Karma Class XI Summary Explanation Question Answer|Detailed Explanation of Karma By Khuswant Singh

Karma by Khuswant Singh Summary, Explanations WB Class XI English 

                  

                     Karma 

                          By Khuswant Singh 

The Meaning of 'Karma': 'Karma' means one's actions. In our life we go through several actions, among which some are our own. Whatever actions we do, we have to pay for it. The story 'Karma' by Khuswant Singh presents one Indian's actions and the consequences of it. 

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About the Author Khuswant Singh: 

Khuswant Singh is an Indian writer who was born on Feb 2,1915 in Punjab(Now Pakistan). He started his career as a journalist.  He was the editor of 'Yojana', ab Indian Government Journal. 

His important works are "The History of Sikhs", "Train to Pakistan", "Delhi:A Novel" etc. His autobiography "Truth, Love and A Little Malice" was published in 2002. He died in March 20, 2014. 

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Introduction to the Story 'Karma' :

'Karma' is a short story written by Khuswant Singh and it was published in 1989 in "The Collected Stories of Khuswant Singh". 

The Story is about a person who is very egoistic and prides on his thought and neglects the very Indian culture. He even sneers at his wife because she is the representation of Indian culture. The man blindly follows the British culture. At the end of the story the man suffers for his egoistic attitude. 

Story line of 'Karma' : 

The plot revolves around Mohan Lal and his wife Lachmi. Mohan Lal is a blind follower of British culture. His tone, style and expression are quite similar to that of British culture. He read English newspaper so that he looks British and he scoffs at everything that is indigenous. While on a train journey, Mohan Lal does not sit with his wife Lachmi because he thinks it may hurt his sentiment. He arrabges his seat in the first class compartment. When two British Soldiers come in the compartment Sir Mohan Lal desires to speak to them. But quite surprisingly Sir Mohan Lal is abused and thrown out of the train along with his luggage. Thua we find Sir Mohan Lal is punished for his actions, and here lies the appropriateness of the title 'Karma'. The plot begins with the self-imposed glory of Mohan Lal, although it ends with his disillusionment.

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Summary of the Story 'Karma'

The story starts with Sir Mohan Lal who is observing himself in a mirror while waiting for the train at a railway station. Sir Mohan Lal is found pitying the mirror for its poor condition. From the very beginning we find Sir Mohan Lal scoffing at everything that is Indian. He beloved that Indian culture is very poor. 

The mirror laughs at Sir Mohan Lal for being so perfect amidst a crowd of imperfections. The dress that Mohan Lal is wearing, the perfume he sprayed, the scent of the soap all are at odds with the unsophisticated place. As Mohan Lal has high affinity (likeness) for British culture he dresses himself in a British attire. 

The wife of Sir Mohan Lal is set in contrast to him. She is sitting on a grey trunk and chewing betel leaves. Lachmi is short in height, wearing an ordinary sari, quite opposite to the attire of Sir Mohan Lal. Unlike Sir Mohan Lal, Lachmi is engaged in gossiping with the bearer, a coolie. Lachmi held a high picture of her husband and told that he was a vizier and a barrister and meets several dignified persons. Consequently Lachmi travels in the zenana compartment as she is not aware of the British culture and is unable to speak English even. 

The train arrives and Lachmi sits by the window in the train. Sir Mohan Lal is very calm, rather he shows himself to be very calm, as he belives excitement is an exhibition of bad breeding. We understand the sophisticated attitude of Sir Mohan Lal. Sir Mohan Lal expected the company of a British with whom he could initiate a healthy conversation. In this process he could make a connection with his dear England,which is only a memory now to him. Sir Mohan Lal was frustrated when the found the compartment empty. Soon, he saw two English soldiers approaching his compartment and he felt excited. 

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The train is ready to depart . Sir Mohan is called a 'nigger'(a slang used for black Indians/Africans) . It was unexpected and beyond his imagination. When the two soldiers tried throwing out he protested. Heedless, the soldiers threw away his belongings and Sir Mohan Lal himself. Quite contrasting to his imagination, he gets shocked at this rude behaviour of the British soldiers. Lachmi, sitting in the inter-class zenan compartment spat and sent a 'jet of red dribble ' flying across like a dart as soon as the train left the station. 

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Message of the Story ' Karma' : 

The Story 'Karma' by Khuswant Singh shows the sneering attitude and the false sentiment of Sir Mohan Lal,who considers himself to be carrying British culture inside. He embraces English ways and culture. He speaks in anglicised Hindustani. He dresses like a British official. He neglects his wife as she is an ordinary Indian. The story shows the English culture and lifestyle of the pompous Anglophile like Sir Mohan Lal. It shows the rich heritage of Indian culture which is sometimes neglected and mocked by some Indians. Sir Mohan Lal represents the vain and pompous Anglicised Indians. Lachmi uphold the true indian culture and liberal traditions. The two soldiers stand for the ruling class and represent the colonizers. Sir Mohan Lal is ultimately neglected and humiliated by the very English culture which he was upholding for a long time. After the rejection and humiliation he might learn to consider his own people(the Indians) with a sympathetic heart, leaving his English bias aside. 

The story teaches that we must not forget the significance of our own indigenous culture and tradition which has its own rich history. We must not be so biased to an alien culture that we forget our own culture and customs. Sir Mohan Lal gets punished for his 'karma'(blunt actions) disillusioned. 

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Characters in the Story 'Karma': 

1. Sir Mohan Lal: 

Sir Mohan Lal is the protagonist of the story ' Karma '. He represents the anglicised Hindustani who appreciated English culture and sneers at everything that is Indian in origin or taste. 

Sir Mohan Lal is a vizier and a barrister by profession. He is well brd, well dressed and very refined in his taste or attire. He can speak like and Englishman on any topic relentlessly. He believes himself to be calm, never expresses the sign of excitement. He is a blind follower of the English culture. It ultimately infuses bad and sneering elements in him. To him, India means  dirty and vulgar. 

2. Lady Lal :

Lady Lal is the wife of Sir Mohan Lal. Her name if Lachmi, an Indian name. She is not only Indian by her name, but also by her attire or behaviour. She is an ordinary Indian lady who uphold  Indianness. She wears an ordinary saree with a red border. She is a housewife who is under the control of her husband. She is rustic and illiterate. She is a humble and down-to-earth woman. She can not speak English, so she speaks with a coolie or a bearer. She appears a lovable character. 

3. The Two English Soldiers:

The English soldiers are the representation of the British culture that has been subtly utilizes in the story. They represent the colonizers. Although Sir Mohan Lal desires to initiate a talk with the soldiers with much excitement, the English soldiers scoff at him and behaves rudely. 

They call Mohan Lal a 'nigger'. They puncture the false sentiment of Sir Mohan Lal and he is disillusioned at the end.