Project Work: Extension of the story 'Karma'

PROJECT

REPORT

EXTENSION OF A STORY

Entitled

KARMA

by Khushuant Singh

BANSIHARI BALIKA VIDYALAYA (H.S.)

P.O. Buniadpur, Dist. Dakshin Dinajpur

Project Work

Submitted by

Name of the Student.................................................

Roll No. …………………Section ...............................

Registration No……………………(2019-2020)

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that this Project Report entitled EXTENSION OF KHUSHWANT SING'S SHORT STORY ‘KARMA’ prepared by ___________________ Class XI Roll No._______ Registration No. ______________ Year 201…-1…. submitted in partial fulfilment to class XI English Course during the academic year 201…-1… is a bonafied record of project work carried out under my guidance and supervision.

Signature of the Project Guide

Name: ………………………………………

Designation: …Assistant teacher

Department: English

School: ………………………………………………

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The project, EXTENSION OF KHUSHWANT SINGH'S SHORT STORY, 'KARMA, has provided me with ample scope of learning through collaborative activity. I consider myself fortunate to have worked under Mr Amar Sengupta, whose support made my project-based learning quite joyful. I am grateful to him.

Mr Shubhamay Mazumder has rendered important suggestions for the improvement of the project work. I cannot help acknowledging his contribution with gratitude.

I would like to thank Mr Chandan Basak for his precise suggestions which were very conducive to the accomplishment of the project work.

I owe my gratitude to Mr Ananta Ghose for his continuous support. And I am also grateful to my friends and my parents who have helped me to complete the project work.

Signature of the Student

...........…......

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Methods and Techniques

Output of the Project

Conclusion

References

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project in our Syllabus

The West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education has included the Project Work in the new syllabus of English as mandatory. The Project Work is to be written within 2000- 2500 words. In class XI, the three topics which have been selected for the Project Work are as follows:

(i) Dramatization of a Story

(ii) Extension of a Story

(iii) Writing an Autobiography

Out of the three topics, we chose the second- Extension of a story, as our project.

1.2 Objectives

(i) We will be able to dovelop our creative imagination.

(ii) We learn how to extend a story following the end of particular story as the beginning.

(iii) We learn how to portray different characters and to arrange events coherently.

(iv) We learn how experience can be transformed to art.

1.3 Resources

The prescribed text book that contains stories is the resource.

1.4 Gulding Principles

(i) Extension of the story depends on the realisation of the characters and events.

(ii) Creative Imagination is of course very crucial in the extension of the story.

(iii) Reading habit helps one to extend the story because rich experience is conducive to this kind of project work.

(iv) Character portrayal is very important. A flat character may become a round one in keeping with the events of the story.

(v) Rearrangement of the sequence of events may be needed to establish unity with the new end.

(vi) The story which has been an extended one must end meaningfully.

1.5 Limitations

(i) Time for the whole project work is limited.

(ii) We have not read many stories written in English.

(II) At times we lack expressions because English is not our mother tongue.

(iv) The structures of the short story are not known to us quite clearly.

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES

2.1 Introduction

There are some definite steps in the making of the project- Extension of a Story. We have chosen a suitable story for the project. Our teacher has provided us with the routine of day- wise activities. Only ten periods have been fixed for the whole task. We have worked in groups. An account of the collaborative activities along with methods and techniques are given in this chapter.

2.2 First Day

(i) We chose Khushwant Singh's short story, 'Karma', the project- Extension of a Story.

(ii) We read out the story aloud in the class.

(iii) We studied the characters, especially the characters Sir Mohan and his wife, very carefully.

(iv) We came to know about the prejudice and snobbery Sir Mohan. In the extension of the story his disposition is essential.

(v) We learned the background of the story. Historical perspective was no doubt crucial. India was then under British rule; and we realised that we could focus on it in the extension of the story.

(vi) We were asked to review the main events of the story.

2.3 Second Day

On the second day we began writing 'Paragraph One:- 'on the board and filling in the blank with what happened first the extension of the story. We thought about the setting and characters involved in that narrative. In this way, we divided the story into some events which would be narrated in specific paragraphs.

2.4 Third Day

(i) We formed groups. Each group was assigned to write a particular paragraph in the development of the story.

(ii) We read out the narrative and discussed enough to change the structures and words in order to present the story more convincingly.

(iii) We wrote the dialogues on the board for modifications.

(iv) We repeated the same activity of modification and rectification for improvement.

2.5 Fourth Day

(i) We developed a manuscript following the instructions of our teacher.

(ii) Our teacher asked us to read the manuscript once again.

2.6 Fifth Day

(i) Copies of the manuscripts were distributed to each group; and they were asked to read the narrative once again. They were also asked to give their suggestions to make the story more coherent.

(ii) We reviewed every situation, dialogue, and the character portrayal in keeping with the new suggestions.

(iii) We decided to make the extension more concise.

2.7 Sixth Day

(i) Each group made necessary changes and submitted the manuscript.

2.8 Seventh Day

(i) We read out every manuscript.

2.9 Eighth Day

(i) We worked together to write the final manuscript.

2.10 Ninth Day

(i) We read aloud the final extension of the story.

2.11 Tenth Day: Evaluation be

(i) Finally, we submitted the Project Report for Evaluation.

OUTPUT OF THE PROJECT

The collaborative project work has resulted in the extension of a story. we have developed the script by working in groups.

EXTENSION OF A STORY

KARMA

Sir Mohan Lal was at his wit's end. He wanted to give a strong punch to the soldier's face. He wanted to take revenge. But he thought for a moment. He decided he should not do such kind of thing. He thought perhaps none would help and support him. He wanted to remenmber his past days of struggle, success and failure. He thought about his special action and fancied English, his books, politics and people, his bottle of whisky, his English cigarettes and his English newspaper. He bragged of his association with Oxford colleges, rugby matches and Piccadilly prostitudes. But all these went in vain.

He glanced at his thrown away bedding and suitease. He extended his arms to get them. Then he saw a group of soldiers coming towards him. They criticised him and addressed him as Nigro. Then Mohan Lal's cheeks turned red in anger. He rushed to the room of the station-master off the station to lodge a complaint against the soldiers in his coupe and on the platform and against the guard of the train. Entering the room of the station master, he saw another English in a busy mood. He gave the details of the incidents and the busy station-master in an indifferent way note down the complaint. He also told him that his wife had been in the train that he missed.

Suddenly he remembered that he left his bedding and suitcase outside the room. He went towards them in a frantic way. However he got his bedding and suitcase. He then heaved a sigh of relief. Then a coolie came to him. He said, "Sir, what happened ?" It was the same coolie who helped Lady Lal to board on the train. So Mohan Lal did not answer and pretended as if he did not hear him. The coolie said, "The last train to town had passed." The coolie also asked him to stay with him in his cottage which was very near to the station. Sir Mohan at first was puzzled to hear the coolie's offer. But when he understood the fact, he dccided to go with him and to stay in his cottage. In the cottage the coolie gave a heartrendering details of his past and present life. Sir Mohan also gave the details of his life. Then Sir Mohan asked, "What do you think about Mahatma Gandhi and his freedom struggle?" The coolie described Gandhi's Satyagraha movement, Quit India movement etc. and requested the babu to love India.

Sir Mohan understood and he could not sleep. He spent the rest of the night in a sleepless condition. He thought how India was being tortured by the British. He thought of his Indian wife, the coolie, the British soldiers, guards and the station-master. He heard the sound of the cock. He opened the window. He saw that the coolie with his wife prepared food for him. He got up and ate the food. He then went to the station with the coolie to get some news about his wife from the enquiry counter. He heard the announcement of a coming train and the name of his wife. He ran towards the Zenana compartment. He saw his wife, Lachmi. She was escorted by two lady GRPs. She was crying and washing her eyes with the end of her red borderd saree out of fear and anxiety. One of the lady GRPs asked Lachmi, "Is this your husban?" Lachmi answered, "Yes, he is my master." Sir Mohan realised his fault. He became a changed man. . He asked his wife to stay beside him. His wife asked, "What's the matter?" He took a small seat among the common passangers without giving answer. Being drunk the passangers around him moved aside. He took a betel leaf from his wife and began to chew. His wife could not understand the situation. Sir Mohan gave the details of his experience in past few hours. Then they went toward their house. He confessed his guilt and utter meaninglessness of his lurking ambition and decided to spend the rest of his life in a simple way. Lachmi said nothing. Tears rolled down from her cheeks. Sir Mohan requested his wife to stay with him in the ground floor. There after they cut a peaceful life.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we offer a few cautions. First, stories and storytelling shouldn't be approached merely or only for "public relations" and marketing purposes. Stories are a way of knowing. If we rush to clean or airbrush troubling things out of our stories, we'll lose a great deal of their value. And what we end up with will be untrustworthy and misleading. Of course, we do and can use stories for public relations. But we must be cautious of the reasons and ways we do so and strive to be honest, truthful, and trustworthy.

We shouldn't miss the fact that honest storytelling is risky when it is done or presented in public settings. Writing the extension of a story will help us to assess our work also.

REFERENCES

Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary : A Current Course. Delhi : OUP, 2000. Print