Summary:

"Mohan Lal was a middle-aged man who worked in the British Raj. He was ashamed to be an
Indian and hence he tried to speak in English or in Anglicized Hindustani and to dress as if a
high-ranked British official. He used to fill the crossword puzzles of newspapers, which he did to
show his immense knowledge in English. His wife Lachmi was a traditional Indian woman and
due to this difference they were not having a sweet married life.
The important event occurred on a journey of Mohan Lal and Lachmi in a train. Mohan Lal made
her sit in the general compartment and arranged his seat in first class compartment, which was
meant for British. There he saw two British soldiers who tried to abuse him. When the arrogant
Mohan Lal tried to oppose, he was thrown out of the train. He could only look through the rails
on the moving train."

Analysis:

The story is under deconstruction theory because the ending is different from what the character
and the reader expected it to happen. Mohan Lal is a confident and a well-bred Indian man who
mastered Oxford accent in his English and he has a lot of stuffs to attract people about his
English-cultured everything. He and the reader's thought that everything will come to his way
but it ended the way that he was humiliated by his most admired British culture. Who would
have thought that he would be be thrown out from the train?

AslamMarch 21, 2014 at 11:01 AM

Karma is a story about Sir Mohan Lal (Native Indian) who looks down on his fellow countrymen
including his wife and embraces the English ways and culture. He had a reservation on
everything Everything English like English cigarrete, Whiskey, The Times News Paper and
clothing. When the train was about to leave two English soldier goes to the cabin the he is
occupying and threw him out of the train with his lag-gauge.

It may be true that moral-seekers are apt to find Khushwant Singhs Karma a little too
predictable, even simplistic. For them, Sir Mohan Lals is just another story of pride that goes
before a fall. In its widely understood sense, karma is the sum total of the ethical
consequences of a persons good and bad actions . . . that is held in Hinduism and Buddhism to
determine his specific destiny in his next existence (Karma). On this count, Lals sin of pride
is punished when two British soldiers throw him out of a first-class compartment. His wifes
karma, it would seem, enables her to have a safe and comfortable journey in a ladies
compartment. Even Vasant Shahanes more sophisticated reading of this story assumes that
karma is the nemesis that overtakes a wrongdoer. Its not that bad embracing different culture
even though it is not your own native one, but what is really unacceptable is that embracing other
culture and forgetting what is really is yours.

The nemesis itself is part of [Lal's] Karma, the unexpected turn of his fate and, is also the
inevitable outcome of his actions and thoughts.

Reply
https://www.studienet.dk/engelsk/analyse/karma/setting

author

Transcript of Karma (a story) by Khushwant Singh

Karma (a story) by Khushwant Singh

Behind the Karma
Karma is a story written by Indian writer Khushwant Singh. It was originally published in 1989
in Singh's The Collected Stories. Karma is all about an aristocrat who tries to adopt English
culture and lifestyle into his, and about his relation with his wife etc.
The Author
Khushwant Singh (born 2 February 1915) is an Indian novelist and journalist.
An Indo-Anglian novelist, Singh is best known for his trenchant secularism, his humor, and an
abiding love of poetry. His comparisons of social and behavioral characteristics of Westerners
and Indians are laced with acid wit. He served as editor of several literary and news
magazines, as well as two broadsheet newspapers, through the 1970s and 1980s.
He is a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in India.

The Story itself

Theme
The story Karma illustrates the famous proverb "Pride Comes Before a Fall". It is the
story of an arrogant person who feels bad about his culture, lifestyle etc. He is
reluctant to his wife because she is an ordinary woman who is unable to impart
foreign culture into her life.

Plot

Mohan Lal was a middle-aged man who worked in the British Raj. He was ashamed
to be an Indian and hence he tried to speak in English or in Anglicized Hindustani
and to dress as if a high-ranked British official. He used to fill the crossword puzzles
of newspapers, which he did to show his immense knowledge in English. His wife
Lachmi was a traditional Indian woman and due to this difference they were not
having a sweet married life. The important event occurred on a journey of Mohan
Lal and. Lachmi in a train. Mohan Lal made her sit in the general compartment and
arranged his seat in first class compartment, which was meant for British. There he
saw two British soldiers who tried to abus ehim. When the arrogant Mohan Lal tried
to oppose, he was thrown out of the train. He could only look through the rails on
the moving train

Conclusion
Characters

Sir Mohan Lal - An arrogant middle-aged man

Lakshmi - An ordinary Indian woman who happens to be the wife of Mohan Lal
A bearer
A porter
Two British soldiers.
Tone and style of narration

Karma presents a relevant topic in the typical humorous way of Khushwant Singh.
The style of narration used by the author is third person
Sir Mohan Lals is just another story of pride that goes before a fall. In its widely
understood sense, karma is the sum total of the ethical consequences of a
persons good and bad actions that is held in Hinduism and Buddhism to determine
his specific destiny in his next existence.
On this count, Lals sin of pride is punished when two British soldiers throw him out
of a first-class compartment. His wifes karma, it would seem, enables her to have a
safe and comfortable journey in a ladies compartment. Even Vasant Shahanes
more sophisticated reading of this story assumes that karma is the nemesis that
overtakes a wrongdoer
Its not that bad embracing different culture even though it is not your own native
one, but what is really unacceptable is that embracing other culture and forgetting
what is really is yours.

https://prezi.com/cwgk0echo-ap/karma-a-story-by-khushwant-singh/

Signboard outside Apartment No. 49-E, Sujan Singh Park -

Khushwant Singh's Apartment !

"My earliest foray into the world of fiction was bragging, when I came home for vacations from
England, of my exploits with English girls." - Khushwant Singh

KARMA

Sir Mohan Lal looked at himself in the mirror of a first class waiting room at the railway station.
The mirror was obviously made in India. The red oxide at its back had come off at several places
and long lines of translucent glass cut across its surface. Sir Mohan smiled at the mirror with an
air of pity and patronage.

'You are so very much like everything else in this country, inefficient, dirty, indifferent,' he
murmured.

The mirror smiled back at Sir Mohan.

'You are a bit of all right, old chap,' it said. 'Distinguished, efficient - even handsome. That
neatly-trimmed moustache - the suit from Saville Row with the carnation in the buttonhole - the
aroma of eau de cologne, talcum powder and scented soap all about you ! Yes, old fellow, you
are a bit of all right.'

Sir Mohan threw out his chest, smoothed his Balliol tie for the umpteenth time and waved a
goodbye to the mirror.
He glanced at his watch. There was still time for a quick one.
'Koi Hai !'
A bearer in white livery appeared through a wire gauze door.

'Ek Chota,' ordered Sir Mohan, and sank into a large cane chair to drink and ruminate.
Outside the waiting room, Sir Mohan Lal's luggage lay piled along the wall. On a small grey
steel trunk, Lachmi, Lady Mohan Lal, sat chewing a betel leaf and fanning herself with a
newspaper. She was short and fat and in her middle forties.

She wore a dirty white sari with a red border. On one side of her nose glistened a diamond nose-
ring, and she had several gold bangles on her arms. She had been talking to the bearer until Sir
Mohan had summoned him inside. As soon as he had gone, she hailed a passing railway coolie.

'Where does the zenana stop ?'

'Right at the end of the platform.'
The coolie flattened his turban to make a cushion, hoisted the steel trunk on his head, and moved
down the platform. Lady Lal picked up her brass tiffin carrier and ambled along behind him. On
the way she stopped by a hawker's stall to replenish her silver betel leaf case, and then joined the
coolie. She sat down on her steel trunk (which the coolie had put down) and started talking to
him.

"Are the trains very crowded on these lines ?"

'These days all trains are crowded, but you'll find room in the zenana.'
'Then I might as well get over the bother of eating.'
Lady Lal opened the brass carrier and took out a bundle of cramped chapatties and some mango
pickle. While she ate, the coolie sat opposite her on his haunches, drawing lines in the gravel
with his finger.

'Are you travelling alone, sister ?'

'No, I am with my master, brother. He is in the waiting room. He travels first class. He is a vizier
and a barrister, and meets so many officers and Englishmen in the trains - and I am only a native
woman. I can't understand English and don't know their ways, so I keep to my zenana inter-
class.'

Lachmi chatted away merrily. She was fond of a little gossip and had no one to talk to at home.
Her husband never had any time to spare for her. She lived in the upper storey of the house and
he on the ground floor. He did not like her poor illiterate relatives hanging around his bungalow,
so they never came. He came up to her once in a while at night and stayed for a few minutes. He
just ordered her about in anglicised Hindustani, and she obeyed passively. These nocturnal visits
had, however, borne no fruit.

The signal came down and the clanging of the bell announced the approaching train. Lady Lal
hurriedly finished off her meal. She got up, still licking the stone of the pickled mango. She
emitted a long, loud belch as she went to the public tap to rinse her mouth and wash her hands.
After washing she dried her mouth and hands with the loose end of her sari, and walked back to
her steel trunk, belching and thanking the Gods for the favour of a filling meal.

The train steamed in. Lachmi found herself facing an almost empty inter-class zenana
compartment next to the guard's van, at the tail end of the train. The rest of the train was packed.
She heaved her squat, bulky frame through the door and found a seat by the window. She
produced a two-anna bit from a knot in her sari and dismissed the coolie. She then opened her
betel case and made herself two betel leaves charged with a red and white paste, minced
betelnuts and cardamoms. These she thrust into her mouth till her cheeks bulged on both sides.
Then she rested her chin on her hands and sat gazing idly at the jostling crowd on the platform.
The arrival of the train did not disturb Sir Mohan Lal's sang-froid. He continued to sip his scotch
and ordered the bearer to tell him when he had moved the luggage to a first class compartment.
Excitement, bustle and hurry were exhibitions of bad breeding, and Sir Mohan was eminently
well-bred. He wanted everything 'tickety-boo' and orderly. In his five years abroad, Sir Mohan
had acquired the manners and attitudes of the upper classes. He rarely spoke Hindustani. When
he did, it was like an Englishman's - only the very necessary words and properly anglicised. But
he fancied his English, finished and refined at no less a place than the University of Oxford. He
was fond of conversation, and like a cultured Englishman, he could talk on almost any subject -
books, politics, people. How frequently had he heard English people say that he spoke like an
Englishman !

Sir Mohan wondered if he would be travelling alone. It was a Cantonment and some English
officers might be on the train. His heart warmed at the prospect of an impressive conversation.
He never showed any sign of eagerness to talk to the English as most Indians did. Nor was he
loud, aggressive and opinionated like them. He went about his business with an expressionless
matter-of-factness. He would retire to his corner by the window and get out a copy of The Times.
He would fold it in a way in which the name of the paper was visible to others while he did the
crossword puzzle. The Times always attracted attention. Someone would like to borrow it when
he put it aside with a gesture signifying 'I've finished with it.' Perhaps someone would recognize
his Balliol tie which he always wore while travelling. That would open a vista leading to a fairy-
land of Oxford colleges, masters, dons, tutors, boat-races and rugger matches. If both The Times
and the tie failed, Sir Mohan would 'Koi Hai' his bearer to get the Scotch out. Whiskey never
failed with Englishmen. Then followed Sir Mohan's handsome gold cigarette case filled with
English cigarettes. English cigarettes in India ? How on earth did he get them ? Sure he didn't
mind ? And Sir Mohan's understanding smile - of course he didn't. But could he use the

Englishman as a medium to commune with his dear old England ? Those five years of grey bags
and gowns, of sports blazers and mixed doubles, of dinners at the inns of Court and nights with
Piccadilly prostitutes. Five years of a crowded glorious life. Worth far more than the forty-five in
India with his dirty, vulgar countrymen, with sordid details of the road to success, of nocturnal
visits to the upper storey and all-too-brief sexual acts with obese old Lachmi, smelling of sweat
and raw onions.
Sir Mohan's thoughts were disturbed by the bearer announcing the installation of the Sahib's
luggage in a first class coupe next to the engine. Sir Mohan walked to his coupe with a studied
gait. He was dismayed. The compartment was empty. With a sigh he sat down in a corner and
opened the copy of 'The Times', he had read several times before.

Sir Mohan looked out of the window down the crowded platform. His face lit up as he saw two
English soldiers trudging along, looking in all the compartments for room. They had their
haversacks slung behind their backs and walked unsteadily. Sir Mohan decided to welcome
them, even though they were entitled to travel only second class. He would speak to the guard.
One of the soldiers came up to the last compartment and stuck his face through the window. He
surveyed the compartment and noticed the unoccupied berth.

'Ere, Bill, he shouted, 'one ere.'

His companion came up, also looked in, and looked at Sir Mohan.
'Get the nigger out,' he muttered to his companion.
They opened the door , and turned to the half-smiling, half-protesting Sir Mohan.
'Reserved !' yelled Bill.

'Janta - Reserved. Army - Fauj,' exclaimed Jim, pointing to his khaki shirt.
'Ek Dum jao - get out !"

'I say, I say, surely,' protested Sir Mohan in his Oxford accent. The soldiers paused. It almost
sounded like English, but they knew better than to trust their inebriated ears. The engine whistled
and the guard waved his green flag.

They picked up Sir Mohan's suitcase and flung it on to the platform. Then followed his thermos
flask, briefcase, bedding and The Times. Sir Mohan was livid with rage.
'Preposterous, preposterous,' he shouted, hoarse with anger.
I'll have you arrested - guard, guard !'

Bill and Jim paused again. It did sound like English, but it was too much of the King's for them.
'Keep yer ruddy mouth shut !' And Jim struck Sir Mohan flat on the face.
The engine gave another short whistle and the train began to move. The soldiers caught Sir
Mohan by the arms and flung him out of the train. He reeled backwards, tripped on his bedding,
and landed on the suitcase.

'Toodle-oo !'
Sir Mohan's feet were glued to the earth and he lost his speech. He stared at the lighted windows
of the train going past him in quickening tempo. The tail-end of the train appeared with a red
light and the guard standing in the open doorway with the flags in his hands.
In the inter-class zenana compartment was Lachmi, fair and fat, on whose nose the diamond
nose-ring glistened against the station lights. Her mouth was bloated with betel saliva which she
had been storing up to spit as soon as the train had cleared the station. As the train sped past the
lighted part of the platform, Lady Lal spat and sent a jet of red dribble flying across like a dart.
http://asherxai.blogspot.com/2010/03/karma-short-story-by-khushwant-singh.html

Karma (short story)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Karma" is a story written by Indian writer Khushwant Singh. It was originally published in
1989 in Singh's The Collected Stories. Karma is about an Indian "Gentleman" who tries to adopt
upper class English culture and lifestyle such as speaking the "Queen's English", and about his
relation with his wife etc.

Theme
The story Karma illustrates the famous proverb "Pride Comes Before a Fall". It is the story of an
arrogant person who feels bad about his country's culture, lifestyle etc. He is condescending to
his wife because she is an ordinary woman unable to appreciate his aristocratic English culture.

Plot
Mohan Lal is a middle-aged man who works in the British Raj. He is ashamed to be an Indian
and hence he tries to speak in English or in Anglicized Hindustani and dresses up as a high-
ranked British official. He fills crossword puzzles, to show off his immense knowledge of
English. His wife Lachmi is a traditional Indian woman and due to this difference they don't have
a sweet married life.

The important event occurs on a journey of Mohan Lal and Lachmi in a train. Mohan Lal makes
her sit in the general compartment while he gets his seat arranged in the first class compartment,
which was meant for the British. There he meets two British soldiers who try to abuse him.
When the arrogant Mohan Lal opposes them, he is thrown out of the train. He could only look
through the rails on the moving train.

Characters

Sir Mohan Lal - An arrogant middle-aged man

Lady Lal - An ordinary Indian woman who happens to be the wife of Mohan
Lal and loves to chew on Betel Leaves

A bearer

A porter
 Two British soldiers.(Bill and Jim)

Tone and style of narration

Karma presents a relevant topic in the typical humorous way of Khushwant Singh.
The style of narration used by the author is third person omniscient limited to Sir
Mohan Lal at first, then his wife Lachmi, then Sir Mohan, then Lachmi, which gives
the reader a better perspective.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_(short_story)

Khushwant Singh Biography

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delhi india bombay editor

Nationality: Indian. Born: Hadali, India (now Pakistan) 2 February 1915. Education: The
Modern School, New Delhi; St. Stephen's College, New Delhi; Government College, Lahore,
B.A. 1934; King's College, London, LL.B. 1938; called to the bar, Inner Temple, London, 1938.
Career: Practicing lawyer, High Court, Lahore, 1939-47; press attach, Indian Foreign Service,
in London and Ottawa, 1947-51; staff member, Department of Mass Communications, Unesco,
Paris, 1954-56; editor, Yejna, an Indian government publication, New Delhi, 1956-58; visiting
lecturer, Oxford University, 1965, University of Rochester, New York, 1965, Princeton
University, New Jersey, 1967, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, 1967, and Swarthmore College,
Pennsylvania, 1969; editor, Illustrated Weekly of India, Bombay, 1969-78; editor-in-chief,
National Herald, New Delhi, 1978-79; chief editor, New Delhi, 1979-80; editor-in-chief,
Hindustan Times and Contour, both New Delhi, 1980-83. Since 1980 member of the Indian
Parliament. Head of the Indian Delegation, Manila Writers Conference, 1965. Awards:
Rockefeller grant, 1966; Punjab Government grant, 1970; Mohan Singh award, Padma Bhushan,
India, 1974.

PUBLICATIONS
Novels

Train to Pakistan. London, Chatto and Windus, 1956; New York, Grove Press, 1961; as Mano
Majra, Grove Press, 1956.

I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale. New York, Grove Press, 1959; London, Calder, 1961.

The Company of Women. New Delhi and New York, Viking, 1999.

Short Stories
The Mark of Vishnu and Other Stories. London, Saturn Press, 1950.

The Voice of God and Other Stories. Bombay, Jaico, 1957.

A Bride for the Sahib and Other Stories. New Delhi, Hind, 1967.

Black Jasmine. Bombay, Jaico, 1971.

The Collected Stories. N.p., Ravi Dayal, 1989.

Play

Television Documentary: Third WorldFree Press (also presenter; Third Eye series), 1982 (UK).

Other

The Sikhs. London, Allen and Unwin, and New York, Macmillan, 1953.

The Unending Trail. New Delhi, Rajkamal, 1957.

The Sikhs Today: Their Religion, History, Culture, Customs, and Way of Life. Bombay, Orient
Longman, 1959; revised edition, 1964; revised edition, New Delhi, Sangam, 1976, 1985.

Fall of the Kingdom of the Punjab. Bombay, Orient Longman, 1962.

A History of the Sikhs 1469-1964. Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, and
London, Oxford University Press, 2 vols., 1963-66.

Ranjit Singh: Maharajah of the Punjab 1780-1839. London, Allen and Unwin, 1963.

Not Wanted in Pakistan. New Delhi, Rajkamal, 1965.

Ghadar, 1915: India's First Armed Revolution, with Satindra Singh. New Delhi, R and K, 1966.

Homage to Guru Gobind Singh, with Suneet Veer Singh. Bombay, Jaico, 1966.

Shri Ram: A Biography, with Arun Joshi. London, Asia Publishing, 1968.

Religion of the Sikhs (lecture). Madras, University of Madras, 1968.

Khushwant Singh's India: A Mirror for Its Monsters and Monstrosities. Bombay, India Book
House, 1969.
Khushwant Singh's View of India (lectures), edited by Rahul Singh. Bombay, India Book House,
1974.

Khushwant Singh on War and Peace in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, edited by Mala Singh.
New Delhi, Hind, 1976.

Good People, Bad People, edited by Rahul Singh. New Delhi, Orient, 1977.

Khushwant Singh's India Without Humbug, edited by Rahul Singh. Bombay, India Book House,
1977.

Around the World with Khushwant Singh, edited by Rahul Singh. New Delhi, Orient, 1978.

Indira Gandhi Returns. New Delhi, Vision, 1979.

Editor's Page, edited by Rahul Singh. Bombay, India Book House, 1981.

We Indians. New Delhi, Orient, 1982.

Delhi: A Portrait. New Delhi and Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1983.

The Sikhs, photographs by Raghu Rai. Benares, Lustre Press, 1984.

Tragedy of the Punjab: Operation Bluestar and After, with Kuldip Nayar. New Delhi, Vision,
1984.

Many Faces of Communalism. Chandigarh, Centre for Research in Rural and Urban
Development, 1985.

My Bleeding Punjab. New Delhi and London, UBSPD, 1992.

Women and Men in My Life. New Delhi, UBS Publishers' Distributors, 1995.

How the Sikhs Lost Their Kingdom. New Delhi, UBS Publishers' Distributors, 1996.

Editor, with Peter Russell, A Note on G.V. Desani's "All about H. Hatterr" and "Hali." London
and Amsterdam, Szeben, 1952.

Editor, with Jaya Thadani, Land of the Five Rivers: Stories of the Punjab. Bombay, Jaico, 1965.

Editor, Sunset of the Sikh Empire, by Sita Ram Kohli. Bombay, Orient Longman, 1967.

Editor, I Believe. New Delhi, Hind, 1971.

Editor, Love and Friendship. New Delhi, Sterling, 1974.

Editor, with Qurratulain Hyder, Stories from India. New Delhi, Sterling, 1974.

Editor, Gurus, Godmen, and Good People. Bombay, Orient Longman, 1975.

Editor, with Shobha D, Uncertain Liaisons: Sex, Strife and Togetherness in Urban India, New
Delhi and London, Viking, 1993.

Editor, with Syeda Saiyidain Hameed, A Dream Turns Seventy-Five: The Modern School, 1920-
1995. New Delhi, Allied Publishers, 1995.

Editor, A Brush with Life: An Autobiography, by Satish Gujral. New Delhi, India, Penguin Books
India, 1997.

Translator, Jupji: The Sikh Morning Prayer. London, Probsthain, 1959.

Translator, with M.A. Husain, Umrao Jan Ada: Courtesan of Lucknow, by Mohammed Ruswa.
Bombay, Orient Longman, 1961.

Translator, The Skeleton and Other Writings, by Amrita Pritam. Bombay, Jaico, 1964.

Translator, I Take This Woman, by Rajinder Singh Bedi. New Delhi, Hind, 1967.

Translator, Hymns of Guru Nanak. Bombay, Orient Longman, 1969.

Translator, Dreams in Debris: A Collection of Punjabi Short Stories, by Satindra Singh. Bombay,
Jaico, 1972.

Translator, with others, Sacred Writings of the Sikhs. London, Allen and Unwin, 1974.

Translator, with others, Come Back, My Master, and Other Stories, by K.S. Duggal. New Delhi,
Bell, 1978.

Translator, Shikwa and Jawab-i-Shikwa/Complaint and Answer: Iqbal's Dialogue with Allah.
New Delhi and Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1981.

Translator, Amrita Pritam: Selected Poems. New Delhi, Bharatiya Jnanpith, 1982.

Translator, The Skeleton and That Man, by Amrita Pritam. London, Oriental University Press,
1987.
*

Critical Studies:
Khushwant Singh by V.A. Shahane, New York, Twayne, 1972; Three Contemporary Novelists:
Khushwant Singh, Chaman Nahal, and Salman Rushdie by R.K. Dhawan, New Delhi, Classical,
1985; A Man Called Khushwant Singh, edited by Rohini Singh, New Delhi, UBS Publishers,
1996.

***

Although Khushwant Singh is a distinguished Sikh historian, his reputation as a fiction writer
rests solely upon Train to Pakistan, a harrowing tale of events along the borders of the newly
divided nations of India and Pakistan in the summer of 1947.

The atrocities that accompanied the division of these nations had an enormously depressing
effect on a world that had just fought a long, bitter war to defeat practitioners of genocide. The
somewhat artificial division of the subcontinent (the boundaries remain in dispute) had been
strictly along religious lines: Pakistan was to be a nation of Moslems; India, of Hindus, Sikhs,
and what Singh calls "pseudo Christians." There were, however, colonies of noncoreligionists
left within each nation. Rather than settle down to peaceful coexistence or permit a passive
exchange of populations, partisans on both sides set out on a violent campaign of annihilating the
communities that were trapped on their ancestral lands beyond friendly borders.

Train to Pakistan is set against a background of this ruthless and senseless mass destruction. This
powerful novel derives its title from a squalid border town, where a rail line crosses from India to
Pakistan. At first this mixed community of Sikhs and Moslems is undisturbed by the violence
that is breaking out elsewhere on the frontier, but inevitably it, too, is caught up in the mass
hysteria as ominous "ghost trains" of slain Sikhs begin to arrive in town from across the border.
Agitation for reprisals follows when the Moslems of the town are at last rounded up and fanatics
urge the Sikhs of the community to kill their former neighbors as the train carrying them to
Pakistan passes through town.

Singh's story contrasts the ineffectualness of the educated and ruling classes with the power of
the violent and irrational peasants. Early in the story the town's only educated citizen, a Hindu
money-lender, is gruesomely murdered by a band of Dacoity (professional bandits). Juggut
Singh, a passionate Sikh farmer with a bad record, is suspected of the crimethough he played
no part in itand imprisoned; at the same time, an educated young former Sikh, Iqbal, comes to
the community to agitate for a radical cause and is also imprisoned on suspicion of being a
Moslem League agent. While these two are off the scene, the unlighted trains with their cargoes
of dead begin to roll into town, and the agitation for reprisals begins. Both the young radical and
a government commissioner, Hukum Chand, are unable to prevent the vicious plot against the
fleeing Moslems from being carried out, and collapse emotionally; but in an extraordinary
gesture of self-sacrifice, Juggut Singhwho had been in love with a Moslem girlfoils the
plotters and allows the train to roll over his body "on to Pakistan."

Singh's terse fable suggests a profound disillusionment with the power of law, reason, and
intellect in the face of elemental human passions. The philosophy that sparked his tale seems to
be expressed through the thoughts of Iqbal, the young radical, as he realizes his helplessness and
drifts off into a drugged sleep the night of the climactic incident of the train's passing: "If you
look at things as they are there does not seem to be a code either of man or God on which one
can pattern one's conduct. In such circumstances what can you do but cultivate an utter
indifference to all values? Nothing matters." The same disillusioned tone characterizes Singh's
second novel, I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale, but the rather wooden tale is almost
overwhelmed by heavy-handed ironies. The action occurs about five years before that of the
earlier novel, at a time when the British are expressing a willingness to get out of India once the
Axis nations have been defeated in World War II. Sher Singh, the ambitious but lazy son of a
Sikh senior magistrate, cannot decide between two worlds, "the one of security provided by his
father and the other full of applause that would come to him as the heroic leader of a band of
terrorists." His dabblings in terrorismactually abetted by a cynical young British civil servant
end in the pointless killing of a village leader, who has also been a political spy. Sher is
suspected of the murder and imprisoned, but on the advice of his mother (when his father will
not speak to him) he refuses to betray his companions. The British release him for lack of
evidence, and he is honored as a kind of local heroseemingly his political future is assured. His
father is even honored by the British.

The novel takes a much dimmer view of the human capacity for compassion and self-sacrifice
than Train to Pakistan (at one point Sher Singh reflects that "for him loyalties were not as
important as the ability to get away with the impression of having them"), so that the novel ends
not with the kind of thrilling gesture that its predecessor did, but with the obsequious magistrate,
Sher Singh's father, sitting in the Britisher's garden observing, "As a famous English poet has
said, 'All's well that ends well."' The title of the book comes from Sher Singh's reply to his
mother when she asks, "What will you get if the English leave this country?" He replies lyrically,
"Spring will come to our barren land once more once more the nightingales will sing."
Khushwant Singh evidently thinks not, if the land is to fall into such self-serving hands as Sher
Singh's.

His ironic short stories resemble Angus Wilson's and express a similar disillusionment about
man's rationality. Singh is a brilliant, sardonic observer of a world undergoing convulsive
changes; and his novels provide a unique insight into one of the major political catastrophes of
this century. His difficulties in fusing his editorial comments with the action in his stories,
however, cause his novels to remain principally dramatized essays.
 Warren French

Linda Joy Singleton (1957) Biography - Personal, Addresses, Member, Honors

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Khushwant Singh
image: http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/pics/khushwant-singh.jpg
Born - 2 February 1915
Achievements - A significant post-colonial writer in the English language,
Khushwant Singh is known for his clear-cut secularism, wit and a deep passion for
poetry. A regular contributor to various national dailies, Singh is also famous for his
novel 'Train to Pakistan penned in the year 1956.

Khushwant Singh is a senior prominent Indian novelist cum journalist. He was born
on 2 February 1915 at Hadali in British India that is now a part of Punjab in Pakistan.
A significant post-colonial writer in the English language, Khushwant Singh is known
for his clear-cut secularism, humor and a deep passion for poetry. His assessment
and comparison of social and behavioral traits of people from India and the West is
full of outstanding wit. Here's more information on the biography of Khushwant
Singh.

Infact, Khuswant Singh's writing is so popular that his weekly newspaper column,
"With Malice towards One and All", published in many Indian national dailies is
among the most widely-read commentaries in the country. Singh completed his
bachelor's from the Government College at Lahore and thereafter, pursued further
studies in law at King's College in London, UK. Sir Sobha Singh, Khushwant Singh's
father, then used to work at a reputed builder in Lutyens' Delhi. Read on about life
history of Khuswant Singh.

Once while still practicing as a lawyer in the High Court of Lahore, Khushwant Singh
was on his way to his family's summer residence at Kasauli at the foothills of the
Himalayas. It was just days prior to the partition of India and Pakistan in August
1947. Singh was driving his car when he came across a jeep full of Sikhs on an
unusually vacant road that day. The Sikh men pridefully narrated to him how they
had just butchered away all residents of a Muslim village.

All these instances found vivid description in the book 'Train to Pakistan' Khushwant
Singh later wrote in 1956. In the time to come, Singh was appointed to edit Yojana,
a journal published by the Indian government. Other publications whose editing
Singh was encharged with were the Illustrated Weekly of India, a newsweekly and
two other major Indian dailies - The National Herald and the Hindustan Times. Under
his leadership, The Illustrated Weekly came to be hailed as India's pre-eminent
newsweekly.

There's many other kudos bagged by Khushwant Singh. For instance, Singh was a
Rajya Sabha member of the Indian parliament from 1980 to 1986. He was also
honored with the Padma Bhushan award in the year 1974 for service to his country,
but he returned the award in protest against the siege of the Golden Temple by the
Indian Army in 1984. Undeterred, the Indian government awarded Singh an even
more prestigious honor, the Padma Vibhushan in the year 2007

Read more at http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/khushwant-

singh.html#3pTWVSToVSv04ebA.99

The Five Essential Elements

Of A Story
A story has fi ve basic but important elements. These fi ve components are: the
characters
,
the
setting
, the
plot
, the
confl ict
, and the
resolution
. These essential elements keep the
story running smoothly and allow the action to develop in a logical way that the reader
can follow.
CHARACTERS
The characters are the individuals that the story is about. The author should introduce
the
characters in the story with enough information that the reader can visualize each
person.
This is achieved by providing detailed descriptions of a characters physical attributes
and personality traits. Every story should have a main character. The main character
determines the way the plot will develop and is usually who will solve the problem the
story centers upon. However, the other characters are also very important because they
supply additional details, explanations, or actions. All characters should stay true to the
authors descriptions throughout the story so that the reader can understand and
believe
the action that is taking placeand perhaps even predict which character may do what
next.
SETTING
The setting is the location of the action. An author should describe the environment or
surroundings of the story in such detail that the reader feels that he or she can picture
the
scene. Unusual settings (such as a fantasy world) can be interesting, but everyday
settings
can help a reader to better visualize the story and feel connected to the plot!
PLOT
The plot is the actual story around which the entire book is based. A plot should have a
very clear beginning, middle, and endwith all the necessary descriptions and
suspense,
called
exposition
so that the reader can make sense of the action and follow along
from start to fi nish.
CONFLICT
Every story has a confl ict to solve. The plot is centered on this confl ict and the ways in
which the characters attempt to resolve the problem. When the storys action becomes
most exciting, right before the resolution, it is called the
climax
.
RESOLUTION
The solution to the problem is the way the action is resolved. For example, Katie often
resolves a confl ict by fi nding a compromise for two fi ghting characters or helping fi x
any mistakes she made while switcherooed into someone else. It is important that the
resolution fi t the rest of the story in tone and creativity and solve all parts of the confl
ict.

SETTING -- The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting. For
some stories the setting is very important, while for others it is not. There are several
aspects of a story's setting to consider when examining how setting contributes to a
story (some, or all, may be present in a story):

a) place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place?
b) time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc)
c) weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?
d) social conditions - What is the daily life of the characters like? Does the story
contain local colour (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs,
etc. of a particular place)?
e) mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it
bright and cheerful or dark and frightening?

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PLOT -- The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea; It is the
sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events
having a beginning, middle, and end. The short story usually has one plot so it can be
read in one sitting. There are five essential parts of plot:

a) Introduction - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is
revealed.

b) Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the
conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).

c) Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The
reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?

d) Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The
reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events
between climax and denouement).

e) Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.

It is helpful to consider climax as a three-fold phenomenon: 1) the main character

receives new information 2) accepts this information (realizes it but does not
necessarily agree with it) 3) acts on this information (makes a choice that will determine
whether or not he/she gains his objective).

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CONFLICT-- Conflict is essential to plot. Without conflict there is no plot. It is the

opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move.
Conflict is not merely limited to open arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that
faces the main character. Within a short story there may be only one central struggle, or
there may be one dominant struggle with many minor ones.

There are two types of conflict:

1) External - A struggle with a force outside one's self.
2) Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome
pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.

There are four kinds of conflict:

1) Man vs. Man (physical) - The leading character struggles with his physical strength
against other men, forces of nature, or animals.
2) Man vs. Circumstances (classical) - The leading character struggles against fate,
or the circumstances of life facing him/her.

3) Man vs. Society (social) - The leading character struggles against ideas, practices,
or customs of other people.

4) Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) - The leading character struggles with

himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations,
choices, etc.

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CHARACTER -- There are two meanings for the word character:

1) The person in a work of fiction.
2) The characteristics of a person.

Persons in a work of fiction - Antagonist and Protagonist

Short stories use few characters. One character is clearly central to the story with all
major events having some importance to this character - he/she is the PROTAGONIST.
The opposer of the main character is called the ANTAGONIST.

The Characteristics of a Person -

In order for a story to seem real to the reader its characters must seem real.
Characterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters
themselves. The author may reveal a character in several ways:
a) his/her physical appearance
b) what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams
c) what he/she does or does not do
d) what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her

Characters are convincing if they are: consistent, motivated, and life-like (resemble real
people)

Characters are...
1. Individual - round, many sided and complex personalities.
2. Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for better or worse,
by the end of the story.
3. Static - Stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are
emphasized e.g. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc.

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POINT OF VIEW

Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle from which the story is told.
1. Innocent Eye - The story is told through the eyes of a child (his/her judgment being
different from that of an adult) .

2. Stream of Consciousness - The story is told so that the reader feels as if they are
inside the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions.

3. First Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who
interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we,
etc). The reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it and
only knows what he/she knows or feels.

4. Omniscient- The author can narrate the story using the omniscient point of view.
He can move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the
thoughts, feelings and motivations of his characters and he introduces information
where and when he chooses. There are two main types of omniscient point of view:

a) Omniscient Limited - The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns
they, she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows and what the author
allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the
author chooses to reveal them to us.

b) Omniscient Objective The author tells the story in the third person. It appears as
though a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording only what
is seen and heard. There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. No
interpretations are offered. The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the
author there to explain. The reader has to interpret events on his own.

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THEME -- The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight. It is
the author's underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey. The theme
may be the author's thoughts about a topic or view of human nature. The title of the
short story usually points to what the writer is saying and he may use various figures of
speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole,
or irony.

Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are:
- things are not always as they appear to be
- Love is blind
- Believe in yourself
- People are afraid of change
- Don't judge a book by its cover