The Odds against Us -SATYAJIT RAY

The Odds against Us -SATYAJIT RAY

Gist:

Satyatjit Ray was a director, producer, screen writer, composer, author and graphic designer. He says that film making is a tough job. The first thing is that the director needs a story. The cinema people call it ‘property’. If the director is not amateur, he will also have taken into account his public. Experience has taught him that this would be for his own good. If the film did not bring back its cost, his financial supporters would lose faith in him.

In Hollywood there are some ‘block busters’ as they can choose grand themes because they have the money, market and the technical expertise. Here in India, and more particularly in Bengal, directors or producers dare not plunge into vast epics. Firstly they do not have money. They lack even the special knowledge and experience of producing big ‘block busters’ to compete with Hollywood. Indians do not have strong love for such films of grandeur and impressive themes. Therefore they have chosen for themselves the field of the intimate cinema.

In India the directors are beset with a very special set of problems native to the place. Directors have to face several hardships, problems and obstacles at various levels to make slightly modified classics and films based on political themes.

There is just now an alarming shortage of good professional actors and actresses of middle order and above. There are roles that can only be brought to life by professionals. It the directors can overcome all these odds, we can really have very good films.

Questions with Answers :

a. According to Satyajit Ray, what are the three factors that should guide a director when he/she chooses a story for a film?

The first thing that director needs is a story. The cinema people call it ‘property’. The choice of the director is made on two major considerations, his affinity with the theme of the story and his belief that the story would make a good film. Experience has taught him if the film did not bring back its cost, his financial supporters would lose faith in him.

b. How does Ray describe the films that are commonly made in India ?

In India and more particularly in Bengal, directors or producers dare not plunge into vast epics. Firstly, they do not have money. Indians do not have strong love for films of grandeur and impressive themes. They have chosen for themselves the field of the intimate cinema. It is the cinema of mood and atmosphere rather than the grandeur and spectacle.

c. What kind of balance between the two extremes of avant-grade cinema, which is beyond the understanding of most people, and pure make-believe did Ray try to strike in his films?

Avant-grade cinema means – new and with very modern idea which are delightful and surprising. This is applicable mostly to ‘art’ films of novelty and innovative nature. Ray is faced with limiting factors non existent in other countries, in the choice of a story itself. A full bodied treatment of a story of physical passion is not possible in the case of Indian audience. In the case of Satyajit Ray, he would not shoot or direct a film that called for open treatment of the love aspects than ruin it by dilution. He strikes a balance between the two types with creativity, credibility and originality besides amusement.

d. What problems do Indian directors face when they make slightly modified versions of classics and films based on political themes?

In India if the classics are modified, the elite as well as the masses find fault with the directors concerned. We cannot make films with political theme. The Board of Censors will trouble at such themes. The directors cannot show on the screen a small-minded office boss. The directors have to face several hardships, problems and obstacles at various levels to make slightly modified classics. As corruption and hypocrisy are the basic roots of all evils, Indian directors cannot do anything on the screen in this aspect.

e. What do film makers in India usually do in order to find extras?

Film makers in India are usually left to search for the ‘extras’ in the streets. They can scan the faces of pedestrians or go to race – meets and cocktails and wedding receptions. But satyajit Ray has generally been lucky in finding the right players for his parts or characters. In fact there is just now an alarming shortage of good professional actors and actresses of middle and above.

f. Why was Satyajit Ray not troubled by the lack of comfort and facilities in the studios where he shot films?

The studios in Calcutta show their historical past in every aspect meant for filming. The low voltage, groaning cameras, shabby studio and other odds he has faced were innumerable. He was almost frightened by the heavy odds in the studios, where he had shot his films. Ray has overcome all the obstacles both predictable and unpredictable. There was something about creating beauty in the circumstances of shoddiness and privation that was truly exciting.

Bits :

1. Film making is a tough business
2. Hollywood made Spartacus
3. Soviet Russia made War and Peace
4. Pather Panchali was made in two years
5. Story of a film is called property
6. Avant-gardism is a luxury not yet afford in our country
7. Chunibala was acted for Pather Panchali
8. Jalsaghar, Devi, Kanchenjungha were all written with Chhabi Biswas in mind

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS - ODDS AGAINST US

ODDS AGAINST US

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS

JOHN F. KENNEDY

JOHN F. KENNEDY

Gist:

“Ask not what your country can do for you” was the Inaugural Address delivered by John F. Kennedy the 35^th President of the United States on January 20^th 1961. It was a celebration of freedom symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning signifying renewal besides change. He said that forebears fought for the same revolutionary beliefs of equality for all races, men, religions, irrespective of caste, creed, region and colour. The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the God.

The American government says Kennedy was committed to the equality of races. That is in all spheres of life, the Negroes would be given equal civil rights along with the Whites. He asserted that the American nation was ready to pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, and oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

Kennedy the true democrat said that if a free state or society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

Questions with Answers

1. What does Kennedy mean by forebears?

Kennedy used the word ‘forebears’ in the sense of ancestors who took the same solemn oath prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.

2. What was the belief of the forebears?

The belief of the forebears was the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.

3. Explain the statement ‘the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God’

John F. Kennedy believed that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. Moreover, civility on both sides of the contending parties is not a sign of weakness. Sincerity is always subject to proof.

4. What was America committed to, according to Kennedy?

America was committed to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. Aggression will be opposed and America intends to remain the master of its own house.

5. Explain in your own words the meaning of the statement ‘United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures

Co-operative ventures can accomplish many things. Freedom can be protected and poverty can be eradicated. And people can pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship support any friend, oppose any foe and thereby liberty can be well protected in a successful manner.

6. Explain in your own words the meaning of the statement ‘Divided, there is little we can do-for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder’

If there is no unity among people, they will be divided on the basis of colour religion, region, race and ethnicity. They can meet and face boldly a powerful challenge at odds only with unity which strength.

7. Expand the statement ‘If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich’

The poor are in large numbers. If the rich cannot extend their help and co-operation to the needy, they too cannot survive. The wealthy can never afford the wrath of the poor and the downtrodden.

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS - John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS

SUPPORT

mail

* * * *

for

* * * *

Research / Thesis

* * * *

assistance

* * * *

in

* * * *

ENGLISH

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa

(1910-1997)

Gist :
One of the great servant of humanity, Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910 whose actual name was Agnes Gonxhe Bohaxhiu. She found the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata in 1950. Agnes fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their service. She left home at age 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary.
She arrived in India in 1929 and began her work in Darjeeling. She was disturbed by the poverty surrounding her in Calcutta. On September 10, 1946, Teresa experienced what she later described as “the call within the call’. She thought to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. She began her missionary work with the poor in 1948.
She started attending to the needs of the destitute and starving. She started Missionaries of Charity to care of “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society. In 1952 she has opened the first Home for the Dying. Mother Teresa opened the NIrmal Shishu Bhavan, the Children’s Home of the Immaculate Heart, as a haven for orphans and homeless youth. She won Noble Peace Prize in 1979 and Bharat Ratna in 1980.

Comprehension Questions with Answers :
1. Whose name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu ?
Mother Teresa
2. What happened in 1950 ?
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata
3. When did Teresa consider her birthday to be ?
Teresa considered her birthday to be on August 27
4. What stories fascinated the young Agnes ?
The stories of the lives of missionaries and their service fascinated Agnes
5. What did she do at the age of eighteen ?
At the age of eighteen Agnes left home to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary.
6. When did Agnes arrive in India and where and did she begin her work ?
Agnes arrived in India in the year 1929. She began her work in Darjeeling, near the Himalayan Mountains.
7. When did Agnes become Teresa ?
Agnes became Teresa on May 24, 1931.
8. What incidents disturbed Teresa while she was teaching in Calcutta ?
The poverty surrounding her and a famine in 1943 which brought misery and death to Calcutta.
9. What kind of call did Teresa experience in September 1946 ?
Teresa experience a call in September 1946 was “the call within the call’.
10. When did she begin her work with the poor and how did it begin ?
She began her missionary work with the poor in 1948. She gave up her traditional Loreto dressing and began to wear a simple white cotton sari decorated with a blue border, adopted Indian citizenship, and ventured out into the slums.
11. What kind of a temptation did Teresa overcome initially ?
When Teresa began her work with the poor, the comfort of Loreto started to tempt her. She overcome the temptation out of her free choice and love for god.
12. When did Teresa start the Missionaries of Charity and what was its primary objective ?
Teresa started the Missionaries of Charity in the year 1950. Its primary objective was to take care of the “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society.”
13. What did Teresa mean by the expression ‘a beautiful death’ ?
Teresa meant ‘a beautiful death’ that the people who lived like animals to die like angels.
14. What is Shanti Nagar ?
Mother Teresa opened a home for those suffering from leprosy and called the hospice Shanti Nagar (City of Peace).
15. Who is the author of the book Something Beautiful for God ?
Malcolm Muggeridge is the author of the book “Something Beautiful for God”.
16. In which year did Teresa step down as Head of Missionaries of Charity ?
On March 13, 1997 Teresa stepped down from the head of Missionaries of Charity.
17. What proof made the authorities beatify Mother Teresa ?
The process beatification requires the documentation of a miracle performed from the intercession of Mother Teresa
18. What was the range of work of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity at the time of her death in 1997 ?
Missionaries of Charity was operating 600 missions in 120 countries at the time Mother Teresa’s death in 1997.

Bits :
1. Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910
2. Her actual name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu.
3. She was an Albanina Roman Catholic nun
4. Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata was found in 1950
5. Mother Teresa was honoured with the Nobel Prize in 1979
6. Teresa considered her birthday on August 27
7. Her parents were Nikolle and Drana Bojaxhiu
8. She left home at the age of 18
9. Teresa arrived India in 1929, began her wok in Darjeeling
10. On September 10, 1946 Teresa experienced “the call within the call’
11. Teresa was permitted to start the Missionaries of Charity on October 7, 1950
12. In 1952 Mother Teresa opened the first Home for the Dying
13. Teresa converted an abandoned structure into the Kalighat Home for the Dying
14. Shanti Nagar (City of Peace) – a home for suffering leprosy
15. In 1955 she opened the Nirmal Shishu Bhavan
16. The first house outside India opened in Venezuela in 1965
17. The Missionaries of Charity Brothers was founded in 1963
18. The Missionaries of Charity Sisters followed in 1976
19. Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge.
20. In 1981 Mother Teresa began the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests
21. In 1984 Missionaries of Charity Fathers founded with Fr. Joseph
22. On March 13, 1997, Mother Teresa stepped down from the head of Missionaries of Charity
23. Mother Teresa died in the year 1997

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS - Mother Teresa

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS
Mother Teresa

Matrin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.
I Have a Dream

(Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C., August 28, 1963)

Gist :
Martin Luther King Jr. addressed that Negro was not free and crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked “insufficient fundsHe told that it was the time to lift their nation from the quick-sands of racial injustice to the sold rock of brotherhood. It was also mentioned that it would be for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro.
He told that they must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. He had a dream that one day the nation would rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. He dreamt that slaves and owners would sit together at a table of brotherhood, a state of injustice and oppression would become an oasis of freedom and justice, little black boys and black girls would join hands with little white boys and white girls.
It was a hope that with faith they would work, pray, struggle, go to jail, standup for freedom together, knowing that they would be free one day.
Questions with Answers :
1. What is the background of the speech ?
The back ground of the speech is a demonstration for the freedom of millions of Negro slaves in the United States of America. The speech was delivered by Martin on August 28, 1963 at Lincoln Memorial Washington D.C.
2. Who is the ‘Great American’ that Martin Luther is referring to in the beginning of his speech ?
The ‘Great American’ that Martin Luther was referring to in the beginning of his speech was President Abraham Lincoln.
3. Explain the symbolic meaning of the words like ‘check’ ‘promissory note’, etc, in the speech
The symbolic meaning is of the words like ‘check’ ‘promissory note’ is right to live, right toliberty and right to pursuit of happiness. The author metaphorically used the words to represent the rights they were guaranteed by the American Constitution.
4. What according to Martin Luther King is the ‘urgency of the moment’ that needs to be addressed ?
The ‘urgency of the moment’ that Martin Luther King addressed was the urgency of the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice and brotherhood. The urgency of freedom and equality of the Negro.
5. What is the hope that the speaker expresses ?
The hope that Martin expresses is that, one day America will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. He dreamt that slaves and owners would sit together at a table of brotherhood, a state of injustice and oppression would become an oasis of freedom and justice, little black boys and black girls would join hands with little white boys and white girls.
6. Explain the meaning of the poetic lines ‘My country,…Let freedom ring’
My country it is about you which is a sweet nation of freedom, I sing about you. This is the land where my fore fathers died, this the land of pilgrims pride. Let the shouts of freedom to the Negro be heard from every mountain side.
7. What was the discrimination meted out to the blacks, according to the speaker ?
The discrimination that was meted out to the blacks, according to the speaker was a a life of slavery. Millions of Negro slaves had seared in the flames of withering injustice. They have been veterans of creative suffering.
8. Is the speaker optimistic or pessimistic in his tone ? Find suitable examples to substantiate your answer.
The speaker is optimistic in his tone. Martin’s optimism can be substantiated from, “one day America will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. He dreamt that slaves and owners would sit together at a table of brotherhood, a state of injustice and oppression would become an oasis of freedom and justice, little black boys and black girls would join hands with little white boys and white girls”.

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS - Martin Luther King Jr

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS

Martin Luther King Jr

.

Amartya Kumar Sen

Amartya Kumar Sen

(Born 1933)

Gist :
Dr. Amartya Kumar Sen , the Nobel Laureate was born on November 3, 1933 at Shantiniketan – Bengal. He studied at Shantiniketan, where his educational attitudes were formed. During his younger years of study he settled down for ‘the eccentric charms of Economics’. He was greatly influenced by the cultural diversity in the world. An earlier incident during his younger days at Dhaka has caused for his research and analysis in Economics. He realised the dangers of narrowly defined identities and also of divisiveness that could be buried in communitarian politics.
He also remarked a fact that economic uncertainty, in the form of extreme poverty, could make a person helpless. He had fairly formed an attitude on cultural identity including an understanding of its inescapable plurality as well as the need for unobstructed absorption rather the secretarian denial.
In 1953 Amartya Sen moved from Calcutta to Cambridge to study at Trinity College for another B.A in Pure Economics. At the age of 23 he was appointed to a chair of Economics at the newly created Jadavpur University. Amartya Sen always kept close connections with Indian Universities and his attachment to his motherland was so strong. He says “It is really economics dealing with assessment of how well things are going for the members of the society. That is the central thing about welfare economics”. He received Nobel Prize for Economics in the year 1998. He is known as Mother Teresa of Economics, he has spent a lifetime fighting poverty.

Questions with Answers :
1. When did Amartya form and develop his educational attitude and orientation ?
Amartya formed and developed his educational attitude and orientation at Tagore’s Shantiniketan.
2. How does Amartya Sen describe Economics ?
Amartya Sen settled down for “the eccentric charms of Economics” as described in his own words.
3. What did Amartya learn from the death of Khader Mia in Dacca ?
Amartya Sen realised the dangers of narrowly defined identities and also of divisiveness that could be buried in communitarian politics.
4. How did Calcutta’s Presidency College influence collegian Amartya ?
Amartya’s intellectual horizon radically broadened by the educational excellence of Presidency College.
5. What aspect of the Bengal famine struck Amartya ?
The afflicted people of the famine were lower middle class and the people much further down the economic ladder.
6. Why did Amartya go to Cambridge in 1953 ?
Amartya went to Cambridge in 1953 to study B.A. Pure Economics at Trinity College.
7. How did Amartya utilize his Ph.D thesis before the time of its submission ?
Amartya Sen submitted his Ph.D. thesis for a competitive Prize Fellowship at Trinity College.
8. How useful was his stint in Delhi during the period 1963 to 1971 ?
Amartya plunged himself full steam into the social choice theory because of the dynamic intellectual atmosphere of the Delhi University.
9. How did he relate the pure theory of social choice to more practical problems ?
Amartya kept an effort to take an overall view of social choice theory. Gradually he shifted his to more practical problems.
10. In America in 1985, what was Amartya involved in ?
Amartya involved in analyzing the overall implications of the perspective on welfare economics and political philosophy.
11. What kind of attachment Amartya Sen has for his motherland India ?
Amartya Sen attachment to his mother land was so strong that he never stayed away for more than six months at a stretch while being abroad.
12. When did Amartya Sen receive the Nobel Prize for Economics and what is he known as in India ?
Amartya Sen received Nobel Prize for Economics in 1998 and he is known as Mother of Economics in India.

Bits :

1. Dr. Amartya Kumar Sen won the Nobel Prize for Economics in October 1998
2. Amartya Kumar Sen was bon on November 3rd 1933
3. His Mother Amita Sen and Father Aushoth Sen
4. Amartya means immortal in Sanskrit
5. Amartya’s formal education began in St. George School – Dhaka (now in Bangladesh)
6. Amartya Sen studied at Tagore’s Shantiniketan
7. He studied at Calcutta at Presidency College
8.He was influenced by his teachers Bhabutosh Datta, Tapas Majumdar and Dinesh Bhattacharya
9. Amartya Sen studied at Presidency College from 1951 to 1953
10. The Bengal famine was occurred in 1943
11. In 1953 Amartya Sen moved to Cambridge to Study at Trinity College
12. He enrolled in Cambridge for another B.A. in Pure Economics
13. Amartya’s Ph.D. thesis was under the supervision of A.K. Dasgupta of Banaras Hindu University
14. Amartya Sen taught in Delhi from 1963 to 1971
15. His book Collective and Social Welfare published in 1970
16. In early 1952, at the age of 18 he had developed cancer of mouth
17. Amartya published a book Inequality Re-examined in 1992
18. The part of the Nobel Prize money was given to Pratichi Trust
19. Amartya Sen received Indira Gandhi Gold Medal Award of the Asiatic Society 1994, Nobel prize for Economics in 1998
20. He received Eisenhower Medal, USA
21. Amartya received Honorary Companion of Honour, UK for the year 2000
22. Amartya Kumar Sen known in India as Mother Teresa of Economics
23. Amartya Sen continues his work and academic teaching as Master, Trinity College, Cambridge, UK

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS - Amartya Kumar Sen

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS
Amartya Kumar Sen

SYNONYMS &ANTONYMS - BUBBLING WELL ROAD

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS

Bubbling Well Road

Bubbling Well Road

Bubbling Well Road -Rudyard Kipling

Gist:
The village Chachuran lies Bubbling Well Road and the house of the gosain or priest Arti-goth. Five miles west of Chachuran is a patch of the plumed jungle-grass. In the heart of patch hides the gosain of Bubbling Well Road. The writer entered the jungle grass for the pig hunting as he was told by the villagers about the big boar. His small dog Mr. Wardle followed him. The grass-stems held the heat exactly as boiler-tubes do.
The writer missed Mr Wardle and called for him loudly. An underground echo assisted the writer. He thought himself that he heard a man laughing which made him shake. He found a black gap in the ground that actually the mouth of a well. The laughing sound came from the noise of a little spring, spouting half-way down one side of the well. He started to find the path on the other side.
In the end the writer was leaded by the priest into the open, out of the Arti-goth patch. The villages told the writer that the patch of grass was full of devils and ghosts. The men and women and children enter it and had never returned. It was believed that the priest used them for witchcraft. But the writer decided to clear the mystery of Bubbling Well Road on a fine summer day with a file of old newspapers and box of matches.
Questions with Answers :
1. Why did writer’s dog go with him into the grass patch ?
Mr Wardle, the terrier went with the writer because the dog believed that the writer was incapable of existing for an hour with his advice and countenance.
2. What did the writer see when he pushed his way through a think clump of grass ?
The writer managed to slip in and out between the grass clumps. He missed Mr Wardle and called for it loudly. A deep voice repeated under his feet and the underground echo assisted him. He was happened to see a well with the water as black as pitch and blue scum atop.
3. What was the priest’s reaction when the writer suddenly appears at his hut ?
The priest saw the writer and he howled with terror and embraced the writer’s boots
4. Why did the villagers not share their fears about the patch of grass with the writer before he set out to hunt wild boar ?
The villagers did not share their fears about the patch of grass with the writer before he set out to hunt wild boar because they were afraid they would lose their award for bringing news of the pig.
5. What was the secret promise the writer made to himself before he left the village ?
The writer thought to set the patch of alight, but the grass was too green. Some fine summer day however, if the wind is favourable, a file of old newspapers and a box of matches would make clear the mystery of Bubbling Well Road.

Bits:
1. Chenab river falls into the Indus fifteen miles or so above the hamlet of Chachuran
2. Five miles west of Chachuran lies Bubbling Well Road
3. Chachuran is a patch of the plumed jungle grass
4. A sounder of pig had gone in the Atri-goth patch
5. Mr Wardle, the terrier
6. The priest lead the writer into the open, out of the Arti-goth patch
7. The villagers told that the patch of grass was full of devils and ghosts
8. The villagers believed that all the devils and ghosts were in the service of the priest

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS - THE CUDDALORE EXPERIENCE

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS

The Cuddalore Experience

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS

The Cuddalore Experience

The Cuddalore Experience

The Cuddalore Experience -Anu George

Gist :
In the summer of 2004, the Cuddalore district witnessed a severe drought, followed by floods in October and the in December, the tsunami ! This disaster was different from any others for the intense havoc it wreaked : the spread was small but the damage huge. The tsunami left 618 dead in Cuddalore. Livestock loss was at 29 lack. A vast area of 527.7 hectares of land wad rendered saline. Over 97,000 people scarred the lives and thousands rendered homeless.
Immediate rescue and relief operations were taken place. First aid to injured was given. Mass burial of the dead bodies was taken to prevent the out break of diseases. Sanitary workers were appointed to clean the places. The power and water supply, in the villages were provided.
Control rooms were established to monitor the relief operations. Community kitchens were organized to feed the thousand of people. The Red Cross Society’s volunteers helped to identify the people who were in need of counselling.
The administration mooted for an enhanced compensation package for the farmers. Children were provided with all the basic amenities and comforts with the support from various donors. A large number of temporary shelters were put up with the help of the voluntary bodies and the Rural Development Department. It was concluded that disasters both natural and manmade expose the most vulnerable sections of society to grave danger.
Questions with Answers :
1. Immediately after the tsunami struck Cuddalore, what were some of the first tasks the administration had to do ?
The first and foremost task in disaster management in Cuddalore was that of rescue and relief which was a tough one. Hospitals had to be made ready to provide the First aid. Public information centres were set up for offering available information. Food and water were mobilized with the voluntary bodies. Rice was taken out of ration shops. Mass burial was taken place to control the outbreak of diseases.
2. What steps did the administration take to ensure that potable water was available ?
The water from all the sources was tested with the assistance from voluntary agencies and was found potable in all but one source. With the support of NGOs, three desalination plants based on reverse osmosis were setup in this area. 107 shallow bore-wells were dug to facilitate regular supply of water. All the temporary shelters were provided with pipelines for water supply.
3. What were the means used to established contact between the control rooms and the field staff ?
Control rooms were established in the three worst affected areas to coordinate the efforts of the field staff and to monitor the relief operations. The HAM radio operators helped in this process. Another priority task was to equip the top officials with mobile phones. This eased the channels of communication and helped to no end in tackling SOS calls.
4. How was the distribution of clothes and medicines that poured in for the tsunami victims handled ?
The authorities had a system to ensure the fair distribution of relief materials to make the operation smooth. The first thing was computerization of the inventory with the help of two volunteers. This made easy to track the materials. It was also positioned to ascertain the requirement of various goods and quantify the need. The cooperation of the police was sought and a coupon system evolved to facilitate the distribution.
5. What was some of the work done by the medical teams formed as part of the disaster management efforts in Cuddalore ?
The department of health rendered yeoman’s service in this crisis. Twenty-three teams comprising both government and private doctors were mobilized for medical camps. 80,117 people were given medical attention, 437 people were treated as in-patients, 9,373 dose of vaccines were given for measles and polio, 17,000 typhoid vaccines were mobilised through the voluntary sector. Red Cross Society’s volunteers also helped to identify the people who were in need of counselling.
6. After reading the account, do you think Cuddalore’s district administration did a commendable job ? Give reasons for your answer.
The Cuddalore’s district administration did a commendable job by providing the shelter for the people who lost every thing and became homeless. Disposing of the human dead bodies and carcasses was taken place to control the out break of diseases. Relief centres established for the purpose of providing the medical assistance. People were distributed the relief materials like medicines, food, clothes etc. The administration mooted for an enhanced compensation package for the farmers. Children were provided all the basic amenities and comforts.
Bits:
1. Cuddalore is in Tamil Nadu
2. The Cuddalore District had witnessed a severe drought in 2004
3. The tsunami occurred on 26th December 2004
5. The tsunami left 618 dead in Cuddalore
6. Livestock losss was put at 29 lakh
7. 517.7 hectares of land was rendred saline
8. Anu George an IAS officer in chare of the district administration of the relief and rehabilitation.
9. The tsunami had struck on a Sunday morning following Christmas
10. Tsunami had rendered the drinking water sources saline
11. With the support of NGOs three desalination plants based on reverse osmosis
12. HAM radio operators helped in communication process
13. The local NSS and NYK volunteers assistance was taken for the detection of dead bodies and carcasses
14. The World Health Organisation warned that more people would die of epidemics than tsunami.
14 Red Cross Society’s volunteers helped to identify the people in need of counselling
15. Children’s parks were built to introduce the play therapy
16. Bangalore University helped for the play therapy sessions

THE CONNOISSEUR - SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS

THE CONNOISSEUR

SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS

The Connoisseur

The Connoisseur -Nergis Dalal

Gist
The author was happened to meet Miss Krishna at an art exhibition. Miss Krishna was about sixty-five, a spry, thin spinster. She spend all her life looking after an ailing mother. She had a younger sister who left home many years ago. The early life of Miss Krishna was one continuous struggle with poverty. She had been starved for the beautiful things.
Once the author invited Miss Krishna to stay with her while Miss Krishna’s house was being painted. Miss Krishna entered with the array of black tin trunks which had always caused for the writers curiosity. The author has found a larger battered leather purse with Miss Krishna, the handles looped over her wrist securely. Miss Krishna had shown her acquisitions to the author those were exquisite, beautiful, polished and jeweled.
One morning the author received news that Miss Krishna was dead of heart attack. Her sister was informed to attend for the funeral. Miss Krishna left everything to the author and also her sister was mentioned as the next beneficiary. But the author did not accept to take the collection of Miss Krishna. She has taken only a litter clock which she had lost three months ago.
Questions with Answers :
1. What was the story of Miss Krishna’s past ?
All the life of Miss Krishna starved of beautiful things. Her early life was one continuous struggle. She was in poverty which she felt as so ugly. Her past life was filled with all those thick coarse sheets on beds, uncarpeted floors, pottery cups and plates and ugly, discarded furniture.
2. Did Miss Krishna make a good guest ? Give reasons for your answer.
No, Miss Krishna did not make a good guest because, her suspicious behaviour with the author always caused for great curiosity. She was and fidgeting about the house, picked up the things and asking questions and caused for the great irritation. She had also insisted for the food as well.
3. What caused Miss Krishna’s stay at the writer’s home to come to an end ?
The author felt it would be impossible to exist even one more day with her under the same roof. One morning she went to Miss Krishna’s cottage which was tidy and clean. The author came back and told Miss Krishna that she could move to her cottage.
4. How did the writer happen to make a shocking discovery about Miss Krishna ?
Miss Krishna seemed spry and full of energy. To the author’s shock one morning the mali came to her and told that Miss Krishna was lying on her bed and had not woken for her morning tea. She hurriedly went to the Miss Krishna with the doctor but Miss Krishna died of a heart attack.
5. How did Maya’s sister first behave with the writer and what could have been the reason for the change in her attitude later ?
Miss Krishna was known by another it was Maya. Sister of Maya told the author that every thing was left to the author. But the author was not ready to accept Maya’s things and asked for the next beneficiary. The author asked Maya’s sister to take something which was a little clock. The sister smiled with a relief. It could have been the reason for the change her attitude later.
6. Why do you think the title ‘connoisseur’ is appropriate for the story ?
The heart of Miss Krishna starved of beautiful things. But she could not afford due to her poverty. She always carried a large battered leather purse, the handles looped over her wrist securely. She could collect valuable things as she came to know how valuable those are. For this reason the title ‘connoisseur’ is appropriate for the story.
Bits:
1. The Connoisseur – Miss Krishna
2. Miss Krishna has a nervous, slightly frenetic appearance
3. Miss Krishna was about sixty five, a spry, thin spinster
4. Miss Krishna had a younger sister
5. The first meeting between the author and Miss Krishna was made at an art exhibition
6. Miss Krishna had a passion for beautiful things
7. Miss Krishna moved to author’s house with the array of black tin trunks
8. Miss Krishna always carried with her a large battered, leather purse
9. A tiny, exquisite coffee cup was Miss Krishna’s panacea for all ills.
10. The author dined with the Lalls
11. Rina was an old friend of the author
12. The cups shown by Rina were bought in Paris
13. Miss Krishna produced a small Burmese lacquered box for the author
14. Miss Krishna died of a heart attack
15. Miss Krishna was also called as Maya
16. Maya left everything to the author
17. The next beneficiary was Maya’s sister

18. The author wanted to take one thing – a little nine-inch clock