Unit 2 Chapter 1

And then Gandhi Came (Essay)

Textual Questions and Answers

Question 1.
What is referred to as the ‘ail powerful monster’?
Answer:
The anger, humiliation and hopelessness felt by the Indian people after World War I was the ‘all
powerful monster’ and they could not escape from its grip.

Question 2.
What was the impact of the First World War?
Answer:
The First World War had a terrible impact on the Indian people as they were cut off from the land and
could not do any kind of manual or technical work. This resulted in growing unemployment and
poverty and the people felt helpless and hopeless.

Question 3.
What does Nehru mean by ‘And then Gandhi came…’?
Answer:
The Indians were in a state of darkness because of their hopelessness and they had no one to guide
them. It was at this point that Gandhi came into their lives and gave them hope and showed them a
way out of the darkness.

Question 4.
What was the essence of Gandhi’s teaching?
Answer:
The essence of his teaching was fearlessness and truth. He wanted all actions to be controlled by
these values so as to help the common people. He also said that people should not be exploited,
especially the peasants and the workers, as this resulted in poverty and misery.

Question 5.
What does the word ‘abhaya’ mean?
Answer:
‘Abhaya’ means fearlessness. It does not mean just physical courage but the absence of fear from
the mind.

Question 6.
What did Gandhiji exhort the people to do?
Answer:
Gandhiji exhorted the people not to be afraid. The British ruled India through putting fear into people –
fear of the army, the police, the secret service, the official class, laws, prison, landlord’s agent,
moneylender, unemployment and starvation. Gandhi wanted to remove this fear.
Question 7.
What did Gandhiji do to remove fear from the minds of the people?
Answer:
He told the people not to be afraid. Fear builds its ghosts which are more fearsome than reality itself.
When reality is calmly analysed and its consequences willing accepted, fear goes away. Suddenly the
black film of fear was removed from the people’s minds. The need for falsehood and secretive
behaviour was lessened.

Question 8.
Why was Gandhiji compared to a psychologist?
Answer:
Gandhiji was compared to a psychologist because he brought a psychological change in people. A
psychologist probes deep into the patient’s past to find out the origins of his complexes. Gandhiji did
the same. He probed deep into the minds of Indians and exposed the needlessness of fear. They
were made to feel ashamed for accepting an alien rule that had degraded and humiliated them. They
were now filled with a desire not to submit to the repressive rule any longer.

Question 10.
What, according to Gandhiji, is the truth?
Answer:
Truths are relative and absolute truth is beyond us. Different persons take different views of truth and
each person is powerfully influenced by his own background, training, and impulses. Gandhi believed
that truth is what an individual himself feels and knows to be true.

Question 11.
How did Gandhiji influence the people of India?
Answer:
Gandhi influenced the people of India in different degrees. Some people changed completely. Some
changed only partly. Different people reacted differently. But everyone was influenced one way or the
other.

Question 12.
What was the two-fold action involved in Gandhiji’s exhortation?
Answer:
One action involved challenging and resisting foreign rule. The other action involved fighting against
our own social evils like untouchability and differentiation of social classes.

Question 13.
What was the visible change in the value system of the country?
Answer:
Gandhi wanted people to give up their titles given by the British. Although not many people gave up
their titles, the prestige associated with the titles lessened. The pomp and splendour associated with
the viceroy’s court was seen as foolish. Rich men were now not anxious to show off their riches any
more. They adopted simpler ways of dressing and became almost indistinguishable from the common
people.
Question 14.
What was the influence of Gandhiji in the villages?
Answer:
Gandhiji sent leaders to the villages to awaken the peasants. The peasants were shaken up and
began to come out of their shell.

Question 15.
What was the India of Gandhi’s dream?
Answer:
He wanted an India where the poorest should feel that it was their country. They should have an
effective voice in the ruling. He wanted India not to have class distinctions. He wanted India to be a
place whew people lived in perfect harmony. There was no room for untouchability, intoxicating drinks
and drugs. Women were to have equal rights with men.

Question 16.
What, according to Gandhiji, was the essential culture of India?
Answer:
Indian culture, according to Gandhiji, is neither Hindu nor Islamic but a fusion of all. Although proud of
his Hindu inheritance, Gandhiji tried to give Hinduism a kind of universal attire that included all
religions within the fold of truth. He refused to narrow his cultural inheritance.

Question 17.
What was the psychological revolution that Gandhiji brought about?
Answer:
Gandhiji was an astonishingly vital man full of self-confidence and unusual kind of power. He
fascinated the masses of India as he stood for equality and freedom of each individual. He attracted
them like a magnet. To them he seemed to link up the past with the future and make the bad present
appear as a stepping stone for a future of life and hope.

Activity -1 (Note making)

Question 1.
Make a note of the above passage. Read the passage again and complete the following:
Answer:
The

uncertain Humiliation Unemployment

condition of Poverty Desperation

India

Saw political freedom taking a

new shape. Removed the black

The arrival of pall of fear. Truth followed

Gandhiji fearlessness. People wanted

freedom. Villagers were made

aware of the exploitation.

Fearlessness Truth Giving up

His teachings
British given titles Non-violence
and methods
Non-cooperation

Challenging and resisting foreign

rule. Fighting against our own

His two fold
social evils: Minority problem.
action
Raising Depressed classes.

Removing Untouchability.

The molding Even the poorest shall feel that it

of India is their own country.

According to All communities shall live in

Gandhi’s perfect harmony.

There will be no class

Wishes and
distinctions. No untouchability, no
ideas
intoxicating drinks and drugs.

The amazing Full of confidence Unusual kind

qualities of of power Astonishingly vital

Gandhiji Exemplary leadership

Activity – II (Think and Write)

Question 2.
How did Gandhi enlighten the freedom fighters? What kind of a leadership did Gandhiji take? What
was the effect of his leadership? (Answer in a paragraph of 100 words.)
Answer:
When Gandhi came India was in a bad shape. Humiliation, unemployment, poverty and desperation
were everywhere. When Gandhiji came things changed. Through his confidence, unusual power,
astonishing vitality and exemplary leadership, Gandhi influenced millions of people in India in varying
degrees. Some changed completely; others were affected only partly. His call for action was two-fold.
One involved in challenging and resisting foreign rule. The other was fighting against our own social
evils. His principal aims were freedom through peaceful means, national unity, solution of minority
problems, improvement of the depressed classes and the ending of untouchability. The effect of his
leadership was electrifying. People were no more willing to suffer under foreign domination. They
wanted freedom and they were willing to make any sacrifice for it.

Activity – III: (Speech)

Question 3.
In connection with Gandhi Jayanthi, your school is organizing a programme to propagate the
relevance of Gandhian values in the present day. Prepare and deliver a speech before the class.
(Hints: peace, fearlessness, truthfulness, influence.)
Answer:
My dear friends,
As you all know, today we are celebrating Gandhi Jayanthi. We are proud that a man like Gandhiji
was born in India and he is our Father of the Nation. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in
Porbandar in Gujarat on October 2, 1869. He was educated in law at University College, London. In
1891, after having been admitted to the British bar, Gandhi returned to India and attempted to
establish a law practice in Bombay. Two years later he went to Durban, South Africa, as a legal
advisor. Arriving in Durban, Gandhi found himself treated as a member of an inferior race. He was
appalled at the widespread denial of civil liberties and political rights to Indian immigrants to South
Africa. He threw himself into the struggle for elementary rights for Indians. Later he returned to India
and fought for India’s freedom which finally came on 15 August 1947.

Gandhi is man of peace. He always advocated non-violence. He was known for his fearlessness.
That is why he could fight with a mighty power like the British. He was always guided by truthfulness.
He influenced millions of people in India in varying degrees. Some changed completely; others were
affected only partly. Different people reacted differently and each one had his own answer about the
change. His call for action was two-fold. One involved in challenging and resisting foreign rule. The
other was fighting against our own social evils. His principal aims were freedom through peaceful
means, national unity, solution of minority problems, improvement of the depressed classes and the
ending of untouchability.

Gandhi was not just a national figure but an international one. In 1948 he was killed by a fanatic
named Nathuram Godse. When he died, Nehru said that The light has gone away from India’. On the
70th birthday of Gandhiji, in 1939, this is what Albert Einstein said about him: “Generations to come, it
may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this, ever in flesh and blood, walked upon this earth.

As we celebrate Gandhi Jayanthi, we us pledge that we will follow the path of peace, fearlessness,
truthfulness and tolerance which guided Ganhiji all his life. That is the greatest tribute we can pay
him. Jai Hind!

Activity – IV (Group Discussion)

Question 4.
‘Women will enjoy the same rights as men … This is the India of my dreams’, Gandhi said. Conduct a
group discussion on the topic.
Answer:
Today we are going to have a discussion on equal rights for men and women. Neha, you can start.

Neha : Gandhiji has rightly said that women should enjoy the same rights as men. This is still a dream
in India after 68 years of independence. Women form 50 % of the population and by denying them
their rights we are obstructing the development of the country. Women should have equal rights as
men.

Riya : I agree with Neha that women need equal rights and opportunities for growth .Only when
women are treated at par with men the country develop. You can see that all the developed nations in
the world treat their citizens equally whether they are male or female. It shows that the a country’s
progress depends on all its citizens.
John : I would like to disagree with the view. Men and women have not been created the same. So
they do not have to be treated equally. Men are physically stronger than women. They can do
strenuous work which women cannot do. So as they are more powerful physically they should not be
treated the same as women.

Abraham : Though I agree with John that men are physically stronger than women, I do not think that
women are inferior to men. God has given different faculties to each person. Women are adept in
certain areas like nursing, education, childcare as they are more sensitive. So men and women may
be different but they have skills and mental faculties unique to each gender so all people in a country
should have equal rights.

Neha : I would fully agree with Abraham. Women should enjoy the same rights as men. This was
Ganhiji’s dream and we ought to do whatever we can to realise his dream.

Activity – V (Letter to the Editor)

Question 5.
Read the sample letter on below:
Refer to three national dailies of a week and analyse how the issues related to women are presented.

Question 6.
Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, about the way in which women’s issues are presented.
Answer:
From
Riya Binoy
Thekkudan House
Irinjalakuda, Thrissur Dt.
Pin 680125
31st July 2014

To
The Editor
The Dawn
Kochi

Sir,
I would like to use your esteemed paper to shed some light on the way women’s issues are presented
in our national dailies. Each Newspaper has its own style of presenting news. Some newspapers like
to sensationalise things. They blow up every minute detail of the sordid stories related to women
trying to increase readership and sales by playing to the fantasies of their readers. There are other
papers who project the women as the cause for the trouble and treat the issue in a heartless manner
causing undue pain and humiliation to the victims of abuse. Instead of sensitizing the public to the
issues faced by women and ways to combat them, newspapers seem to thrive like parasites on the
unhappiness and misery of women. It is high time that issues related to women are treated in a
sensitive way. Newspapers should ensure that a woman’s dignity and reputation is not hurt in any
manner and they should be agents of change, educating the public in treating women with the respect
they deserve.

Yours truly,
(Sd /-)
Riya Binoy

Activity – VI (Concord)

Concord means agreement between the subject and the verb in a sentence. A singular subject takes
a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb. Study the language tips.

• When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by either…or, neither…nor, etc., the verb
agrees with the subject nearer to it.
e.g. Ram or his brothers go home every month.
• When two subjects are joined by ‘as well as,’ ‘more than,’ and ‘as much as,’ the verb agrees with
the first subject.
e.g. The girls, as well as their teacher, have left.
• When two subjects are joined by ‘with,’ ‘along with,’ ‘together with,’ ‘in the company of,’ ‘in
addition to,’ ‘besides,’ ‘accompanied by,’ etc., the verb agrees with the first subject.
e.g. My friend, with all his students, has arrived.
• One of/each of/every one of/either/neither of + plural noun (pronoun) carries a singular verb.
e.g. One of the players was selected for the national team.
• When every or each is used with two singular subjects connected by and, we use a singular verb.
e.g. Every school and college has a playground.
• A (good/great) deal (of) + singular noun + singular verb.
e.g. A good deal of time was wasted on this case.
• When ‘one’ means ‘anyone’, ‘everyone’, it is called the ‘indefinite one.’ The indefinite one is not
usually replaced by any
other pronoun.
e.g. One should do one’s duty for one’s country.
 • Expressions like ‘five pounds’, ‘ten rupees’, ‘two weeks’, ‘three miles’, etc. are singular when they
are thought of as indicating a single amount, period or distance.
e.g. Five rupees is not a big sum.
Three weeks is not a long time.
• ‘A lot (of)’ takes a singular verb when it denotes amount, and a plural verb when it denotes
number.
e.g. A lot of money is spent on construction.
A lot of petitions have been received.
• Nouns like ‘furniture, machinery, equipment, traffic, luggage, crockery, cutlery, clothing’, etc. are
called class collectives. Though plural in meaning, they are singular in form, and are followed by
singular verbs.
e.g. The furniture was bought from Italy.
• Plural words and phrases used as the titles of books take singular verbs.
e.g. Great Expectations is one of Dickens’ great novels.
• The determiners ‘this’ and ‘that’ go with singular nouns, and ‘these’ and ‘those’ with plural nouns.
e.g. This girl speaks English better than these boys.

Question 7.
Choose the correct alternative.
Answer:
1. Either Rajesh or his friends have come, (has, have)
2. Neither of us likes coffee, (likes, like)
3. The boy, along with the tourists, has gone, (has, have)
4. Five miles is not a short distance, (are, is)
5. Everyone of you has to attend the meeting, (have, has)

Question 8.
Correct the following sentences.
Answer:
1. Each of the employees is working hard.
2. One of the students is absent today.
3. Neither Lai nor his relatives have arrived.
4. One of us has bought a globe.
5. Neither the man nor his wife is very careful.
6. The books placed on the table need binding.
7. There are a lot of people waiting outside.
8. The police is closely watching all his movements.
9. The price of vegetables is going up.
10. Keep all the luggage in the cloak room, (note: Luggage is a class collective and so does not take
‘s’.)

Activity – VII ( Word finder)

Question 9.
Let’s see how the meaning of the word ‘ pierce’ is given in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.
What are the items given in this entry?

• Spelling
• Pronunciation /………./
• ……………………..
 • ……………………..
• ……………………..

Answer:

• Spelling
• Pronunciation /pjbs/
• Meaning and word class or part of speech
• An example to show the usage
• Other meanings, examples and parts of speech.

Question 10.
The words given below are taken from the passage.
Refer to a dictionary and find out the meaning and the parts of speech of the following words and
make your own sentences.

Word Part of speech Meaning Sentences

convince

pervasive

attires

dismal

vicious

Answer:

Part of
Word Meaning Sentence
speech

Make My brother was

convince verb somebody feel convinced by

certain Ram’s story.

 Spread Corruption is

Pervasive adjective through every pervasive in the

part world today.

The girls went to

Attires noun dress hotel in their

party attires.

Sad; gloomy; The movie was

Dismal adjective
miserable a dismal one.

Drugs are

Evil and vicious and they

Vicious adjective
corrupt finally lead

people to death.

Read and Reflect

The ties of human relationships are very strong. They are so complex that we can’t explain them.
Words and deeds have a comforting effect and they strengthen relationships. The following story
shows the power of words.

And Then Gandhi Came About the Author:

– Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was the first Prime Minister of India. He
promoted democracy, socialism, secularism and unity. He adapted modern values to the Indian
situation. He was a great writer and he wrote world-famous books like The Discovery of India’,
‘Glimpses of World History’ and ‘An Autobiography’. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s
highest civilian honour.

And Then Gandhi Came Summary

World War I finally ended. But the peace, instead of bringing us relief and progress, brought us
repressive legislation and martial law in the Punjab. People felt humiliated and were angry. Yet what
could we do to change this vicious process? We seemed to be in the grip of some powerful monster.
Our minds and our limbs were paralysed. There were many people without any employment and
there was extreme poverty. They did not know where to look for help. Neither the old leaders nor the
new ones gave them any hope.

The big question was how to pull India out of this bad situation. For many years our people have been
offering their ‘blood and toil, tears and sweat’. Now the body and soul of India were in bad shape.
Every aspect of our life was poisoned.

And then Gandhi came. He was like a powerful current of fresh air. He was like a beam of light that
pierced the darknessjde was like a whirlwind that upset many things, especially the minds of the
working class people. He did not come from top. He emerged from the millions of India. He spoke
their language.

He asked the exploiters to get off the backs of the peasants and workers. He asked them to remove
the system that produces poverty and misery. Political freedom took a new meaning. Many of the
things Gandhiji said were not accepted by all people. The essence of his teaching was fearlessness
and truth. He always kept the welfare of the masses in view. Our great ancient books tell us that
fearlessness is the greatest gift for an individual or a nation. Fearlessness does not mean just bodily
courage but absence of fear from the mind. The British ruled India through putting fear into us – fear
of the army, the police, the secret service, the official class, laws, prison, landlord’s agent,
moneylender, unemployment and starvation. Gandhi wanted to remove this fear. He told the people
not to be afraid. It was not easy to free the people from fear.
However, Gandhiji was able remove the fear from the mind of the people to a great extent. Fear is a
close companion to falsehood. But truth follows fearlessness. It is not that all the Indians became
truthful overnight, but there was visible change in their behaviour. It was a psychological change and
people did not need the support of falsehood any more.

There was also a psychological reaction among the people. They were ashamed they were ruled by
foreigners who degraded and humiliated them. They had a desire to free themselves from this
shameful situation, whatever might be the consequences. Gandhi was always there as a symbol of
uncompromising truth.

What is Truth? Truth seems to differ from person to person. My truth may not be your truth. Absolute
truth is beyond any one of us. Different people take different views about truth and each person is
influenced by his background, training and feelings. We can however say that for an individual truth is
what he himself feels and knows to be true. I do not know of any person who holds to the truth as
Gandhi does.

Gandhi influenced millions of people in India in varying degrees. Some changed completely; others
were affected only partly. Different people reacted differently and each one had his own answer about
the change.

His call for action was two-fold. One involved in challenging and resisting foreign rule. The other was
fighting against our own social evils. The principal aims of the Congress were freedom through
peaceful means, national unity, solution of minority problems, improvement of the depressed classes
and the ending of untouchability.

The main supports of the British rule were fear, prestige, the co-operation of the people and certain
classes that benefited from the British rule. Gandhi attacked these. He asked the title-holders to give
up theirtitles. Only a few responded. But the popular respect for the British-given titles disappeared.
New standards and values were set up. Suddenly the luxury and the glory of the viceroy’s court
looked very ridiculous. Rich men became reluctant to show off their riches. Many adopted
simplerways and in their dress they were almost undistinguishable from the ordinary people.

He sent us to the villages and countryside with many new messages of action. The peasants began
to come out of their shells. The effect on us was also great. For the first time we saw the villager in his
mud-hut, with poverty always following him. We learnt Indian economics more from these visits than
from books. The emotional experience was great and there was no going back to our old life and our
old standards.

What kind of India did Gandhiji want? He said he would work for an India where the poorest shall feel
that it is their country. In its making they will have an effective voice. There will be no high classes
and no low classes here. All communities should live in harmony. There will be no untouchability.
There will be no intoxicating drinks and drugs. Women will enjoy the same rights as men. Although he
was proud of his Hindu inheritance, he tried to make it universal which would include all religions
within its fold. He said Indian culture is neither Hindu, Islamic nor any other, completely. It is a mixture
of all. He wanted the culture of all lands to be blown about his house as freely as possible. But he
refused to be blown off his feet by any. He said he refused to live in other people’s houses as an
intruder, a beggar or a slave. Although he was influenced by modern thoughts, he never let go his
roots.

Gandhiji was full of vitality and self-confidence. He had an unusual kind of power. He stood for
equality and freedom for each individual. He fascinated the masses of India and attracted them like a
magnet. Forthe people, he seemed to be a link between the past and the future making the bad
present a stepping stone for a future life of hope. He brought about a psychological revolution not
only in his friends but also in his enemies and even the neutrals who would not decide what to think
and what to do.

And Then Gandhi Came Glossary