INDIGO

Difficult words:

1. Delegates (representatives);
2. Emaciated (weak) ; Resolute (Determined);
3. Tenacity (Firmness) ;
4. Haunches (buttock) ;
5. Yeoman (small landlord) ;
6. Pestered (annoyed) ;
7. Advent (arrival) ;
8. Conveyance (transport) ;
9. Maltreated (misbehaved) ;
10. Summon (called for) ;
11. Vehement (eager) ;
12. Unlettered (illiterate) ;
13. Trench (pits)

This chapter is an excerpt from the book- The life of Mahatma Gandhi written by Louis Fischer.

Gandhiji told Louis Fischer about the British departure in 1916. Gandhi attended the INC

convention, met Raj Kumar Shukla (peasant in Champaran, Bihar).

Initially, Gandhi didn't take Shukla seriously and told him that he was busy but he accompanied

him to various places. His firm decision impressed Gandhiji and he promised him to meet on a

fixed date in Calcutta.

Baapu met Shukla in Calcutta, took a train, and visited Dr. Rajendra Prasad (who was not

there). However, they were both treated badly by the servants.

Gandhi ji goes to Muzzafarpur, and met J.B. Kriplani (Govt professor)

He chided lawyers for high fees. He understands the problem. Grow 15% indigo on land and

pay rent.

Gandhi went to the British Landlord Association but he was not given any information because

he was an outsider. He then went to the commissioner of the Tirhut division who threatened

Gandhiji and asked to leave Champaran . Gandhiji went to Motihari to investigate the matter

where he received the support of the lawyers and common people. One day as he was on his
way to meet a peasant, who was maltreated in a village, he was stopped by the police

superintendent’s messenger serving him a notice asking him to leave. Gandhiji received the

notice but disobeyed the order. A case was filed against him, On the day of trial a large crowd

gathered near the court. It became impossible to handle the crowd. Gandhiji helped the officers

to control the crowd. Gandhiji told the court that he was not a lawbreaker but he disobeyed so

that he could help the peasants. The court asked Gandhiji to file for bail but he refused and later

he was released without the bail. Later, a commission was set up by Sir Edward gait to look into

the matter. After the inquiry , planters were found guilty and asked to pay back to the peasants.

Gandhi agreed to a settlement that refunded 25% to the farmers. Gandhiji accepted the offer

because he wanted to make the peasants free from the planters and give them rights .

Gandhi emerged victorious in the Champaran episode, and the landlords surrendered before

the peasants. He considered this a turning point in his life as it was the first time that British

landlords had surrendered to the sharecroppers.

Gandhi and Kasturba Bai helped the peasant. Champaran taught a lesson about being self-

reliant.

The "Indigo" chapter describes the exploitative system of indigo cultivation in India during the

British colonial period. The chapter emphasizes the importance of resistance and unity in

fighting against oppression.

Important Questions:

 How did Gandhiji help the peasants of Champaran?

 How were Shukla and Gandhiji received in Rajendra Prasad’s house

 How did Gandhiji succeed in getting justice for the Indigo sharecroppers?
  How was the Champaran incident a turning point in Gandhiji’s life?

Poets & Pancakes

Keywords:

 Maiden: Unmarried girl

 Hideous: Ugly

 Covertly: Secretly

 Woes: Sorrow

 Affluent: Rich

 Demeanor: Behaviour

Asokamitran’s job at the Gemini Studio was to cut out the newspaper clippings on different
subjects & store them in files. He worked in a cubicle, people thought he was not doing any
work and scolded him. He starts by introducing the popular makeup brand, Pancakes, which
the studio uses extensively. He goes on to describe the challenges faced by the actors and
actresses, such as the intense lighting in the makeup room and the excessive use of makeup to
make them look unattractive.

He then tells us about the office boy who aspires to work in various creative roles in the film
industry, such as a director, actor, screenwriter, or lyricist. However, he blamed his
disappointment on Subbu.

Kothamangalam Subbu (a Brahmin/ poet/ great actor/ made for films), who comes to him with
complaints.

Although the author initially sees Subbu as a nuisance, he eventually realizes his value and his
hospitable nature. Subbu is a resourceful man with a strong loyalty, making him essential to the
film industry. In contrast to the dreamers in the studio, Subbu has a neutral mindset and a
logical approach. He had the ability to look cheerful at all the times even after having a hand in a
flop film. He was highly creative and could give directions & definitions in film making.
Subbu had many enemies. Also, there was a legal adviser who was the member of the story
department who always looked sad, alone and helpless. One day, an actress fought on set and
expressed her grievances against the producer. The legal advisor recorded her voice and
played it back during filming, leaving the actress stunned and shocked. She never returned to
the set again. This is how the legal adviser brought a sad end to the career of a heroine.

The Gemini Studio invited two influential plays that became a huge success, and the writer later
discovered that the group responsible for them, the Moral Rearmament Army, was actually a
counter-communist movement which was a group of international performers. Stephen
Spender, an English poet, also visited the studio for an unknown reason, causing grand
preparations to be made, though the reason for his visit was a mystery and he was difficult to
understand due to language barriers.

He depended on others who frequently gave him tasks. He later came across a notice in The
Hindu about a story organized by a British periodical called The Encounter. Upon reading that
the editor of the journal was Stephen Spender, the mystery of his visit was solved.

The author later discovered a book titled "The God That Failed," which contained six essays
about failed communism. One of the essays was written by Stephen Spender, solving the
mystery of his visit and the purpose for which he came to the studio.

Important Questions:

 Who was the English visitor to the studios and what was the purpose of his visit?

 Author has used gentle and subtle humour to point out human foibles and idiosyncrasies

in the lesson ' Poets and Pancakes'. Elucidate.

 Account for Subbu’s importance in Gemini Studios.

 What was the Moral Rearmament Army? Describe their journey to the Gemini Studio.

The Interview
Keywords:

 Hypotheses: Assumption/ Idea

 Staggeringly: Shocking
 Aesthetics: Set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty.
 Ordeal: Test/ nightmare.
 Vile: Unpleasant / bad
 Lionized: Glorify / honor
 Intrusion: Interfere
 Interstices: Gap/ interval

The author opens the chapter by giving a brief overview of the interview process and its history.

He mentions that interviews have been a part of journalism for over 130 years and that people
have varying opinions about them. It notes that people have varying opinions about the use of
interviews, with some viewing it highly and others disliking the experience. He tells us that how
the interview has become a vital arena in everyone’s life and a source of truth.

The author highlights that an interview can leave a lasting impression and can sometimes
change the opinion of a person, leading to the loss of their true identity.

He then cites examples of famous celebrities who have criticized interviews and mentions
Rudyard Kipling’s wife’s diary, in which she writes about how two reporters ruined her.

For example, Rudyard Kipling's wife wrote in her diary about how two reporters ruined their day
in Boston and Kipling viewed interviewing as an assault that should be punished. He also
believed that a respectable person would never participate in either giving or asking for an
interview. Kipling himself considered interviewing an assault and believed that it should be
punish ed.

The chapter also includes an paragraph from an interview between Mukund, a representative
from The Hindu Newspaper and Umberto Eco, a professor at the University of Bologna in Italy
and a famous scholar in the fields of semiotics, literary interpretation, and medieval aesthetics,
who became famous for his fiction writing. Mukund asks Eco about his successful novel.

The focus of the interview is Eco's successful novel, "The Name of the Rose," which has sold
over ten million copies. Mukund starts by asking Eco how he manages to do so many different
things, to which Eco responds by saying he is doing the same thing.

He goes on to explain that his books for children promote peace and non-violence, reflecting his
philosophical interests.

Eco views himself as an academic scholar, attending academic conferences during the week
and writing novels on Sundays.

The fact that others see him as a novelist rather than a scholar does not affect him, as he
understands the challenge of influencing millions of people through academic work.
Eco believes there are gaps in our lives, similar to the gaps in atoms and the universe, which he
refers to as interstices. It is during these times that he is most productive.

When discussing his novel, Eco notes that it is not an easy read, combining elements of
detective work, metaphysics, theology, and medieval history. He also says that if the novel had
been written 10 years earlier or later, it would not have achieved the same level of success,
leaving the reason for its success a mystery.

Important Questions:

 Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?

 What was unique & distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?

 State the reason for the huge success of the novel ‘The Name of the Rose’.

 Several celebrities despise being interviewed? Justify.

Going Places

Keywords:

 Despise: Hate
 Earmarked: Assigned
 Prodigy: Genius
 Inquisition: Examination
 Despondent: Discouraged
 Exultant: Thrilled
 Wharf: a place made for parking ships

 Sophie, a teenage girl who is filled with dreams and ambitions despite her family's
financial struggles. She aspires to own a boutique and be a famous fashion designer or
actress.

 Her friend Jansie is practical and tries to keep Sophie realistic, but her efforts go to
waste as Sophie remains in her world of fantasies.
  They both work in a biscuit factory.

 Sophie's family consists of her parents and 2 brothers. They live in a small and cluttered
house.

 Sophie shares her desires with her family, but they are not as excited as she is due to
the harsh realities they face. Sophie is particularly curious by her elder brother Geoff,
who is tall, strong, and handsome but reserved. He works as a trainee mechanic.

 Sophie likes a young Irish football player, Danny Casey. She is so infatuated with him
that she creates stories about meeting him and sharing conversations with him.

 She shares these tales with her elder brother Geoff, but he does not believe her claims.
She tells him that she met Danny Casey in a boutique. Despite this, Sophie is so good at
convincing people with her details that even Geoff starts to wish that her stories were
true. She also tells about the date with Casey.
 On Saturday, Sophie and her family go to watch a football match where their team wins
due to the goal made by Casey

 Sophie fully involved herself in her fantasy world, waiting for Danny to arrive as
promised.
 She worries about disappointing Geoff when Danny does not show up, but she still
believes that they will eventually meet.
 Sophie remains in this dream world, holding onto her belief that they will meet soon.

The Going Places summary highlights the innocent daydreams of teenagers and how the
reality of the world, with its challenges and expenses, can often shatter such aspirations.

Important Questions:

Why did Sophie like her brother Geoff more than any other person?
 Which was the only occasion whenSophie got to see Danny Casey in person?
 What is unrealistic about Sophie’s dreams of her future life?
 How are Jasie & Sophie different from each other?