e-contents Radhanagari College

 (e-content developed by Prof. (Dr) N. A. Jarandikar) “A Season of No Return” “A Season of No Return” is a short story written by Gurudial Singh, a Punjabi writer who received The Jnanpith Award in 2000. The story deals with the mental and emotional crisis (मानसिक आणि भावनिक पेच) of the protagonist and sheds light on the problems of communication and loneliness in modern times. It also discusses family tensions due to changing family patterns. Kauri is a central character in this story. She is a middle-aged Punjabi woman. Santokh is her elder son. The story revolves around Kauri. Kauri is shifted to a metropolis (महानगर) after Santokh’s marriage. Santokh is an engineer. His wife is a teacher in one college. Kauri comes to this place when her daughter-in-law is pregnant. Kauri has come there to look after the baby. Right from the beginning of the story, it is seen that Kauri is feeling restless (अस्वस्थ) . The reasons for her restlessness are gradually (हळूहळू) explained...

 (e-content developed by Prof. (Dr) N. A. Jarandikar) Mano Majra Mano Majra is a fictional village in Khushwant Singh's novel Train to Pakistan . It is set against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition of India. It is located on the banks of the river Sutlej. It is a tiny village. Around 70 families live in Mano Majra. These families belong to Sikh and Muslim communities. Sikhs are the landowners, whereas the Muslims are the tenants. There are only three brick buildings in Mano Majra – Lala Ram Lal’s home, the gurudwara and the mosque. Lala Ram Lal is the moneylender and the only Hindu family in Mano Majra. The rest of the village is a cluster of flat-roofed mud huts. Mano Majra is known for its railway station. It is also a very small railway station. Not many trains stop here. Express trains do not stop here at all. Only two passenger trains stop here. The only regular customers are the goods trains. The whole routine of Mano Majra is bound with the schedule of trains. By the ...

 (e-content developed by Prof. (Dr) N. A. Jarandikar)     Characters in the novel: ·          Jugga/Juggut Singh : the hero of the novel; lover of Nooran; dacoit (डेकॉइट: दरोडेखोर) by profession ·          Alam Singh : Jugga’s dead father; dacoit by profession ·          Nooran : beloved of Jugga; daughter of Imam Baksh ·          Imam Baksh : father of Nooran; a blind weaver ·          Iqbal Singh/Iqbal Muhammad : a social worker; came from Delhi to inspire the villagers to participate in political actions ·          Malli : another dacoit from the village; rival of Jugga ·          Lala Ram Lal : the money lender; the only Hindu family in the village; the novel begins with the deat...

 (e-content developed by Prof. (Dr) N. A. Jarandikar) “The Shroud” is a short story written by Premchand, a major Hindi writer. “Godan '' is his famous novel penned by Premchand. He often deals with the common people, and his short stories shed light on the harsh realities of life. “The Shroud” is about the inhuman tendency and highlights the harshness of poverty. The story features three characters: Budhia, Ghisu, and Madho. Budhia is Madho’s wife, and Ghisu is Madho’s father. This is a very poor family residing in a village. Both Ghisu and Madho belong to the Chamar caste, but they are notorious for being lazy and shameless. They only work when they are on the brink of starvation. Budhia is the one who brings some moments of happiness into their lives through her hard work. The story begins with Budhia suffering from labor pains, but Ghisu and Madho pay no attention to her. They are more concerned about the impending birth of a new baby. Tragically, the next morning, Ghisu an...