Major 14 assignment
CHAVDA KHUSHI
TYBA SEM 6
MAJOR 14
A STUDY OF INDIAN ENGLISH NOVEL SHORT STORIES
• CLASS ASSIGNMENT •
EXPLAIN THE CHARACTERS
#TOBA TEK SINGH BY SAADAT HASAN MANTO
1.Bishen Singh (Toba Tek Singh): A Sikh inmate who has been in the mental asylum for 15 years.Everyone calls him Toba Tek
Singh, the name of his hometown.Speaks in strange, meaningless words. Always stands; rarelysleeps.Very confused about whether his hometown is in India or Pakistan.Represents the painand confusion of Partition.Dies in no-man’s-land, showing that he belongs to neither India nor Pakistan.
2. Fazal Din: A Muslim friend of Bishen Singh from Toba Tek Singh.Visits him after 15 years.Brings news:Bishen Singh’s family is safe in India.Kind-hearted and caring.Adds to the confusion when hegives mixed answers about where Toba Tek Singh is.
3. The ‘God’ Inmate: A patient who claims he is God.Bishen Singh asks him whether Toba Tek Singh is in India or Pakistan.He answers jokingly, making Bishen Singh angry.Represents how even “God” cannot solve the confusion of Partition.
4. Muslim League Worker (the Jinnah-claiming patient): A Muslim patient from Chaniot.Used to be a strong supporter of the Muslim League.Bathes15–16 times a day, then suddenly stops.Declares that he is Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad AliJinnah.Shows how political events deeply affected even asylum inmates.
5. Sikh Patient claiming to be Master Tara Singh:A Sikh inmate who claims he is Master Tara Singh, a Sikh leader.Created as a mirror to theMuslim patient acting like Jinnah.Both are locked in different cells to prevent communal fights.
6. The Hindu Lawyer: A young Hindu man who became insane after a failed love story.His beloved lives in
Amritsar.Gets depressed when told Amritsar will be in India.When he learns he will be sent toIndia, he refuses, saying his law practice won’t succeed there.Shows how Partition separate lovers and destroyed lives.
7. The Two Anglo-Indian Patients: Stay in the European ward.Shocked when told that the British have left India.Worry about whatwill happen to European food and European ward privileges.Represent the fear and uncertaintyof minorities during Partition.
8. Newspaper-Reader Muslim Inmate: Read the newspaper ZamindarWhen asked “What is Pakistan?” He gives a funny, confused answer:“A place in India where razors are made.”Shows how people did notunderstand the concept of a new country.
9. Bath-Time “Pakistan Zindabad” Patient: A Muslim inmate who shouts Pakistan Zindabad loudly.Shouts so hard that he faints.Symbolizes extreme confusion and misplaced nationalism.
10. Roop Kaur: Bishen Singh’s daughter
11. Bhai Balbir Singh:Friend of Fazal Din, mentioned in his message
12. Bhai Vadhawa Singh:Another friend mentioned in Fazal Din’s message
13. Bahain Amrit Kaur:Woman mentioned by Fazal Din for greetings
# LIHAF (the quit) by ismat chughtai
1.Narrator (unnamed young girl)The story is narrated by an unnamed young girl who remembers a strange experience from her
childhood. When she sees her quilt forming the shape of an elephant on the wall, she recalls the days she spent at the house of her mother’s adopted sister, Begum Jaan. As a child, she slept in the same room as Begum Jaan and her masseuse, Rabbu. She often saw the quilt shaking and heard unusual sounds, but because she was too young to understand what sex was, she felt confused and frightened. When Rabbu went away one night, Begum Jaan behaved inappropriately with the narrator, which made the child feel a deep but indescribable fear.
2.Begum Jaan: Begum Jaan, the narrator’s aunt, is shown as a beautiful but troubled woman. Although she ismarried to a nawab, her husband has no interest in her and spends most of his time behind closed doors with young men. Lonely and neglected, Begum Jaan finds emotional and physical comfort in Rabbu, her masseuse. Their relationship is hidden from the world. When Rabbu leaves to visit her son, Begum Jaan becomes desperate and turns towards the child narrator for the same
attention, showing her as the main negative force in the story.
3.Nawab Sahib: Nawab Sahib, Begum Jaan’s husband, is the head of the household and is respected publicly forhis good character. However, the story hints that he secretly has sexual relationships with young male students who stay in his house. He completely ignores his wife and keeps her separated from others, which pushes her towards Rabbu. It is also suggested that Nawab Sahib behaved wrongly with Rabbu’s son, causing the boy to run away and never return.
4.Rabbu: Rabbu, the masseuse, is a constant companion to Begum Jaan. She massages her, sleeps beside her, and shares an intimate relationship with her. Rabbu belongs to a lower class, shown through her dark complexion and marks of smallpox. When she leaves the house to meet her son, Begum Jaan becomes restless and irritable, showing how dependent she is on Rabbu.
5.Amma: Amma, the narrator’s mother, sends her daughter to stay with Begum Jaan for a week becausethe girl often fights with her brothers. The narrator misses her mother deeply during this stay,especially when she feels unsafe around Begum Jaan.
6.Rabbu’s son:Rabbu’s son is a young man who refuses to visit the Nawab's house after a mysterious incident involving Nawab Sahib. The story hints that he, too, was mistreated by the nawab. Even thoughthe nawab tries to win him back with gifts, clothes, and even a shop, the boy never returns,showing the seriousness of what happened to him.
# THE NIGHT OF THE FULL MOON BY KARTAR SINGH DUGGAL
1.Malan:Malan is Minnie’s mother. Even though she is middle-aged, she is still very beautiful and looks young, almost like Minnie’s sister. Her husband ignores her and stays busy with work, which makes her feel lonely and unhappy. For many years, a man has loved her silently and waited for her. On a full-moon night, Malan finally gives in to her hidden feelings and goes to meet him. This decision later causes a misunderstanding, and people wrongly blame her daughter Minniefor what happened.
2. Minnie:Minnie is Malan’s daughter. She is young, beautiful, innocent, and shy. She is about to be married in a week and behaves like a well-mannered and respectful girl. She regularly prays at the temple and follows social rules. Sadly, she becomes a victim of false accusations when villagers think they saw her with a man at night. In reality, it was Malan wearing Minnie’s dupatta and bangles, but Minnie has to suffer because of this mistake.
3. The Lover (Malan’s Secret Admirer): The lover is a man who has deeply loved Malan for more than twenty years. Every full-moon
night, he comes quietly, hoping Malan will accept his love. For years, she refused him, but thistime she opened the door. He meets Malan near the bo tree on the full-moon night. His meetingwith Malan becomes the reason for the later misunderstanding in the village.
4. Malan’s Husband:Malan’s husband is a strict and hardworking moneylender. He is always busy earning money and caring only about work. He does not show love, care, or emotional support to Malan. Because of his cold behavior, Malan feels neglected. On the important full-moon night, he is away from
home, which indirectly allows the misunderstanding to take place.
5. Lajo (Neighbour Woman): Lajo is Malan’s neighbour. She is curious, judgmental, and enjoys gossiping about others. She claims that she saw Minnie with a strange man in the fields at night. Instead of checking the truth, she spreads her assumption. Her words play a big role in starting the false rumour and damaging Minnie’s reputation.
6. Jumma (Village Watchman): Jumma is the village watchman. He also says that he saw “Minnie” with a man during the night.
In truth, he saw Malan, but he could not recognize her because she was wearing Minnie’sdupatta. By repeating what he saw without understanding the truth, Jumma adds more strength tothe false accusation and scandal.
7. Ratna (Zamindar / Landlord): Ratna is the rich and powerful landlord of the village. He becomes angry when he finds a brokenred bangle in his field. Since Minnie was seen wearing twelve bangles, he believes the brokenone belongs to her. Without listening carefully or thinking deeply, he accuses Minnie in front ofeveryone. His strong words make the situation worse and increase the public humiliation of aninnocent girl.
#How I Taught My Grandmother to Read by Sudha Murthy
*Main Characters
1.The Narrator (Sudha):- A twelve-year-old girl who loves her grandmother dearly. She acts as the "teacher" in the story, showing great patience and empathy as she helps her grandmother achieve her lifelong dream of literacy.
2.Krishtakka (The Grandmother):-A sixty-two-year-old woman who never went to school because she grew up in a time when education for girls was not considered essential. She is determined, hardworking, and humble, eventually bowing to her granddaughter (her teacher) as a mark of respect for the knowledge she received.
3.Triveni (The Author):- Though not physically present as a character in the "now" of the story, she is the popular Kannada writer whose serialized novel, Kashi Yatre, inspires the grandmother. Her storytelling creates the emotional bridge that motivates Krishtakka to learn to read.
*Secondary Characters:
1.The Grandfather (Avva's Husband):- A supportive but background figure who provides a contrast to the grandmother's lack of schooling, as he was educated.
2The Neighbors/Villagers:-They represent the social context of the time, where many women of the grandmother's generation remained illiterate and relied on others to read stories or letters to them.
#Karma by khushwant singh
*Main Characters:
1.Sir Mohan Lal:- A middle-aged man who is a "vizier" and a high-ranking official. He is an extreme Anglophile who looks down on his own Indian culture and people, including his wife. He prides himself on his Oxford education, his English manners, and his ability to speak "flawless" English.
2.Lady Lal (Lachmi):-Sir Mohan Lal’s wife, who is a simple, traditional Indian woman. She is short, fat, and uneducated, wearing a dirty white sari and a diamond nose-ring. She represents the native Indian identity that her husband despises. While her husband travels in first-class, she sits in the inter-class compartment eating chapattis with mango pickle.
*Secondary Characters:
1.The Two English Soldiers (Bill and Jim):- Two British soldiers who enter the first-class compartment where Sir Mohan Lal is sitting. Despite Sir Mohan's attempts to befriend them using his English manners, they treat him with racial prejudice, call him a "nigger," and eventually throw him out of the moving train.
2.The Bearer:-An Indian servant in a white livery who serves Sir Mohan Lal Scotch and soda in the waiting room and the train.
3.The Coolie:- A railway porter who helps Lady Lal with her luggage and chats with her, highlighting her ease and comfort with common Indian people compared to her husband's isolation.
• HOME ASSIGNMENT •
# The night train at Deoli by Ruskin bond
Summary
When the narrator was a college student,he was 18 years old and he used to spend his summerholidays at his grandmother’s house in Dehra. He travelled by night train and passed a small station called Deoli, about thirty miles before Dehra. Deoli was a quiet and lonely stationsurrounded by jungle. The train always stopped there for ten minutes, even though no one got on or off. There was only one platform, a small station office, a waiting room, a tea stall, a fruitseller, and a few dogs. The narrator felt sorry for the station because it seemed forgotten and unimportant, and he often wondered what life was like there.
One early morning, when the train stopped at Deoli, the narrator noticed a young girl selling
baskets on the platform. She was poorly dressed and barefoot, but she walked with grace anddignity. She wore a shawl because it was cold. When she came near his window, their eyes met,and there was a strong, silent connection between them. Without saying much, the narrator felt drawn to her. He got down from the train, went to the tea stall, and finally bought a basket from her, even though he did not really want one. Before they could speak properly, the train started moving, and the narrator had to rush back to his seat. As the train left, he saw the girl standing alone on the platform, smiling at him. He could not forget her face for the rest of the journey.
Two months later, on his return journey, the narrator remembered the girl and hoped to see her again. When the train stopped at Deoli, he felt excited to find her there. She recognized him too, and both were happy, like old friends meeting again. They did not talk much, but their feelings were clear. The narrator strongly wished he could take her away with him. He held her hand and told her he was going to Delhi. She quietly replied that she had nowhere to go. When the train started, he promised to return and asked if she would be there. She nodded, and once again hehad to leave her behind as the train moved away.
After this meeting, the girl stayed in the narrator’s thoughts for a long time. When his collegeterm ended, he travelled to Dehra earlier than usual, eager to see her again. But when the train reached Deoli, she was not there. He searched the platform and asked the station-master about her, but the man knew nothing. The narrator felt disappointed and uneasy. He returned to his grandmother’s house but could not stay long because he felt restless. He decided to go back and ask more questions at Deoli.
On his next visit, the station-master had changed, and the new one also knew nothing about the girl. The tea stall owner remembered her but said she had stopped coming and did not know why.
Once again, the narrator had to leave without any answers. Still, he comforted himself by
thinking that one day he would stop at Deoli, search the town, and find the girl. Years passed, and the narrator travelled through Deoli many times. Each time, he looked out of
the train window, hoping to see the girl again, even though he knew she would probably not be there. He never gathered the courage to get down at Deoli because he was afraid of discovering the truth—that she might be married, sick, or gone forever. He preferred to keep the memory and hope alive. For him, Deoli remained a place of dreams, longing, and unfinished love. He continues to pass through the station, always waiting and wondering, but never stopping.
• ESSAY •
Lihaf by ismat chughtai
Explain the story
The story “The Quilt” is told by a woman who remembers a confusing and frightening incident from her childhood. She begins by describing how, when she was small, she used to feel scared at night because the shadows on the wall made the quilt look like a giant moving creature. This
memory connects to something she experienced long ago when she stayed for a week at the house of her mother’s adopted sister, Begum Jaan.
Begum Jaan was extremely beautiful and married to Nawab Sahib, a rich and respected nobleman. Outsiders believed he was very dignified because no entertainers or guests came to his home. But the truth was different. The Nawab preferred spending his time with young male
students who lived in his house. Because of this, he gave very little attention or affection to his wife. He lived separately, and Begum Jaan was left alone for most of her life.
With no emotional support from her husband, Begum Jaan became sad, weak, and lonely.
At this difficult time, Begum Jaan found comfort in her maid Rabbu. Rabbu looked after her daily needs, especially by giving her long oil massages that seemed to calm her and bring life back into her tired body. The two women were rarely apart—Rabbu cooked for her, stayed with her, slept near her, and cared for her with complete devotion.
People in the house often gossiped about how dependent Begum Jaan was on Rabbu, but Begum Jaan didn’t care. Rabbu’s presence had become essential for her well-being.
When the narrator (as a young girl) came to stay at Begum Jaan’s house, she was immediately charmed by Begum Jaan’s beauty and loving nature. She slept in the same room as Begum Jaan and Rabbu. But at night, the girl noticed strange things: the quilt over Begum Jaan moved, as if something large was shifting underneath it. Being a child, she did not understand what it meant, so she felt frightened. Whenever she called out to Begum Jaan, the movement stopped instantly.
One day, Rabbu left the house to visit her son. Without Rabbu’s company and care, Begum Jaan became restless and miserable. She stopped eating properly, looked disturbed, and could not relax.
Out of innocence, the little girl offered to massage her the way Rabbu did. Begum Jaan agreed. At first, the girl felt proud to help her. But soon she felt uncomfortable. Something about the situation frightened her, although she did not understand why. She sensed that something was not normal. When Rabbu finally returned, the girl felt relieved and safe again.
Even after things went back to normal, the girl felt uneasy around Begum Jaan. She avoided being alone with her and spent more time with the servants downstairs. Begum Jaan tried to win her affection again by giving her sweets and even a gold necklace, but the girl refused and said
she wanted to go home.
Rabbu quietly scolded Begum Jaan for forcing the child to stay close. Begum Jaan felt hurt and cried emotionally because she could not handle the rejection and loneliness.
That night, everything seemed quiet. But when the lights went off, the quilt began shaking again, just like before. The girl, filled with fear and curiosity, suddenly switched on the light.
For a moment, the quilt opened, and she saw Begum Jaan and Rabbu very close together in a way that shocked her. She was too young to understand what she saw, but it frightened and confused her deeply. She gasped and hid under her own covers. This moment stayed in her memory forever, and whenever she thought about quilts and shadows, this incident returned to her mind.