L-5 THE BARBER’S TRADE UNION
- MULAK
RAJ ANAND
SHORT Q/A
Q.1. What was the age difference between
Chandu and the narrator?
Ans.
It was six months. Chandu was senior to the narrator. Chandu was senior to the
narrator by about six months.
Q.2. Why did the narrator consider Chandu
the embodiment of perfection for him?
Ans.
Because Chandu could make and fly paper kites of complicated design and
balance. It is because Chandu could make and fly kites of such intricate design
and of such balance as the narrator could never achieve.
Q3. Why was Chandu not good at doing sums
at school?
Ans.
Because he went to learn the work of a barber. Chandu was not good at doing
sums because he remained busy in hereditary profession of the barber’s caste.
He had no time to do his home task which the teacher gave them.
Q.4. Why did the narrator's mother
constantly dissuade him to play with Chandu?
Ans.
Because Chandu was a lower caste Barber’s son. She dissuaded the narrator from
playing with Chandu because Chandu was a low-caste barber's son.
Q.5. What does the narrator tell us about
Chandu's dress?
Ans.
Chandu wore a khaki shorts, black velvet coat and a round felt cap. Chandu move
a mixture of different clothes - a. pair of khaki shorts, a frayed black velvet
waist coat, and a round felt cap.
Q.6. What did Chandu tell the narrator
about Kalan Khan's appearance?
Ans.
He was a young man with parted hair, dressed in a shirt, a black coat and a
wonderful rubber coat. Chandu described the appearance of Kalan Than, a young
man with hair parted on one side, dressed in a starched shirt, with an ivory
collar and a bow tie, a black coat and striped trousers, and a wonderful rubber
overcoat and pumps.
Q.7. Why did Vijay Chand, the landlord turn
Chanda out of his house?
Ans.
Because he was defiling (pollute) his house with a leather bag of cow-hide. Vijay
Chand turned Chandu out of his house. He told Chandu that by bringing a leather
bag of cow-hide, and a coat of some animal marrow, he had defiled his religion.
Q.8. What did the Sahukar think about
Chandu's wearing clothes like a doctor?
Ans.
The Sahukar abused and warned him not to wear the clothes of hospital people. He
called Chandu a swine and told him not to go about disguising himself as a
clown in the defiled clothes of the hospital folk.
Q.9. Why had the landlord summoned Pandit
Parmanand?
Ans.
To discuss the unholy emergency in which Chandu had worn a doctor’s dress. The
landlord had summoned Pandit Parmanand to discuss the unholy emergency i.e. the
increasing intimacy increasing between the narrator and Chandu.
Q.10. What types of woman was Chandu's
mother?
Ans.
She was an ill-mannered woman from the lower caste. Chandu's mother was an
ill-tempered woman. She a low caste woman, dared to see the upper caste people
as they never dared to see themselves.
Q.11.How did Chandu's mother treat the
narrator?
Ans.
She was very kind to him and spoke to him in a joking manner. She was always very kind to the narrator
though she spoke to him too in a teasing manner.
Q.12. Why did Chandu decide to go on
strike?
Ans.
Because upper class people insulted and abused him. He received a raw deal at
the hand of village elders whom he called orthodox idiots. He wanted to teach
them a lesson. So he decided to go on strike.
Q.13. Why did chandu decide to buy a
bicycle?
Ans.
Chandu had a sharp brain. He decided to shave people and earn money by giving
home service. He decided to buy a bicycle with a view to going to town on it
every day.
Q.14. Why had the men gathered in the
Sahukar's shop?
Ans.
They had gathered to discuss the situation which had arisen because of Chandu’s
strike. Chandu had gone on strike against the orthodox village elders. The man
gathered in the Sahukar's shop to discuss the future course of action against
Chandu.
Q.15. How did Sahukar look without being
trimmed by the barber?
Ans.
He was looked like a leper. He looked like a leper with the brown tinge of
tobacco on his walrus moustache.
Q.16. What jokes became popular in every
home and why?
Ans.
Jokes about the unclean beard of the elders became popular. Landlord’s young wife
threatening to run away because of his shabby appearance. Jokes about the
unkempt beards of the elders of the village became popular in every home. It is
because Chandu went on strike against them. He refused to visit their homes for
the purpose of shaving their beards.
Q.17. What was the reason of the rumour
that the landlord’s wife had threatened to run away with someone else?
Ans.
Because of with unclean beard, the landlord was looking very bad. The reason
was that she was younger than her husband by twenty years. She had borne with
him as long as ' he kept himself in trim. But now she was disgusted with him
beyond the limits of reconciliation.
Q.18. Why did the village elders threaten
Chandu?
Ans.
They threatened Chandu to send him prison for his offences and misconduct. They
wanted to force him somehow to obey them.
Q.19. Name the union that gave birth to
many other unions in the town?
Ans.
Rajkot District Barber Brother’s Hairdressing and Shaving Saloon. The name of the union was `Rajkot District
Barber Brothers' Hair dressing and shaving saloon.
Ans1
Chandu is the main character of the story ‘The Barber’s Trade Union’ written by
Mulk Raj Anand. All the incidents of the story revolve around him. He is an
interesting character. Chandu was a barber boy. He was a close friend of
writer. He was not good at doing sums. He went to learn the work of barber
after school. He was an expert of making kites. He had a sharp mind. He was a
member of low caste. Upper caste people often abused him. He made a barber’s
union. Chandu was a self-respecting, hardworking and brave man. He bought a
cycle and started shaving people in the town. He set up a barber’s shop. He
leaves a deep impact upon our mind. This character has many colours of human
life.
Ans2
The writer was thrilled to see him. But the landlord became angry. The village
Sahukar also insulted him. He said that he should wear only cheap clothes which
suit his class.
Ans3
Chandu’s mother is an interesting character of the story. She was about sixty
years old. She was an ill-tempered lady. She belonged to low caste and dared to
see high class people in her own way. She was always kind to narrator. She
loved her son. When Chandu started shaving people in the town and earned more
money, she became happy.
Ans4
Chandu was the son of a barber. When the village elders insulted him. He
decided to teach him a lesson. He bought a second hand cycle. He started going
to the city to shave people there. He told that he was on a strike. He stopped
shaving the village people. All looked funny because of their unshaved faces.
He opened a shop. And they came to his shop.
Chandu
was a barber boy. He was the narrator's friend. He was an expert in catching
wasps and making kites. He belonged to low caste. Once Chandu was dressed like
a doctor. The so called upper caste people insulted him. He decided to teach
them a lesson. He stopped going to people's home. He bought a cycle and started
shaving people in the town. He set up a barber's shop. Now the people had to
come to his shop to get their hair cut and shaving beard. In the end they
formed a union called ‘Rajkot District Barber Brothers’ Hairdressing and
Shaving Saloon' trade union.
Points to remember
1) The writer of the story is Mulk Raj Anand.
2) Chandu was a barber boy.
3) He belonged to a low caste.
4) Narrator belonged to high caste.
5) But he was ashamed of his caste mark.
6) Chandu was narrator's best friend.
7) He was elder to narrator by six months.
8) He was an expert in catching wasps.
9) He was an expert in making and flying
paper kites.
10) He was not good in doing sums.
11)He
was better in reciting poetry.
12)Narrator's
mother did not like Chandu.
13) Chandu's mother was of quarrelsome nature.
14) Narrator wore tight trousers, gold work
shoes and a silk turban.
15)Chandu
wore multi coloured clothes.
16)Chandu
went to shave the notable people in the village.
17)The
landlord's name was Bijay Chand.
18)Chandu
started going to town riding on the footrest of Lala Hukam Chand's carriage.
19)Narrator walked three miles to go to school.
20)Chandu
always liked the dress of Dr. Kalan Khan.
21)One
day Chandu dressed himself like a doctor.
22) Narrator was very happy to see him.
23) But landlord, sahukar and pandit insulted
him.
24)He
decided not to do their hair cut.
25) He bought a bicycle and started going to
town.
26) In town he met barber Nringan Das, barbers
of Verka and barber Dhunoo.
27)They
made a barbers’ union.
28)'Rajkot
District Barber Brothers’ Hairdressing and Shaving Saloon'
