The Martyr’s Corner – Class 12 Alternative English Chapter 4

The Martyr’s Corner

Note for Students: Understanding “The Martyr’s Corner”

R.K. Narayan’s “The Martyr’s Corner” is a poignant story that beautifully captures the unpredictable nature of life and fortune. The story introduces us to Rama, a hardworking food vendor in the fictional town of Malgudi, who builds a successful business through sheer effort and a prime location. His life is simple, content, and prosperous.

As you read, pay close attention to how quickly Rama’s stable world is shattered by a single, random event—a political riot that has nothing to do with him. The story is a powerful commentary on how ordinary people can become innocent victims of larger social and political turmoil. Narayan masterfully explores themes of fate, irony, and the loss of identity. The transformation of Rama’s bustling business spot into a “martyr’s corner” is deeply ironic, and his eventual fate will make you reflect on the fragility of security and the quiet dignity of the common man.

Comprehension

This section will help you test your basic understanding of the plot, characters, and key details in the story.

A. State whether these sentences are True or False.

1. Rama liked serving women.
   • Answer: False. (He disliked serving them because their “shrill, loud voices got on his nerves”).
2. Rama lived in a lane behind the market.
   • Answer: True.
3. Soda bottles were used as missiles during the riot.
   • Answer: True.
4. Rama came in time to catch the cinema crowd coming out after the night show.
   • Answer: False. (He came in time to catch the crowd coming out after the evening show).

B. Answer these questions in one or two words.

1. What did Rama give free with every item?
   • Answer: Chutney.
2. Whose arm searched for the perfect duck’s egg?
   • Answer: The wrestler’s.
3. Where did Rama sleep?
   • Answer: On the pyol.
4. How much did four chappatis cost?
   • Answer: One anna.
5. Where did Rama work as a waiter?
   • Answer: Restaurant Kohinoor.

Short Answer Questions

This section requires you to recall specific details and connect ideas from the text in complete sentences.

C. Answer these questions in a sentence or two.

1. At what time did Rama wake up every day?
   • Answer: Rama woke up whenever the cock in the next house crowed, which was sometimes as early as three in the morning.
2. What did Rama sell?
   • Answer: Rama sold an assortment of edibles, including bondas, dosais, chappatis, hard-boiled duck’s eggs, and coffee.
3. Who were Rama’s customers?
   • Answer: Rama’s customers were the diverse population of the pavement, including boot-polish boys, jutka-drivers, a blind beggar, and grass-selling women.
4. Why did the riot break out?
   • Answer: The riot broke out after a man was slapped for questioning another’s right to speak, which acted as a fuse for a brewing political conflict between two factions.

Brief and Detailed Answers

These questions require a more detailed analysis of character, theme, and plot development.

D. Answer these questions briefly.

1. Why did Rama’s customers like him?
   • Answer: Rama’s customers liked him for his cheap prices, such as offering coffee for six pies and four chappatis for an anna. They also appreciated the freedom he gave them to pick up, examine, and choose the food items themselves before buying.
2. Briefly describe Rama’s attitude towards the boot-polish boys.
   • Answer: Rama had a soft corner in his heart for the boot-polish boys, whom he referred to as waifs. It pained him to see their hunger and ragged clothes, and he felt angry when customers haggled with them over payment, wishing they would pay a little more so the boys could afford a proper meal.
3. Why did Rama have to move his stall two hundred yards away?
   • Answer: Rama had to move his stall because his original, profitable corner was taken over to build a memorial for a political leader who had died there during the riot. The spot was declared “holy,” cordoned off, and handed over to the political party by the Municipality.
4. What did Rama’s wife do upon his arrival at night?
   • Answer: Upon his arrival at night, Rama’s wife would immediately take all his equipment, pull the cloth money bag from under his shirt, and count the day’s earnings. She would then separate the capital for the next day’s investment from the day’s profits.

E. Answer these questions in detail.

1. Describe, in detail, how Rama’s business was finished.
   • Answer: Rama’s business was finished by a series of unfortunate events that began with a violent political riot. The riot forced him to temporarily abandon his prime business location at the corner of Market Road. When normalcy returned, he was permanently barred from his spot because it was declared a “holy spot” to commemorate a “martyr” who had died there. Forced to relocate nearly two hundred yards away, Rama fell on the “blind spot” of his regular customers. The cinema crowd, jutka-drivers, and boot-polish boys found it inconvenient to go so far, and his sales plummeted. His quality suffered as he had to sell leftover food, and his reputation declined. Finally, with his earnings reduced to just a few annas a day, he declared to his wife that the business was finished, gave up his trade, and was forced to take a low-paying job as a waiter.
2. Do you think that Narayan has depicted many aspects of a typical Indian way of life? Write a persuasive answer.
   • Answer: Yes, R.K. Narayan has masterfully depicted many aspects of a typical Indian way of life in “The Martyr’s Corner,” creating a vivid and authentic picture of post-independent India.
     • The Street Economy: He perfectly captures the vibrant and chaotic street economy through Rama’s makeshift “establishment.” The ecosystem of vendors, boot-polish boys, jutka-drivers, and beggars, all coexisting and earning their livelihood on the pavement, is a quintessential feature of Indian towns and cities.
     • Social Fabric and Daily Life: The story portrays the simple, hardworking life of a common man like Rama. His day is dictated by routine, from waking up at dawn to his wife’s role in managing the household finances. The way the entire community’s earnings seem to flow towards Rama’s food stall at the end of the day reflects the interconnectedness of a small-town economy.
     • Bureaucracy and Politics: Narayan subtly critiques the system through the characters of the health inspector and the traffic constable, who are kept at bay with small bribes (“an occasional packet of his stuff”). More significantly, he shows how an ordinary person’s life can be upended by political turmoil and the subsequent performative memorializing of a “martyr,” which serves political interests rather than public good.
     • Fate and Resilience: The story embodies a deep-seated Indian philosophical outlook on fate (vidhi). Rama’s contentment is described as something the “gods grow jealous of,” suggesting that fortune is fickle. His eventual acceptance of his fate and his ability to find satisfaction in reminiscing about his past glory, even as a waiter, showcases a quiet resilience typical of the Indian spirit. Through these elements, Narayan paints a realistic and empathetic portrait of Indian life.