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MP Board Class 11th English A Voyage Solutions Chapter 22 A Pair of Mustachios (Mulk Raj Anand)
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A Pair of Mustachios Textual Exercises
Word Power
(A) Fill in the blanks with the words given below:
(descent, surly, conventions, vandalism, malicious, amenable, memento, mortgage, imposter, headlong)
1. Young boys enjoy flouting …………. these days.
2. I have applied to the bank for a …………. on my house.
3. I bought a statuette as a …………. on my trip to Khajuraho.
4. He spread …………. gossip against me.
5. Every man in that locality is proud of his royal …………..
6. Look at that man. He is not a real constable. He is a …………..
7. The boy is …………. He won’t listen to any body’s advice.
8. She was very…………..to my idea of leaving the house.
9. The man glanced me with a …………. look. I did not like it.
10. The boy died in the hospital due to the doctor’s negligence. The next day it became the target of irate crowd’s ………….
Answer:
- conventions
- mortgage
- memento
- malicious
- descent
- imposter
- head strong
- amenable
- surly
- vandalism
Satire is a literary work, in verse or prose, in which the author redicules some human folly or vice. The essence of satire is revelation of the contrast between reality and presence. Satire involves three elements-attack, laughter and morality. In satire, humour and irony are clearly perceptible elements.
(B) Assess the story as a modern satire.
Answer:
The story of ‘A Pair of Mustachios’ is a perfect satire. Mulk Raj Anand, a novelist of the common man, has observed the society of India with a keen eye. He, in his novels and stories has presented the real India. There are the people of so varied sentiments in our society that it often becomes very troublesome to deal with all of them in an equal manner. People nourish their pride and prejudice in their own way.
Someone wears false predicament status and lineage. With the change of time, society has changed a lot. People are not the same as they had been. The families of zamindars, feudals, rajas and the so-called high class of people are not in the same position as their ancestors had enjoyed. Some people have changed themselves with the changing time. Still there are some who live with their false notion and pose to maintain the same status and wish the people should treat them as the society had treated with their ancestors.
Comprehension
(A) Answer the following questions in 4 or 5 sentences each:
Question 1.
What kinds of mustachios has the author described? Name the classes of people who can wear them.
Answer:
The author had described different kinds of mustachios worn in our country. There are Chinese, American and English type of mustachios. There are also lion mustache, tiger mustache, goat mustache, sheep mustache, Charlie Chaplin and Curzon-cut mustache. These types symbolize the people who wear them. For example-lion mustache is for rajas and maharajas and nawabs, tiger mustache is for the feudal gentry, goat mustache for business – class, Chaplin – cut for lower middle class and Curzon -cut sahibs and barristers.
Question 2.
What did the village people say about Khan Azam Khan’s descent?
Answer:
Khan Azan Khan, living in a old dilapidated Mughal style house, claims himself to be a descendant from an ancient Afghan family. The villagers like landlords, moneylenders say that Khan was an imposter and all his talk about his blue blood was merely the bluff of the rascal. Some others like priests of the temple consider that Khan’s ancestors were certainly attached to the court of the great Mughals but only as mental workers.
Question 3.
Describe in brief, Khan Azam Khan’s financial condition?
Answer:
Khan Azam Khan lived in ah old dilapidated Mughal style house.
He had only a few remnants of a gold brocaded waist-coat. He had lost all his land. His financial position was very poor. He had a few ornaments which he used to pawn to maintain his household.
Question 4.
Why did Khan Azam Khan accept the value the grocer put on his wife’s nose-ring?
Answer:
Azam Khan accepted the value what the grocer put on his wife’s nose-ring because Khan’s concern to the lowering of grocer’s mustache became prominent. He agreed to accept any value to see grocer’s mustache down.
Question 5.
What did the grocer say when Azam Khan told him to bring the other tip of his mustache down?
Answer:
The grocer was a very clever person. In order to satisfy Azam Khan he lowered the tip of his mustache. After the deal was finalized Azam Khan saw it was only the tip of one side lowered. So he asked the grocer to lower down the other side of his mustache also down. The grocer said whenever he (Azam Khan) would come for another deal, he (the grocer) would lower down the other tip also.
Question 6.
On what condition was the grocer ready to bring both the tips of his mustache down?
Answer:
Azan Khan was adamant to see the both the tips of grocer’s mustache down. The grocer tried to bring Khan to his senses. But Khan was in no mood to compromise. Then the grocer said that he wouldn’t do even if Khan pawned all the jewellery, he possessed to him.
Question 7.
Why did the villagers laugh when Azan Khan walked away?
Answer:
At Least Khan was ready to lose all his remaining worldly possessions, his pots and pans, his clothes, even his houses – just to see the ‘ grocer’s mustache down. Now the grocer was ready to lower down his mustache by accepting the deal. Khan lost everything whatever he had.When he walked away saying ‘My father was a Sultan’, the villagers laughed at his foolishness and false notion.
(B) Answer the following questions in about 150 words:
Question 1.
“Khan Azam Khan’s pride was greatly in excess of his present possessions”. Explain.
Answer:
Khan Azam Khan is a typical character who represents a man living with his ruined pride. He lives in an old dilapidates Mughal style house. He claims himself to be a descendent from an ancient Afghan family whose heads were nobleman and councillors in the court of the great Mughals. He wears a tiger-mustache and remains adorned with faded remnants gold- brocaded waist-coat. He hasn’t even a patch of land left. The village people have different opinion about Khan.
The landlord of the village and the moneylender don’t approve of Khan’s claims. For them Khan is bluffing the people. The priest thinks that Khan’s family was attached to great Mughals not as courtiers but as menial workers. Whatever the fact was one thing appears to be a fact that they were jealous of Khan’s pride. He obviously loves his stately ruins and his old privileges. He takes all care to protect his pride and every sacred brick of his tottering house.
But in the changed situation Khan’s pride is greatly in excess of his present possessions. He has lost everything-land and jewellery. Still he wants people to honour him as a descent of a great family. He goes to the moneylender to pawn his wife’s nose-ring. But more than that he shows his concern to see file moneylender’s mustache down. This deal makes him lose all what he has. But he is happy that he has brought moneylender down to his position. It was just a false notion of a foolish man who fails to change himself with the time.
Question 2.
Write a character sketch of Ramanand, the grocer.
Answer:
Seth Ramanand is an important character of the story. He is the grocer and moneylender of the village. He is a veteran businessman. He has been doing well out of the recent fall on the price of wheat by buying of whole crop cheap from the hard-pressed regions and then selling them at higher prices. This has raised his position and so he has given a twist in the style of his Mustache. The whole of the village is obliged to Ramanand either because they owe him interest a loan or an installment on a mortgage of jewellery or land. He treats them all very tactfully. He deals with Azam Khan very respectfully.
He also wants to satisfy him in all the way only because he has to do a business with him. He even tolerates Khan’s idiotic behaviour till last. But when it is too much he even then does not lose his temper. To solve the problem amicably he puts a condition. Khan loses all his remaining possessions. Seth Ramanand gains a lot out of the foolishness of Khan. Seth Ramanand knows all the tricks of business. He has patience, nobility, ability, submission and maturity. He deals every situation very wisely. He is a perfect businessman who knows to change his colour with every customer.
Question 3.
Justify Khan Azam Khan’s action. Give reason for your opinion.
Answer:
Khan Azam Khan represents feudal mentality for him everyman is not equal. Khan thinks that a grocer has no right to wear a tiger-mustache which is the symbol of feudalism. Persons like Seth Ramanand have no
right to wear such mustache. They are only entitled to a goat-mustache. As Ramanand has flourished a business, he gives a twist to his mustache in such a way that it is semi-tiger-mustache. Nobody takes notice of it because the whole of die village people is obliged to Seth Ramanand.
But for Azam Khan it is unbearable. Without realizing Seth’s obligations he asks way, but Khan is furious. It makes him lose all his remaining possessions. But he is satisfied at his dealing. It is in no way appreciating. It is just a foolish notion and pride which make him do that. Every man should team to adjust with the changing time. If one fails to do so he is sure to face adverse situation and fate as Azam Khan has met with.
A Pair of Mustachios Summary in English
‘A Pair of Mustachios’ is a thought-provoking story told in a humorous way by Mulk Raj Anand. It focuses on false motives of people to which they attach themselves to appease their false sentiments. The story can be understood in two parts. In the first part the story teller tells about the types of mustachios popular in our country. In the second part the writer tells us a person’s false notions about his decency.
As the writer says there are various kinds of mustachios worn in our country. Someone wear Chinese type, someone American and someone English. Someone keeps it in a convenient way, someone in a fashionable way. Whatever the type be one thing is certain that it symbolises one’s pride and prejudice. The lion mustache symbolises one’s pride of Maharaja type sentiment. Man with such mustache always tries to pose himself to be Raja, Maharaja, Nawab or a great emperor.
The tiger type mustache symbolises the ranks of the feudal gentry who has nothing left but the pride in their neatness and a few mementos of past glories. Then there is goat mustache worn by commercial bourgeoisie and the shopkeeper class. Charlie Chaplin mustache is for lower middle class, clerks and professionals who are of compromising nature between the traditional full mustache and the class- shaven. Curzon-cut mustache is often worn by the sahibs and the barristers. Some other type like sheep mustache is worn by coolie and the lower order while the mouse mustache is worn by the peasants. It has often been seen that there is a tendency to prove oneself superior to others on the basis of the style of mustache.
The writer presents an interesting story in order to satirise the false notion of the people. There was a grocer-cum-moneylender said Ramanand in .the village. He was carrying brisk business. His goat mustache was a mark of his position. But his mustache was trimmed in such a fashion at the tips that they look nearly like a tiger mustache. Nobody seemed to mind it. One day Khan Azam Khan, middle-aged handsome and dignified person with a tiger mustache came to Seth Ramanand. Azam Khan always claimed himself to be a descent from an ancient Afghan family which handed noblemen and councillors in the court of the great Mughals. He had come to the Seth to pawn his wife’s gold nose ring. He noticed the upturning tendency of the hair of Ramanand’s goat mustache.
So first he asked Ramanand to turn his mustache down. After a little discussion the veteran Seth did as Khan wanted. Then the negotiation of the business was finalised. Seth Ramanand told Azam Khan that he had humbled himself because Khan was doing business with him. Otherwise he was not a mere worm. Khan was still not satisfied because he saw Seth had tricked him by lowering only one side of his mustache. Khan wanted the other side to be down also. It made moneylender impatient now. However he assumed Azam Khan to lower his other side also when he would come again. Then the Khan left his shop.
But Khan was not yet satisfied. He could not quell his pride, the pride of the generations of his ancestors who had worn the tiger mustache as a mark of a position. To see the symbol of his honour imitated by a grocer was too much for him. He went home and fetched a necklace which had down to his family through seven generations. He placed it before the grocer and asked him to bring the tip of his mustache down. The grocer replied that he would first do a business. Khan was ready to pawn the necklace of any price because his main concern was the tip of the grocer’s mustache. However the business was settled. But as Khan walked away he turned and saw the moneylender’s mustaches were upturned in the way as that of the Khan. Khan became furious. The grocer wanted to bring him to his senses.
But he was not ready to compromise. Khan wanted grocer’s mustache down. Then the moneylender was also adamant not to do so even. He said that he would not do so even if Khan pawned all the jewellery he possessed. Khan was ready to sacrifice all his possessions, positions, pots and pans, his clothes and even his house just to see grocer’s mustache down. The grocer was ready to accept the bargain. The landlord and some other persons also heard it and they were ready to stand with the grocer. Azam Khan lost everything just to appease his false feudal sentiments. Simply he uttered ‘my father was a Sultan’. Now he had become a pauper.
A Pair of Mustachios Summary in Hindi
‘A Pair of mustachios’ एक विचारोत्तेजक कहानी है जो मुल्कराज आनंद द्वारा विनोदप्रिय ढंग से कही गयी है। यह लोगों के भ्रमक विचारों को उजागर करती है, जिससे लोग अपने को सिर्फ झूठी भावना की तुष्टि के लिए जोड़ लेते हैं। कहानी को दो अलग-अलग भागों में समझा जा सकता है। पहले भाग में कहानी का अर्थ अपने देश में प्रचलित मूछों के प्रकार के बारे में बताता है। दूसरे भाग में लेखक लोगों के अपने वंश के प्रति भ्रामक लगाव के बारे में बताता है। लेखक के अनुसार हमारे देश में तरह-तरह की मूळं रखी जाती हैं। कोई चीनी, कोई अमेरिकी और कोई अंग्रेजी मूंछे रखता है।
कोई इसे सामान्य ढंग से रखता है, कोई फैशनेबल ढंग से। प्रकार चाहे जो भी हो, इतना निश्चित है कि यह किसी व्यक्ति के गौरव और धारणा का प्रतीक है। सिंह मूंछ किसी की महाराजा वाली भावना के गौरव का प्रतीक है। इस तरह के लोग अपने-अपने राजा-महाराजा, नवाब या महान शासक के हाव-भाव दिखाते हैं। बाघ जैसी मूंछ सामंती सैनिक वर्ग का प्रतीक है, जिसके पास और कुछ नहीं बचा है लेकिन उनकी महानता का गौरव और प्राचीन प्रतिष्ठा का कुछ नमूना शेष बचा है। उसके बाद बकरों जैसी मूंछे होती हैं जिसे व्यापारी वर्ग या दुकानदार रखते हैं। चार्ली चैपलिन जैसी मूछे निम्न मध्यम वर्ग के लड़के, और नौकरी-पेशा वाले रखते हैं, जो पारंपरिक और सफाचट दोनों के बीच सामंजस्य रखते हैं। कर्जन-कट मूंछ प्रायः साहिबों और वकीलों द्वारा रखी जाती है।
कुछ अन्य प्रकारों में भेड़ जैसी मूंछे कुलियों और निम्न वर्ग के लोगों द्वारा रखी जाती हैं जबकि चूहों जैसी मूंछे किसानों द्वारा रखी जाती हैं। प्राय: देखा जाता है कि मूछों के आधार पर लोगों में हमेशा अपने को दूसरे से ऊँचा दिखाने की प्रवृत्ति होती है। कहानीकार लोगों के भ्रामक विचारों को उजागर करते हुए एक व्यंग्यात्मक कहानी कहता है। उसके गांव में रमानंद नाम का बनिया साहूकार था। उसका व्यापार तेजी से चल रहा था। उसकी बकरे जैसी मूंछ उसी हैसियत का सूचक था। लेकिन उसकी मूंछ इस तरह ऐंठी हुई थी कि वह लगभग बाघ जैसी मूंछ लगती थी। किसी ने इस पर कोई ध्यान नहीं दिया। एक दिन अधेड़ उम्र के प्रतिष्ठित व्यक्ति खान आजम खान जिनकी बाध जैसी मूछे थीं, सेठ रामानंद के पास आए।
आजम खान हमेशा अपने को एक प्राचीन अफगान परिवार जो महान मुगलों के नवाबों और सलाहकारों का प्रधान हुआ करता था, का वंशज मानते थे। वह अपनी पत्नी की सोने की नथ (नाक में पहनने वाला जेवर) गिरवी रखने आए थे। उसने रामानंद के बकरे जैसी मूंछों के बाल को ऊपर की ओर मुड़ने की प्रवृत्ति देख ली। इसीलिए उसने पहले रामानंद को अपनी मूंछे नीचे करने को कहा। थोड़े विवाद के बाद चालाक सेठ ने वही किया जैसा खान चाहता था। फिर सौदों की बात तय हुई। सेठ रामानंद ने आजम खान से कहा कि वह उसके सामने इसीलिए झुका क्योंकि उसे उसके साथ सौदा करना था। वर्ना वह भी कोई निरीह कीड़ा-मकोड़ा नहीं है। खान अभी भी संतुष्ट नहीं था क्योंकि उसने देखा कि सेठ ने चालाकी से केवल एक तरफ की मूंछ नीचे की थी। खान दूसरी तरफ की मूंछ भी नीची देखना चाहता था। इससे साहुकार का धैर्य जाता रहा। हालांकि उसने खान से वादा किया कि जब वह दूसरी बार उसके पास आएगा तो वह अपनी मूंछे पूरी तरह नीची कर लेगा। तब खान उसकी दुकान से चला गया। लेकिन आजम खान अभी-भी संतुष्ट नहीं था।
वह अपने घमंड, अपने उन पुरखों का घमंड जो हमेशा अपनी प्रतिष्ठा में बाघ जैसी मूंछे रखते थे, को छिपा नहीं पाया। अपनी इज्जत के प्रतीक को एक साहूकार द्वारा नकल किया जाता देखना उसके लिए असहनीय था। वह घर गया और एक गले का हार, जो सात पुश्तों से उसके परिवार की धरोहर था, लेकर आया। उसने इसे साहूकार के आगे रखा और उससे अपनी मूंछे नीची करने को कहा। साहुकार ने कहा कि पहले वह सौदा कर ले। खान किसी भी कीमत पर हार गिरवी रखने र्की तैयार था, क्योंकि उसका मुख्य उद्देश्य साहूकार की मूंछ को नीचे देखना था। किसी तरह सौदा तय हो गया। लेकिन जैसे ही खान वहां से निकला, फिर उसने वापस मुड़कर देखा कि साहूकार की मूंछे ऊपर की ओर तनी हुई हैं।
खान आगबबूला हो गया। साहूकार ने उसे बहुत समझाया। लेकिन वह मानने को तैयार नहीं था। खान साहूकार की मूंछे नीची देखना चाहता था। तब साहूकार भी अड़ गया। वह ऐसा करने को तैयार नहीं था यदि खान अपने सारे गहने गिरवी रख दे तो भी। तब खान अपनी सारी संपत्ति, प्रतिष्ठा, बर्तन, कपड़े और अपना घर भी सिर्फ साहूकार की मूंछे नीची देखने के लिए कुर्बान करने को तैयार हो गया। साहूकार ने यह मोल-भाव झट से मान लिया। जमींदार और कुछ और भी लोग इसे सुनकर साहूकार का साथ देने को तैयार हो गए। आजम खान ने अपनी झठी सामंती प्रतिष्ठा की तुष्टि के लिए अपना सबकुछ खो दिया। वह सिर्फ धीरे से बुदबुदाया. “मेरे पिता एक सुल्तान थे।” अब वह कंगाल बन गया।
A Pair of Mustachios Word Meanings
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