THE TIGER KING – Kalki

1. The story is a satire on the conceit of those in power. How does the author employ the literary device
of dramatic irony in the story?

Ans: In the story the Tiger King’s conceit finds reflection in his long name along with all its
appendages. The uncanny event of the king talking and asking ‘intelligent’ questions to the astrologer when
he was just ten days old, the king’s excessive thrill at having killed the first tiger, his flouting of his kingly
duties, imposing of heavy taxes on the villagers, his paying three lakh rupees to assuage the British official,
and his marrying a princess of a kingdom where he could continue killing tigers to satiate his irrational
demand are all examples of his vain pride. This pride is mocked at and satirized by Kalki by use of dramatic
irony. In the story when the king celebrates his supposed killing of the hundredth tiger the readers are aware
of the fact that the tiger isn’t actually dead but only unconscious. It is later killed by the king’s hunters
fearing that if they tell the king the truth, the king in his frenzy would punish them. So, the king’s frenzy of
killing the hundredth tiger ironically takes him closer to his death.

2. What is the author’s indirect comment on subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human
beings?

Ans: The author is scathingly critical of subjecting innocent animals to the willfulness of human
beings. The king kills hundred tigers on a whim fuelled by the predictions of an astrologer. Such was the
king’s obsession to kill tigers that his hunts caused the extinction of tigers in his and his father-in-law’s
kingdom. The uncaring attitude towards these animals is amplified by the way the king shoots at the tiger
which had stood in obedience in front of him. Even the hunter’s shooting the tiger in fear of the king reflects
on how society is willing to sacrifice innocent animals to save themselves.

3. How would you describe the behavior of the Maharaja’s minions towards him? Do you find them
truly sincere towards him or are they driven by fear when they obey him?

Ans: The Maharaja’s minions, whether the astrologer, his dewan or his hunters tried to please the
king whichever way they could so that they could keep themselves away from his wrath. It did not matter
what price had to be paid. This behavior of the minions was out of fear rather than respect because the king
was not a worthy one for he was whimsical and ill-tempered and made rash decisions, took undue advantage
of position and power and completely neglected his duties as a king.

Memoirs of a Chota Sahib - John Rowntree

1. Give an account of the author’s experiences of the floods on the North Bank of the Brahmaputra
during the monsoon.

Ans: The North Bank was a vast, remote stretch of flat, ageless land between the sandbanks of the
Brahmaputra and the Himalayan foothills. During the monsoon it would become a hot bed of malaria. It
would also be flooded. So travelling to the North Bank during the rainy season could cause various
problems. The bamboo bridges constructed during the winter were washed away by the flood in the rainy
season. Some bridges which were strong enough for a passing car with make alarming creaking noises. Once
the author, John Rowntree faced great difficulty in crossing the flooded river on horseback. Just as the horse
got into the river, Rowntree slipped over the horse’s croup and had to hold onto its tail which he used as the
rudder to give directions to the horse. He managed to land safely on the other side of the river.

Usually in the monsoon the river was crossed on mar boats. The mar is actually two open
boats placed alongside each other with a plank platform covering the two boats. It is like a ferry. The mar is
either paddled or connected by a running cable to another stretched across the river and propelled from one

 side to another by the force of the current. Even in the best of times the journey by the mar boats was
tedious. Constant adjustments had to be made to allow for the rise and the fall of the rivers. A whole series of
ghats, or landing places, had to be constructed at different levels on the river bank. However, the traffic was
light and though the crossing took time, there were few delays.

The author and his family had an accident during one monsoon. The dirt roads become
muddy and normal cars become unusable and the Jeep had not been invented yet. Once while touring the
North Bank monsoon arrived early. Though most of the main roads were motorable, driving became risky as
most of the main roads were built on top of embankments to raise them well above the normal flood level,
and they were very narrow and single tracked. As the road became very greasy, they skid and slipped over
the paddy fields some six feet below the road. They had the bumpiest ride through the paddy fields as they
are divided into enclosures by low banks. However, they were lucky because no damage was caused to the
car, a feat for the engineers of that time, and they too were safe being tightly packed in the car.

During the dry winter season there was another risk in the roads of the North Bank was
caused by the ramp of the road workers which lay hidden in the dust. This was a major source of accidents as
it was six inches high, unlike the puny ones in the civilized countries, and lay hidden in the dust.

2. Briefly describe the scene observed by the author from the verandah of his bungalow on the bank of
the Brahmaputra.

Ans: The bungalow into which the author settled on the bank of the Brahmaputra had been given a
coat of fresh limewash by the Public Works Department and the furniture had been liberally painted with
woodwork. In front was a raised portico which served as a car port, and on top, a verandah from which
they had a splendid view of the river and its shipping and, beyond, the Himalayas. In the foreground was
Peacock Island, with the dome of a Hindu temple just visible through the trees. However, the author says
that he never saw any peacocks but only monkeys. The author was able to observe that during the winter
the river dried up and shrank sometimes only a narrow dividing channel remained between the Peacock
and the mainland.

3. What is the belief about the dividing channel between Peacock Island and the mainland of Guwahati
that the author mentions?

Ans: There was a belief that if the channel between the Peacock Island and the mainland of
Guwahati dried up it would mean the end of British Raj and in some years it nearly did.

4. What does the author say about the importance of Guwahati? Is the statement true in our time today
also?

Ans: Guwahati was the headquarters of the Kamrup district and it extended to both banks of the
river. According to the author, Guwahati was the port of entry into Assam but travelers had to pass
through it even while travelling to other places in the East of India like Calcutta and Shillong. Sometimes
the travelers would also halt in Guwahati before going further. Even today it is true and Guwahati is still
known as the Gateway to the Northeast. Whether we travel further into the east or I want to go west we
have to go through Guwahati.

5. What information does the author give us about the Manas Wild Life Sanctuary?

Ans: The Manas Wild Life Sanctuary was situated at the borders of the Himalayan state of Bhutan.
It had rhinos and its rivers were full of mahseer, a kind of fish and their banks were a favorite site for the
Governor’s Christmas camps.

6. Relate the author’s reminiscence of the two forest bungalows.

Ans: The author had stayed at two different bungalows in the South Bank of the Brahmaputra. The
south bank was more homely as the distances were less and the terrain small. It was a country of low

 hills and valleys interspersed with villages and cultivations while the reserve forests were mostly in one
block. Moreover, these forests were mostly of sal trees and were familiar to the English woodland.

The bungalow at Kulsi was delightfully situated on a wooden spur above the river and was
the author’s favorite. The bungalow was surrounded by teak plantations which were planted sixty years
ago and now almost mature. The climate in Assam led to too rapid growth of the trees which prevented
the teak from growing into first-class timber that was never upto the Burma standards. Near the
bungalow was also a rubber plantation of Ficus elastic, but no tapping had taken place for some years,
since Indian rubber was able to compete with the para rubber being commercially produced.

The other bungalow was at Rajapara in a clearing infested with bats in the roof. The
droppings of the bats had a fusty smell and always reminded the author of their presence. Other, large
fruit-eating bats lived on a tree outside the bungalow and looked like ghosts with their five feet wide
wings as they glided around in search of food in the evening. There was also a bheel close to the
bungalow where an earthquake had once lowered the surface, and the land became inundated with water.
It was an eerie spot as the trees still rose out of water like skeletons reminding the people that the bheel
was once dry land. Inspite of the ghostly elements the bungalow at Rajapara was a pleasant place to
work in with the sunny, open paddy fields sometimes become the source of jungle fowl which came to
eat the grain after harvest and often became food for the people instead.

Indigo – Louis Fischer

1. Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?

Ans: Rajkumar Shukla was an illiterate sharecropper from Champaran in Bihar. He had come to
meet Mahatma Gandhi in the Deccember, 1916 annual convention of the Indian National Congress held
at Lucknow. He had come to seek help from Gandhi regarding the exploitation of the sharecroppers in
Champaran. When Gandhi told Shukla that he had an appointment in Cawnpore and also other parts of
India, Shukla followed him everywhere determined to complain about his situation. Even when Gandhi
came to his ashram in Ahmedabad Shukla followed him there and never left Gandhi’s side. Finally,
Gandhi told him that he had a meeting in Calcutta on a particular date months later and on that day
Shukla was waiting for Gandhi at the appointed spot in Calcutta from where he took Gandhi to Patna and
then to Champaran to find a solution to the problem of the sharecroppers.

Rajkumar Shukla’s persistence and determination to take Gandhi to Champaran and find a
solution to the problem of the sharecroppers which finally resulted in his success with Gandhi staying in
Champaran for an uninterrupted period of seven months and then making shorter visits that took almost a
year of Gandhi’s life proves that he was resolute.

2. Why and when did Gandhi declare: “The battle of Champaran is won”?

Ans: Gandhi’s presence in Champaran supporting and guiding the sharecroppers was seen as a
threat by the British authorities. When he began asking questions to the authorities they ordered him to
leave Champaran or face arrest. He refused to follow this order and so a case was filed against him. On
the verge of being arrested many important Indian lawyers including Rajendra Prasad came to consult
with him. He asked them what they would do if he was arrested. At first the lawyers said that if Gandhi
is arrested they would have no one to guide them and so they would have no choice but to leave. Then
Gandhi asked them if they were not going to help the sharecroppers who were being exploited. The
lawyers consulted each other and thought that Gandhi, being an outsider, was ready to face arrest for the
poor peasants of Champaran. So, the lawyers who belonged to the same place as the sharecroppers and
had previously taken so much fees from them to fight their cases, had a moral responsibility to fight for
justice for the sharecroppers and so, would risk arrest. With the help of Gandhi they formed pairs to face
arrest.

 When Gandhi was able to unite the privileges lawyers to help their fellow countrymen, the
exploited sharecroppers, he knew that justice could now be achieved. So, it was then that Gandhi
declared: “The battle of Champaran is won.” The unity among all the Indians was most important to
drive away the fear that was the real reason for exploitation at the hands of the authorities. Once this
unity was achieved justice too was sure to be achieved.

3. Describe the exploitation of the indigo sharecroppers by English landlords. Did Gandhi help them
get an honourable settlement?

Ans: Most of the arable land in the Champaran district was divided into large estates owned by
Englishmen and worked by Indian tenants. These Indian peasants were bound in long-term contract
according to which they had to plant three twentieths or 15 per cent of their holdings with indigo and
then pay the harvest as rent. This arrangement forced the peasants to cultivate the commercial crop
indigo in their lands while they did not receive any profit out of it. This was a stark exploitation of the
peasants.

When the landlords learned that Germany had developed synthetic indigo, they knew that
cultivation of indigo by peasants was not profitable anymore. So, they tricked the peasants into signing
agreements according to which they had to pay compensation for being released from the 15 percent
arrangement. Many sharecroppers signed willingly hoping to finally find relief from the unfavourable
arrangement. But soon many of them came to know the truth and wanted their money back. While the
peasants hired lawyers with exorbitant fees, the landlords hired thugs to scare the peasants into
submission. So, the sharecroppers again ended up being exploited by the landlords.

Gandhi called on the British authorities to find the facts and question the exploitation of the
sharecroppers. Finally he was able to get the landlords to refund 25 per cent of the peasants’ money. This
might not seem a fair settlement. But Gandhi was not concerned about the money. He was more
concerned about making the peasants aware of their rights and instilling in them courage to fight for
them. It was also important that the landlords had to surrender their prestige in being forced to pay even
a part of the compensation. This was definitely an honourable settlement because within a few years the
British planters left their estates and the land reverted to the peasants.

4. Why did Gandhi oppose the suggestion of his lawyer friends to let Andrews stay in Champaran to
help them?

Ans: During the early days of the Champaran action, an English pacifist named Charles Freer
Andrews came to bid farewell to Gandhi before leaving for Fiji Islands on duty. He was devout follower
of Gandhi and so Gandhi’s lawyer friends had asked Gandhi to let Andrews stay in Champaran and help
them in the fight for justice for the sharecroppers. However, Gandhi opposed this saying that the
presence of an Englishman on their side showed that they were weak and so needed a strong Englishman
for support. This showed the Indian people in a weak light which was unacceptable to Gandhi. He
refused to use an Englishman as a prop in their struggle. To demand justice and independence the Indians
had to prove themselves to be self-reliant and strong.

5. Why do you think that Gandhi thought the Champaran episode to be a turning point in his life?

Ans: During Gandhi’s long stay in Champaran, he not only enabled the peasants to win their rights
back and get rid of their fear of the unjust powerful authorities, he was also able guide the people into a
life of health, hygiene and education. The Champaran episode was considered a turning point in his life
because while trying to help alleviate the deplorable condition of the peasants he proved that this was his
country and a foreign power could not order him about in his own country. Also, his politics was able to
help human beings in their struggle for an equitable life as well as mould a new India that could on its
own feet and achieve freedom.

6. How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom struggle?

 Ans: During the Champaran action ordinary people like the peasants took effective part in the
fight against the injustice of the British authorities. When Gandhi refused to leave Champaran and stayed
in Motihari, the capital of Champaran, defying the order of the British authorities, the peasants stood in
support of him. They did not know of his work in South Africa. They only heard that he was there to help
them and so they decided to support him by demonstrating in front of the courthouse. Again, when
Gandhi took upon the task of improving the quality of life of the Champaran peasants many people like
Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh, came over from different places like Bombay, Poona etc to help
Gandhi in his work of teaching the peasants to live a healthy hygienic life and to educate them. These
contributions of the ordinary became of great importance in liberating the Indian people from their fear
of the exploitative British authorities leading to freedom of India.

7. What was the ‘conflict of duties’ involving Gandhi?

Ans: Gandhi is an example of peaceful resistance. He did not want to set a bad example for the
people by breaking the law. But, at that point of time he was torn between his duty as a law abiding
person and his duty towards humanity and national service. He finally decided to listen to his conscience
and break the law, without any violence though, and work to liberate the peasants from the exploitation
of the landlords. Gandhi, however, asked for the penalty due so that he did not set a bad example of
running away from the law.

8. ‘Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India’ – show how this happened.

Ans: Threatened by Gandhi’s powerful presence and influence when the British authorities
ordered him to leave Champaran with immediate effect, Gandhi refuses to follow that order and remained in
Motihari, the capital of Champaran to continue guiding the peasants in their struggle against the exploitation
of the landlords. Such was the influence of Gandhi that peasants, who did not know Gandhi before or
anything about his struggle for equality in South Africa, came in hordes to support him by demonstrating
infront of the courthouse where Gandhi was to be tried. Again, the lawyers had initially taken exorbitant fees
from the peasants to fight their cases against the landlords and decided to leave if Gandhi was arrested
thinking that without Gandhi they would have no one to guide them. But when Gandhi questioned them
about their sense of moral duty to their fellow countrymen, the lawyers decided to court arrest along with
Gandhi as a sign of protest against the abusive authorities. This was the first time in India that such an
organized form of civil disobedience was taking place which finally resulted in victory as the Lieutenant-
Governor of the province had finally decided to drop the case against Gandhi fearing that the meager number
of British officials would not be able to resist the large crowds of common people who had come out to
support Gandhi and protest against the authorities.