of the chronological events in the story. 3. 'art-wise critical commentary. . #elf heck Puestions. E. /umour in style. a% SummaryShort history o! #ara)s li!e upto the time o! her marriage
Tara is sent to an all girls convent school until she attains the age of 05 yrs, where the emphasis, as in most schools is entirely on academic work. The free time that is available, Tara utilises it by attending dance and music classes. After schooling she is sent to an all girls college for three years. /ere she decides to pursue the /onours ourse in nglish, and this decision is taken by her for all the wrong reasons. #he doesn*t exactly know what to do with her life and so she opts for nglish, which at that point seemed a Ogood no-purpose subjectO.#he reali!es very soon that nglish
Although Tara is made to go through school and college, it is very clear that her education is not oriented towards any career goal. ducation in her case
is considered mostly as an ornament that would brighten her chances of getting a good husband. /er growing dis-affection for the course she is pursuing, does not alarm her parents. learly they do not expect her to take up a career. Tara, at this stage, still warm from the embraces of her husband does not have the foresight to figure out the importance of economic independence which a career would give her. %t is only much later that she reali!es the importance of education, but by then it is too late. Sel!-Chec& Duestions
0. Analyse Tara*s and her parents attitude towards her education. 3. /ad Tara been a boy, would the parents have a similar approach towards his education7 b% Summary( #he stigma and trauma o! being barren
%n the %ndian social set up, birth of a child, preferably a male child is seen as a natural by-product of marriageand that too within the prescribed time limit of a year or at most two from the time of marriage. Tara*s case is no different. &hen it becomes increasingly clear that Tara is unable to bear a child in the normal course of time Tara goes in for a series of remedies, both rational and irrational. The narrator describes the various remedies undertaken in a humorous fashion. Tara suggests to her husband Abhay, that they should visit a doctor. Abhay refuses to see a doctor with the assertion that there is nothing wrong with him. The doctor after examining Tara declares that there is nothing wrong with her and suggests that the problem could be with Abhay. Abhay after a heated discussion agrees to see a doctor but on condition that he would do it alone. Tara never comes to know what transpired between the doctor and Abhay or what verdict was given by the doctor. &e can however assume that the report is not positive as Abhay is Otight lipped and crossO. /e moreover calls the doctor a fool and prohibits Tara from visiting the doctor. &ith this rational option closed, Tara we are told explores the divine front. #he crawls on her hands and knees upto Maishno Cevi and repeats it at
various others shrines. &hen this exercise does not pay dividends she takes to wearing stones
Abhay*s attitude in this se)uence of events, seems extremely unreasonable. Abhay seems to believe that the inade)uacy rests, solely with the woman. /e is stubborn in his belief that the problem does not lie with him.This reflects a certain mindset, a mindset which is shared by the society at large, that the cause of infertility is always the female and not the male. Tara is unable to challenge Abhay on this issue, as her position in the house is that of a dependent. #he has to )uietly submit to her husband*s stubborness. %t is also )uite possible that men in general do not wish to acknowledge their infertility in the mistaken belief that their manhood and virility may be )uestioned. %t is interesting to note that Abhay*s mother too seems to be on her son*s side. %nstead of rationali!ing the problem and constructively counselling the son, she chooses to lay the blame on Tara*s Ounhealthy inside.O Sel!-Chec& Duestions
0. ritically examine the attitude of Tara, Abhay and the mother to the problem. 3. %dentify the lines in your text which add humour to Tara*s ordeal. C% Summary( #ara)s #ryst @ith Chocolates
%t is around this time that Abhay starts feeding Tara hocolates and thus begins Tara*s tryst with hocolates. %t is the casualness with which Abhay seemed to bring her hocolates that alerts Tara to something else. Abhay keeps getting an excess of peppermints and despite re)uests for more variety, persisted in bringing the same peppermints. /is excuse is that he is very busy and airports stock only peppermints, which Tara knew was a lie.%t
dawns on Tara that Abhay picked these mints with a total indifference to her taste. %t also dawns on her that he is most of the time not at home, and on occasions when he is at home he is greatly preoccupied. Tara*s obsession with hocolates leads to obesity. Abhay makes fun of her and makes it )uite clear that her rolls of fat did not do his image much good. /e nonetheless continued to supply her with hocolates, not one, not two, but all twenty at a time. /e never takes Tara on any of his fre)uent trips. The physical intimacy of their relationship is restricted to an occasional rub around her fat belly. Diven these circumstances, Tara puts two and two together, does some spying and discovers what is obvious to everyone else, that Abhay is having an affair. Critical Commentary
Abhay*s offering of hocolates could mean three things. irstly it would avert any suspicion in Tara*s mind, as the hocolates which he so diligently brings for her are meant to be a token of his love. #econdly hocolates probably assuaged his own guilt over his extra-marital affair. inally hocolates make Tara so ungainly and uglythat Abhay probably finds justification in this, for his own attraction towards the other woman. %t is more difficult to understand Tara*s obsession with hocolates. #he shows no moderation in her consumption of hocolates, despite her growing obesity and her husband*s taunts. %s Tara*s weakness for hocolates merely gastronomical or is it her way of overcoming the unhappy state of her marriage7 %t is very clear that Tara*s and Abhay*s marriage is on the rocks. The following points are a clear indication of this. 0. Abhay stays away from home most of the time. 3. /e is constantly making fun of Tara*s rolls of fat. . +n the physical front their relationship is non-existent. Although Tara is surprised when she learns of another woman in Abhay*s life, the reader is hardly surprised as all indications clearly point to this conclusion.
Sel!-Chec& Duestioins
0. xamine the role of hocolates in this section of the story7 3. &hat makes Tara spy on Abhay7 Summary 2% #ara)s Revenge
+n discovering Abhay*s infidelity, Tara experiences all the emotions normal to a person in her situation. The immediate fall out of this emotional trauma for Tara is her total distaste for hocolates. hocolates now begin to symboli!e Abhay*s betrayal and her earlier obsession now turns to nausea. And so she begins to lose weight steadily until she is thinner than ever before. Tara decides to discard sarees for salwar kamee! and begins to look young and beautiful Tara decides to win over her husband and so adopts the age old adage that the path to a man*s heart is through his stomach. #he joins a cookery class and starts dishing out delicious, mouthwatering food from her kitchen. Abhay succumbs to this offering from Tara and slowly gets addicted to all the delicacies.%t seems as if he cannot get enough. /is demand for good dishes keeps growing and Tara is more than willing to appease her husband. There is now a reversal of roles. &here earlier it was Tara who was obese, it is Abhay now who suffers this fate. As expected Abhay*s growing girth leads to the break-up of his affair. #o far so good. Tara has won her husband over from the other woman. But the story does not end here. %t takes a very interesting turn. &hat had started as an innocent attempt by Tara to win back her husband, at some point of time becomes a plan for revenge. #he begins to find Abhay ugly, what with all his layers of fat, and complexion turned unhealthy due to his excessive consumption of alcohol. Tara to give her revenge a grand finale chooses to have an affair with Abhay*s best friend and very cleverly puts an end to the affair, the moment she discovers that she has conceived a child. #he announces the news to her husband and attributes it to his improved good health. Abhay is pu!!led over
this new development and is suspicious about the child*s paternity. Tara, however, had been so careful and circumspect in her affair with Abhay*s friend, that Abhay finds no grounds for his suspicion. Abhay of course is not a fool. /e tamely accepts the child, although he is not totally convinced that he is the father. You will of course, at this point recall his meeting with the doctor and his reluctance to talk about it. Tara now has what she wants, a child and a girl child at that. But Tara is now a more mature person and as a mother is determined not to make the same mistake as her own mother. #he is determined to give her daughter a good educationLan education that would culminate in a career, making her daughter independent and self-sufficient. ven the lullabies she sings are of brave women warriors and not of tame submissive women. Critical Commentary
Tara adopts Abhay*s strategy to work out her elaborate revenge plan. &here Abhay picked hocolates off airport shelves, Tara laboured in the kitchen to feed him. #he makes him fat and obese, like he had once made her. (ike him, she also has an affair and that too with his best friend. Knlike Abhay, Tara earns for herself a wonderful gift for all her pains. The gift for her perfect revenge plan is a baby girl and her own baby girl at thatG Tara*s attitude towards the baby girl also evidences her maturity and growth as an individual. &e might agree with the author that Abhay justly deserves what he gets and feel happy for Tara, but the storyand its ending none-the-less raise some very pertinent )uestions regarding the institution of marriage. +ne cannot but feel sorry for both Tara and Abhay. %t is very evident that there is no love, respect or even affection between Tara and Abhay, yet they both choose to remain trapped in their loveless marriage. The marriage is indeed a farce for both. or Tara because she no longer loves her husband because of his infidelity. "oreover towards the end of the story she finds him positively repulsive.
or Abhay because he probably knows that the child is not his, yet is forced to acknowledge the child, lest he become a laughing stock in the society. %s marriage then merely a social institution which has to be preserved at all costs7 +r should marriage be a coming together of two people based on love, trust and mutual respect. %n a scenario where a woman is economically dependent, does she have the option of walking out of a marriage which cannot physically and emotionally sustain her7 ven where the woman is economically independent is it very easy to end a marriage,especially when a single divorced woman does not have much social acceptability and sanction7 These are some of the )uestions the short story raises, to which you must turn your thoughts. Sel!-Chec& Duestions
0. omment on Tara*s plan of revenge7 3. &as Tara right in doing what she does7 . Co you think Tara will make a good mother7 3umour in Style
%n your text this short story hocolate is given under a broad heading OKnderstanding /umour.O According to the o-build nglish Cictionary O/umour is a )uality in something that makes you laugh for eg. in a situation, in someone*s words or actions or in a book or film.O The narrative style of this story is definitely humourous. Tara*s choice of subject at college, her reasons for opting to nglish
