Comment on the significance of the title of the novel Tamas.

The title Tamas, a Sanskrit word meaning "darkness" or "ignorance", signifies the mental state of
the Indian population during the partition of India. The novel depicts a West Punjab town
consumed by communal frenzy, where people are confused and uncertain, unaware of why they
are killing and looting.

 Darkness and death

The title evokes the atmosphere of the time, filled with death and uncertainty.
 Mental state
It highlights the mental darkness of the people, who are unaware of their actions and
motivations.
 Shifting from darkness
In Hindu mythology, Tamas is one of the three gunas or qualities, along with Rajas (activity) and
Satva (goodness). The title suggests the need to move from darkness to enlightenment.

Tamas is a powerful account of the partition, based on true events witnessed by the author,
Bhisham Sahni. The novel follows the lives of people from different backgrounds and communities
as tensions escalate. It criticizes British imperialism and communal politics, while also showcasing
instances of human kindness across religions.

Comment on the narrative techniques employed by

Sahni in the novel Tamas
The word 'Tamas' comes from Sanskrit. In Hindu mythology, there are three 'gunas'
or qualities: Rajas (activity), Tamas (darkness), and Satva (goodness or
enlightenment). There is the idea of doing anything to shift oneself from darkness
to enlightenment.

However, Sahni utilised the title to highlight the mental status of Indians. The
entire population was in the dark. There was no illumination. Nobody knew where
they should go or where they were heading, why they were killing each other, or
why they were looting the poor.

 Tamas is unique in that it lacks a focal character. The chapters may

occasionally return to someone who has been introduced to the
reader, or they may focus completely on new characters who will
never be seen again after the chapter concludes.
 During the riots, Indians of all races, political backgrounds, and
religious beliefs suffered greatly.
 In many ways, India is still dealing with the fallout from Partition and
the 1947 riots.
 The author paints a picture of characters from all sides of the fight.
 There are Muslims and Hindus who advocate for peace and those who
advocate for war.
 There are instances of remarkable charity and tolerance, which
contrast with the vile actions of The Deputy Commissioner Richard,
the British administrator in charge of the village where the riots occur
and who is portrayed as an ambivalent, uncaring protector.
 The riots increase as he delays making a choice, finally resulting to
awful scenes of rape, murder, and mass suicide.
 The protests are eventually put down when Richard summons military
air help, which he might have done at any time, including before the
riots began.
 As refugee camps spring up in the aftermath, it is clear that little has
been learned.
 A guy assigned the responsibility of counting the dead and missing
quickly becomes numb to the heartbreaking stories of individuals who
were victims of the riots.
 He merely wants to perform his job, as Richard (and the imperialist
government he represents) did his.
 A world limited to administrative tasks is a world devoid of empathy.
 This is the world depicted by Sahni in Tamas. It is a heartbreaking
novel, but it is vital.

What is the significance of the title "The Empty

Chest" in Indira Goswami's short story?
Quick answer:
In Indira Goswami's "The Empty Chest," the title signifies both a literal
and metaphorical emptiness. The chest is a casket, once housing the
body of Saru Bopa, a man Toradoi loved. On a figurative level, the
chest symbolizes their shared love. However, upon learning that Saru
Bopa intended to marry someone else, the chest loses its emotional
significance for Toradoi, becoming devoid of love and thus truly empty.
Indira Goswami's short story "The Empty Chest" is set in Assam, "on
the fringes of the cremation ground under the shrine of Kamakhya."
The protagonist is Toradoi, a woman who lives with her children in a
shack and ekes out an existence for her small family now that her
husband has been taken to jail. She has been married for ten years,
and her life was not always like this. When she combed her hair on her
wedding day, she could not feel the bones of her head and shoulders
as she can now, indicating that things are not the worst they have
ever been for Toradoi and her little family.

This little family is not the only one subsisting on the leftovers and
prospects of the cremation ground. The houses are all rather leaky
with holes and gaps, and the people all kind of spy on one another. We
slowly come to understand that there is something unusual in
Toradoi's house which is causing quite a stir of gossip and spying on
her household. At first she just refers to it as a "black box," but then
we learn is it actually a wooden chest. The narrator explains the
chest's presence this way:
Its very existence was a source of strength to Toradoi.

As the descriptions continue, we learn that this box is ornately carved

and is quite large. Then we get this line, and we understand exactly
what the wooden chest is:
she wriggled into the huge chest and lay there, leaving its cavernous
mouth open.

The wooden box is a casket, and it has become obvious that it is the
casket of someone she loved very much.

At this point in the story, we do not quite know what to make of her
obsession with the casket or why it seems to bring her comfort. In
fact, it is not until her brother (a policeman) arrives, that we learn a
few essential details. In the course of a conversation between the
siblings, we learn that Toradoi's husband is in prison, that she loved a
man far above her station, that the man (Saru Bopa) vowed to marry
her, that this relationship has lasted for twelve years, that Saru Bopa
died in a car accident.

These are all interesting facts and explain the woman's attachment to
his empty casket, discarded after the man's body was cremated;
however, the most interesting fact to be revealed is something
Toradoi did not know, either. Saru Bopa, the man she loved and
assumed would remain a bachelor since he could not marry her, his
true love, was actually on his way home to get married when he was
involved in the accident.

This is a crushing blow, but Toradoi's brother thinks it is better for her
to know the truth and face it, and the reality changes everything for
Toradoi.

The title, then, represents the literal death but also also encapsulates
the theme of the story, at least in a sense. The empty box is literally
the box which once held her beloved's body. It is now empty because
he is gone. On a figurative level, the box was a symbol of the love
Toradoi and Saru Bopa shared and thus she clings to it as the tangible
memory of that love. It is no longer just an empty box but a physical
representation of their love. It is not really empty, then, because it is
full of love and even her own body when she sleeps in it. Once she
learns the truth, however, the beautiful casket is just an empty box. It
is devoid of all emotions, including love.