The Martyr's Corner by R.K. Narayan
1: Rama liked serving women.
Ans: False.
2: Rama lived in a lane behind
the market.
Ans: True.
3: Soda bottles were used as
missiles during the riot.
Ans: True.
4: Rama came in time to catch
the cinema crowd coming out after the night show.
Ans: False (He always arrived in
time to catch the cinema crowd coming out after the evening show)
B. Answer these questions in
one or two words.
1: What did Rama give free with
every item?
Ans: Rama gave chutney free with
every item.
2: Whose arm searched for the
perfect duck's egg?
Ans: The wrestler's arm searched for
the perfect duck's egg.
3: Where did Rama sleep?
Ans: Rama slept on the pyol.
4: How much did four chapatis
cost?
Ans: Four chapatis cost an anna.
5: Where did Rama work as a
waiter?
Ans: Rama worked as a waiter at restaurant
Kohinoor.
C. Answer these questions in a sentence or two.
1: At what time did Rama wake
up every day?
Ans:
Rama woke up whenever the cock in the next house crowed, which could be as
early as three in the morning or Rama woke up early in the morning, usually
around dawn or when the cock in the next house crowed.
2: What did Rama sell?
Ans:
Rama sold bondas, dosais, chappatis, ducks' eggs, and boiled coffee.
3: Who were Rama's customers?
Ans:
Rama's customers were mainly the people who passed by his stall, including boot
polish boys, beggars, glass selling women and sly fellows.
4: Why did the riot break out?
Ans:
The riot broke out due to a disagreement between two groups, leading to escalating
tensions and eventual violence. Someone was stabbed near the Sales Tax Office
while distributing notices about votes. A slap in the crowd then escalated the
tensions into a full-scale riot.
D. Answer these questions briefly.
1: Why did Rama's customers
like him?
Ans:
Rama's customers liked him because he offered affordable prices for his goods,
such as coffee for six pies and four chapatis for an anna. They
also appreciated his generosity and the fact that he allowed them to pick and
choose their items after proper scrutiny.
2: Briefly describe Rama's
attitude towards the boot-polish boys.
Ans:
Rama had a sympathetic and compassionate attitude towards the boot-polish boys.
He felt sorry for their difficult lives and
poverty, and he wished that customers would be more generous in paying them. He
had a soft corner in his heart for these waifs.
3: Why did Rama have to move
his stall two hundred yards away?
Ans:
Rama had to move his stall two hundred yards away because a memorial was
erected at his original spot where a leader had fallen during a violent
incident. The spot became a holy place, and the
municipality handed it over to the congregation for the memorial, forcing Rama
to relocate.
4: What did Rama's wife do upon
his arrival at night?
Ans: Upon Rama's arrival at night, his wife would open the door of their home and take from him all his encumbrances. She would then retrieve the cloth bag hanging from his neck, which contained the day's earnings. She would count the cash and separate the gains, putting them away in a little wooden box.
E. Answer these questions in detail.
1. Describe in detail, how
Rama's business was finished.
Ans: Rama’s flourishing business came to an
unfortunate end due to a chain of events sparked by a sudden political riot.
During this violent clash, a leader was killed exactly at the spot where Rama
used to set up his stall.
Because of this incident, the municipality
handed the area over to a congregation. They cordoned off the spot to build a
holy memorial for the fallen leader. Consequently, Rama was forced to relocate
his stall nearly two hundred yards away, deep into a lane.
This new location proved disastrous as it
placed him in the "blind spot" of his regular customers. The cinema
crowd bypassed him, and the jutka-drivers found it too inconvenient to walk the
extra distance. Furthermore, the boot-polish boys, who were his loyal
customers, started buying from his rival, the "scraggy pretender,"
who had set up shop on the opposite footpath.
As his sales plummeted, Rama began taking his
leftover snacks home, warming them up, and bringing them out for sale again the
next day to avoid financial losses. This caused the quality of his food to drop
drastically; some customers even retched after tasting it and spread rumours
about his declining standards. Ultimately, this loss of reputation finished his
business, forcing him to take up a low-paying job as a waiter at Restaurant
Kohinoor.
2: Do you think that Narayan
has depicted many aspects of typical Indian way of life? Write a persuasive
answer.
Ans: Yes, R.K. Narayan has masterfully depicted
many aspects of the typical Indian way of life in his works, and "The
Martyr's Corner" serves as a prime example. Instead of focusing on wealthy
or royal figures, his storytelling revolves around ordinary characters and
their daily experiences, reflecting the lives of the common people.
One of the most relatable aspects of Indian
culture he captures is the bustling street food scene. Narayan authentically
details this through Rama's stall, providing vivid descriptions of local
delicacies like bondas, dosais, chappatis, and hot coffee that cater to the
hungry masses.
Narayan also brilliantly captures the diverse
socio-economic fabric of India. This is seen through Rama's wide variety of
customers, which include jutka-drivers, hard-working boot-polish boys, blind
beggars, and everyday cinema-goers, representing the vibrant working-class of
the country.
Furthermore, his stories delve into the
struggles of individuals in the face of larger socio-political challenges. The
sudden, senseless political riot over voting notices that abruptly ruins Rama's
peaceful livelihood perfectly illustrates how volatile political events can
unexpectedly impact the common Indian citizen.
Finally, Narayan's writing style incorporates
subtle humor, cultural references, and local nuances, adding deep authenticity
to his portrayal. Overall, his depiction of the Indian way of life is highly
persuasive, making his works deeply resonant and universally appealing.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1: Where exactly was Rama’s establishment
located?
Ans: Rama’s stall was located at the turning
between Market Road and the lane leading to the chemist's shop.
2: What were Rama's working hours at his
stall?
Ans: Rama arrived at his spot at about 8:15 in
the evening and sold his goods until ten o'clock.
3: How much did people estimate Rama earned
per month?
Ans: People passing by estimated that Rama earned
a handsome amount of three hundred rupees a month.
4: Who was the "pretender to the
throne"?
Ans: The "pretender" was a young,
scraggy fellow who sat at Rama's spot and sold food to the early crowd until
Rama arrived to take over.
5: Where did Rama store his daily earnings
while working?
Ans: Rama kept all his money in a little cloth
bag that dangled from his neck under his shirt.
6: How did Rama keep the health officer and
traffic constables happy?
Ans: Rama occasionally gave them free packets of
his food, which kept them from taking strict action against his unhygienic
setup.
7: What specific event sparked the violent
riot on Market Road?
Ans: The crowd was arguing because someone was
stabbed near the Sales Tax Office; the situation escalated into a full-scale
riot when a man in the crowd was suddenly slapped by his neighbor.
8: What did the young men with badges tell
Rama when he returned to his spot after the riot?
Ans: They told Rama he could not set up his shop
there anymore because their leader had fallen on that exact spot, and it was now
a holy place for a memorial.
9: How far was Rama forced to move his stall
after the memorial was built?
Ans: Rama was forced to move his stall nearly two
hundred yards away, deep into the lane.
10: Why did the boot-polish boys stop buying
from Rama after his relocation?
Ans: After Rama moved far into the lane, the
boot-polish boys simply started buying from the "scraggy pretender"
who had set up his stall on the opposite footpath.
11: How did Rama try to avoid wasting his
unsold food when his sales dropped?
Ans: On his wife's advice, Rama started taking
the leftover snacks home, warming them up, and bringing them out for sale again
the next day.
12: What was the final blow that completely
ruined Rama's street business?
Ans: Selling warmed-up leftovers caused the
quality of his food to drop. Customers who tasted the stale food retched and
spread rumours that Rama's food quality had deteriorated, driving away his last
remaining customers.
13: What job did Rama take after his street
business failed?
Ans: When his savings were completely exhausted,
Rama took a job as a waiter at Restaurant Kohinoor, earning just twenty rupees
a month.
14: How did Rama find emotional satisfaction
when customers treated him rudely at the restaurant?
Ans: Whenever customers ordered him around
rudely, he found great satisfaction in saying, "Gently, brother. I was
once a hotel-owner myself".
Short Answer Type Questions (2-3 Marks):
15: Describe Rama's daily arrival at his
stall.
Ans: Rama arrived punctually at 8:15 in the
evening. He carried so much equipment that he looked as if he had four arms. He
balanced a big tray of food on his head, held a stool in the crook of his arm,
carried a lantern in one hand, and held portable legs for his tray in the
other.
16: How did Rama feel about the boot-polish
boys and other poor customers?
Ans: Rama had a very soft corner in his heart for
the poor waifs, like the boot-polish boys and blind beggars. It pained him to
see their hungry eyes and torn clothes. Although he couldn't afford to run a
charity and give them free food, he wished the richer customers would pay them
more so they wouldn't have to starve.
17: How did Rama's wife handle the earnings at
the end of the night?
Ans: When Rama returned home, his wife would
immediately take all his heavy equipment from him. She would pull the cloth bag
from under his neck, count the cash eagerly, and separate the day's profit from
the capital needed for the next morning. She kept the profits safely in a
little wooden box.
18: Why did Rama's relocation to the lane
prove disastrous for his customer base?
Ans: The new spot was nearly two hundred yards
away in a lane, completely out of the regular view of his customers. He fell
into the "blind spot" of the cinema crowd emerging from the theatre.
Additionally, the jutka-drivers found it too inconvenient to walk that far, and
the boot-polish boys gave their business to his rival on the main footpath.
HS 2024
1. Whose arm searched for the perfect duck's
egg? (1 Mark)
Ans: The wrestler's arm searched for the perfect
duck's egg.
2. Name the restaurant Rama worked in after
his business was over. (1 Mark)
Ans: After his street business was completely
ruined, Rama worked as a waiter at Restaurant Kohinoor.
3. Make a list of the regular customers
visiting Rama's stall. (2 Marks)
Ans: The regular customers who swarmed the pavement
to visit Rama's stall were the cinema crowd coming out after the evening show,
jutka-drivers, the youngster who polished shoes, the wrestler, the blind beggar
and grass-selling women.
4. Why did Rama say, "Gently, brother, I
was once a hotel-owner myself"? (2 Marks)
Ans: Rama said this at Restaurant Kohinoor
whenever a customer ordered him around too rudely. He said it because reminding
himself and others of his past dignity as a successful, independent businessman
helped him endure the harsh treatment of his current low-paying job. Uttering
this piece of reminiscence provided him with a great sense of emotional
satisfaction.
5. Who, according to you, is the Martyr in
'The Martyr's Corner'? Give reasons. (3 Marks)
Ans: While the corner was officially named after
a political leader who was killed there during a violent riot, the true
"martyr" in R.K. Narayan's story is Rama himself.
Rama was an innocent, hardworking street
vendor whose flourishing business was entirely sacrificed due to a senseless
political clash he had no part in.
Therefore, Rama is an unacknowledged economic
and social martyr who paid the ultimate price for someone else's political
dispute.
4. Describe, in detail, how Rama's business was finished.
Ans: Already answered, page no 2 and question no 1
5.
Words meaning:
Gratis:
Free
HS 2025
1.
What did Rama give free with every item? (1 Mark)
Ans: Rama gave chutney free with almost
every item.
2.
Why did Rama have to move his stall two hundred yards away? (2 Marks)
Ans: Rama had to move his stall because the
municipality handed over his original spot to a congregation erecting a holy
memorial for a political leader who was killed there during a riot.
3.
What did Rama's wife do upon his arrival at night? (3 Marks)
Ans: Upon Rama's arrival at night, his wife
would immediately take all his heavy equipment (encumbrances) from his hands.
She would then pull the cloth bag from under his shirt, eagerly count the cash,
separate the capital for the next day's investment, and safely store the profits
in a little wooden box.
4.
Why did Rama's customers like him? (3 Marks)
Ans: Rama's customers liked him because he
offered highly affordable prices, such as coffee for six pies and four
chappatis for an anna. Additionally, they appreciated that he allowed them the
freedom to pick, examine, and select their food after proper scrutiny.
5.
Justify the title "The Martyr's Corner". (5 Marks)
Ans: The title "The Martyr's
Corner" is highly significant and operates on two distinct levels in R.K.
Narayan's story: a literal level and an ironic, metaphorical level.
Literally,
the title refers to the physical location where Rama sets up his street food stall.
Following a violent political clash, a leader is killed precisely at Rama's
spot. This fallen leader is hailed as a martyr by his followers, and the
municipality hands the corner over to them to erect a holy memorial. Thus, the
physical space officially becomes "The Martyr's Corner."
However,
on a deeper, metaphorical level, the true martyr of the story is Rama himself.
A martyr is someone who sacrifices greatly for a cause or suffers due to the
actions of others. Rama was an innocent, hardworking vendor whose flourishing
business was entirely sacrificed due to a senseless political riot that he had
absolutely no part in. Because the corner is claimed for the political martyr,
Rama is forced to relocate his stall to a "blind spot" deep into the
lane. This displacement causes him to lose his loyal customers, resulting in
the failure of his street business and forcing him into a low-paying job as a
waiter.
Therefore,
the title perfectly captures the tragedy of the common man in India: while the
politician becomes a celebrated martyr in death, the common man (Rama) becomes
an unacknowledged economic martyr, quietly losing his independence and
livelihood.
6. Reference to the context:
'Rama watched the unfolding of contemporary history
through the shouts of newsboys, and in due course tried to return to his
corner'.
Reference: These lines are taken from the short
story "The Martyr's Corner", written by the
celebrated Indian English author R.K. Narayan.
Context: This statement occurs in the aftermath
of a sudden and violent political riot that breaks out precisely at the spot
where Rama, a hardworking street-food vendor, used to set up his stall.
Explanation: For about ten days, the situation
remained tensed as newspapers demanded public inquiries into the police firing
and the political clash. During this period, Rama stayed updated on the
situation not by reading, but by listening to the newspaper hawkers shouting
the daily headlines in the streets. To him, the "unfolding of contemporary
history"—the political uproar, the blame games, and the formation of
committees—was just noise that he absorbed indirectly. Once the tension seemed
to have died down, an innocent and hopeful Rama attempted to go back to his
usual corner to resume his peaceful livelihood.
5.
Words meaning
Stuff:
Various food items,
snacks, and goods
Glib:
careless, irresponsible
HS 2026
1. At exactly what time did Rama use to arrive
with his load of stuff? (1 Mark)
Ans: Rama used to arrive with his load of stuff
at about 8:15 in the evening.
2. How many chapatis could one get at Rama by
paying an anna? (1 Mark)
Ans: One could get four chapatis at Rama's stall
by paying an anna.
3. What did Rama feel about the young scraggy
fellow the one who did business before Rama arrived? (2 Marks)
Ans: Rama did not let the young scraggy fellow
bother him unduly. He felt generous towards him and would say, "Let the
poor rat do his business when I am not there".
4. Describe, in brief, the food items sold by
Rama. (3 Marks)
Ans: Rama sold a variety of highly appealing food
items at his stall. He sold puffed bondas, dosais, and chapatis.
He also sold hard-boiled duck's eggs that
looked like ivory balls, perpetually boiling coffee on a stove, and gave
chutney for free with almost every item.
5. Give a short description of Rama's
customers. (3 Marks)
Ans: Rama's customers belonged to the
working-class population swarming the pavement. They included jutka-drivers,
boot-polish boys with their brown bags, a wrestler searching for the perfect
duck's egg, a blind beggar who bought refreshments with his alms, grass-selling
women, and the cinema crowd coming out after the evening show. They were loyal,
enjoyed his cheap prices, and liked to carefully examine their food before
buying.
6. Do you agree that The Martyr's Corner
represents many aspects of Indian life? Write a reasoned answer. (5 Marks)
Ans: Yes, I agree that "The Martyr's
Corner" brilliantly represents many aspects of the typical Indian way of
life.
R.K. Narayan
authentically captures the vibrant Indian street food culture through Rama’s
stall, vividly describing local delicacies like dosais, bondas, and chappatis
catering to the hungry masses.
The story depicts the
diverse fabric of the working class, including jutka-drivers, boot-polish boys,
grass-selling women, and blind beggars, all converging at a single street
corner.
It highlights
informal societal norms, such as Rama keeping traffic constables and health
inspectors happy with free packets of food so they overlook his unhygienic
setup.
The narrative
accurately reflects the unpredictable socio-political dynamics in India, where
a sudden, senseless political riot and the subsequent building of a holy
memorial abruptly destroy a common man's peaceful livelihood. Through these elements,
Narayan provides a deeply authentic and comprehensive portrayal of everyday
Indian life.
7. Reference to the context:
"One night, when he went home with just
two annas in his bag, he sat up on the pyol and announced to his wife, I
believe our business is finished. Let us not think of it any more'." (5
Marks)
Ans: Reference: These
lines are taken from the short story "The Martyr's Corner",
written by R.K. Narayan.
Context: This statement occurs towards the end
of the story, after Rama's street-food business has suffered a drastic decline.
Due to a political riot and the subsequent construction of a holy memorial at
his usual spot, Rama was forced to relocate his stall nearly two hundred yards
away into a lane.
Explanation: Because of his new "blind
spot" location, Rama lost his loyal customers, such as the jutka-drivers
and the cinema crowd. To avoid wasting his unsold food, he began warming up
leftover snacks to sell the next day, which ruined the quality of his food and
drove away his remaining patrons. Earning a meager two annas instead of his
usual handsome profits, a defeated Rama finally accepts reality and tells his
wife that their street business is completely over and they should abandon all
hope of reviving it.
8. Words meaning:
Assortment: a collection of different things
Retched:
made the sound and action of vomiting without doing so
Comments
Post a Comment