About the Author:
Khushwant Singh is an Indo- Anglian novelist, short story writer and journalist. He has edited several Indian newspapers, journals and magazines. His weekly with Malice towards One and All is one of the most widely – read columns in the country. He has authored a large number of books including short stories and novels. Singh is educated at Modern School, New Delhi, Government College, Lahore, St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi and King’s College, London. Singh’s works range from editorial columns in political commentary to outstanding translations of Sikh religious texts and Urdu poetry. He has edited the Yojana (Govt. of India Journal), The Illustrated Weekly, The National Harald, The Hindustan Times etc. He was the member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament during 1980- 1986. He was awarded Padma Bhushan (1974) and Padma Bibhushan (2007) by the Government of India.
About the Text:
Karma is the Hindu theological idea. It means destiny. The short story in questions has no religious fervor. The story is about an identity crisis under the impact of colonialism. Sir Mohan Lal suffered the crisis. He was educated at Oxford. He spoke English fluently. He followed their rules. He was a barrister. He read The Times, wore Balliol tie, drank Whisky and smoked only English cigarettes. His wife Lachmi is diametrically opposite to him. She is an Indian woman with everything like a typical Indian.
DS type Questions and Answers:
Each Question mark -5
1) “The mirror smiled back at Sir Mohan.” – Which mirror is referred to here? How was the mirror? What was Sir Mohan’s reaction when the mirror smiled back?
Ans- The mirror of the first-class waiting room of the railway station is referred to here.
The mirror is worn out and partly broken.
Sir Mohan stood before the mirror. He was in the first class waiting room of the railway station. He looked at himself in the mirror. Then he smiled. The mirror also smiled back at him. His smile gave an air of pity and patronage. In fact, Sir Mohan appeared to be snobbish and proud. He blindly embraced British ways and culture. He despised his fellow countrymen. He hated even his wife too. His countrymen were indifferent, inefficient and dirty in his eyes. Sir Mohan’s reaction was full of aversion. The miserable condition of the mirror was similar to that of Indians. All this was aptly reflected in Sir Mohan’s body language.
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2) Give a short character sketch of Lachmi in Karma?
Ans- Lachmi is an ordinary housewife. She is married to a barrister Sir Mohan. But she lives a simple life. She is aged around forty. She is short and fatty in appearance. She wears a dirty white sari with a red border. She is fond of jewelleries. She wears bangles and a diamond nose- ring. She eats chapattis with mango pickles. She is much fond of chewing betel leaves. She is not educated like her husband. Even she cannot understand English. She makes her journey in the zenana class. Her barrister husband goes in the first class. She is very simple-hearted. She has no vanity also. She embraces even the coolie as her brother. She has no identity crisis like her husband. She is a typical housewife and happy with her Indian counterparts.
3) Give a short note on the conjugal life of Mohan Lal and Lady Lal.
Ans- The conjugal life of Mohan Lal and Lady Lal is perhaps not happy. Mohan Lal is a visitor and a barrister. He has a great fascination for British etiquette and culture. He hates Indians and their culture. He hates his wife too. He stays in the downstair and his wife in the upstair. Both Mohan Lal and Lachmi was childless. Lachmi seldom gets her husband’s association. Mohan Lal occasionally visits at night for physical environment. There the bad smelling of sweat and raw onions from Lachmi becomes unbearable to Mohan Lal. Very often Mohan Lal feels attracted towards the prostitutes of Piccadilly than his wife. All these prove that their conjugal life is not at all happy.
4) Justify the title of the short story KARMA.
Or, What did you think the story is entitled KARMA?
Ans- Karma, is the Hindu theological idea. It means destiny. Anyway, the short story has no religious fervor. The story is about an identity crisis. Sir Mohan Lal suffers the crisis. He is educated at Oxford. He follows the British etiquette and culture. He is a barrister. He reads The Times, wears Balliol tie, drinks whisky and smokes only English cigarettes. His wife Lachmi is a native woman. He does not like her. She is just a property to him. He hates India and his countrymen. With all his Oxford accent, Sir Mohan remains in his eyes of the British English soldiers a vile black Indian. They push him out of his own reserved compartment. Finally, he realizes that an Indian is a servant to the English. Sir Mohan is neighbor an Indian nor an Englishman. He has no identity. He suffers the consequences of his own Karma. So, the title is a fine choice.
5) Describe the dress and ornaments of Lady Lal in course of her journey?
Ans- Lachmi is ironically called Lady Lal. She is typically an Indian housewife. Her dress is very simple. She wears a dirty white sari with a red border. She wears ornaments too. On one side of her nose glistens a diamond ring. There are several gold bangles on her arms. She is short and fat in appearance. Her age is around forty. She is to have her train journey and therefore waiting in the station. She is not allowed to accompany her husband in the same compartment. So, she travels in the inter-class zenana compartment.
6) “Five years of a crowded glorious life.” – Describe in brief how sir Mohan had spent five years in Oxford.
Ans- Sir Mohan is a vizier and barrister. He is an Indian by birth but an Englishman by talks and etiquette. He is educated in Oxford. He likes and follows the British culture. He has spent five years there and acquired British accent perfectly. He wears the suit from Saville Row and a Balliol tie. He reads the British newspaper, The Times and smokes English cigarettes. The glorious moments in Oxford seems to Sir Mohan as if the fairyland. His presence there with masters, dons, tutors, boat- races and rugger matches are all the haunting passion to him. Mohan Lal still recapitulates those glorious five years of grey bags and gowns of sports blazers and mixed doubles, of dinners at the inns of Court and nights of Piccadilly. The prostitutes of Piccadilly seems to be more attractive than his forty – five years old, dirty, vulgar countrywide.