Mano Majra

GLOSSARY (text / summary)

 

• Enclose - surround

• Radiate - spread out in all directions from a central point

• Dwindle - lessen or become smaller

• Venerate - worship, respect, honour

• Deity - a god or goddess or a holy being

• Embankment - a wall of stone or earth made to keep the water back

• Expanse - a wide and open area

• Turbulence - a state of violent disorder

• Sluggishly - moving slowly or lazily

• Spanned - covered or extended over an area

• Exaggerated - overstated, blown up, made more important than it really is

• Pigeon- hole - a small compartment

• Telegraphic ticker - a machine used to communicate over long distance using wires that carry electric signals. The term ‘ticker’ came from the sound made by the machine as it printed.

• Shunting - moving ,shifting

• Wagons - (here) railroad trucks for carrying goods

• Buffers - bumpers, round metal parts on the front and back of a train to reduce the damage if the train hits something

• Clanking - making a loud metallic sound

• Couplings - connectors, links or rods that move power between two rotating parts

• Intones - chants, says

• Jabs - strong sudden hits with something pointed or with fists

• Goads - pointed sticks used for making cows, etc. move forward

• Siesta - midday sleep

• Clarified butter - pure ghee produced by melting butter

• Drowsy - tired and half asleep

 

OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS

 

Q 1 Who is the author of the chapter ‘Mano Majra’?

Ans. The chapter ‘Mano Majra’ is written by Khushwant Singh.

 

Q2 How many brick buildings did Mano Majra have?

Ans. Mano Majra had three brick buildings.

 

Q3 Who was the money-lender of Mano Majra?

Ans. Lala Ram Lal was the money-lender of Mano Majra.

 

Q4 How many families lived in Mano Majra?

Ans. About seventy families lived in Mano Majra.

 

Q5 Who were the landowners and tenants in the village of Mano Majra?

Ans. The Sikhs were the landowners and the Muslims were the tenants.

 

Q6 Whom did all the people of Mano Majra venerate (worship)?

Ans. All the people of Mano Majra venerated the local deity, the deo.

 

Q7 Where is Mano Majra situated in Punjab?

Ans. Mano Majra is situated half a mile away from the Sutlej river.

 

Q 8 How many staff members were there on the railway station of Mano Majra?

Ans The railway station had two staff members, the station- master and his assistant.

 

Q9 What gave the station at Mano Majra an appearance of constant activity?

Ans. A small colony of shopkeepers and hawkers gave the station an appearance of constant activity.

 

Q 10.Which trains didn’t stop at Mano Majra station?

Ans. The Express trains didn’t stop at Mano Majra station at all.

 

Q11 Which two slow passenger trains stopped at Mano Majra for few minutes?

Ans. One passenger train going from Delhi to Lahore in the mornings and the other from Lahore to Delhi in the evenings stopped at Mano Majra.

 

Q12 Which trains halted at Mano Majra railway station for long hours?

Ans. The goods trains halted at Mano Majra for long hours.

 

Q13 At what time did the Mano Majrans settle down to their dull daily routine?

Ans. With the coming of morning passenger train from Delhi at 10:30, the Mano Majrans settled down to their dull daily routine.

 

Q14 Which train was the signal for daybreak?

Ans. The mail train going to Lahore was the signal for daybreak.

 

Q15 Which train was the signal to stop for rest?

Ans. The midday Express train was the signal to stop for rest.

 

Q16 Where did the Mano Majrans take their supper in the summers?

Ans. The Mano Majrans took their supper on their rooftops in the summers.

 

Q17 Which train at Mano Majra station was the signal for sleep for the villagers?

Ans. The coming of goods train was the signal for sleep.

 

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

 

Q 1 Draw, in your own words, a rough layout of Mano Majra. 

Ans. Mano Majra is a small village with a large peepal tree in the middle of the triangular common enclosed by three brick buildings. The rest of the village has flat-roofed mud huts, low -walled courtyards and narrow lanes. It is surrounded by fields .There is a pond at its western end encircled by keekar trees. Beside the pond, there is a three-foot slab of sandstone standing upright. It is the local deity, the deo, which is worshipped by the people of all castes.

 

Q2 Why do you think there was communal harmony in Mano Majra?

Ans. The life at Mano Majra was simple and peaceful. There were about seventy families in the village. The money-lender, Lala Ram Lal’s was the only Hindu family. The others were Sikhs and Muslims almost in equal number. The Sikhs were landowners and the Muslims were their tenants. There were few sweeper families whose religion was uncertain. All the villagers lived peacefully and worked with each other in complete harmony .They respected each other’s religious sentiments. The they all also worshipped the local deity, the deo.

 

 

Q3. ‘In India villages cannot afford to be too close to the bank of rivers ’. What about Mano Majra? Do you think it was safe during the monsoon? Why do you think so?

Ans. Mano Majra was not exactly on the banks of the Sutlej river but half a mile away from it. There were mud embankments on its either sides there was a village railway station on the eastern end of the mud embankment .There were floods, but Mano Majra was safe due to the distance from the river and presence of mud embankments along with the railroad station.

 

Q4 Why did the railway station at Mano Majra have several sidings?

Ans. The railway station at Mano Majra had several sidings for less important trains to wait and make way for the more important ones. The sidings were always occupied with the wagons which were shed or collected regularly by the passing goods trains.

 

Q5 What gave the station an appearance of constant activity and its staff an ‘exaggerated sense of importance’?

Ans. A small colony of shopkeepers and hawkers supplying several things to the travellers like food, tea, biscuits gave the station an appearance of constant activity and its staff an ‘exaggerated sense of importance’. Actually the station staff consisted only of two persons- the station master and his assistant. Both were dutiful and remained busy in performing their duties. The station-master used to sell and collect tickets, send and receive telegraphic messages and wave a green flag to the non-stop trains. His assistant operated the levers, helped shunting engines and lighted lamp in the evenings.

 

Q6 Was Mano Majra an important railway junction? Is there any suggestion that it was an important trading place?

Ans. Mano Majra was not an important railway junction nor was it an important trading place. It was a small station. The staff consisted of only two persons, the station-master and his assistant, who performed all the duties. Express train didn’t stop here at all .Only two slow passenger trains stopped at the station for few minutes. Mano Majra rarely had any goods to send or receive but its sidings were always occupied with wagons which were shed or collected regularly by the goods trains.

 

Q7 What had made Mano Majra so conscious of trains?

Ans. The halting (stopping) of less important trains and the goods trains on the station sidings ,the whistling and puffing of engines , the banging of buffers and the clanking of iron couplings in the silence of night had made Mano Majra very conscious of trains. All the activities of the village and the villagers from daybreak to night were carried according to the timing of arrival and departure of trains.

 

Q8 What was the daily routine of the Mano Majrans and how was this routine affected by the passing of trains through Mano Majra?

Ans. The villagers settled down to their dull daily routine by 10:30 with the coming of morning passenger train from Delhi. Men got busy in fields, women in their daily household chores and children in grazing cattle by the river. As the midday Express train went by, Mano Majrans stopped to rest .Everyone started working again with the coming of the evening passenger train from Lahore. The cattle were driven back home. The women cooked the evening meals .Families gathered on rooftops to eat their supper in the summers. The arrival of goods train was the signal for sleep. Thus, Mano Majra’s railway station was very important for its people. Due to the dull and boring farm lives, the villagers greatly depended on the arrival and departure of trains for their entertainment and chances of coming together to share their joys and sorrows and discuss various matters.

 

Q9 How can you say that Mano Majra was a small, peaceful, old-fashioned village untouched by the evil influences of urban life?

Ans. Mano Majra was a small village comprising of about seventy families. All the villagers -Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims -lived peacefully and worked with each other in complete harmony. They respected each other’s religious sentiments. The chapter doesn’t report a single incident of quarrel or conflict. The villagers were simple, old-fashioned people untouched by the evil influences of urban life. They had set their daily routine according to the timing of trains. Every day they sat together to share each other’s joys and sorrows. The people of all castes also worshipped the local deity, the deo, which they visited when they were in special need of blessing.

Author: Khushwant Singh

 

 

Born Khushal Singh 2 February 1915 Hadali, Punjab Province, British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan)

Died 20 March 2014 (aged 99) New Delhi, India

Occupation Lawyer, journalist, diplomat, writer, politician

Notable Achievements Awarded the Padma Bhushan (1974) and the Padma Vibhushan (2007) by the Government Of India

Most Famous Books Train To Pakistan (1956)

I Shall Never Hear A Nightingale (1959)

Delhi: A Novel (1990)

Why I Supported The Emergency (2004)

The Portrait Of A Lady: Collected Stories

 

OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTER

 

Ø The passage ‘Mano Majra ‘is an extract taken from Khushwant Singh’s widely acknowledged historical novel on the partition of India - TRAIN TO PAKISTAN which is set in the fictional village of Mano Majra situated on the Indo -Pak border .

 

Ø In this passage, the author gives us the detailed account of the simple, peaceful and monotonous life at Mano Majra. All the activities of the Mano Majrans are associated with the timing of arrival and departure of trains. There is complete harmony and respect for each other’s religious sentiments among the villagers.

SUMMARY OF THE CHAPTER

 

Ø Mano Majra is a small village on the border of India and Pakistan. The village has a large peepal tree in the middle of the triangular common surrounded by three brick buildings- one is the house of the money - lender, Lala Ram Lal and the other two are the Sikh temple and the Mosque. The rest of the village has flat-roofed mud huts, low-walled courtyards and narrow lanes which finally merge into surrounding fields. At its western end is a pond encircled by keekar trees. There are about seventy families in Mano Majra. Lala Ram Lal’s is the only Hindu family .The others are Sikhs or Muslims about equal in number. There are few sweeper families whose religion is uncertain .Beside the pond, there is a three-foot slab of sandstone under the keekar trees standing upright which is the local deity, the deo respected and worshipped by all the villagers and visited by them secretly when they are in special need of blessing.

 

Ø Mano Majra is half a mile away from the Sutlej, the largest river in Punjab. About a mile north of it, a single railroad bridge stretches across the Sutlej. There is a village railway station on the eastern end of the mud embankment.

 

Ø The station has several sidings for less important trains to wait and make way for the more important ones. A small colony of shopkeepers and hawkers selling a variety of items like food, tea, biscuits to the travelers has given the station and its staff an appearance of constant activity and importance. The staff consists of only two members, the station-master and his assistant. Both are dutiful and remain busy in performing their duties the station-master sells and collects tickets, sends and receives telegraphic messages and waves a green flag to the non-stop trains. He operates the levers, helps shunting engines and lights lamp in the evening.

 

Ø Mano Majra is not an important junction. Express trains don’t stop here at all. Only two slow passenger trains stop here for few minutes. The sidings are always occupied with wagons which are regularly shed and collected by the passing goods trains. The whistling and puffing of engines, the banging of buffers and the clanking of iron couplings which can be heard in the silence of the night has made Mano Majra conscious of trains. The two long blasts of the whistle by the Lahore going mail train awaken the Mano Majrans from sleep. Then the mullah at the Mosque gives the call for prayer and the Sikh priest starts saying his prayers.

 

Ø The villagers settle down to their dull daily routine by 10:30 in the morning when the passenger train from Delhi comes in. Men get busy in fields, women in their daily household chores and children in grazing cattle by the river. The Persian wheels begin to work.

 

Ø As the midday Express train goes by, Mano Majrans stop to rest. Men gather in the shade of peepal tree and talk or doze. Boys ride their buffaloes into the pond. Girls play under the trees. Women rub clarified butter into each other’s heads and discuss different matters.

 

Ø Everyone starts working again with the coming of the evening passenger train from Lahore. The cattle are driven back home. The women cook evening meals. Families gather on rooftops during the summers to eat their supper.

 

Ø The arrival of goods train is a signal for sleep. The mullah again calls for prayer and the Sikh priest murmurs the evening prayers to the sleepy men and women. As the goods train leaves, the life at Mano Majra is stilled. Only the dogs bark at the passing trains in the night.