Oru Manushyan - 1st PUC English Textbook Solutions

Oru Manushyan

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer

SUMMARY

This story has been written by Vaikom Mohammed Basheer. The narrator in this story is living one thousand five hundred miles away from his home. He was working as a teacher. He was teaching English to migrant laborers. He was teaching to write address in English. He had saved fourteen rupees from his earnings. He was getting up every day at 4 pm to save the expenses on morning tea and noon meal. One day he got up in the evening and went to a restaurant. He ate chapatti and meat curry and drank tea. But he could not pay the bill of eleven Annas because someone had picked his wallet. But the owner of the restaurant did not believe him. He asked him to to take off his clothes one by one. But the narrator could not take off his trousers because he had nothing on underneath. Every one demanded to take off the trouser but one tall man with a red turban came to his help. He paid the bill, took the narrator to a bridge outside the town and returned his wallet. He was the thief.

Answer the following questions in a word or sentence each.

How far was the big city from the narrator’s home?

Ans: - Some thousand five hundred miles.

What was the traditional profession of the people in the story ‘Oru Manushyan’?

Ans: - By tradition the people were professional soldiers.

How were the inhabitants in the story Oru - Manushyan?

Ans: - Never known for quality of mercy and were cruel people.

What was valued much by the people?

Ans: - Money was highly valued by them.

Where did the narrator stay in the big city?

Ans: - Stayed in a very small, dingy room on a dirty street.

What was the profession of the narrator?

Ans: - Teaching English to some migrant labourers.

Which skill was taught by the narrator in the story?

Ans: - The skill of writing addresses in English.

What was the working hours of the narrator?

Ans: - From 9:30 till 11:00 in the night.

What amount was paid to people for writing postal addresses at the post office?

Ans: - Between one Anna and 4 Annas.

What time did the narrator wake up every day?

Ans: - Wake up at 4 in the evening.

How much money did the narrator had in his wallet?

Ans: - 14 rupees.

Where did the narrator go to take his meal?

Ans: - In a crowded restaurant.

What did the narrator order in his meals at the restaurant?

Ans: - Full meals consisting of chapattis and meat curry and tea as well.

Why did the narrator begin to sweat profusely in the restaurant?

Ans: - As the narrator put his hands in the pocket he realized that his wallet was missing.

Answer the following questions in a paragraph of 80-100 words.

Sketch the character of strange man.

Ans: - The strange man was fair complexion. He had six foot tall. He had wearied with a red turban and white trousers. He had a handle- bar moustache and had blue eyes. He had avoided the shamefulness of removing the trousers for paid amount for a meal and a tea. He had paid the money to the restaurant keeper. He took the narrator to the deserted bridge and requested him not to say any one if they ask him whether he had seen him. He even gave his wallet along with his money. He was appeared to a human being while compare to all civilized person of the city. All citizens are treated him inhumanly. But the stranger treated him humanly as a good being. Instead of a pickpocketed he is absorbed human being.

Describe the people and the place where the incident took place.

Ans: - In a faraway big city in the valley of mountain the narrator stayed in a small and shabby room on a dirty street. Here the narrator had a profession of teaching English to migrant laborers. They were cruel people. Murder, robbery, pick-pocketing were daily occurrences. By traditions they were professional soldiers. Some of them went to distant places and lent out money on interest. Many others served as watchman in banks, mills and large commercial establishments in big cities. Money was highly valued by them. For money they would do anything. They hey would ready to commit murder for money.

Give an account of the embracing experience of the narrator at the restaurant.

Ans: - one day the narrator as usual got up at 4 p. m and went out for a meal. He carried a wallet consists of fourteen rupees. He ate a full meal and he drank a tea. The bill was eleven Annas. While he put his hand in a coat pocket to pay for it, he was really swatting because his wallet was not there in a coat. He told to this to the restaurant owner. He caught his coat lapels and cried that to pay the amount without played any tricks. All the people around him looked him like a hungry wolf. In the meantime, the restaurant keeper forced him to remove his coat, shirt and even his trousers also. It was great embracing movement to the narrator.

What was the routine of the narrator in the city?

Ans: - The narrator stayed in a small, dingy room on a dirty street. He made his living by teaching English to some migrant laborers from 9:30 to 11 in the night. He taught them to write the addresses in English. Just to avoid the expense of morning tea and afternoon meals, he slept whole day and woke up only at four in the evening. This was his daily routine.

III. Answer the following questions in 200 words.

Does this story talk about transformation in a person? Discuss.

Ans: - Yes, this story is about the transformation of a pick-pocketer into a more considerate and humane person. The author in a far off place from his native land is struggling to earn his bread. Sometimes he foregoes his morning tea and afternoon lunch to cut his expenses. It so happens one evening after consuming a full meal and a cup of tea he realizes that his wallet that contained fourteen rupees was missing. This was followed by threats from the restaurant keeper. When he was on the edge of getting stripped, a fair complexioned man, six-foot-tall, with a red turban and white trousers with blue eyes and handle-bar moustache appeared as a God-man to save him. He pays the eleven Annas and takes the author to a deserted bridge. There he asks him to pick his wallet among the five wallets he had flicked.

Do you think the restaurant keeper was over reacting when the narrator could not pay the bill? If so, what accounts for his behavior?

Ans: - The inhabitants of the big city in the valley of a mountain were cruel and known for robbery, pick-pocketing and murder. Money was highly valued by them. They would even commit murder for money. It so happened that the narrator took up a profession of teaching English to migrant laborers in that place. To save the expense he would forego his morning tea and noon lunch. One evening as usual he went to a crowded restaurant and ate a full meal and drank tea. But to his horror he realizes his wallet has been picked by someone. He conveys to the owner of the restaurant about the same. The restaurant keeper with a loud laughter caught him by the lapels of his coat and cried out loudly saying that such tricks would not work there and if he fails to pay the bill, his eyes would be gouged out. Here the restaurant keeper was a little over reacting and drawing the attention of the crowd. He was rude and his act was a humiliating one when he decided to strip the author and gouge his eyes.