"KARMA" by Khushwant Singh
A SHORT DISCUSSION
THE WRITER :
Khushwant Singh (b. 1915) is a renowned Indian Journalist and writer. He worked as the editor of Illustrated Weekly, National Herald, Hindustan Times, etc. He wrote books like History of the Sikhs, Train to Pakistan, End of India, A Bride for the Sahib and Other Sories, Burial at Sea, In the Company of Women, Love, Truth and a Little Malice, etc. He was awarded both the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
To know more about the writer click here.
THE SOURCE :
Karma is a story from his book The collected Stories published in 1989.
THE STORY :
Karma is a story of an aristocrat who tries to follow English
culture and lifestyle. He feels uneasy about his culture, lifestyle,
customs, etc. He has a wife who is an ordinary woman. He dislikes her
because she fails to impart foreign culture into her life.
The name of the aristocrat is Sir Mohan Lal, and Lachmi is his wife.
Mohan Lal is a middle-aged man who works for the British. He is ashamed
of his Indian origin and tries to speak English. He dresses like a
high-ranked British official. He tries to show his sound knowledge in
English through solving crossword puzzles of English newspapers.
On the other hand, Lachmi is an ordinary Indian woman. She is
unable to adopt English lifestyle. As a result of this difference, Mohan
Lal and Lachmi do not have a sweet married life.
The aristocracy of Mohan Lal gets a shock during a journey with his
wife in a train. He books his seat in the first class compartment, which
is reserved for the British, though he makes sitting arrangement for
his wife in the general compartment.
Mohan Lal is very proud after boarding the first class compartment.
But his pride does not last long. Two British soldiers starts to abuse
him in the compartment. The arrogant Mohan Lal tries to oppose.
Consequently, he is thrown out of the train.
THE THEME :
- Imitation of foreign culture
- Unhappy married life
- Contrast of culture and life-style
- Aristocracy and patriotism
THE MAIN CHARACTERS :
# Mohan Lal --
- A middle-aged man
- An aristocrat
- Arorrogant
- A follower of foreign culture and life-style
# Lachmi --
- A traditional Indian woman
- The wife of Mohan Lal
- A follower of Indian culture and life-style
_______________________________________________________
"Leela's Friend" by R K Narayan
A Short Discussion
The Writer :
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan (10 October, 1906 -- 13 May, 2001) is
one of the best Indian novelists writing in English. His famous novels
are Swami and Friends (1935), The Bachelor of Arts (1937), The Dark Room (1938), The English Teacher (1946), The Guide (1958), The Man-eater of Malgudi (1962), etc. He also wrote many short stories and published them in volumes as Malgudi Days (1941), Dodu and Other Stories (1943), Cyclone and Other Stories
(1944), etc. He is noted for his simple way of writing. He won numerous
awards and honours for his works. He received the Sahitya Academy Award
in 1961 for his novel The Guide. He was awarded the Padma Bhusan in 1964. In 1980, he was awarded the A. C. Benson Award by the Royal Society of Literature.
To know more about the writer click here.
The Story :
The Sivasankar family appoint a servant called Sidda for household
work. Sidda is a simple natured boy who arrests everybody's attention in
a few months. He becomes a good friend with Leela, the daughter of
Sivasankar. Sidda and Leela come to a close relationship through playing
together.
A twist comes to the story when Leela's necklace is found missing
one day. The family thought that Sidda must be behind it. Leela's mother
accuses him of stealing the necklace. Her belief is so sound that she
calls in the police. Sidda is arrested. She is charged with theft though
there is no proof against him.
Leela is very sad. Sidda is still innocent to her. The loss of her
necklace is not so pathetic as the loss of a friend to her. She longs
for her friend to play with him.
After a few days, Leela finds her necklace suddenly hidden in a pot.
When she tells her family about it, they realise Sidda's honesty. It
becomes clear that Sidda is not a thief. Sidda is released from the
police custody, but he does not receive any apology from the family.
The Theme :
- Betrayal of trust
- True friendship
- Poverty and exploitation
- Cruelty of masters
The Main Characters :
Sidda :-
- He is simple and honest.
- He is illiterate.
- He has a dark history.
- He is a victim of master's cruelty.
- He is a faithful playmate.
Leela :-
- She is careless about her things.
- She is bossy.
- She is hopeful and honest about Sidda.
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