THE GARDENER

1. What qualities of the old man impressed the narrator?

Ans: He was a labourer, overseer and philosopher.
2. Is it a significant factor that the old man came to the garden after walking hundreds of
miles? Yes, it is.
3. The owner of the gardener became lethargic because
Ans: (b) he had become dependent upon the gardener.
4. Why did the owner’s wife start worrying about the strange ways of her husband?
Ans: He became lethargic and shied away from hard work.
5. When did the old man decide to narrate his story? Ans: When she was in a fix.
6. Tammanna considers his rival, Sngoji/Basavaiah, an important possession because,
Ans: (c) rivalry offers new possibilities of life for him.
7. “No, his name was not Sngoji, but Basavaiah” told the old man because
Ans: (C) he was fictionalizing his past.
8. What unique strategy did Tammanna conceive to annihilate Basavaiah completely?
Ans: By composing ballads and singing them.
9. Why does Basavaiah start inviting scholars and musicians to his place?
Ans: Tammanna’s books were not there in his house.
10. What was Basavaiah’s ray of hope in his attempt to outwit Tammanna?
Ans: Tammanna’s disease / ill health.
11. Ans: (b) he wants to create an impression that he is dead.
12. Ans: (c) he avenges himself.
1. How did the owner’s life change after the arrival of the man?
Ans: This is from the story “The Gardener” written by noted writer and journalist P.
Lankesh. The story narrates how rivalry can divide people and relationships leading to
revenge. The owner’s life changed dramatically after the entry of the man on his farm. The
oldman was really useful. He could understand the problem of workers.The petty thefts in the
garden came to an end, income from the garden improved and the plantation expanded.
However, the owner became lethargic and shied away from hard work. His wealth and social
prestige had risen higher. He went on to acquire new friends in the next town and in his own
village as well. Even though he did not do good work his life became crowded with colourful
events. He developed many bad habits including adultery. The owner’s found it hard to
decide whether the oldman”s arrival was for the better or for the worse. The land which was
merely 10 acres had grown beyond their imagination, but her life was out of control.
2. What advice did the supporters of Tammanna give for getting his land back? OR
How did Tammanna react to Basavaiah’s encroachment of his land?
Ans: “The Gardener” is a story written by P. Lankesh, an Indian writer and journalist
who wrote in the Kannada language. This story brings out rivalry between Tammanna and
Basavaiah resulting in revenge and loss of relationships. As two of the rival characters
continued to acquire land until there was nothing left for each of them, Basavaiah forcibly
acquired two hundred acres of Tammanna’s land. This infuriated Tammanna and his
supporters advised him on various options available for getting back his land. There was the
court of law. One could also take recourse to the police. Besides, there were many who were
ready to attack Basavaiah. But Tammanna was in search of a method that could annihilate
Basavaiah completely. He hit upon the idea of composing all his experiences in the form of
ballads and singing them.
3. How did Basavaiah try to overcome his humiliation?
Ans: This is from a very simple but very unique story “The Gardener” by well-known
Indian writer and journalist who wrote in the Kannada language. The story is centred on
rivalry between two main characters who crave for supremacy and harbour revenge to
 appease their desire. Basavaiah by acquiring two hundred acres of Tammmanna’s land
forcibly paved way for Tammmanna to search for a unique method to completely destroy
Basavaiah. He started to compose all his experiences in the form of ballads and sing them.
Basavaiah had no answer, though he tried to sing yet he failed. Tammanna’s reputation
spread all around. He was felicitated as the best poet of his times. Basavaiah shrunk in
humiliation. He tried to fill his life with all kinds of material wealth. He built a palatial
mansion for himself, appointed a number of persons just to praise him, and wore gold,
diamonds and other precious stones. But his house looked dull without Tammanna’s books.
Therefore he started inviting scholars, poets and musicians to his place. Thus, he tried to
overcome his humiliation.
1. The rivalry between Tammanna and Basavaiah keeps moving from the visible domain to
the invisible. Comment. OR
How does Tammanna adopt counter strategy to challenge the material wealth of
Basavanna?
Ans: The story “The Gardener” written by P. Lankesh, a well-known Kannada writer and
journalist is about competition, rivalry and revenge. It tries to broaden the perspective of a
simple theme with a simple background. Through the characters of Tammanna and
Basavaiah, the author presents more complexities involved in dealing with human emotions.
Tammanna goes on acquiring land in competition with Basavaiah while the latter also puts
up an equal show until there is no land left. If one had ten friends, the other made fifteen
friends. All that began as a mere competition reaches another level when Basavaiah acquires
two hundred acres of Tammanna’s land forcibly.
There were many options before Tammanna: the court of law, the police and even a
physical assault on Basavaiah. But he was in search of a method that could end Basavaiah
completely. He moved away from material to abstract domain. He started to compose all his
experiences in the form of ballads and sing them. Tammanna became very popular. He was
felicitated as the best poet of his times. Basavaiah had no answer to this. He tried to sing, but
could not. Though he shrunk in humiliation, it did not stop him from owning a palatial
mansion. He got everything he wanted but his house looked dull and empty without
Tammanna’s books.
2. A manipulator like Tammanna turns reflective towards the end of his life. What does
this tell us about human nature? OR
How does the reference to Russia and America provide another dimension to the story?
Ans: P. Lankesh, noted Indian writer and journalist portrays complex human emotions
through his story “The Gardener”. Human relations take place just accidentally and crumble
owing to material challenges. Life is a beautiful web of unexpected encounters. Tammanna
becomes reflective when he finds that in life there is no end at a physical level for rivalry. He
accumulated huge wealth and property only to fuel rivalry further with Basavaiah. There
were more supporters and social prestige had risen higher. He had to look out for new
methods to take revenge against the charging opponent. His innovation with singing
ballads took his fight into a new domain and finally to a point where death offered the summit
of human rivalry. The reference to Russia and America moves on the same plain that
Tammanna and Basavaiah stand. When Russia declared that it would not fight America any
more, it was unbearable to the latter. The sworn enemy of America withdrawing from war is
too hard to accept. Without war America felt bored. Even now America needs someone to
war with. Hence, we experience these tendencies quite often on the global scene. Thus,
Tammanna gave up everything and started off. Soon after, Basavanna died without any
reason to live. Tammanna became a non-entity and avenged himself.