ENGLISH Answer the Questions [S.U.][2 MARKS]

(A) Such tales in Gujarati are as following:
-‘Grammata’ – Kalapi
-‘Makhi ane Balad’ – Snehrashmi
(B) Such tales in Hindi are as following:
-Andher Nagari’ – Bhartendu Harishchandra
-‘Hitopadesh Kahaniyan’ – Jaysing Das

‘The Tale of Melon City’ is best understood for its irony and humour.
HUMOUR:
-The king decides to make an arch across the thoroughfare to edify the spectators. He creates a humorous scene when he dashes with the arch and loses his crown.
-The king is of the mind of punishing the guilty that made the faulty arch. His chasing one after another and their excuses and blaming the king indirectly presents a ludicrous show.
-When the wisest man is called, his conclusion of pointing the arch to be the culprit and their assay to hang it, giggles us.
-We cannot but grin when we find the king to be the fittest person for the hang.
-The process of choosing the new king and melon as the king creates utmost humour an us.
IRONY:
-The king who desired for a hang to punish the guilty gets hanged for the public wanted a hang.
-The wise man was selected because he was old and he could not see anything and points the arch to be the guilty and should be hanged without any precision.
-The ministers chose a king on basis of a fool’s choice, i.e., a melon. And all accepted without bothering whether the king was human or not.

Peace and liberty will be the outcome of a few key factors in running a state. A transparent and responsible administration free from partiality and corruption will perpetuate peace. A well-proven administrative system where there are no unlawful activities and where service to people is of most priority and delivered with ease; where grievance will be at lower stake and people will maintain trust on state and will work collaboratively are what to be the priority. First priority must be to educate every child so that future rulers are wise, strong, and capable to heighten the civilized sensibility. A state must be free from all negative dogmas. Superstitions, blind religious hatred, favouring particular creeds and caste must be matters of trash bin. A state must be run by democratic process where there is no scope for tyranny and autocracy.

It seems that the state which is ruled by the king is the abode of fools. The king is flaky and capricious. The king considers himself as the one for whom the subjects are to be ruled like the ignorant. His desire of an arch is promptly fulfilled by the subject. But he seems to be whimsical when he chased them to punish. As if he is the law and his wish is command, he dictates the death sentence. His ministers are like claques who flatter the king and keep their self-interest in sound state. The common masses are illiterate and crazy. They are to enjoy a hang and they can go rebel if they are deprived of it. They are boorish and do not care who is being hung, even if the person is the king. They do not care whether they are ruled by a king. What they care is their self-interest. They want their self freedom, the facility to do any business and ironic life.

The just and placid king once had a desire of building an arch across the thoroughfare to edify the spectators. Workmen with great agility constructed the arch. With an effervescent heart, he tried to pass through the arch. But his crown struck the arch and the king lost his crown. Furious at the disgrace he ordered the chief of the builder’s hang. But the chief of the builders blamed the workmen for this. The workmen proclaimed the mason to be guilty for the wrong brick size. The mason even brushed off the blame blaming the architect. The architect put king in dilemma as the last correction was of the king’s. The king called for the wisest man to decide the guild. The old man ridiculously blamed the arch. But the arch was not punished as the arch touched the king’s head. But the king assumed the nerve of the public. As the public wanted a hang the king ordered for a hang without any guilt. This proved boomerang for him. He was eventually hanged. His mutton head ministers decided to choose the next king in an awkward way i.e., whoever would first cross the gate, would choose the king. It so happened that a mad entered and he chose a melon as the king. And from then a melon ruled and the common people enjoyed complete freedom as the king melon endowed them “Laissez Faire”.

As the title indicates the poem tells a story about Melon City – a city named after its ruler. It is quite interesting and edifying to learn how the country got a melon as its ruler. In short, it was on account of customary choice. The people relate the story of a just and placid king who was hanged by his own Royal Decree.
What the king did for the people and how he held the trails of the accused both are quite amusing. The clever arguments of the accused to save their lives are equally interesting. The king feels the pulse of the people who want to see a hanging. He knows how mischievous an angry mob can be and hence orders that someone must be hanged immediately. The irony of the situation is that only the king is tall enough to fit the noose. The practical-minded ministers resort to the age-old custom to choose the next ruler. The idiot’s choice is approved of in the name of custom. The people are indifferent to the fact that their ruler is a melon not a man. The behaviour of pragmatic ministers and equally selfish, foolish and mean people seems quite funny and interesting. It is instructive too. A wise man should avoid the company of fools.

The just and placid king appears quite ruthless as he becomes ‘placider’ and decides to have all the workmen hanged instead of the chief of builders. His wobbling mind and capricious nature is indicated by the frequent changes in his decision. He is easily swayed by arguments and seems fickle-minded. He seems to be eager about public welfare and gets an arch constructed across the thoroughfare to edify them. The whimsical king is easily outwitted by the clever architect. The king loses his head in a fit of anger. In order to save his skin, he seeks the advice of the wisest man in the country. The king wants to keep the public in good humour. He is quite observant and judges the mood of the masses correctly. His lack of foresight proves to be his doom. The height of the noose fits only his neck. He foolishly becomes a victim of his own order. He wants to prevent a public revolt but pays for the public amusement with his blood. Thus he is a short-sighted crank with muddled reasoning power.

The chief of builders was the first one to be held guilty. He shifted the blame on the workmen. The workmen were surprised but did not lose their reasoning power. They told the king he had forgotten the fact that the bricks were made of the wrong size. Swayed by their rational argument, the masons were summoned. They trembled with, fear, but shifted the blame on the architect who was responsible for planning and erecting the arch. The king ordered the architect to be hanged. The clever architect reminded the king that he had forgotten one small thing. He had made certain amendments to plans when the former had shown them to the latter. This clearly meant that he held the king responsible for the mishap. The king became very angry and lost his capacity of clear judgement. He called it a tricky thing and sought the advice of the wisest man in the country. Thus each accused succeeded in shifting the blame on others.

The Ministers sent out messengers to declare that the next man to pass the City Gate would choose the ruler of their state. An idiot happened to pass the gate. When asked to decide who was to be the king, he replied, “A melon.” This was his standard answer to all questions. The Ministers declared that a melon would be their new ruler.

It is their custom to choose the new ruler of their state. Whoever passed the City Gate first of all the next day, would choose the ruler of the state. This method of random choice excluded dynastic rule as well as conspiracies. The Ministers decided to observe it with proper formality.

The Ministers felt relieved that the public’s eagerness to watch a hanging had been satisfied. They expressed their pleasure by saying that they found someone for hanging. They believed that if they had failed to do so, the unruly town might have turned against the king. Their elation is misplaced. The king had to lose his life to keep the public in good humour.

The king got confused by the architect’s clever self-defence. So, he needed the advice of the wisest man in the country. The man selected was so old that he could neither walk nor see. He was not really the wisest one as wisdom does not necessarily come with age. His advice proves his worthlessness.

The architect reminded the king that he had made certain amendments to the original plans of the architect. He suggested that it was the fault of the king himself. On hearing it, the king became so angry that he nearly lost his ability to act sensibly or calmly.

The ending of ‘The Tale of Melon City’ is quite significant. It has a direct bearing on the title. The ending of the poem reveals that the incidents took place long ago. It throws fight on the old custom of the state to choose their new ruler. Confronted with the dilemma, the ministers took the easy way out. The person who passed the City Gate next was to name the king. It happened to be an idiot who gave the standard answer “a melon” to every question. So the melon was crowned the king, carried to the throne and respectfully set down there. The people are not at all ashamed to have’ a melon as their king. They say that if the king rejoices in being a melon, that’s all right with them. They find no fault with him as long as he leaves them to enjoy their peace, freedom and free trade. The capital city is called Melon City after the king. Thus the ending throws light on the selfish nature of the people and their belief in old customs. It also explains the title.

The poem is a severe indictment of the age-old custom of delivering justice by word of mouth of the kings. There was a time when the King’s word was considered divine and whatever he uttered was law. A just and placid king was expected to protect the innocent and punish the quality. However, the process of trial and the ever-changing judgement’s make a fun of the whole process of fair trials and considered awards. This is evident from the statements of the accused who try to save their lives by holding others responsible for the guilt. The King’s capriciousness and inability to see through the thin veil of their arguments make him an object of ridicule rather than a dispenser of divine justice. Hence, we agree fully with the above statement.

The king was fair and gentle. He seemed to be interested in the welfare of the masses. So he proclaimed that an arch should be constructed which should extend across the major thoroughfare. He hoped that it would improve people’s mind on looking at it.

• A ruler is a role model whom people look up to and admire so it is necessary for a ruler to possess intelligence and common sense to rule over others. In the poem ‘The Tale of Melon City’ the king is said to be just and placid but in fact he was foolish and unconcerned fellow.
• Just because the arch touched his crown and it fell, he couldn't bear the insult and wanted someone to be blamed and punished by hanging. He placed the first blame on the chief of the builders who to save his life blamed the workmen. They blamed the masons who blamed the architect.
• The architect in turn indirectly blamed the king. However, the king realized he was in a caught up situation so he asked for a wise man’s decision. The blind and old man blamed the arch and said it should be hanged. A cunning councilor said that the arch touched the majesty’s head so it would be shameful to hang it.
• The mob mentality of the crowd was looking for a hanging. The noose was placed at a height and the foolish king was trapped and hanged as he was the tallest. The king couldn’t administer nor take a proper decision rationally. He relied on others and was fooled by his own men.

• A mob works on excitement and has no reasoning power. They have a herd mentality and follow others blindly. Politicians take advantage of this. They arouse wrong sentiments and violence.
• A good leader would know how to control such a mentality however in the poem ‘The Tale of Melon City’ the crowd wanted someone hanged for the insult to the king’s crown. A councilor turns the tide to believe that the wise man’s decision to hang the arch was incorrect and it should be a person.
• They set up the noose a little high and fooled the king and got him hanged. No one reasoned and the mob didn’t even understand that the king had died they shouted ‘Long live the king’. When the reality dawned the minister sent out an order in the name of the king to choose a new one.

• The poem ‘The Tale of Melon City’ by Vikram Seth mocks the concept of justice used by the king of an ancient kingdom. Just because the arch touched his crown and it fell, he couldn‘t bear the insult and wanted someone to be blamed and punished by hanging.
• He placed the first blame on the chief of the builders who Passes on the blame and the king is spineless he believes everyone - the workmen, masons, architect and the supposedly old and blind wise man. A cunning councilor said that the arch touched the majesty’s head so it would be shameful to hang it.
• The mob mentality of the crowd was looking for a hanging. The noose was placed at a height and the foolish king was trapped and hanged as he was the tallest. The king couldn‘t neither administer nor take a proper decision rationally. The poem is a satire on the flawed nature of the judicial system and lack of good leadership values.

• Laissez – faire is a French word and it means to be left alone. It is a policy of leaving things to take their own course without interfering.
• After the death of the king, the people didn’t mind a melon being the king of the city till they were allowed to live in peace and liberty.

• After the King was hanged the city was without a ruler. The ministers sent out a message that the next person who passed by the City Gate would be the one who would name the next ruler. The guards were told to keep as eye and stop the first person.
• It so happened that an idiot was the first to pass the City Gate, he was stopped and asked as to who should be the king. The idiot who was unable to do any reasoning said that a melon should be the king as he loved melons. Thus a melon became the successor and next king of the ancient city.

• After the King was hanged the city was without a ruler. The mince needed to find a ruler. They decided to follow the customary method of choosing a king.
• So they sent out the message that the next person to pass the City Gate would be the one who would choose the new king. They told the guards to keep an eye as to who would pass the gate after they had passed the order.

• After the commotion about hanging the culprit who was responsible for the low arch, the noose was set up somewhat high. Then each man was asked to come forward and was measured one by one if their neck reached the noose. No man was tall enough.
• The only person who fitted perfectly was the king and he was hanged by the royal order. Although the king was not to blame for what he considered as his ‘disgrace’ he deserved to die because of his stupidity.

• The crowd in the ancient city had mob mentality and was swayed by emotions. The common people acted without reason on impulse.
• They took the kings order for hanging the person guilt for the faulty arch very seriously and when no one was really being hanged they got restless and were waiting for some real action and excitement. They were not concerned that a life would be lost but were upset at the lack of action.

• The king wanted the advice of the wisest man in his kingdom. The people believed that to be the wisest one needed to be old. The wisest meant a very old man. So they carried and brought an old man who could not walk or see and was able to speak only in a quavering voice.
• It is ironical that wisdom was related only to old age by the people of the kingdom. The old man gave a ridiculous advice that the arch was the culprit as it made the king’s crown fall down and it should be hanged.

• The king of the ancient city called the architect and told him that he would be hanged for the lowly built arch. The architect reminded the king that he himself had made certain changes to the plans and design of the arch when they were shown to him. Thus the arch was made low at the orders of the king so he himself was to be blamed for the lowly built arch.

• The king of an ancient land had ordered for an arch to be constructed to span the major thoroughfare. However, when he went to pass under it he found that it was built very low.
• The king’s crown touched the arch and fell down. The king was angry and he wanted to take revenge for his dishonour so he gave an order that the chief of the builders must be hanged for this insult.

• The king of an ancient city ordered for an arch to be constructed to span the major thoroughfare. His aim was that the arch would be a symbol to instruct the spectators.
• He wanted people to know about his rule and kingdom. Once it was ready the king personally came to inform the people about it.

• The king decides to make an arch across the main road to enlighten the people, but actually becomes a laughing stock when his crown hits the low arch and his crown falls down.
• The king wants to punish the guilty that made the faulty arch, but they were passing the blame to others and finally the blame comes to the king.
• The so called wise man told them to hang the arch as it was the culprit that had brought down the crown.
• The king is found to be the fittest man to be hung because of his height.
• The process of choosing the melon as the new king is funny.

• Peace and liberty are very important for a state to develop. The best way is to have proper and good governance, if this is done properly; it benefits both the citizens as well as the rulers.
• Dedicated rulers will work for the common good and treat all citizens as equal. Good leadership qualities are needed in the rulers. They cannot be fickle minded and shouldn’t believe people who have herd mentality. Restraint, reasoning and rationality help to maintain peace and liberty in a state.