“Gandhi told Shukla he had an appointment in Cawnpore and was also committed to go to other parts of India. Shukla accompanied him everywhere. Then Gandhi returned to his ashram near Ahmedabad. Shukla followed him to the ashram. For weeks he never left Gandhi’s side. “Fix a date,” he begged. Impressed by the sharecropper’s tenacity and story Gandhi said, ‘‘I have to be in Calcutta on such-and-such a date. Come and meet me and take me from there.”
1. What does the word ‘tenacity’ mean?
2. How did Shukla show tenacity? a) He didn’t obey Gandhi’s requests b) He kept arguing with Gandhi c) He followed Gandhi everywhere till Gandhi agreed to accompany him to Champaran d) He didn’t respect Gandhi’s busy schedule
3. Why did Shukla follow Gandhi?
4. Shukla met Gandhi for the first time at..... a) Champaran b) Lucknow c) Patna d) Calcutta
5. Which ‘story’ of Shukla does the extract refer to?
”They accordingly went back to Gandhi and told him they were ready to follow him into jail. “The battle of Champaran is won”, he exclaimed. Then he took a piece of paper and divided the group into pairs and put down the order in which each pair was to court arrest. Several days later, Gandhi received a written communication from the magistrate informing that the Lieutenant-Governor of the province had ordered the case to be dropped. Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India.”
1. Which quality of Gandhi as a leader is seen in this extract?
2. Who are ‘they’ here?
3. “the Lieutenant-Governor of the province had ordered the case to be dropped”. Which case does it refer to? a) the case of disobeying the Police Superintendent’s order to quit Champaran b) the case of staying with a government servant c) the case of staging an agitation outside the court d) the case of writing letters of complaint to the British officials
4. “They accordingly went back to Gandhi and told him they were ready to follow him into jail”. What made them decide so?
5. “The Battle of Champaran is won”. Which of the following statements is ‘True’ about the statement? Statement-1: Gandhi didn’t mean that the battle of Champaran was actually won but the unity of the people against injustice was no less a victory. Statement-2: Gandhi meant that the battle of Champaran was literally won and there was nothing more to do.
6. What does ‘civil disobedience’ mean? a) the refusal to obey the rules and commands of the government b) a peaceful way of expressing disapproval against unfair policies c) aggressive form of protesting against injustice d) passive form of protest
“But Champaran did not begin as an act of defiance. It grew out of an attempt to alleviate the distress of large numbers of peasants. This was the typical Gandhi pattern — his politics were intertwined with the practical, day-to-day problems of the millions. His was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a loyalty to living, human beings. In everything Gandhi did, he tried to mould a new free Indian who could stand on his own feet and thus make India free. “
i) Study the following statements:
Statement-1: His was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a loyalty to living, human beings. Statement-2: Gandhi was a humanitarian at heart.
Can statement-2 be inferred from statement-1?
ii) The word ‘alleviate’ in the extract means.........
iii) The typical Gandhi pattern was.... a) To separate politics from day to day life problems of people b) To integrate politics with day to day life problems of people c) To philosophize the problems faced by people d) To confine politics to the problems of the elite
iv) “But Champaran did not begin as an act of defiance”. This means.. a) It was a movement planned in advance b) It was a movement without any goal or plan c) It started as a movement for justice but later developed into civil disobedience movement d) The Champaran movement was not a civil disobedience movement at all
v) How did Gandhi want to mould a new Indian?
vi) The word ‘typical’ in this context means......
“But Champaran did not begin as an act of defiance. It grew out of an attempt to alleviate the distress of large numbers of peasants. This was the typical Gandhi pattern — his politics were intertwined with the practical, day-to-day problems of the millions. His was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a loyalty to living, human beings. In everything Gandhi did, he tried to mould a new free Indian who could stand on his own feet and thus make India free. “
i) Study the following statements:
Statement-1: His was not a loyalty to abstractions; it was a loyalty to living, human beings. Statement-2: Gandhi was a humanitarian at heart.
Can statement-2 be inferred from statement-1?
ii) The word ‘alleviate’ in the extract means.........
iii) The typical Gandhi pattern was.... a) To separate politics from day to day life problems of people b) To integrate politics with day to day life problems of people c) To philosophize the problems faced by people d) To confine politics to the problems of the elite
iv) “But Champaran did not begin as an act of defiance”. This means.. a) It was a movement planned in advance b) It was a movement without any goal or plan c) It started as a movement for justice but later developed into civil disobedience movement d) The Champaran movement was not a civil disobedience movement at all
v) How did Gandhi want to mould a new Indian?
vi) The word ‘typical’ in this context means......
“but the servants knew Shukla as a poor yeoman who pestered their master to help the indigo sharecroppers. So they let him stay on the grounds with his companion, Gandhi, whom they took to be another peasant. But Gandhi was not permitted to draw water from the well lest some drops from his bucket pollute the entire source..”
i) What does “yeoman” mean? a) Gentleman b) Illiterate c) Farmer d) Landlord
ii) Where does this episode happen?
iii) What does the behavior of the servants show about the social situation?
iv) Why wasn’t Gandhi permitted to draw water from the well? a) Because there was water scarcity in the place b) Because they thought Gandhi to be an untouchable c) Because they didn’t want Gandhi to take any trouble d) Because Gandhi was against the British
v) Who was Shukla?
vi) “pestered their master....” Who is the master mentioned in these lines?
The prose selections, Deep Water and Indigo, bring out the importance of overcoming fear, in order to be able to lead our lives successfully. Imagine yourself to be a motivational spea ker who has to address high school students. Write this address in 120 – 150 words elaborating on occurrences from the two texts to inspire your audience and convince them about the importance of overcoming fear.
You may begin like this …
Good morning, students!
We all know what it’s like to be afraid. Fear is our body’s natural response to a perceived threat or danger. But when …
Let us assume it was Rajendra Prasad who informed Charles Freer Andrews of Gandhi’s decision and the reasons for other leaders’ support of him. Think creatively of how Andrews would have responded and pen down the discussion you think would have taken place between Rajendra Prasad and Andrews.
Imagine Gandhi was to deliver a speech to students in present-day India showing them the path to becoming responsible world leaders. Based on your understanding of Gandhi’s own leadership skills, write a speech, as Gandhi, addressing the students about the qualities that every leader and politician should nurture. Dear students, you are all leaders of social change. I see many bright and enthusiastic faces that assure me that our future is in good hands. I have learnt from my own experience……………(continue)………….
Biographies include features of non-fiction texts – factual information and different text structures such as description, sequence, comparison, cause and effect, or problem and solution. Examine Indigo in the light of this statement, in about 120-150 words.
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