KARMA-KHUSHWANT SINGH Some Que---to---Ans (XI)

KARMA -KHUSHWANT SINGH

Q1. "You are a bit all right, old chap." - Who is the speaker? who has been referred to as 'old chap'? What picture of the person's character here, spoken to, is revealed in this line.        1+1+3 Ans: The speaker of the above line is said to be the mirror in the first class waiting room at the railway station. Actually when sir Mohan Lal smiled at the wretched condition of the mirror, it reflected his smile.             Sir Mohan Lal is referred to here as 'old chap'.   Through the mirror the snobbish character of Sir Mohan Lal is reflected. He holds high esteem about himself. He treats himself as handsome. Despite being old, he likes to dress up as a young man. He wore suit from Savile Row with a Balliol tie, and applies aroma from eau de cologne. He is also fond of scented soap. Thus through the line a perfect snob is presented before us, at the beginning of the story.

Q2. What did Sir Mohan Lal think about himself and his country men looking at the mirror in the first class waiting room?  Ans:  The mirror in the first class waiting room was not in good condition. Sir Mohan Lal relates the condition to everything else in this country. To him, the mirror as well as his fellow countrymen were indifferent, inefficient and dirty. Where as he, himself is handsome, efficient and distinguished. It is his own reflection in the mirror, speaking so to him.He is also satisfied with his dressing style and mannerisms, and which is a perfect contrast to the mirror's and the people's condition in the country. Thus at the beginning, we are introduced to a perfect snob who hates his own motherland and its culture.  Alternative questions :​ ●     "You are so much like everything else in this country." - Who said this to whom? How is everything else in this country? How is the person's character revealed through these lines? 1+1+3 ●     Describe the character of Sir Mohan Lal as described in the opening of the story. 5

Q3.Compare and contrast the characters of sir Mohan Lal and his wife Lachmi. 5 Ans:  Sir Mohan Lal and his wife are the two major characters of the story 'Karma'. But they are poles apart in terms of their upbringing, their way of living, manners and dress, and attitudes and outlook on life. Sir Mohan Lal is a follower of English culture. He was a student of Oxford University. He speaks English, drinks foreign wine, smokes English cigarette and reads The Times. He is a barrister and belongs to the high aristocratic society.  But his wife Lachmi is a fair opposite to him. She is a typical illiterate Hindustani village women. she wears saree, and heavy gold ornaments. She is fond of betel leaves and a little gossip.She has no sophisticated manner. Her Indianness is present in her food dress manners and way of life.

Q4. Give the character sketch of Sir Mohan Lal. 5

Ans: Sir Mohan Lal, a vizier and a barrister, is the main character of the story 'Karma' by khushwant Singh. Sir Mohan Lal is a follower of English culture. He was a student at Oxford University.He can speak on any subject like books, politics and people. He speaks English, drinks foreign wine, smokes English cigarette and reads The Times. He belongs to the high aristocratic society. He is very proud of his Englishness. He hates India, its people and even their language. Excitement, bustle and hurry were not his culture. His relation with his wife is not good. Infact, he dwells in an imaginative fairyland where he thinks he is one of the British. But at the end we saw him as rootless,being nowhere - neither an Indian nor an English. His manners and attitudes, as described in the story, proves him as a perfect snob  a hypocrite and a rootless human.

Q5. How does Sir Mohan Lal presents himself before Englishman?  Ans:              In​ the short story 'karma' Sir Mohan Lal is a blind follower of English culture. This is evident in his dress and appearance,gesture and posture. He wears suit from Savile row with a tie from balliol. He applies talcum powder and aroma from eau-de-cologne. He travels first class. Their he does crossword puzzle on the Times paper.He wears balliol tie so that some body can recognise him. Then he calls 'Koi Hai' to get his scotch out. Then he takes out his golden cigarette case with english cigarettes. These are all done by him to impress the Englishman.

Q6.' Five years of crowded glorious life'.Describe how was the life of Sir Mohan Lal?   Ans​ :​ Sir Mohan Lal has his charming life when he was in England. He went there for higher studies. There he fully enjoyed associations with Oxford colleges, masters, dons, and tutors. He could not forget boat races and rugby matches there. He used to take part in mixed doubles. He always dressed himself in sport blazers, gowns, and he used grey bags. He enjoyed dinners at the Inns of court and spent nights at Piccadilly. It is from there he learnt to read 'The Times', Smoke 'English cigar' and wear 'Balliol tie'. So This was the life that Sir Mohan Lal enjoyed in his five years of abroad.

Q7. Bring out the significance of the ending of the story Karma.   Ans: Towards​ the ending of the story 'Karma', we find that Sir Mohan Lal is being humiliated and harassed by the two British soldiers. They even threw him out of the compartment. Mohan Lal could only watch the moving train. The bubble of aristocracy and Englishness is blasted. Here is the irony. He is nowhere - accepted neither by the British nor by the Indians. But his wife was on her way safely because she has his own culture. Her throwing of the betel saliva is indicative of the throwing of Sir Mohan Lal, as useless as the saliva. And her glistening diamond ring indicates pure Indianness. So the ending brings out the irony of fate for Mohan Lal. It is, Infact, the result of being passive to one's own culture.  Alternative questions :         ●      comment on the irony in the story.​   Ans: He was hurt by those whom he adored much. His earlier thought of show-off and pride proves to be useless. Where was his Balliol tie, the Times, English cigarette or the bottle of scotch? His pride of having these things proved to be ironic. Lachmi said that he travelled first class but at the end he could not even board the train. So these are all ironic.

Q8. Bring out the significance of the title karma.  Ans: The​ Hindu theological term 'Karma' means that man gets the result of his own action. Khushwant Singh has taken the term as the title of his short story. In the story a man named Sir Mohan Lal is very proud of his Englishness. He hates his own motherland, its people and culture very much. He had reserved the first class compartment for his travel. His wife Lachmi was in third class Zenana compartment. All was fine until two English soldiers came and abused sir Mohan. Finally they even threw him out of his reserved compartment. But Mohan Lal thought of giving them a place in the compartment.On the other hand, Sir Mohan's wife was unhurt without any such situation. Thus the story deals with the respective 'karma' or the actions of the two characters and the result of their actions. So the title is a right choice.

Q9. 'Sir Mohan' s thoughts were disturbed by the bearer '-what were sir Mohan' s thoughts?  Ans :  Sir​ Mohan Lal was thinking that he might get some English officers as travelling companions. He thought about how he could attract the fellow travellers with 'The Times', Balliol tie, English cigarettes, and the whiskey. He was also ruminating his glorious past life.There he had enjoyed the company of Oxford colleges, dons, masters and tutors, and the rugby matches, boat races and mixed doubles. His dinners at the court of Inns and nights at Piccadilly was incomparable. To him these five years of glorious life was far better than his forty five years in India. Here he is unhappy with the dirty, vulgar countrymen all around and the sordid details of road to success. His nocturnal visit to Lachmi was also disgusting as she smelled sweat and raw onion. These are the thing which sir Mohan Lal was thinking there.