Explore topic-wise InterviewSolutions in Current Affairs.

i. Inversion: The word order has been changed. The correct order is “And the wonder spreads all over the plains”.

ii. Repetition: The words ‘Of life’ are repeated thrice for better poetic effect.

iii. Personification: The flowers are given the human quality of lifting their heads.

iv. Personification: The butterflies are given the human quality of catching.

v. Personification: Leaves are given the human quality of singing for a better poetic effect.

vi. Inversion: The word order has been changed. The correct word order is ‘As passing boys and girls, too, go singing down the roadway’.

i. ‘Forget the buried woes and dead despairs’.

Here, the words ‘dead’ and ‘despairs’ begin with the same sound and letter ‘d’.

ii. ‘The future is for him who does and dares’.

Here, the words ‘does’ and ‘dares’ begin with the same sound and letter ‘d’.

iii. ‘And by it you are neither blessed nor banned’.

Here, the words ‘blessed’ and ‘banned’ begin with the same sound and letter ‘b’.

(a)  Article 168

The Governor appoints the leader of the majority party in the Legislative Assembly as the Chief Minister.

The relationship between Governor and Chief Minister can clarified on the following grounds :

1. According to Article 163 of the constitution, where the head of the state executive is Governor, in reality the real head of governance is the Chief Minister. 

2. The Governor’s first task is to appoint the Chief Minister. If a political party has a clear majority in the assembly and the majority party has chosen its leader, then the Governor appoints him as the Chief Minister. 

3. The Chief Minister selects the ministers and gives the list to the Governor which the Governor accepts, and Governor appoints them on the basis of the list of Chief Minister. 

4. The Governor effects dissolution of the Assembly when the Chief Minister advises him to do so. 

5. According to the constitution, the Chief Minister mediates between the Council of Ministers and the Governor. 

6. The Chief Minister gives the information of the cabinet’s decision to the Governor and communicates the views of the Governor to the cabinet. 

7. The Governor acts as per the advice of the Chief Minister, including the council of ministers.

Functioning of state administration : 

The most important unit of the council of ministers in the state administration is the cabinet and the cabinet takes decisions on every important matter. The Chief Minister can call the cabinet meeting whenever he wants to. These meetings are headed by the Chief Minister. There is no quorum of the meeting. 

The two main rules of the cabinet’s action are :

1. Collective liability : 

In the cabinet meetings almost all decisions are taken unanimously. In the case of differences, decisions are taken on the basis of mutual consultation and this decision is considered as a joint decision of all the ministers. If a minister finds himself unable to accept it, then he has to resign. 

2. Secrecy : 

An oath of confidentiality is taken by each member of the Council of Ministers and the proceedings and decisions of the Cabinet are kept secret. If a minister violates privacy, then he has to resign.

Article 40 of the constitution constitutes the Panchayats and provides them with such powers to be given by the state which makes them powerful. 

Power of Gram Panchayat:

1. Construction and maintenance of wells, reservoirs and ponds for drinking water. 

2. Preparation of statistics of unemployment, preparation of records of Panchayats, registration of death-birth and marriage, etc.

State administration can be clarified on the following grounds :

i. Federal control over states :

The Central Government has complete control over the state government during a crisis. Although in ordinary period, the state governments generally have full autonomy in their area yet the central government controls them to some extent. Thus, the center has considerable control over the state administration.

ii. Assigning federal work to state governments : 

According to the conditions laid down in Article 258, the union can transfer some of its administrative functions to states and the state can delegate some administrative functions to the union. When the federal government delegates its administrative work to the state Governments, the federal government will bear the expenses incurred in completing these tasks.

iii. Subsidy Grant : 

According to article 275, Parliament can also provide assistance and grant, to the states. Parliament can also control its expenditure by imposing certain conditions on states.

iv. Indicator of Development : 

State Administration is an indicator of development administration in which the emphasis is on the all round development of the citizens. Welfare schemes are implemented for citizens.

v. Emergency : 

When the President announces an emergency under article 325, then the federal government has absolute control over the states. 

vi. Other base of state administration :

• State administration has an independent existence in itself. 
•  State administration is based on public participation. 
•  Secretariat is an important pivot of state administration. 
• The Chief administrators of the state administration are selected from All India Services. 
• In the state administration, the Governor is the representative of the President.

The three units of urban local governance are as follows : 

1. Municipality : 

Panchayat has been given the name of municipality in the town. It is set up in towns, which has die population from 10,000 to 1 lakh. Its head is called chairman. 

2. Municipal Council : 

Municipal Council is established in cities with population of one lakh to three lakh. It is divided into several wards. A councilor is directly elected by the public from each ward. The head of the Municipal Council is called chairperson. 

3. Municipal Corporation : 

Municipal Corporation is established in big cities having population of more than 3 lakh. Its head is called Mayor. Their election is done by direct or indirect method which has been prescribed by the legislature of the State Government. Their tenure is of 5 years but these elected bodies can be dissolved earlier by the motion of no confidence.

 Altekar called the Indian villages as Republics.

From Nagaur district was the three-tier system of Panchayati Raj started in Rajasthan on 2nd October, 1959.

Realistic means aim of the person should be achievable. He should set a realistic goal and accept the challenges that lie ahead with enthusiasm. It should be within the capacity of the individual, neither too high nor too low.

(i) Whether intelligence is evolved or it is developed due to the environment, is a question of debate.

(ii) Lot of studies have been done to determine the role of nature and nurture.

(iii) Here we will discuss the controversy with the help of various twin studies, adoption studies and environmental studies. On the basis of twin studies co-relation results are as follows:

(i) Identical twins reared together correlate 0.90

(ii) Identical twins reported early in childhood and reared in different environments correlate 0.72

(iii) Fraternal twins reared together correlate 0.60

(iv )Siblings reared together correlate 0.50

(v)  Siblings reared apart correlate 0.25

•Adoption Studies before the Age of 6-7 Years

These studies of adopted children show that children’s intelligence is more similar to their biological parents.

These studies provide evidence that intelligence is determined because of nature.

•Adoption Studies after the Age of 6-7 Years

According to these studies as children grew older tends to more closer to that of their adoptive parents.

Evidence for the influence of environment (Nurture) on the basis of Twin studies.

 (i) The intelligence score of twins reared apart as they grew older, tends to more closer to that of their adoptive parents.

(ii) On the basis of differences in environment, children from disadvantaged homes adopted into families with higher, socio-economic status exhibit an increase in their intelligence scores.

(iii) Environmental deprivation lowers intelligence. Factors such as nutrition, good family background and quality schooling increase growth rate of intelligence.

(iv) There is general consensus among psychologists that intelligence is a product of complex interaction of heredity (Nature) and environment (Nurture).

(v) Heredity provides the potentials and sets a range of growth whereas environment facilitates the development of intelligence.

Kirtibhai is proud of his son – Pranav because Pranav has invented the impossibly futuristic watch ‘Gear’. Right from his school at Palanpur, the academic career of Pranav has been very brilliant. He used to get 1st rank in every academic year owing to his uncommon IQ.

He was good in every activity be it studies, music or sports. He had a dream of doing something unique right from his childhood. For all these qualities and his unique invention of watch – ‘Gear’, his father Kirtibhai is proud of his son.

GEAR: With this digital watch we can check messages with a glance or make conversation. In our regular life this is useful as we have not to take out our phone from our pocket, still we can make and receive calls.

Tele Touch: With the help of this device, we can touch and control things from a distance. We can interact with our appliances from a distance in a funny way. We can operate TV, alarm, music player, open the door, turn on the light, etc. just by touching it on screen. This device saves a lot of our efforts in our daily life.

SPARSH: With the help of this device, we can conceptually transfer media from one digital device to our body and pass it on to the other digital device by simple touch gestures. We have to touch whatever we want to copy from laptop, TV smart phone, e-book reader, etc. and next, we have to touch the device we want to paste. How easy cutting pasting in our regular life !

Sixth Sense : It is a wearable gestural interface that increases the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with information. With the help of a camera and a tiny projector mounted in a pendant like wearable device, ‘SixthSense’ sees what we see and visually augments any surfaces of objects we are interacting with.

Through natural hand gestures or arm movements we can interact with the projected information. We do not have to carry camera and projector for interacting with information in our routine life.

SunFlower: This device lets us track the sun. The artificial sunflower would move with the sun, so that it could be efficiently used in solar panels. With this device, solar panels could get efficient angle each time and we can consume more solar energy on our panels.

Order of priority according to their usefulness of the above-mentioned devices goes as under:

(1) Gear
(2) Sparsh
(3) TeleTouch
(4) SixthSense
(5) SunFlower

Archery is an activity where you shoot an arrow from a bow. It is the sport, practice or skill of using a bow to propel arrows. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern times, it is mainly a competitive sport and recreational activity.

(a) economic cooperation

India has had a long history of physical education. We should remember the heroes that India gave to herself who represented not only great qualities of courage and valour. But they also depicted qualities of physical strength and excellence. The systematic progress of physical education can be traced back from the recommendations of the central advisory board of education, which was constituted to-investigate and advise the government, on the co-ordination of activities in the field of P.E. Prior to independence, the government of India had taken following steps for the encouragement of physical education such as –

(i) The establishment of All India Council of Sports 

(ii) Setting up of State Sports Councils in different states.

(d) All of these

Answer is (C) Civil

When I meet Pranav, the questions I would like to ask him are as following :

• When did you have the gut feeling that you can do something unique ?
• What role did your parents play in moulding your career ?
• What sources did you take help of in inventing ‘Gear’ ?
• What beyond your studies facilitated you in your unique invention ?
• What made you think that you should invent such a device like ‘Gear’ ?

(c) Both body and mind

We know that,

a x a x … x a (n times) = aⁿ

(a) 3 x 3 x 3 x a x a x a x a=3³ x a⁴ = 27 a⁴

(b) a x a x b x b x b x c x c x c x c = a² x b³ x c⁴

(c) s x s x t x t x s x s x t = s x s x s x s x t x t x t = s⁴ x t³

(a) We have, 2⁶ = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 64 and 6² = 6 x 6 = 36 So, 2⁶ > 6²

(b) We have, 2⁹ = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 512 and 9² = 9 x 9 = 81

So, 2⁹ > 9²

(c) We have, 7.9 x 10⁴ 

= 7.9 x 10000 = 79000 and 5.28 x 10⁵ = 5.28 x 100000 = 528000

So, 5.28 x 10⁵ > 7.9 x 10⁴

(a) We have, 76,47,000 = 7647000,00

A number in standard form is written as a x 10^k, where a is the terminating decimal such that 1 < a < 10 and k is any integer.

So,7647000 = 7647 x 10³

= 7.647 x 10³ x 10³ = 7.647 x 10⁶

Similarly,

(b) 8,19,00,000 = 81900000.00

= 819 x 10 s 

= 8.19 x 10² x 10⁵ 

= 8.19 x 10⁷

(c) 5,83,00,00,00,000 = 583000000000.00

= 583 x 10⁹ 

= 5.83 x 10² x 10⁹ 

= 5.83 x 10¹¹

(d) 24 billion = 24,00,00,00,000 

= 24 x 10⁹ 

= 2.4 x 10¹ x 10⁹ 

= 2.4 x 10¹⁰

(c) 101

By splitting, (10²² + 10²⁰)/10²⁰ we get,

= (10²²/10²⁰) + (10²⁰/10²⁰)

By using the rule a^m ÷ aⁿ = a^m–n, m>n

= 10^{(22 – 20)} + 1

= 10² + 1

= 100 + 1

= 101

(c) 3

2¹⁹⁹⁸ – 2¹⁹⁹⁷ – 2¹⁹⁹⁶ + 2¹⁹⁹⁵ = K2¹⁹⁹⁵

By cross multiplication we get,

(2¹⁹⁹⁸/2¹⁹⁹⁵) – (2¹⁹⁹⁷/2¹⁹⁹⁵) – (2¹⁹⁹⁶/2¹⁹⁹⁵) + (2¹⁹⁹⁵/2¹⁹⁹⁵) = K

By the rule, a^m ÷ aⁿ = a^m–n , m>n

K = (2^{1998 – 1995}) – (2^{1997 – 1995}) – (2^{1996 – 1995}) + (2^{1995 – 1995})

K = 2³ – 2² – 2¹ + 2⁰

K = 8 – 4 – 2 – 1

K = 3

(d) 1.2345 × 10⁴

Any number can be expressed as a decimal number between 1.0 and 10.0 (including 1.0) multiplied by a power of 10. Such form of a number is called its standard form or scientific notation.

NAPCC is a government document that includes eight ambitious goals set for the country to achieve. 

1. National Solar Mission 

2. National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency 

3. National Mission on Sustainable Habitat 

4. National Water Mission

5. National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem

6. National Mission for a “Green India” 

7. National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture 

8. National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change

My father was transferred to Udaipur but my mother stayed back in Jaipur.

•  Now my children are growing up so I am planning to re-join my service. 

•  After my retirement, I will settle down in Baran. 

•  Our storeroom is not big enough so one cannot move about the boxes easily. 

•  I am going to Russia for my higher studies so I am trying to pick-up Russian. 

•  The taxi driver waited for more than half an hour and then he drove away. My friend says that they will lend me the book when he is done with it. 

•  I spent a huge amount on doing-up my house. 

•  All the students of class XII are going on the picnic so our principal sir has sent for a taxi in addition to our school bus. Mrs Malik’s husband and mother-in-law passed away before shifting into their new house. 

• He looked in his mother and didn’t give her money. 

• I was very tired so I lay down on the bed and tried to relax. 

•  The passers-by looked on the injured man but nobody helped him.

Respected principal Sir, all my teachers, and dear fellow students, very good morning to all of you. I am going to speak on the topic ‘Parents and teachers deserve to be treated with great respect’. Of course, we all should treat our parents with great respect because, after God, they are our makers. We learn everything from them. They take all the pains to brighten our future. The same way we should treat our teachers with great respect because they are the nation builders. They prepare future citizens of a country. They teach us the difference between right and wrong. They teach us human values. With these words, I conclude my speech. Thank you all. 

आदरणीय प्रधानाचार्य, शिक्षकगण और मेरे साथी छात्र-छात्राओ, सुप्रभात। मैं माता-पिता के अध्यापक बहुत सम्मान के योग्य हैं’ विषय पर बोलने जा रहा हूँ। हमें अपने माता-पिता का निश्चित रूप से बहुत सम्मान करना चाहिए, क्योंकि ईश्वर के बाद वही हमें बनाने वाले होते हैं। हम प्रत्येक बात उन्हीं से सीखते हैं। 

हमारे भविष्य को अच्छा बनाने के लिए वे सभी प्रकार के कष्ट उठाते हैं। इसी प्रकार हमें अपने अध्यापकों का भी अत्यधिक सम्मान करना चाहिए क्योंकि वे राष्ट्र-निर्माता होते हैं। वे देश के भावी नागरिक तैयार करते हैं। वे हमें उचित-अनुचित एवं मानवीय मूल्यों का बोध कराते हैं। इन शब्दों के साथ मैं अपनी वाणी को विराम देता हूँ। धन्यवाद।

Mrs Malik’s plans regarding the furniture for the new house were that she would have new furniture made for the house. She would not let the old furniture enter the new house, not a piece of it. 

नये मकान के लिए फर्नीचर से सम्बन्धित श्रीमती मलिक की योजनाएं थीं कि इस मकान के लिए सारे फर्नीचर नये हों, कोई भी पुरानी फर्नीचर इसमें नहीं आने पाये, एक टुकड़ा भी नहीं (एक फर्नीचर भी नहीं)।

D-15 

Kalakunj 

Colony 

Bharatpur 20 Feb 2020

My dear Varun, It’s a matter of great pleasure for my family that we are going to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of my grandmother on 15 April 20–. The party is at our residence at 8:30 pm. There will be lots of fun at the party. Do come with uncle and aunty. I’ll be waiting for your arrival. 

Yours 

Abhinav

Mrs Malik decided to stay back in Delhi because she was sick of her husband’s postings. Every other year they were moved to a new place. It was not desirable to shift their children from school to school. 

श्रीमती मलिक ने दिल्ली में ही रहने का निश्चय इसलिए किया क्योंकि वह अपने पति के स्थानान्तरणों से ऊब चुकी थीं। प्रत्येक दूसरे वर्ष उन्हें एक नये स्थान पर जाना पड़ता था। बार-बार उनके बच्चों का स्कूल बदलना ठीक नहीं था।

Here the word “everything” refers to “all the plans” made by Mrs Malik. She thought of various plans for doing up the house. But she came to know that the house had been acquired by the Government. 

यहाँ “सब कुछ” शब्द श्रीमती मलिक द्वारा बनायी गई ‘सभी योजनाओं को इंगित करता है । मकान की साज-सज्जा के लिए उन्होंने विभिन्न योजनाएं बनाईं थीं । लेकिन उन्हें पता चला कि सरकार ने इस मकान को अधिग्रहीत कर लिया है ।

The newly constructed house of the Maliks was acquired by the Government. This made Mrs Malik furious in the beginning. But the next moment as Mr Malik mentioned the rent assessed, she quietened down. It was taken over for a heavy rental value. The substantial rent which began to be credited to their bank account regularly made the Maliks happy. Compared to the frequent complaints and demands that private tenants keep on putting forth and their irregularity in payment of rent, tenancy by the Government was a pleasant experience. It was not a headache like the private tenants. These aspects made the Maliks happy. The contract was safe, ensured and beneficial. 

मलिक-दम्पति का नवनिर्मित मकानं सरकार द्वारा अधिग्रहीत कर लिया गया। श्रीमती मलिक अत्यधिक क्रोधित हो गईं। लेकिन अगले ही पल जब श्रीमान् मलिक ने उन्हें यह बताया कि सरकार ने उन्हें इस मकान का काफी अधिक किराया देना तय किया है तो वह शान्त हो गईं। सरकार ने इस मकान के लिए किराये के रूप में भारी-भरकम राशि निश्चित की जिसका समय पर भुगतान किया जाने लगा। 

किराये की राशि मलिक-दम्पति के बैंक खाते में नियमित रूप से जमा हो जाती थी । इससे मलिक दम्पति को प्रसन्नता हुई। प्राइवेट या निजी. किरायेदार तो मकान-मालिकों से निरन्तर शिकायत करते रहते हैं, कोई न कोई मांग रखते रहते हैं और कभी समय पर किराया नहीं चुकाते हैं – इनकी तुलना में किरायेदार के रूप में सरकार का होना एक सुखद अनुभव था। निजी किरायेदार तो सिरदर्द सिद्ध होते हैं। यहाँ ऐसी कोई परेशानी नहीं थी । इन्हीं सब बातों से मलिक-दम्पति प्रसन्न हुए। सरकार के साथ हुआ संविदा सुरक्षित, आश्वासन से भरपूर और लाभप्रद था।

The newly constructed house of the Maliks was acquired by the Government. This made Mrs Malik furious in the beginning. But the next moment as Mr Malik mentioned the rent assessed, she quietened down. It was taken over for a heavy rental value. The substantial rent which began to be credited to their bank account regularly made the Maliks happy. Compared to the frequent complaints and demands that private tenants keep on putting forth and their irregularity in payment of rent, tenancy by the Government was a pleasant experience. It was not a headache like the private tenants. These aspects made the Maliks happy. The contract was safe, ensured and beneficial. 

मलिक-दम्पति का नवनिर्मित मकानं सरकार द्वारा अधिग्रहीत कर लिया गया। श्रीमती मलिक अत्यधिक क्रोधित हो गईं। लेकिन अगले ही पल जब श्रीमान् मलिक ने उन्हें यह बताया कि सरकार ने उन्हें इस मकान का काफी अधिक किराया देना तय किया है तो वह शान्त हो गईं। सरकार ने इस मकान के लिए किराये के रूप में भारी-भरकम राशि निश्चित की जिसका समय पर भुगतान किया जाने लगा। 

किराये की राशि मलिक-दम्पति के बैंक खाते में नियमित रूप से जमा हो जाती थी । इससे मलिक दम्पति को प्रसन्नता हुई। प्राइवेट या निजी. किरायेदार तो मकान-मालिकों से निरन्तर शिकायत करते रहते हैं, कोई न कोई मांग रखते रहते हैं और कभी समय पर किराया नहीं चुकाते हैं – इनकी तुलना में किरायेदार के रूप में सरकार का होना एक सुखद अनुभव था। निजी किरायेदार तो सिरदर्द सिद्ध होते हैं। यहाँ ऐसी कोई परेशानी नहीं थी । इन्हीं सब बातों से मलिक-दम्पति प्रसन्न हुए। सरकार के साथ हुआ संविदा सुरक्षित, आश्वासन से भरपूर और लाभप्रद था।

Several changes had come about in the Malik family by the time Mr Malik retired. These were – The Maliks had got their own house built. Mrs Malik took a keen interest in getting this house built and furnished. She had taken a lot of pains in getting the house ready. After this Mrs Malik’s mother-in-law passed away. Their daughter had been married. Only their son remained to be married now. Mr Malik thought that his son should be married before he retired. Mr Malik’s wish also got fulfilled. The Maliks’ son had been married. Now Mr Malik had retired from service. Their house had not yet been released by the government. Thus Mr and Mrs Malik lived with their son and daughter-in-law in a rented house.

 श्रीमान् मलिक के सेवानिवृत्त होने तक मलिक परिवार में अनेक परिवर्तन आ चुके थे। ये (परिवर्तन) थे – मलिक परिवार ने अपना स्वयं का मकान बना लिया था। श्रीमती मलिक ने इस मकान के निर्माण व साज-सज्जा में गहन रुचि ली थी। मकान तैयार कराने में उन्होंने अत्यन्त परिश्रम किया। इसके बाद श्रीमती मलिक की सास का देहावसान हो गया। उनकी पुत्री का विवाह हो गया। 

अब सिर्फ उनको पुत्र विवाह के लिए रह गया । श्रीमान् मलिक ने सोचा कि सेवानिवृत्त होने से पूर्व इस काम को निबटा देना ही ठीक रहेगा। श्रीमान् मलिक की यह इच्छा भी पूरी हो गई । मलिक दम्पत्ति के पुत्र का विवाह हो गया । अब श्रीमान् मलिक सेवानिवृत्त हो गए। सरकार ने अभी तक उनका मकान खाली नहीं किया था । अतः श्रीमान् मलिक और श्रीमती मलिक अपने पुत्र व पुत्रवधू के साथ एक किराये के मकान में रहते थे।

During the construction of her house, Mrs Malik supervised every detail. She would be seen standing at the site with her umbrella throughout the day. At times she gave a hand. to the masons and others. She was the first to arrive at the construction site and left after everyone had gone away. She ensured that there was no wastage of material. She also ensured that the labour did not idle about. Construction work of the house was completed. Then Mrs Malik insisted that she would have new furniture made for the house. She would not let the old furniture enter the new house, not a piece of it. She thought of various plans for doing up the house. In this way, Mrs Malik took a keen interest in getting her house built and furnished. 

अपने मकान निर्माण के दौरान श्रीमती मलिक प्रत्येक ब्यौरे का निरीक्षण करती थीं। सारा दिन उन्हें छाता लिये निर्माणस्थल पर देखा जा सकता था। कभी-कभी तो राजमिस्त्रियों व अन्य कारीगरों के कार्य में भी वह हाथ बँटाती थीं। निर्माण-स्थल पर वह सबसे पहले पहुँचतीं और सबके चले जाने के बाद ही वापस लौटतीं।

वह यह सुनिश्चित कर लेती थीं कि कहीं पर कोई सामग्री बर्बाद तो नहीं हो रही । वह यह भी सुनिश्चित कर लेती थीं कि मजदूर बेकार बैठकर समय तो नहीं गंवा रहे हैं । मकान का निर्माण कार्य पूरा हो गया । फिर श्रीमती मलिक का जोर इस बात पर था कि इस मकान के लिए सारे फर्नीचर नये हों। कोई भी पुराना फर्नीचर इसमें नहीं आने पाये, एक भी फर्नीचर नहीं।

Mrs Malik is not satisfied with her daughter-in-law. She doesn’t like her behaviour and her ways. At several places it is reflected in the story that Mrs. Malik doesn’t like her daughter-inlaw’s modern ways of life. For example, when she started repainting her lips in the car, Mrs Malik felt her act unnecessary and unwise. Her conversation with her husband in English was an act which she didn’t like. Mrs Malik thought that she was jabbering. Why must she talk with her housband in English ? She didn’t like his daughter-in-law wearing a maroon colour saree. She herself never liked maroon colour. In fact this is a case of generation gap in this story. Mrs Malik finds her daughter in law as a rival of her status. And the newly wed young girl has no care for her mother in law’s sentiments. 

श्रीमती मलिक अपनी पुत्रवधू से संतुष्ट नहीं हैं। वह उसके व्यवहार और तौर-तरीकों को पसन्द नहीं करती हैं । कहानी में कई स्थानों पर यह प्रदर्शित होता है कि श्रीमती मलिक अपनी पुत्रवधू के आधुनिक तौर-तरीकों को नापसन्द करती हैं। उदाहरण के तौर पर, जब उसने कार में पुनः लिपस्टिक लगाना शुरू किया तो श्रीमती मलिक ने उसके उस कृत्य को अनावश्यक और मूर्खतापूर्ण समझा। उसका अपने पति से अंग्रेजी में बात करना भी श्रीमती मलिक को नागवार लगा। उन्हें लगा कि वह बक-बक कर रही थी। उसे अपने पति से अंग्रेजी में बात करने की क्या आवश्यकता थी? उन्हें अपनी पुत्रवधू की मैरून रंग की साड़ी पहनना भी पसंद नहीं था। 

उन्हें स्वयं भी मैरून रंग कभी पसंद नहीं था। इस प्रसंग में, वास्तव में यह पीढी अन्तराल का मामला लगता है। श्रीमती मलिक को अपनी पुत्रवधू अपनी प्रतिद्वन्द्वी जैसी लगती है और उस नवविवाहिता लड़की को अपनी सास की भावनाओं की कोई परवाह नहीं है।

The important details which were highlighted in the sketch map of the house were –  the kitchen, the store-room 10′ x 8′ adjacent to the kitchen, the courtyard. Though this room was a storeroom Mrs Malik insisted repeatedly to make the store-room a little bigger than 10′ x 8′. She planned that her mother-in-law could use this room for the present. And soon after her death, it could be converted into a store-room. The other important thing in the sketch was the figure of the lady of the house standing in the verandah with her back towards the marble pillar. How elegant and graceful an image of contentment, clad in a maroon saree! Mrs Malik felt that the architect had painted her. 

मकान के नक्शे के प्रारूप में मुख्य रूप से दर्शायी गई महत्त्वपूर्ण जानकारियाँ थीं- रसोईघर, रसोईघर के बगल में 10′ x 8′ का भण्डारघर, आँगन । हालांकि यह कमरा एक भण्डारघर था लेकिन श्रीमती मलिक ने इसे 10′ x 8′ से थोड़ा बड़ा करने पर बार-बार जोर दिया। उनकी योजना थी कि अभी उनकी सास इस कमरे को अपने कमरे के तौर पर प्रयोग कर सकती हैं और जल्दी ही उनकी मृत्यु के बाद इसे एक भण्डारघर के रूप में इस्तेमाल किया जा सकता था। 

प्रारूप में अन्य महत्त्वपूर्ण चीज थी गृहस्वामिनी का एक चित्र जिसमें उसे बरामदे में संगमरमरे के स्तम्भ की ओर पीठ किए हुऐ खड़े होने की मुद्रा में दिखाया गया था। कितना सुरुचिपूर्ण व शोभायुक्त लगता था वह चित्र, जिसमें मरून साड़ी में लिपटी वह संतुष्टि की प्रतिमूर्ति खड़ी थी। श्रीमती मलिक ने महसूस किया जैसे वास्तुशिल्पी में उन्हीं को चित्रित किया हो।

The Maliks could not shift to their new house on Monday morning because it was raining heavily. They shifted on Monday in the evening because it was an auspicious day for them. 

मलिके परिवार सोमवार की सुबह अपने नये मकान में शिफ्ट इसलिए नहीं हो सके क्योंकि तेज वर्षा हो रही थी। वे सोमवार की शाम को शिफ्ट हुए क्योंकि यह दिने उनके लिए शुभ था।

The colour of Mrs Malik’s daughter-in-law’s saree was similar to that of the figure in the sketch. She was wearing a maroon saree. Mrs Malik’s daughter-in-law’s posture and body language were quite similar to the lady in the sketch. 

श्रीमती मलिक की पुत्रवधू की साड़ी का रंग उस स्केच के चित्र से मेल खा रहा था । वह मरून रंग की साड़ी पहने हुए थी । श्रीमती मलिक की पुत्रवधू का दिखावा करना (मुद्रा) और भाव-भंगिमा में उस स्केच वाली महिला से काफी समानता थी ।

The architect had prepared a sketch of Mrs Malik’s new house. The sketch also had the figure of the lady of the house. She was shown standing in the verandah with her back towards the marble pillar- elegant and graceful. It was an image of contentment. Mrs Malik thought that she must show that sketch to her daughter-in-law sometime in future. She thought so because seeing the figure in the sketch Mrs Malik felt that the architect had painted her. The figure of the lady in the sketch was as tall as Mrs Malik. Not only this, reclining against the marble pillar she stood the way Mrs Malik used to stand. The appearance of the lady in the sketch was so similar to that of Mrs Malik. So she thought of showing that sketch to her daughter-in-law in future. 

वास्तुशिल्पी ने श्रीमती मलिक के नये मकान का एक प्रारूप तैयार किया था। इस प्रारूप में गृहस्वामिनी का एक चित्र भी शामिल था। उसे बरामदे में संगमरमर के स्तम्भ की ओर पीठ करके खड़े हुए दर्शाया गया था। वह चित्र कितना सुरुचिपूर्ण व शोभायुक्त था मानो संतुष्टि की प्रतिमूर्ति। श्रीमती मलिक ने सोचा कि भविष्य में कभी वह इस प्रारूप को अपनी पुत्रवधू को अवश्य दिखायेंगी। उन्होंने ऐसा इसलिए सोचा क्योंकि प्रारूप में उस चित्र को देखकर श्रीमती मलिक को ऐसा लगा जैसे कि वास्तुशिल्पी ने उन्हीं का चित्र बनाया हो। स्केच में चित्रित उस महिला की लम्बाई श्रीमती मलिक की लम्बाई जैसी थी। सिर्फ यही नहीं, स्तम्भ का सहारा लिये चित्र वाली महिला ठीक उसी प्रकार खड़ी थी जिस प्रकार श्रीमती मलिक खड़ी होती थीं। चित्रित महिला दिखने में श्रीमती मलिक से काफी अधिक मेल खाती थी। इसलिए श्रीमती मलिक उसे अपनी पुत्रवधू को दिखाना चाहती थीं।

Mrs Malik thought that the architect had painted her. The lady in the figure was clad in maroon colour saree. But Mrs Malik never wore maroon colour saree. The figure in the sketch, however, was as tall as Mrs Malik. Reclining against the pillar she stood the way Mrs Malik used to stand. She saw the figure in the sketch and would go and stand before the dressing table many a time. She thought that she must show that sketch to her daughter-in-law sometime in future. Suddenly she thought that maybe the figure painted by the architect was that of her daughter-in-law because her daughter-in-law was wearing a maroon colour saree as the lady in the sketch had. There arose a conflict of existence in her mind. 

श्रीमती मलिक ने सोचा जैसे वास्तुशिल्पी ने उन्हीं को चित्रित किया हो। चित्रित महिला मैरून रंग की साड़ी में लिपटी हुई थी। लेकिन श्रीमती मलिक तो कभी मैरून रंग की साड़ी पहनती ही नहीं थीं । फिर भी स्केच में जो चित्र था उसकी लम्बाई श्रीमती मलिक की जितनी ही थी। स्तम्भ के सहारे खड़ी चित्र वाली महिला ठीक उसी तरह खड़ी थी जिस प्रकार श्रीमती मलिक खड़ी होती थीं। 

वह स्केच वाले उस चित्र को बार-बार देखतीं और फिर घर में अपनी ड्रेसिंग टेबिल के सामने खड़े होकर स्वयं को देखतीं। उन्होंने सोचा कि वह इस चित्र को कभी अपनी पुत्रवधू को अवश्य दिखायेंगी। अचानक उन्होंने सोचा कि हो सकता है कि वास्तुशिल्पी ने इस चित्र में उनकी पुत्रवधू को चित्रित किया हो क्योंकि उनकी पुत्रवधू ने वैसी ही मैरून रंग की साड़ी पहन रखी थी जैसी कि उस चित्र में उस महिला ने उनके मन में अपने अस्तित्व का अन्तर्द्वन्द्व खड़ा हुआ।

Although the Maliks had the regret of not being able to live in their own house, they had the consolation of getting the substantial rent which was regularly credited to their bank account. 

यद्यपि मलिक-दम्पति को इस बात का दु:ख था कि वे अपने स्वयं के मकान में रहने में असमर्थ थे, किन्तु उन्हें इस बात का सन्तोष भी था कि मकान के किराये की भारी-भरकम राशि नियमित रूप से उनके बैंक खाते में जमा हो रही थी।

While sitting in the back seat of the car, Mrs Malik was lost in memories. She recalled what pains she had taken while the house was under construction. The days when she missed her meals! The days she stood in the scorching heat of the sun supervising the work in progress! She recalled how she stood on the site from early morning till late in the evening, the days she was drenched in rain. She had every brick of the house laid before her eyes. Many a time she helped the masons with mortar and bricks. Many times she hauled the rubber pipe and sprayed water on the plastered walls. She also thought about the figure of the lady prepared by the architect. All these memories of the construction period of the house haunted her mind. 

श्रीमती मलिक कार की पिछली सीट पर बैठे हुए यादों में खो गयीं। उन्हें याद आया कि जब मकान का निर्माण हो रहा था तब उन्होंने कितनी कठिनाइयां सहन की थी। कितने ही दिन वह बिना भोजन किये रह जाती थीं। भीषण गर्मी के दिनों में झुलसाने वाली धूप में वह निर्माणकार्य की प्रगति को देखते हुए खड़ी रहती थीं। 

उन्होंने स्मरण किया कि वह निर्माण स्थल पर तड़के प्रात:काल से लेकर देर शाम तक खड़ी रहती थीं। कितने ही दिन वह बरसात में भीग कर तरबतर हो जाती थीं । उन्होंने मकान में एक-एक ईंट अपने सामने लगवाई थी। अनेक बार तो उन्होंने राजमिस्त्रियों को ईंटें व गारा पहुँचाने में मदद की थी । बहुत बार उन्होंने रबर के पाइप को खींचकर पलस्तर की गई दीवारों पर छिड़काव किया था। उन्होंने वास्तुशिल्पी द्वारा तैयार किये गए महिला के उस चित्र के विषय में भी सोचा। मकाने के निर्माण के समय की ये सभी यादें उनके मस्तिष्क मंक बार-बार आयीं।

As soon as the Government vacated their house and handed over its possession to them, Mrs Malik’s daughter-in-law lost no time in getting it painted and polished and ordered for new furniture. This shows that she was keener than Mrs Malik to shift into her own house. 

ज्योंही सरकार ने उनका मकान खाली कर उसे इन लोगों को सौंप दिया, उसी क्षण श्रीमती मलिक की पुत्रवधू ने उसके रंग-रोगन की व्यवस्था की तथा नए फर्नीचर के आदेश दे दिए। यह दिखलाता है कि श्रीमती मलिक की अपेक्षा उनकी पुत्रवधू को अपने स्वयं के मकान में शिफ्ट होने की ज्यादा उत्सुकता थी।

The lady in the figure was clad in a maroon saree. Mrs Malik thought that she never wore maroon saree. It was too loud for her taste. That’s why she suddenly thought that it was possible that the figure was not others. 

चित्रित महिला मरून रंग की साड़ी पहने हुए थी। श्रीमती मलिक ने सोचा कि उन्होंने तो कभी मरून साड़ी पहनी ही नहीं। मरून रंग उनकी रुचि के एकदम विपरीत भड़कीला दिखाई देता था। इसलिए अचानक उन्होंने सोचा कि हो सकता है कि ‘वह चित्र उनका (स्वयं का) न हो।