My Last Duchess (Summary)

            My Last Duchess is a very famous poem by Robert Browning. At the opening, the duke has just pulled back a curtain to reveal to the envoy a portrait of his previous duchess. He shows the painting of his last Duchess painted on the wall. He feels that the image is alive and remarks the painting as a remarkable achievement. He reveals that the artist is Fra Pandolf who spent a day completing the portrait.

            The Duke acknowledges that whenever strangers look at the painting, they want to ask how the artist was able to achieve such depth in emotion. So, he answers the messenger without a question being asked. Moreover, the Duke is the only one who can unveil the curtain of the painting and answer the questions as no one else is allowed to go near the painting.

             The Duke explains that his last Duchess expressed joy not only in the presence of her husband [the Duke], but also when others are present. It is the reason for her cheeks to express joy in the presence of Fra Pandolf.

            The Duke tries to explain the smile on the face of his wife with the use of imaginary claims. He thinks that Fra Pandolf might have said that the cloak of the Duchess covers the wrists [a way of flirting] or remarking that such beauty can never be reproduced by paints. The Duke says that such words were enough to produce a smile on her face as she believed that they were the words of courteousness.

            She was the one who would derive gladness from anything quickly. She admired everything and her sight could derive happiness from everywhere. To the Duchess, according to the Duke, his expensive gift at her breast, setting sun, cherries presented by a fool, riding on her mule, etc. were things of joy and she blushed to enjoy any of them.

            The Duke believes that she thanked many men, but in a suspicious way. He could not believe that she thinks other gifts equivalent to the proud family name given by the Duke.

            The Duke goes on to explain that three factors stood in his way for advising the Duchess – he claims his inability to deliver a good speech can change the predicament of his wife, even if he achieves it would be shameful if the wife gives out an excuse to escape and lastly He says that he will not be stooping down for anything. He admits to the visitor that his wife smiled at him as a mark of love, but he felt that the same smile was produced to anyone who passes her by. As this indiscriminate behaviour of the Duchess grew, the Duke couldn’t bear it and gave orders to silence her.

            After narrating a compelling story about the death of his wife, the Duke shows the visitor the painting by Fra Pandolf where one can find the lifelike image of her. The Duke resumes business and asks the visitor to come with him to join the others. He emphasizes that the visitor’s master – a Count, is a rich man and he expects to get a good amount as dowry. However, the Duke also states that the Count’s daughter is more important to him than dowry. On the way down, He points out another art piece – Neptune taming a sea-horse. The bronze statue was made by Claus of Innsbruck.

Depiction of the Women Characters in Kanthapura

 The women characters have been skillfully delineated by Raja Rao. There is a great variety of them in the novel.

            At the foremost we have Rangamma. She is one of the few educated women in the village. She reads the newspapers herself and thus keeps herself and other people in Kanthapura acquainted with the day to day developments elsewhere. She knows many things of general interest. She is never be fooled by Bhatta. She helps Moorthy literally, although, she does not seem to share his belief that Pariahs and Brahmins are all equal. After meeting Sankar, Rangamma develops into a fine leader and speaker. She is able to fill the void created by the death of her father, who used to expound the Vedantic texts at Harikatha meetings. It is Rangamma, who plays a major part in organizing the women of Kanthapura into a Sevika Sangh. She is practical-minded for when she comes to know that some husbands are complaining that they are not receiving proper attention at home because their wives are away to participate in the drill, she at once takes proper measures and explains to the Sevikas that they must not neglect their household duties.

            The next woman character who deserves attention is Ratna. She is a child widow, who has been powerfully influenced by modern ideas and who does not regard being a woman as a matter of shame and inferiority. She is much criticized for her unconventional ways but she does not care for such criticism. She chooses her own path and sticks to it with firmness and determination. She takes a keen interest in the Gandhian movement and is a source of inspiration and a great help to Moorthy. When Jayaramachar, the Harikatha - man, is arrested, she conducts the Harikatha. After Rangamma's death, she reads out the newspapers and other publicity material of the Congress for the benefit of the Kanthapurians. When Moorthy is arrested, Ratna carries on his work and serves as the leader. She organizes the women volunteer corps and imparts to the Sevikas the necessary training. She displays great courage and resourcefulness in the face of government repression and police action. She is dishonoured, beaten up and sent to jail as a consequence. She suffers all patiently and unflinchingly. When Mahatma Gandhi goes to England for the Round Table Conference, reaches a settlement with the Red - man's Government and the movement is withdrawn, Ratna is disappointed like countless other freedom fighters in India. She goes over to Bombay and through her letters, we learn of her great admiration for Nehru, "the equal distributionist".

            Achakka, the narrator, though she is never sharply individualized, is revealed by her manner of narration and her comments on persons and events. In the novel, her function is representative and her strength lies in being anonymous. She is just one of the many women of Kanthapura, who responded to the call of Mahatma Gandhi, conveyed through Moorthy. Her faith in the Goddess Kenchamma, her respect for the local scholar Rangamma, her unquestioned affection for Moorthy and her trust in him, all these feelings, she shares with other women of the village. However, Achakka is a woman with a balanced mind, sound common sense and the gift of shrewd and intelligent observation. Her personality colours the whole non - cooperation movement, the brave resistance of the people and their consequent suffering.

            One of the simplest women in the village is poor Narsamma, the mother of Moorthy. She cannot understand the ideals dear to her son but who only knows that she did nothing to deserve the calamity of ex-communication of the society that befalls her family. She is the most pathetic character in the novel.

            Through the character of Waterfall Venkamma, Raja Rao brings out the pettiness, jealousy, triviality and the orthodoxy of the womenfolk. Venkamma is a woman of a petty and jealous nature. She cannot bear to see others prosperous or successful. The sight of the happiness of others arouses her wrath and she rails and rails against them. There is no end to her spite, jealousy and vindictiveness. She is jealous of Rangamma because she has a much larger house and constantly rails against her. She would like to put lizard poison into her food and thus cause her death. She is also against Moorthy because he refused to marry her second daughter. She nurses this grudge against him and does her best to have her views; she has no sympathy with the Gandhi - movement. She, therefore, sides with Bhatta and the Swami. It is she who spreads the rumour that Moorthy is to be excommunicated. In this way, she causes his mother much pain which ultimately drives her to death. She also hates Ratna for her progressive views and constantly hurls abuses at her. She rails and rails against everybody and thus justifies the nickname the novelist has given to her. However, it is only against her meanness, frivolousness and conservatism that the character of Ratna shines out.

            In Kanthapura, Raja Rao presents women as various forms of Shakti. Different forms of Shakti are manifested through the women of Kanthapura. 

A Short Summary of Kanthapura

Kanthapura is set in the 1930s and the scene of action is the village Kanthapura, a typical South Indian village. Moorthy, a young man educated in the city, is the central figure in the novel. He is a staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi. He comes to the village with an aim of organizing the villagers to play a role in the freedom movement of the nation.

He goes from door to door even in the Pariah quarter of the village and explains to the villagers the significance of Gandhi's struggle for independence. He forms the Congress Committee in Kanthapura. A Volunteer Group is formed to face Government repression.

Moorthy is supported by the villagers especially, Ratna and Patel Range Gowda. He is opposed by the Government to curb the movement. Policeman, Bade Khan is posted in the village to curb down the movement and he is supported by Bhatta whereas, Bhatta is supported by the Swami in the city, who is strongly supported by the Government. Swami has a powerful religious authority and has much influence on the ignorant people of the village. He excommunicates Moorthy and his family and Moorthy's mother, Narsamma dies of this shock.

In the meanwhile, Gandhi's historic Dandi March to break the salt law casts a strong influence all over the nation and Kanthapura is no exception to this. There are satyagrahas and picketings in the village. They offer Satyagraha outside the toddy booth. There is a lathi-charge by the police and many are wounded and hurt badly. Many are arrested and sent to jail.

This is followed by the picketing of the toddy booth outside the Skeffington Coffee Estate. Government turns ruthless this time. The suffering of the fellow villagers touches the heart of the workers of the Skeffington Coffee Estate and they join their suffering brethren.

Moorthy is arrested and sentenced to a long term of imprisonment. In his absence, Ratna carried the freedom movement forward. The next movement to come is the no-tax campaign. The villagers decide not to pay the taxes. They decide to remain non - violent no matter what the consequence would be. Soon the movement turns violent. There are merciless lathi - charges and even shootings.

The villagers put up a brave resistance but ultimately they are compelled to flee. Their morale is finally broken. They have to leave Kanthapura and find shelter in a remote village, Kashipur. They have been defeated but in their very defeat laid their victory.

Their brave resistance gave a jolt to the Government and such jolts were experienced all over the country. In the course of time, the British Government was shaken and overthrown. The heroic struggle of the people of Kanthapura is a milestone and representative of the spirit of the millions of Indians marching ceaselessly towards independence.

Treatment of Freedom Movement in Kanthapura

Kanthapura is a fine work of art. It also aims at rousing the conscience of the country at the ills and injustices which plagued Indian life in the 1930s. Though the novel depicts the freedom movement led by Gandhi as the main theme, it also aims at social reform. It is so because the Gandhian movement did not aim at Swaraj only but also at social reform.

Gandhi believed that Swaraj itself could be attained after certain social reforms and social awakening. These social reforms included freedom from economic exploitation by the West by boycotting foreign goods and by spinning yarn and wearing Khadi made from it, also the eradication of untouchability and the rigidities of the caste system and removal of illiteracy, ignorance and superstition.

Moorthy is a typical example of the thousands of young men who were fired with patriotic zeal by Mahatma Gandhi's inspiration and who, under his programme, left schools, colleges and universities, or resigned from their jobs and made a bonfire of their costly imported clothes.

Rangamma and Ratna represent the women's side of the movement, while Range Gowda and Rachanna show people picked up the courage. Peasants refused to pay revenue and other taxes to the Government with the result that many of them were evicted from their lands and lost all means of earning a livelihood.

There are Dharnas, Picketings and Satyagrahas. Kanthapurians, even children and old men are injured and wounded in large numbers. Women, like Ratna, are beaten up and dishonoured but their spirit is not crushed.

Shouts of 'Gandhiji ki Jai' and 'Inquilab Zindabad' resound in the air and boost the morale of the people. Large numbers are arrested and sent to jail. When Moorthy is arrested his place is taken by Ratna, who zealously leads the movement and the movement continues.

British Government in India, its laws and ways are also depicted vividly in the novel. The White Man, who owns the Skeffington Coffee Estate, is a symbol of the imperialist rulers of India, who exploited Indians in various ways. They employed paid agents like Bhatta and the Swami to oppose the freedom movement. They send policemen like Bade Khan to harass the patriots and cook up false cases against them. Their treatment of peaceful Satyagrahis is extremely inhuman. They do not spare even women and children.

The British policy of divide and rule is also seen in operation, for the loyal Swami is given a gift of twelve hundred acres of land so that there is no chance of his joining the patriotic movement. One of the most important evils in Hinduism is the caste system. In the novel, Kanthapura there is much-implied criticism of it. It is described through Bhatta and later through Swami. Since Swami's power rests on the superiority of the Brahmins over other castes, he takes the view that the caste system is the very foundation of Hinduism. He maintains that no Brahmin should have contact with the Pariahs and threatens to excommunicate Moorthy because he does so.

Drinking is the greatest enemy of the poor because it never allows a person to spend his income on essential items or make saving for a rainy day. The Picketing of the toddy grove and the toddy booth has the immediate effect of making the coolies realize how evil toddy-drinking is so that some of them even take a pledge that they would never touch the poisonous drink again in their lives.

Thus the political movement of Swaraj is closely linked with religious reforms and social upliftment in Kanthapura.

Significance of the title Kanthapura

 We are told in the very beginning that Kanthapura is a village in Mysore in the Province of Kara. It is situated in the valley of Himavathy. It has four and twenty houses in the Brahmin quarter; it has a Pariah - quarter, a Weavers' - quarter and a Sudra - quarter. These socio-economic divisions in a village which has in all sixty or hundred houses at once strikes one with its novelty.

In this way, by telling us of the various quarters into which the village is divided, the novelist has highlighted the fact that the Indian villages are caste-ridden and that there is no free mixing of the people even in the small and limited community of a village.

Having described the village, the novelist comes to the people. We are told of the people, their poverty, their ignorance and their petty jealousies. The villagers are depicted in their real colours. Their names are made descriptive in nature - it is a typical rural way.

They have full faith in Goddess Kenchamma, the presiding deity in the village. Kenchamma is the centre of the village, forms the still - centre of their lives and makes everything meaningful. Marriage, funeral, sickness, harvesting, arrests, release - all are watched over by Kenchamma.

It is to this remote South Indian village that there comes the Gandhi movement through Moorthy and other city boys. It is Moorthy, who organizes the Gandhi work in the village. He is indeed the life and spirit behind the movement in Kanthapura just as Gandhi was the life and spirit of the freedom struggle in India.

But very soon the people of Kanthapura as a whole are actively involved and the novel becomes an account of their suffering and their heroic sacrifice. An unequal fight it inevitably proves to be, as the Satyagrahis are maimed and broken and scattered, and a remnant reaches - after soar trials and vicissitudes - another village, Kashipura, beyond the border where they settle down. Some of the Satyagrahis - Rangamma, Ratna, Moorthy - spend an allotted span in jail.

Thus Kanthapura is not a novel dealing with the life and doings of any individual hero. It is certainly not the story of Moorthy but of the masses of the village, of their suffering, of their exile, of their momentary defeat which has in it the seeds of ultimate victory. It ends with an account of their life in Kashipura and gives us a sense of abiding fulfilment which they have attained. Hence if there is any hero in the novel, it is Kanthapura itself and its people.

Kanthapura (Major Characters-II)

                                                                      4 Bade Khan

Bade Khan, the Policeman, is a symbol of the British Raj. He is the symbol of the British presence in Kanthapura. It is his duty to maintain law and order and put down the Gandhi movement and it may be said to his credit that he performs his duty loyally and sincerely.

The Gandhites may consider him a villain but judged impartially, he is a loyal Government servant performing his duty in every circumstance. He may be an instrument of the foreign Government but it would be wrong to dismiss him as a heartless monster of wickedness.

On arriving at Kanthapura, the initial difficulty he has to face is that of accommodation. Being a Muslim, he finds it difficult to find a house in the village. He goes to the Skeffington Coffee Estate, where a hut is allocated to him in which he settles down with one of the Pariah women.

Once settled comfortably, he moves about the village secretively watching the people, collecting information and passing it on to the city authorities. Very soon he is in league with Bhatta and others who are opposed to the Gandhi movement.

When Moorthy goes to meet the workers on the Coffee Estate, it is he who keeps watch and rains lathi blows on him and his supporters, as he approaches the gate of the Estate. In short, he is one of those unpatriotic Indians, who made it possible for the British to rule India for such a long time.

5 The Swami

The Swami lives in the city. He remains in the background. Like Mahatma Gandhi, he never appears on the scene. He is an orthodox Brahmin, narrow in his views.

He is a traitor to the cause of the freedom of India. He is in the pay of the British government. He has received twelve hundred acres of wetland from the Government. So he is a willing stooge of the Britishers.

In league with Bhatta, he does his best to defeat the freedom struggle in Kanthapura. It is he who excommunicates Moorthy for "the Pariah business" and thus is indirectly responsible for the death of his mother who is unable to bear the shock.

 

6 Ratna

 Ratna is a young widow. She became a widow when she was hardly fifteen years of age. She is attractive and charming as is clear from the attention which Moorthy pays to her. Ratna is a young educated woman of progressive views. Though she is a widow she does not dress and live in a conventional style of a widow. She wears bangles; coloured sarees (and not the white dhoti of a widow), uses the kumkum mark on her forehead.

She is also bold and witty in conversation and can hold her own against heavy odds. She is much criticized for her unconventional ways but she does not care for such criticism. She chooses her own path and sticks to it with firmness and determination. She takes a keen interest in the Gandhian movement and is a source of inspiration and help to Moorthy. When Jayaramachar, the Harikatha man, is arrested, she conducts the Harikatha.

After Rangamma's death, she reads out the newspapers and other publicity material of the Congress for the benefit of the villagers. When Moorthy is arrested, she carries on his work and serves as the leader. She organizes the women volunteer corps and imparts to the Sevikas the necessary training. She displays great courage and resourcefulness in the face of government repression and police action.

As the narrator of the story tells us, she comes out of jail a changed person, more humble and more courteous to her elders but more mature and determined. When Gandhi goes to England, for the Round Table Conference, reaches a settlement with the Red - man's Government and the movement is withdrawn, Ratna is disappointed like countless other freedom fighters in India.

Ratna stands for the educated, progressive womanhood of India whom Gandhi had enthused with his own ideals and who came out of their homes in their thousands to fight shoulder to shoulder with their men folk for the freedom of their motherland. She is the female counterpart of Moorthy.

7 Rangamma

She is one of the few educated women in the village. She reads the newspapers herself and thus keeps herself and others acquainted with the day to day developments elsewhere.

Waterfall Venkamma is jealous of her and roars and rails against her day and night. It is from her railings that we learn much about her. She is a childless widow but she has a very big home, much larger than that of Venkamma herself.

Her relatives are in the city and visit her frequently. She is of great help to Moorthy in organizing the Congress work in the village. She is a lady of enlightened views actively involved in the freedom struggle.

Kanthapura (Major Characters-I)

 1.      Moorthy, the Village Gandhi

Moorthy or Moorthappa is an educated young man of Kanthapura. It is he who organizes the work of the Congress in the village and hence he is the central figure in the novel. He is an ordinary young man, with common human weaknesses. He is one of those thousands of young men who were inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to give up their studies and become fighters for the cause of their motherland.

He is considerate and respectful. He is considered to be honest like an elephant and is spoken of as "our Gandhi", "the Saint of our Village". It seems that the impact of Gandhi's personality has transformed him from a common village lad, into a young man capable of leadership.

There is, no doubt, the novelist has endowed him with numerous good qualities of head and heart. He has an extraordinary capacity for inspiring people. On his return from the city, he at once proceeds to organize the Gandhi work in the village. The Gandhian struggle for independence had three strands - political, religious and social (including economic) - and all these strands meet in Moorthy. He works on all these three levels.

It is Moorthy who organizes the Gandhi - work in the village and he shows a rare devotion and insight for village youth. He goes from door to door carrying the message of Mahatma Gandhi. It is he who explains the economy of the Khaddi and the importance of the charkha to the ignorant and superstition-ridden women of the village and persuades them to take to spinning despite stiff opposition from all quarters.

It is he who forms the Congress Committee in the village and is elected as its President. Even Range Gowda, the Patel, 'the Tiger' of the village, is deferential to him and calls him 'learned master'. He has full confidence in him, uses all his authority and prestige in his favour and permits him to have his way in everything. The women too must be enthused and so Moorthy sets about organizing them. A Women Volunteer Corps is thus formed with Ratna as the head of this organization of Swayam Sevikas or Sevis.

He is shown to be an ideal Gandhite. One of the important planks of the Gandhian movement was the eradication of untouchability. Moorthy implements this programme and goes in the Pariah quarter. He is excommunicated by the Swami for this Pariah business and his aged mother dies of grief and shock at this disgrace. Still, he persists in his mission but after all, he is a human being, with common human weaknesses, and this Pariah business is too much even for him. He hesitates and falters and thus shows that he is made of the same common clay.

Moorthy is a creature of flesh and blood with ordinary human weaknesses. He is no hero but an average young man, who like thousands of others in those days, were enthused by Gandhi to come out of their shells and do their best for their motherland.

2.      Patel Range Gowda

Range Gowda is the Patel of Kanthapura. He is a Gandhi man and a staunch supporter of Moorthy. He throws all his weight and authority in his favour and is of considerable help to him in organizing the Congress work in Kanthapura. He is a man of a forceful, commanding personality. He is known as the 'Tiger' of the village. Nobody dares to oppose him or disobey his orders. Nothing can be done in the village without Range Gowda.

 He is also kindly, sympathetic and generous and does his best to help the poor, the needy and the suffering of the village. This powerful man uses all his authority and influence in support of Moorthy and his cause. He realizes the worth and integrity of the young Gandhite and is deferential to him. When Moorthy approaches him for help he says, "Do what you like, learned master. You know things better than I do and I know you are not a man to spit on our confidence in you. If you think I should become a member of Congress, let me be a member of the Congress."

When Bade Khan, the policeman, approaches him and requests him to arrange a house for him, he treats him with scant respect. He explains to the people the significance of spinning and weaving, of non - violence and of the value and meaning of independence. During Moorthy's period of imprisonment, he boosts the morale of the people, guides and encourages them and sees to it that none falters and falls away.

Without his active help and cooperation, Moorthy would not have been so successful in his mission. He alone of the Kanthapurians ever returns to Kanthapura. It is he who brings to them news from Kanthapura.

In this way, he serves to round up the novel and it is in the fitness of things that it is with his appearance and with his words that the novel comes to an end. His dramatic appearance is like the fall of the curtain after the catastrophe.

 

3.     Bhatta

Bhatta, the first Brahmin, is the opposite of Moorthy. He is the agent of the British government. He is in league with the Swami in the city and works to defeat the Gandhi movement. If there is any villain in the novel, it is he.

Bhatta began life with a loin cloth at his waist and a copper pot in his hand but went on adding several acres of the peasants' lands to his own domain. Today Bhatta means money and money means Bhatta and he charges ten per cent interest and has gone up to twenty per cent interest even.

Bhatta is very learned in his art. He was always the first to reach the home of his host on a ceremonial occasion, say a death anniversary. He could make perfect grass rings and such leaf cups. It was also pleasant to hear him recite the 'Gita'. Then would begin the ceremony and such was Bhatta's skill that it would be over in the twinkling of the eye.

Bhatta is an unworthy husband, too, with his lack of consideration for his wife at home. On the days he dines out, his poor wife has only dal - soup and rice. Bhatta has no thought of her. His wife dies and soon this middle-aged, pot-bellied priest marries a girl of twelve and half years old. There is dowry too: A thousand rupees cash and five acres of wetland and a real seven days marriage.

Besides his business contracts, he owed to government patronage. He was also the Election agent and got two thousand for it. It is he who is responsible for the ex-communication of Moorthy. It is he who keeps the Swami in the city informed of the happenings in the village, incites the people against Moorthy and other Gandhites and does his best to sabotage the movement.

He sides with Bade Khan sets afloat the rumors regarding Moorthy's ex-communication and so hastens the death of his mother. Ultimately, he goes to Kashi to wash off his sins. Through him, the novelist has exposed the greed and gluttony of the Brahmins as well as the crooked ways of those who worked as stooges of the imperial rulers of the country.

However, even Bhatta has been humanized. He is no unredeemed monster. He too has something good in him. He has his moments of magnanimity too. Someone said, "Hadn't he sent our Fig - tree House Ramu to the city for studies?" Bhatta said, "If you bring a name to Kanthapura - that is my only recompense. And if by Kenchamma's grace you get rich and become a Collector, you will think of this poor Bhatta and send him the money - with no interest, of course, my son, for I have given it in the name of God. If not, may the Gods keep you safe and fit!"

Bharat Mata (Comprehension passages and question-answers)

 Very short answer type questions

1   According to Nehru, from where did India get its name Bharat?

2.     Why was Nehru hesitant to speak to the city audience about the issues that are highlighted in this essay?

3.     Where is Khyber Pass located?

4.     Where is Cape Comorin located

5.     How was Nehru greeted by the crowds as he went around the country?

6.     Nehru mentions a particular war in the essay. Which one is it?

 

Answers  

1.     1. According to Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, India got its name Bharat from the mythical founder of the Indian race.
2.     Nehru was hesitant to speak to the city audience about the issues that are highlighted in this essay because he felt that audiences in the city were more sophisticated and less concerned about these issues.
3.     The Khyber Pass is located in the region of the North-Western province on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
4.     The Cape Comorin is located in the distant South of India. Presently, it is known as Kanyakumari.
5.     During the period of the Indian Freedom struggle Pt Nehru travelled all over India. When Nehru went all around the country he was greeted with a great roar of welcome Bharat Mata ki Jai—‘Victory to Mother India.
6.     Nehru mentions World War I that took place between 28 July 1914 and 11 November 1918.
 

Short Answer type questions

 

 1, Why does Nehru say that he preferred to speak to the peasants about the idea of Bharata?

Ans.: In this essay titled Bharat Mata Nehru has described his interactions with people all around the country. But, Nehru preferred to speak to the peasants more about the idea of Bharata because he was impressed by the simplicity of Indian peasants, who had a limited outlook.

 

 2. Enumerate the various things that Nehru spoke to the peasants about.

Ans.: Nehru travelled all through the country and spoke to the peasants about the freedom struggle and how each part differed from the other and yet was India. He talked about the common problems of the peasants all over India from north to south and east to west and advocated for swaraj that could only be for each and every Indian.

 

3. What were the problems faced by the peasants all over India?

Ans.: Nehru travelled all through the country and spoke to the peasants. Everywhere the peasants put him identical questions because their troubles were the same. They were affected by poverty, debt, vested interests, landlords, moneylenders, heavy rents and taxes, police harassment, they were the victims of the structure that the foreign government had imposed upon them and yearned for relief.

 

4. How did Nehru explain the meaning of Bharat Mata?

Ans.: Nehru travelled all through the country and was widely greeted by a roar Bharat Mata Ki Jai. He would often ask them the meaning of Bharat Mata. The peasants did not give him the complete answer. Then he explained to them that the mountains and the rivers of India, the forests and the broad fields, which gave them food and all the dear people of India, spread out all over this vast land was Bharat Mata.

 

 5. Who according to Nehru is Bharat Mata?

Ans.: According to Nehru, the people who are spread all over India and live in villages and cities are in a real sense, Bharat Mata.

 

6. Explain the following statement: ‘You are parts of this Bharat Mata.’

Ans.: Nehru travelled all through the country and addressed the crowd every now and then. He wanted to tell the people true or real meaning of Bharat Mata. He said that apart from the mountains, rivers, forests and the broad fields, which gave us food, the people of India, spread out all over this vast land is Bharat Mata. Initially, the people did not understand him but slowly realized the meaning of Nehru’s words and felt happy as if they had made a great discovery.

 

Comprehension Passages:

                                                                 1.

 Often, as I wandered from meeting to meeting, I spoke to my audience of this India of ours, of Hindustan and of Bharata, the old Sanskrit name derived from the mythical founder of the race. I seldom did so in the cities, for there the audiences were more sophisticated and wanted stronger fare. But to the peasant, with his limited outlook, I spoke of this great country for whose freedom we were struggling, of how each part differed from the other and yet was India, of common problems of the peasants from north to south and east to west, of the swaraj that could only be for all and every part and not for some.

 

1.  To whom did the author speak during his travels/meetings?

 Ans: The author spoke to the Indian audience during his travels/meetings.

 2.  What did the author speak to the audience?

Ans: The author spoke about Hindustan and Bharata.  

3. From where the word Bharata has been derived?

Ans: The word Bharata has been derived from the mythical founder of the race.

 4. What are the opinions of the author regarding the city audience and the peasants?

Ans: The author felt that the city audience was more sophisticated but the peasants had a limited outlook.

 

                                                                   2.

I told them of my journeying from the Khyber Pass in the north-west to Kanyakumari or Cape Comorin in the distant south, and how everywhere the peasants put to me identical questions, for their troubles were the same— poverty, debt, vested interests, landlords, moneylenders, heavy rents and taxes, police harassment, and all these wrapped up in the structure that the foreign government had imposed upon us—and relief must also come for all. I tried to make them think of India as a whole, and even to some little extent of this wide world of which we were apart. I brought in the struggle of China, in Spain, in Abyssinia, in Central Europe, in Egypt and the countries of Western Asia. I told them of the wonderful changes in the Soviet Union and of the great progress made in America.  

 1.     Where is the Khyber Pass and Kanyakumari located?

 Ans: The Khyber Pass is located in the northwest and the Kanyakumari is located in the distant south.  

2.     What were the troubles of the peasants everywhere?

Ans: The peasants were troubled by poverty, debt, vested interests, landlords, moneylenders, heavy rents and taxes, police harassment.  

3.     What was the reason for the troubles of the peasants?

Ans: The reason for their troubles was the forced structure imposed by the Foreign Government.

4.     What did the author tell the peasants about the Soviet Union and America?

Ans: The author told them of the wonderful changes in the Soviet Union and of the great progress made in America.

 

The Responsibility of Young Men (Comprehension Passages, Question-Answers)

 Comprehension Passage

 Answer the questions given at the end of the passage.

 Never forget that loyalty to the country comes ahead of all other loyalties. And this is absolute loyalty since one cannot weigh it in terms of what one receives. It is essential to remember that the entire country is one and that anyone who fosters or promotes separatism or fissiparous tendencies is not our true friend. What I have said stems from a desire to see that the youth of our country prepares itself in a disciplined and determined manner for the responsibilities of tomorrow. A democratic country is sustained not by the greatness of a few but by the cooperative effort of the many. The future of the country is in your hands and as the older generations complete their task the new ones come along to take their place. If they are well equipped as individuals and as citizens, the country’s future will be bright indeed. At a time when you are at the threshold of a new period in your life, I would urge you to play your role with confidence.

1.   Why is loyalty to the country absolute loyalty?
2.    What is essential to remember about the entire country?
3.    How is a democratic country sustained?
4.   In whose hands lies the future of the country and how can this be made bright?
5.   Use the words ‘loyalty’ and ‘separatism’ in sentences of your own.

Answers

          Loyalty to the country is considered as an absolute loyalty because it comes ahead of all other loyalties and it cannot be weighed in terms of what one gets in return for it.

        It is essential to remember the oneness and unity of the entire country and that anyone trying to destroy this unity and promote separatism is an enemy of the nation.

         A democratic country is sustained by the collective and cooperative efforts of the many and not by the greatness of a few individuals.  

        The future of the country lies in the hands of the youth and it can be made bright by equipping the youth fully well as individuals and as citizens.

         Loyalty: It is important for each citizen to maintain and express loyalty towards the nation.Separatism: Any tendency towards separatism needs to be curbed right at the beginning.

Answer the following questions in about 50 words each.

1.     Why is freedom in a democratic country subjected to certain voluntary restraints?

2.     Why are, our young students, often left to their own resources in the educational institutions?

3.     What is the prime responsibility of our young citizens?

4.     What is our position with regard to secularism that is embodied in our constitution?

5.     What is the essential condition, according to Shastri ji, for our country to progress?

Answers

1. Freedom in a democratic country is subjected to certain voluntary restraints in our day to day life and activities for guarding the interests of the organized society. Freedom of the individual has to go hand in hand with the social responsibilities towards the society and one can not afford to harm or endanger the well being of the society to promote one’s own selfish interests or freedom.

2.      Our young students are often left to their own resources in the educational institutions due to a lack of personal contact and interaction between students and teachers. Since the number of students in various institutions has grown to huge proportions, it is no longer possible to maintain contact on one to one basis, as was done in the earlier times and this is causing a lot of problems for our youth.

3.     The prime responsibility of our young citizens is to fulfil their duty towards the nation with sincerity and devotion. This would have the added advantage of opening up new areas for further advancement of the self as well as of the nation. It is important to take care of one’s own duties and responsibilities before indulging in any kind of criticism of others.

4.      Our position with regard to secularism as embodied in our constitution implies equal respect for all religions and equal opportunities for all citizens, irrespective of their caste and creed and the faith which they profess. The fundamental unity of India can be saved only by respecting this seeming diversity. No country can progress through divisive means and tendencies.

5.      According to Shastri ji, it is essential to abandon any divisive and separatist thought and the tendency for the development of the nation. If our country is to make any progress, it is essential for us to emerge as an integrated whole and this seed of unity and integrity has to be sown right from the beginning in all our educational institutions.

 

 Answer the following questions in about 150 words each.

1.     What is the role that Indian youth is expected to play in the development of the nation, as elaborated by Lal Bahadur Shastri?

Ans. Indian youth is expected to play a major role in the progress and development of the nation through the fulfilment of their duties and social responsibilities to the best of their ability. This would go a long way in opening up new avenues for their further advancement. It would also save them from falling a prey to the unhealthy habit of criticizing other people without really looking into their own selves. It is important for the youth to give topmost importance to their duty and loyalty towards the country and work in a determined and disciplined manner in the direction of fulfilling their responsibilities for tomorrow. The young generation has to step in and fill up the holes and gaps left unattended by the older generation. They have to learn and update their skills so that they can serve the country well in the capacity of individuals as well as citizens with full confidence. The youth has a special responsibility in the form of protecting the secular fabric of the country by all means because no nation can grow and develop with divisive tendencies and forces on the sway.

 

2.     What is secularism? Why is it absolutely important for our country?

Ans. Secularism is absolutely important for maintaining the fundamental unity in diversity which is the cornerstone for the growth and development of any nation. At a time when various kinds of divisive and fundamental forces are on the rise, there is an urgent need for secularism that can ensure equal respect for all religions and equal opportunities for all citizens. This, in fact, is the real meaning of unity and diversity where no class, community or religion feels threatened, excluded or marginalized and everyone can contribute equally in The Responsibility of Young Men 75 the advancement of the collective interests of the nation. It is extremely important for this seed of unity and secularism to flower in the field of education and amongst the youth who are the future of any country. It has to be our constant endeavour not to surrender to divisive and reactionary forces since the country can progress only if it shuns away all kinds of separatist tendencies and emerges as an integrated whole.

3.     Who is a good citizen and what are the problems he is faced within the present times?

 Ans. A good citizen is one who respects the law and gladly performs one’s civic duties. It is important to inculcate a certain sense of self-restraint and discipline through the joint efforts of the family and the educational institutions though the economic pressures have begun to weigh heavily on families, leaving little time for caring and interaction with the children. There is great satisfaction in doing one’s task to the best of one’s ability without surrendering to any kind of selfish motives. Owing to the loss of personal contact between the students and teachers due to the huge increase in the number of students in various educational institutions, young students have to face a lot of problems since there is no one to guide them and provide them with personal care and interaction. They are often left to take recourse to their own meagre resources. These problems will have to be addressed effectively so as to enable the young generation to play its full role in the development of the nation.

 

 

Choosing Our Universe (Comprehension Passages and Question-Answers)

Comprehension Passages

 According to the Boshongo people of central Africa, in the beginning, there was only darkness, water, and the great god Bumba. One day Bumba, in pain from a stomachache, vomited up the sun. In time the sun dried up some of the water, leaving land. But Bumba was still in pain and vomited some more. Up came the moon, the stars, and then some animals: the leopard, the crocodile, the turtle, and finally man. The Mayans of Mexico and Central America tell of a similar time before creation when all that existed were the sea, the sky, and the Maker. In the Mayan legend the Maker, unhappy because there was no one to praise him, created the earth, mountains, trees, and most animals. But the animals could not speak, and so he decided to create humans. First, he made them of mud and earth, but they only spoke nonsense. He let them dissolve away and tried again, this time fashioning people from wood. Those people were dull. He decided to destroy them, but they escaped into the forest, sustaining damage along the way that altered them slightly, creating what we today know as monkeys. After that fiasco, the Maker finally came upon a formula that worked and constructed the first humans from white and yellow corn. Today we make ethanol from corn, but so far haven’t matched the Maker’s feat of constructing the people who drink it.

1, Who was Bumba? What did he do at the beginning of the universe?

Ans. Bumba, according to one of the myths related to the Boshongo people of Central Africa, was the great god at the beginning of the creation. Bumba, in pain from a stomachache, vomited up the sun, moon, the stars and then some animals and finally man.

 

 2. What is the tale told by Mayans of Mexico and Central America?

Ans. Mayans too believe that the Maker created the earth, mountains, trees and humans.

 3. Why was the Maker unhappy in the Mayan legend?

 Ans. The Maker in the Mayan legend was unhappy because he was living all alone with no one to praise Him.

 4. Why were the people made from mud and earth dissolved by the Maker?

 Ans. The people made from mud and earth were dissolved by the Maker because they only talked nonsense.

5. What was the final formula that Maker came upon?

Ans. The Maker finally constructed the first humans from white and yellow corn.

6. Use the words ‘creation’ and ‘sustain’ in sentences of your own.

Ans. Creation: The myths related to creation are extremely interesting. Sustain: It is significant to sustain all life on earth in a respectable manner

Answer the following questions in about 50 words each.

1. Describe the myth believed by the Boshongo people of Central Africa about the creation of the universe?

2. What is the creation myth in the Mayan legend?

3. What is the Old Testament’s belief about the creation of the universe?

4. What is the belief about the creation of the universe that has been apparent even in early times?

5. How can it be concluded that the universe is expanding?

Ans1. Boshongo people of Central Africa believed that the beginning of the universe consisted of only the darkness, water, and the great god Bumba. The universe was then created by Bumba, who, in pain from a stomachache, vomited up the sun, the moon, the stars, some animals and finally man.

Ans2. The Mayan legend of Mexico and Central America similarly believes that at the beginning of the universe, there was only the sea, the sky and the Maker, who, out of his unhappiness at being left all alone, created the earth, mountains, trees, animals and finally human beings.

 Ans3. The Old Testament believes that God created Adam and Eve within only six days of creation. Bishop Usher goes to the extent of prescribing an exact date for the origin of the world. He asserts that the universe was created at 9. A.M on October 27, 4004 BC. According to the Old Testament, the origin of the universe goes back much earlier than humans, which is a recent creation.

 Ans4. The belief that has been apparent even in early times was that either the universe has been created very recently or else human beings have existed for only a small fraction of cosmic history. If the human race had been created much earlier, it would have been much more advanced in its mastery of knowledge and technology.

Ans5. That universe is expanding can be concluded through Edwin Hubble’s observation that nearly all galaxies are moving away from us and those galaxies are moving faster and farther away from the earth. Hubble published law in 1929 relating the rate of recession of galaxies to their distance from the earth.

 Answer the following questions in about 150 – 200 words each.

 1. Explain the main idea contained in “Choosing Our Universe?”

 Ans. “Choosing our Universe” dwells upon the various myths prevalent in different parts of the world related to the creation of the universe. Boshongo people of Central Africa and the Mayan legend of Mexico and Central America believed that at the beginning of the universe there was only the darkness, sea, and the sky. Then the great god Bumba and the Maker created the sun, the moon, the stars, some animals and finally human beings. According to the Old Testament, God created Adam and Eve within only six days of creation. Bishop Usher even prescribed an exact date for the origin of the world to be at nine in the morning on October 27, 4004 BC. The Old Testament believes that the origin of the universe goes back much earlier than humans, which is a recent creation. The belief apparent even in early times was that either the universe has been created very recently or else human beings have existed for only a small fraction of cosmic history. If the human race had been created much earlier, it would have been much more advanced in its mastery of knowledge and technology. The first scientific evidence that the universe had a beginning came in the 1920s with the observations by Edwin Hubble who determined that nearly all galaxies are moving away from us and those galaxies are moving faster which are farther away from the earth.

2. Elaborate upon the contribution of Edwin Hubble in providing scientific evidence about the beginning of the universe.

Ans. Edwin Hubble made a very significant contribution in providing scientific evidence about the beginning of the universe in the 1920s which refuted the belief in a static universe that had existed earlier also. He could provide this scientific evidence on the basis of his indirect observations made with the 100-inch telescope on Mount Wilson, in the hills above Pasadena, California. Through the analysis of the spectrum of light emitted, Hubble determined that nearly all galaxies are moving away from the earth, and the farther away they are, the faster they are moving. In 1929 he published a law relating their rate of recession to their distance from the earth and concluded that the universe is expanding. This goes on to prove that the universe must have been smaller in the past and that sometimes in the distant past, all the matter and energy in the universe would have been concentrated in a very tiny region of unimaginable density and temperature. If one attempts to go back still farther enough, it is possible to arrive at a time of the beginning of the universe in the form of the event now called as big bang theory.

3. How do Creation myths attempt to answer the question regarding the existence of the universe the way it exists?

Ans. There are various Creation myths that attempt to answer the questions regarding the existence of the universe in their own unique ways. The Boshongo people of central Africa believe that in the beginning there was only darkness, water, and the great god Bumba and that it was Bumba, who in pain 6 from a stomachache, vomited up the sun which on drying up of the water was turned into land. But Bumba, still in pain, vomited some more in the form of the moon, the stars, and then some animals like the leopard, the crocodile, the turtle, and finally human beings. The creation myth of Mayans of Mexico and Central America similarly assert that before creation, there existed only the sea, the sky, and the Maker and that the Maker, out of his unhappiness and loneliness, created the earth, mountains, trees, and most animals. But the animals could not speak, and so he decided to create humans. First, he made them of mud and earth, but they only spoke nonsense. So he dissolved them away and tried making people from wood who appeared too dull. So when he decided to destroy them again, they escaped into the forest, sustaining damage along the way that altered them into the monkeys. After that fiasco, the Maker finally constructed the first humans from white and yellow corn. This is how the above creation myths attempt to answer the questions regarding the origin of the universe. Man’s ability to address such questions has grown steadily over the past century and equipped with the background of ancient times combined with the advancement in the field of science, human beings are now able to find a possible answer to these questions.