A snake in The Grass
R.K. Narayan
R.K. Narayan’ Biography
1.
R.K. Narayan (Rasipuram
Krishnaswami Iyer Nrayan) was born on 10 October 1906, Madras, Madras
Presidency, British Raj and died on 13 May 2001, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
2.
Occupation- Writer
3.
Spouse- Rajam (Married
1934, died 1939)
4.
Children- 1, Hema Narayan
5.
Awards- Padma Vibhushan,
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, Benson Medal
6.
Works- The Guide (novel),
Next Sunday (collection of essays, Lawley Road (collection of short stories).
7.
A Snake in The Grass has
been taken from An Astrologer’s Day and Other Stories.
SUMMARY IN ENGLISH
A cobra crawls into a bungalow
It was a hot afternoon. The inmates of a bungalow were disturbed during their siesta
by the ringing of a bell. A cyclist told them that a cobra had entered the
compound of their house. The inmates- the mother and her four sons were alarmed.
They blame the old servant
They immediately roused their old servant, Dasa, who was sleeping in the shed.
They told him that a cobra had come into the garden and he must get up and find
it. But the servant asserted that there was no cobra. But they cursed him. They
told him that it was because of him that the garden was neglected. The cobra
came in because it could find shelter in tall grass. Some neighbours also came
in. They also blamed the servant. But the servant tried to defend himself. He
said that he had been asking for a grass cutter but he was not given one. They said
he was making lame excuses. He should have cut the grass with whatever tools
were available.
Grass cutter and war `
They estimated how much a grass-cutter would cost them. But one of the
neighbours said that they could not think of buying anything made of iron till
after the war. On account of war, there was scarcity of everything. Then he
spoke about black marketing and war time prices. But one of the sons claimed
that he could get anything he wanted at controlled price.
Statistics on deaths caused by snake-bites
The college-boy said that he had read in an American magazine that about 30,000
people were killed every year because of snake-bites. He explained that it
meant that a person was killed every twenty minutes somewhere in the world. The
mother felt that the danger was real and imminent. She gave out a scream in
fright.
They clear the garden
They decided to clear the garden to find the cobra. They brought out bamboo
sticks. They gave one to the servant also. They began to beat down every blade
of grass. They cut down creepers and bushes. Dasa did not believe that there
was a snake. He just pretended to help them.
The cobra is not found
The lawn was laid bare of all vegetation. They were tired but there was no sign
of the cobra. Dasa was happy. He asked where the snake was.
An old beggar's version
An old beggar came to the gate begging alms. When she learned that a cobra had
come there, she said they were lucky. Lord Subramanya had visited them in the
guise of the cobra. The mother immediately agreed with her and gave her a coin.
She said she had forgotten about the promised Abhishekam. This was a reminder.
The arrival of a snake-charmer
The old woman advised them not to kill the snake. She said a snake-charmer lived
nearby and she would send him. A little later a snake-charmer arrived. He
claimed he had power over snakes and he could catch a snake in no time. The
family asked him to catch the cobra. But the snake-charmer said he could catch
it only if they could show him where it was. So he left.
Dasa is the hero of the day
While they were discussing what to do next, Dasa came with a water-pot sealed
with a slab of stone. He said he had caught the snake in the pot. He explained
how he had done it. He said that in future they should not call him an idler.
Everyone was impressed. The mother decided to reward him suitably. She also
thought that it was her religious duty to give milk to the snake. She was sorry
that she had failed to do her duty.
The cobra appears
Dasa went away with the pot containing the cobra. He said he was going to give
it to a snake-charmer . When Dasa had gone, the youngest son saw the cobra
coming out of a hole in the compound wall. He pointed it to others. The snake
came out, and crawled towards the gate. Then it disappeared along the drain.
The college-boy's observation
They wondered if there were two snakes. But the college boy did not seem to
agree with them. He wished he had knocked the pot from Dasa's hand and revealed
what there was in the pot.
SUMMARY IN HINDI
एक बंगले में सांप का आना
तीसरे पहर की गर्मी का दिन था । एक बंगले में रहने वालों के दोपहर के आराम में
एक घंटी के बजने से बाधा पड़ गई । एक साइकिल वाले ने उन से कहा कि एक सांप उनके घर
के आँगन में घुस आया था । घर में रहने वाले एक माँ और उसके चार बेटे भयभीत हो गए।
वे बूढ़े नौकर पर दोष लगाते हैं
वे अपने बूढ़े नौकर दास को तुरंत जगाते हैं जो छप्पर में सोया हुआ था ।
उन्होंने उससे कहा कि एक सांप बाग में घुस आया है , और वह उठकर उसे खोजे
। परन्तु नौकर ने विश्वास से कहा कि वहाँ कोई सांप नहीं है । परन्तु उन्होंने उसे
बुरा भला कहा । उन्होंने उससे कहा कि उसके कारण बगीचा बिना देख - रेख के पड़ा था ।
सांप इसीलिए अन्दर आया क्योंकि वह लम्बी घास में छुप सकता था । कुछ पड़ोसी भी आ गए
। उन्होंने भी नौकर को दोष दिया । परन्तु नौकर ने अपना बचाव करने का प्रयास किया ।
उससे कहा कि वह घास काटनी मांगता आया है परन्तु उसे न दी गई । उन्होंने कहा कि वह
बहाने बना रहा था । उसे जो भी औज़ार उपलब्ध थे उन से घास काटना चाहिए था ।
घास काटनी व युद्ध
उन्होंने अनुमान लगाया कि घास काटनी के क्या दाम होंगे । परन्तु एक पड़ोसी ने
कहा कि युद्ध के समाप्त होने से पहले वे लोहे की बनी कोई वस्तु खरीदने की सोच भी
नहीं सकते थे । युद्ध के कारण हर वस्तु की कमी थी । फिर उस ने चोर बाज़ारी व युद्ध
के दिनों के दामों का उल्लेख किया । परन्तु एक बेटे ने दावा किया कि वह जो चाहे
उसे नियन्त्रित दामों पर खरीद सकता था ।
सांपों के काटने से मरने वालों के आंकड़े
सांप कॉलिज वाले लड़के ने कहा कि उसने एक अमेरिकी पत्रिका में पढ़ा था कि काटे
जाने से लगभग 30,000 व्यक्ति दुनिया में प्रति वर्ष मरते हैं । उसने
व्याख्या की कि इसका अर्थ है कहीं न कहीं दुनिया में बीस मिनट में एक व्यक्ति सांप
के काटे जाने मरता है । माँ को लगा कि खतरा वास्तविक था और सन्निकट था । उसने
भयभरी चीख मारी ।
वे बगीचे को साफ करते हैं
उन्होंने सांप को खोजने के लिए बगीचे को साफ करने का निश्चय किया । वे लाठियाँ
ले आए । उन्होंने एक लाठी नौकर को भी दे दी । उन्होंने हर घास के तिनके को पीट
डाला । उन्होंने तेलों व झाड़ियों को काट डाला । दास को विश्वास न था कि साप वहाँ
था । वह उनकी सहायता करने का दिखावा मात्र करता रहा ।
सांप नहीं मिलता
लॉन वनस्पतिरहित हो गया था । वे थक गए थे परन्तु सांप का कोई चिह्न न था । दास
प्रसन्न था । उस ने पूछा कहाँ था सांप ।
बूढ़ी भिखारिन की व्याख्या
एक बूढ़ी भिखारिन भिक्षा माँगने गेट पर आई । जब उसे पता चला कि वहाँ एक सांप आ
गया था ,
उसने कहा कि वे भाग्यशाली थे । सांप के भेष में स्वामी सुब्रमनिया उनके घर आए
थे । माँ उससे तुरन्त सहमत हो गई और उसे एक सिक्का दिया । वह बोली कि वह अभिषेकम
के बारे अपने वचन को भूल गई थी । यह स्मरण दिलाने के लिए था ।
सपेरे का आना
बुढ़िया ने उन्हें राय दी कि वे सांप को न मारें । वह बोली कि एक सपेरा पड़ोस
में ही रहता था और वह उसे भेज देगी । कुछ समय के पश्चात् एक सपेरा आ गया । उसने
दावा किया कि वह सांपों को वश में कर सकता है और वह सांप को क्षण भर में पकड़ सकता
है । परिवार वालों ने उसे सांप पकड़ने के लिए कहा । परन्तु सपेरे ने कहा कि वह
सांप तभी पकड़ सकता था यदि उसे सांप दिखा दें । इसलिए वह चला गया ।
दास नायक बन गया
जब वे यह विचारविमर्श कर रहे थे कि अब क्या करें , दास एक घड़ा लेकर आया जिसे एक पत्थर की शिला से बन्द कर रखा था । उसने कहा
उसने सांप को घड़े में बन्द कर लिया था । उसने समझाया कि यह उसने कैसे किया था ।
वह बोला आगे से मुझे निठल्ला न कहना । सभी प्रभावित हो गए । माँ ने उस को उचित
परितोषिक देने का निश्चय किया । उसने यह भी सोचा कि सांप को दूध देना उस का धर्म
था । उसे खेद था कि वह अपना कर्त्तव्य पूरा न कर सकी थी ।
सांप दिखाई पड़ता है
दास सांप का घड़ा लेकर चला गया । उसने कहा कि वह उसे सपेरे को देने जा रहा था
। जब दास चला गया , तो सबसे छोटे बेटे ने सांप
आंगन की दीवार के छेद में से बाहर आते देखा । उसने अन्य लोगों को दिखाया । सांप
बाहर आकर गेट की ओर सरकने लगा । फिर वह नाले के साथ चलता हुआ गायब हो गया ।
कॉलिज के लड़के की टिप्पणी
वे सोचने लगे कि क्या वहाँ दो सांप थे । परन्तु कॉलिज का लड़का उनसे सहमत और न
था । वह चाहता था कि उसे दास के हाथ से घड़ा धकेल लेना चाहिए था , यह बात स्पष्ट कर देनी चाहिए थी कि घड़े में क्या था ।
Objective Questions
1.
Who announced
the entry of the cobra into the compound ____________.
(a)
Dasa
(b)the neighbor
(c) the lady servant
(d)the cyclist
2.
How many
children does the lady have__________?
(a)two
(b)Three
(c)Four
(d)Five
3.
What does Dasa
demand from the family_______.?
(a)a grass-cutter
(b) a knife
(c)a mower
(d)an axes
4.
Till when should
one not think of buying any article made of iron ____________?
(a)the
show ended
(b)the week ended
(c)the war began
(d)the war ended
5.
As per the beggar’s
belief, which God had visited the house in the form of a cobra ___________.
(a)
Subbarao
(b)Subramanya
(c)Subbamaaya
(d)Shuhmanyata
6.
The beggar sent
____________.
(a)
a warrior
(b)a sweeper
(c)a snake –charmer
(d)a dancer
7.
Where has Dasa
confined the cobra ____________.
(a)the
plate
(b)the bowl
(c)the water pot
(d)the tin
8.
The story ‘A
snake in the Grass’ was written by_______.
(a)Narayan
Murthy
(b)R.K. Laxman
(c)R.K. Narayan
(d)Alice Walker
9.
‘I have been
asking for a____________ for months’ Dasa said.
(a)Grass cutter
(b)Water pot
(c)Lawn remover
(d)Bamboo stick
10. The story, ‘A snake in the Grass’ opens on________.
(a)A sunny afternoon
(b)A sinister night
(c)A cloudy morning
(d)A gloomy evening
11.
What were the
inmates of the bungalow doing when the cyclist rang his bell?
(a)
taking lunch
(b)sleeping
(c)playing
(d)at their siesta
12. What did the family consist of?
(a)mother
& two sons
(b)mother & four daughters
(c)mother & four sons
(d)mother, father, sons
13. Where was their old servant Dasa?
(a)Dasa
was cleaning the rooms.
(b) Dasa was sleeping in
the shed.
(c)Dasa was teaching.
(d)none of these above
14.
Who said “ Dasa
is the laziest servant on earth.”
(a)mother
(b)sons
(c)cyclist
(d)neighbours
15. Why was it difficult to buy a grass-cutter?
(a)due
to money
(b)due to war
(c)due to neighbours
(d)none of these
16. What is black market?
(a)a
system in which goods are bought and sold legally.
b)a system in which goods
are bought and sold illegally.
(c)a system in which cobras are bought and sold legally.
(d)a system in cobra are bought and sold illegally.
17. According to the college-boy, how many people died of snake-bite
every year.
(a)
40000
(b)30000
(c)20000
(d)20000
18. Why did the compound look sinister?
(a)
because the cobra was hiding somewhere in it.
(b)because of jungle
(c)because the cobra was not hiding in it.
(d)none of these above
19. What did the old beggar advise the family?
(a)to
kill the cobra
(b)not to kill the cobra
(c)kill Dasa
(d) not to Kill Dasa
20. Who did the old beggar promise to send?
(a)snake
saver
(b)snake-charmer
(c)police inspector
(d) county inspector
21. Where did Dasa say the cobra was kept?
(a)water-pot
(b)in a bowl
(c)in a bag
(d)none of these
22. Why did the family compliment Dasa?
(a)for catching the snake
(b) for cleaning the compound
(c) for sleeping
(d)none of these
23. How did Das want to dispose of the snake and the pot?
(a)to a snake charmer
(b)to the police
(c)in a river
(d)in a pound
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