OU Degree 1st Sem English – Shyness My Shield Questions and Answers & Summary
Comprehension 1.
Answer the following questions in 80-100 words –
Question 1.
Why did Gandhi not talk at meetings? What did people think of his silence?
Answer:
The present lesson “Shyness my shield” is written by M.K. Gandhi. It was taken from his auto biography The Story of My Experiments with Truth”. In this lesson, Gandhi explains how he struggled to speak in public occasions and how his shyness became an advantage for him in his career. Many an occasion, Gandhi was not successful in expressing his opinion. Though he prepares the speech on a paper, he fails to speak. Mr. M.K. Gandhi was not successful in expressing his opinion.
Though he prepares the speech on a paper, he fails to speak. He was at a loss to know how to express himself and felt tongue-tied. The first instance when MK Gandhi failed to speak due to his shyness was at the meeting of Vegetarian Society. He was elected to the Executive Committee of the Vegetarian Society.
He could not speak in the meetings of the society. He failed to make impression on his audience however hard he tried. Gandhi thought that it was wrong to be silent and was cowardice to register a silent vote. Due to his silence at the meetings, people think of him as a ‘drone’ as some one who follows a schedule and doesn’t change it, meaning useless.
Question2.
What was the conflict that the Vegetarian Society faced with regard to Mr.Hills and Mr. Allison? What was Gandhi’s position?
Answer:
In his lesson, Mr. Mk Gandhi mentions the conflict that the Vegetarian Society faced with regard to Mr. Hills and Mr. Allison and Gandhi’s position in this regard. Gandhi was elected to the Executive Committee of the Vegetarian Society. It was at the meeting of Vegetarian Society that MK Gandhi for the first instance failed to speak due to his shyness.
Mr. Hills, the proprietor of the Thames Iron Works, was the financier of the committee and he was a puritan. Dr. Allinson was another member of the Committee of the Vegetarian Society. He was also an advocate of the new birth control movement and was thereby an anti-puritan. Mr. Hills viewed the methods of Dr. Allinson as cutting at the root of the morals.
Therefore, a motion was brought for Dr. Allinson’s removal from the Vegetarian Society. This interested Mr. Gandhi, he thought that it was quite improper to remove a man from a vegetarian society just because he was anti-puritan.
MK Gandhi thought that when a serious question came up for discussion, it was wrong to be silent and was cowardice to register a silent vote. He thought that any vegetarian could be a member of the society, irrespective of his views on other morals and religion.
Gandhi wanted to support Mr. Allinson but he was not successful in expressing his opinion. As the result, Dr. Allinson was removed and Mr Gandhi resigned to the Vegetarian Society. He could not speak in the meetings of the society. He failed to make impression on his audience however hard he tried.
Question 3.
What happened when Mr Howard invited Gandhi to speak at a meeting? How did Gandhi feel about the incident?
Answer:
In the lesson, ‘Shyness My Shield’, Mr MK Gandhi mentions his second-time failure to speak in a public space sue to his shyness. The second instance where Mr MK Gandhi failed to express himself was when he went to Ventnor with Sjt Majumdar. They stayed there with a vegetarian family. There, he met Mr Howard, the author of The Ethics of Diet.
He invited him to speak at a meeting for the promotion of vegetarianism. Gandhi had written down his speech before hand. He stood up to read it but could not read out his own write up. His vision became blurred and he trembled. Majumdar had to read it for him. Despite his preparations in advance, Gandhi was not successful in his speech. He felt ashamed of himself and sad at heart for his incapacity.
Question 4.
What preparations for a speech did Gandhi make before he left England? How did the event end?
Answer:
In the lesson ‘shyness My Shield’, Mr MK Gandhi explains how he failed in public speaking sue to his shyness. He is well aware of his shyness and in order to overcome this drawback, before he left England he made preparations in advance for a speech to make at a party supposed to be hosted by him for his vegetarian friends in Holbom Restaurant. However, this is going to be the third instance of Gandhi’s failure at public speech due to his shyness while he was in London, just before he was leaving for India.
He organized a party and invited his vegetarian friends in Holbom Restaurant. He had with grest care thought out be brief and written a speech consisting of a very few sentences. All made speeches. When Gandhi’s turn to speak came, he stood up to make a humorous speech but he could not proceed beyond the first sentence. He made himself ridiculous and sat down abruptly.
Question 5.
What did his experience with public speaking teach Gandhi about himself?
Answer:
In the concluding part of the lesson ‘Shyness My Shield’, Mr Gandhi feels that experience has taught him that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. He further explains that his hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, nowbecame a pleasure. The greatest advantage was that it taught him the economy of words. It helped him in forming the habit of restraining his thoughts. Thoughtless words never escaped from his mouth.
He never uttered anything wrong and never regretted anything he spoke or wrote. He also opines that proneness to exaggerate; to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly; is a natural weakness of man. Therefore, silence is necessary in order to surmount it. Mr MK Gandhi says that a man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech and he will measure every word. He concludes that his shyness helped him to grow. It is his shield and buckler. It has allowed him to grow. It has helped him in his understanding of truth.
Comprehension – II.
Answer the following questions in 350-400 words.
Question 1.
When a serious question came up for discussion, Gandhi says, ‘I thought it wrong to be absent, and felt it cowardice to register a silent vote.’ What light does this throw on Gandhi’s attitude to shyness? Discuss.
Answer:
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) is popularly known as ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ or ‘Bapuji’. M.K. Gandhi was a key figure of the Indian national freedom struggle. Apart from being a political leader, Gandhi also became well-known for his strict adherence to truth, his campaign for human rights, and for championing of non-violence. His life and teachings inspired many leaders and socio-political movements, not just in India but also around the world.
The present lesson “Shyness My Shield” is extracted from his autobiography ‘The Story of My Experiments with Truth”. In this lesson, Gandhi explains how he struggled to speak in public occasions and how his shyness became an advantage for him in his career. Many an occasion, Gandhi was not successful in expressing his opinion.
Though he prepares the speech on a paper, he fails to speak. In his lesson, Mr. M.K. Gandhi mentions the conflict that the Vegetarian Society faced with regard to Mr. Hills and Mr. Allison and Gandhi’s position in this regard. Gandhi was elected to the Executive Committee of the Vegetarian Society. It was at the meeting of Vegetarian Society that M.K. Gandhi for the first instance failed to speak due to his shyness.
Mr. Hills, the proprietor of the Thames Iron Works, was the financier of the committee and he was a puritan. Dr. Allinson was another member of the Committee of the Vegetarian Society. He was also an advocate of the new birth control movement and was thereby an anti-puritan. Mr Hills viewed the methods of Dr. Allinson as cutting at the ropt of the morals. Therefore, a motion was brought for Dr. Allinson’s removal from the Vegetarian Society.
The conflict at the Vegetarian Society interested Mr Mk Gandhi. Therefore, he thought that it was quite improper to remove a mein from a vegetarian society just because he was anti-puritan. He thought that when a serious question came up for discussion, it was wrong to be silent and was cowardice to register a silent vote. And he decided to speak at the meeting.
He thought that any vegetarian could be a member of the society, irrespective of his views on other morals and religion. Gandhi wanted to support Mr Allinson but he was not successful in expressing his opinion. It was here where Mr MK Gandhi was for the first time not successful in expressing his opinion. Though he prepares the speech on a paper, he fails to speak. He was at a loss to know how to express himself and felt tongue-tied. He could not speak in the meetings of the society.
He failed to make impression on his audience however hard he tried. As the result, Dr. Allinson was removed and Mr Gandhi resigned to the Vegetarian Society. However, the statement shows that though Gandhi was shy of public speaking, when he thought that it was wrong to be absent and it was cowardice to register a silent vote. So, if he feels that it is important to speak, he speaks, irrespective of his failure to make a mark as speaker.
Question 2.
What are Gandhi’s views on speaking versus staying silent? Do you agree with his view?
OR
Gandhi says that his shyness eventually turned out to be useful trait. Explain.
Answer:
The present lesson “Shyness my shield” is written by M.KGandhi. It was taken from his auto biography ‘The Story of My Experiments with Truth”. In this lesson, Gandhi explains about his initial fear of delivering a public speech when he was a student in England. It gives different anecdotes of Gandhi’s repeated attempts and failures to deliver a public speech while he was in England. It also tells us how Gandhi turned his shyness as an advantage for him in his career and character.
Many an occasion while he was in London, Gandhi was not successful in expressing his opinion. Though he prepares the speech on a paper, he fails to speak. In order to void speaking at public meetings, Gandhi used to maintain silence. Due to his silence at the meetings, people think of him as a ‘drone’ as someone who follows a schedule and doesn’t change it, meaning useless. He mentions three instances where he failed in delivering public speech: at the Executive Meetings of the Vegetarian Society, at a meeting for the promotion of vegetarianism hosted by Mr
Howard, the author- of The Ethics of Diet, and at the dinner hosted by Gandhi at the Holbom Restaurant for his vegetarian friends. In his lesson, Mr. M.K. Gandhi mentions the conflict that the Vegetarian Society faced with regard to Mr. Hills and Mr. Allison and Gandhi’s position in this regard. Gandhi was elected to the Executive Committee of the Vegetarian Society. It was at “the meeting of Vegetarian Society that M.K. Gandhi for the first instance failed to speak due to his shyness.
The conflict at the Vegetarian Society interested Mr. M.K. Gandhi. Therefore, he thought that it was quite improper to remove a man from a vegetarian society just because he was anti-puritan. He thought that it was wrong to be silent and was cowardice to register a silent vote. It shows that how Gandhi, in spite of his shyness in public speaking, spoke when it mattered, irrespective of his fear of failure to make a mark as speaker.
In the concluding part of the lesson ‘Shyness My Shield’, Mr. Gandhi feels that experience has taught him that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. He further explains that his hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, now became a pleasure. The greatest advantage was that it taught him the economy of words. It helped him in forming the habit of restraining his thoughts. Thoughtless words never escaped from his mouth.
He never uttered anything wrong and never regretted anything he spoke or wrote. He also opines that proneness to exaggerate; to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly; is a natural weakness of man. Therefore, silence is necessary in order to surmount it. Mr. M.K. Gandhi says that a man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech and he will measure every word.
Mr. M.K. Gandhi concludes his essay by saying that his shyness has helped him to grow. It is his shield and buckler. It has allowed him to grow. It has helped him in his understanding of truth. I do agree with Mr. M.K. Gandhi’s views on public speaking and staying silent.
Shyness My Shield Poem Summary in English
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) is popularly known as ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ or ‘Bapuji’. M.K. Gandhi was a key figure of the Indian national freedom struggle. Apart from being a political leader, Gandhi also became well-known for his strict adherence to truth, his campaign for human rights, and for championing of non-violence.
His life and teachings inspired many leaders and socio-political movements, not just in India but also around the world. The present lesson “Shyness my shield” is extracted from his autobiography ‘The Story of My Experiments with Truth”. The essay gives different anecdotes of Gandhi’s repeated attempts and failures to deliver a public speech while he was in England.
Many an occasion, Gandhi was not successful in expressing his opinion. Though he prepares the speech on a paper, he fails to speak. However, Gandhi also explains in this essay how he has moulded his shyness as an advantage for him in his career.
Mr. M.K. Gandhi was not successful in expressing his opinion. Though he prepares the speech on a paper, he fails to speak. He was at a loss to know how to express himself and felt tongue-tied. The first instance when M.K. Gandhi failed to speak due to his shyness was at the meeting of Vegetarian Society. He was elected to the Executive Committee of the Vegetarian Society.
He could not speak in the meetings of the society. He failed to make impression on his audience however hard he tried. Mr. Hills, the proprietor of the Thames Iron Works, was the financier of the committee and he was a puritan. Dr Allinson was another member of the Committee of the Vegetarian Society. He was also an advocate of the new birth control movement and was thereby an anti-puritan. Mr. Hillsviewed the methods of Dr. Allinson as cutting at the root of the morals.
Therefore, a motion was brought for Dr. Allinson’s removal from the Vegetarian Society. This interested Mr. Gandhi, he thought that it was quite improper to remove a man from a vegetarian society just because he was anti-puritan. He thought that any vegetarian could be a member of the society, irrespective of his views on other morals and religion. Gandhi wanted to support Mr. Allinson but he was not successful in expressing his opinion. As the result, Dr. Allinson was removed and Mr. Gandhi resigned to the Vegetarian Society.
The second instance where Mr. M.K. Gandhi failed to express himself was when he went to Ventnor with Sjt Majumdar. They stayed there with a vegetarian family. There, he met Mr. Howard, the author of The Ethics of Diet. He invited him to speak at a meeting for the promotion of vegetarianism. Gandhi had written down his speech before hand. He stood up to read it but could not read out his own write up. His vision became blurred and
he trembled. Majumdar had to read it for him. Despite his preparations in advance, Gandhi was not successful in his speech. He felt ashamed of himself and sad at heart for his incapacity. The third instance of Gandhi’s failure at public speech due to his shyness was in London, just before he was leaving for India. He organized a party and invited his vegetarian friends in Holbom Restaurant.
He had with great care thought out be brief and written a speech consisting of a very few sentences. All made speeches. When Gandhi’s turn to speak came, he stood up to make a humorous speech but he could not proceed beyond the first sentence. He made himself ridiculous and sat down abruptly.
Mr. M.K. Gandhi revealed that he overcame his shyness only when he was in South Africa. He admitted that he still had some shyness and it was impossible for him to speak impromptu.
In the concluding part of the lesson, Mr. M.K. Gandhi explains that his hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, now became a pleasure. The greatest advantage was that it taught him the economy of words. It helped him in forming the habit of restraining his thoughts. Thoughtless words never escaped from his mouth. He never uttered anything wrong and never regretted anything he spoke or wrote.
Mr. Gandhi feels that experience has taught him that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. He also opines that proneness to exaggerate; to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly; is a natural weakness of man. Therefore, silence is necessary in order to surmount it.
Mr M.K. Gandhi says that a man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech and he will measure every word. He concludes that his shyness helped him to grow. It is his shield and buckler. It has allowed him to grow. It has helped him in his understanding of truth.
Shyness My Shield Poem Summary in Telugu
మోహన్దాస్ కరంచంద్ గాంధీ (1869-1948) ని ‘మహాత్మా గాంధీ’ లేదా ‘బాపూజీ’ అని పిలుస్తారు. ఎం.కె. భారత జాతీయ స్వాతంత్ర్య పోరాటంలో గాంధీజీ కీలక పాత్రధారి. ఒక రాజకీయ నాయకుడిగానే కాకుండా, గాంధీ సత్యానికి కట్టుబడి ఉండటం, మానవ హక్కుల కోసం ఆయన చేసిన ప్రచారం మరియు అహింసను సమర్థించడం కోసం కూడా ప్రసిద్ధి చెందారు.
అతని జీవితం మరియు దోధనలు భారతదేశంలోనే కాకుండా ప్రపంచవ్యాప్తంగా అనేక మంది నాయకులకు మరియు సామాజిక-రాజకీయ ఉద్యమాలకు స్ఫూర్తినిచ్చాయి. ప్రస్తుత పాఠం. అతని స్వీయ జీవిత చరిత్ర ‘ది స్టోరీ ఆఫ్ మై ఎక్స్పెరిమెంట్స్ విత్ ట్రూత్’ నుండి సంగ్రహించబడింది. ఈ వ్యాసం గాంధీ ఇంగ్లాండ్లో ఉన్నప్పుడు బహిరంగ ప్రసంగం చేయడానికి పదేపదే చేసిన ప్రయత్నాలు మరియు వైఫల్యాల యొక్క విభిన్న కథనాలను అందిస్తుంది.
అనేక సందర్భాల్లో గాంధీ తన అభిప్రాయాన్ని వ్యక్తం చేయడంలో సఫలం కాలేదు. పేపర్పై ప్రసంగాన్ని సిద్ధం చేసినా, మాట్లాడడంలో విఫలమయ్యాడు. అయితే, గాంధీ తన సిగ్గును తన కెరీర్లో ఎలా అడ్వాంటేజ్గా మార్చుకున్నాడో కూడా ఈ వ్యాసంలో వివరించాడు.
శ్రీ ఎం.కె. గాంధీ తన అభిప్రాయాన్ని వ్యక్తం చేయడంలో సఫలం కాలేదు. పేపర్పై ప్రసంగాన్ని సిద్ధం చేసినా, మాట్లాడడంలో విఫలమయ్యాడు. అతను తన భావాలను ఎలా వ్యక్తీకరించాలో తెలుసుకోలేని స్థితిలో ఉన్నాడు మరియు నాలుక ముడిచాడు. వెజిటేరియన్ సొసైటీ సమావేశంలో గాంధీ తన సిగ్గు కారణంగా మాట్లాడలేకపోయాడు.
శాఖాహార సంఘం ఎగ్జిక్యూటివ్ కమిటీకి ఎన్నికయ్యారు. సంఘ సమావేశాల్లో మాట్లాడలేకపోయాడు. ఎంత ప్రయత్నించినా (పేక్షకులపై ముద్ర వేయలేకపోయాడు. మిస్టర్ హిల్స్, థేమ్స్ ఐరన్ వర్క్ యొక్కయజమాని, కమిటీకి ఫైనాన్షియర్ మరియు అతను ప్యూరిటన్. శాఖాహార సంఘం కమిటీలో డాక్టర్ అల్లిన్సన్ మరొక సభ్యుడు.
అతను కొత్త జనన నియంత్రణ ఉద్యమానికి న్యాయవాది మరియు తద్వారా ప్యూరిటన్ వ్యతిరేకి. %ఖజీ%. హిల్స్ డాక్టర్. అల్లిన్సన్ యొక్క పద్ధతులను నైతికత యొక్క మూలాన్ని కత్తిరించినట్లుగా వీక్షించారు. అందువల్ల, శాఖాహార సంఘం నుండి డాక్టర్ అల్లిన్సన్ను తొలగించడం కోసం ఒక చలనం తీసుకురాబడింది.
ఈ ఆసక్తి మిస్టర్ గాంధీ, అతను స్వచ్ఛత వ్యతిరేకి కనుక ఒక వ్యక్తిని శాఖాహార సమాజం నుండి తొలగించడం చాలా సరికాదని భావించాడు. ఇతర నీతులు మరియు మతాలపై తన అభిప్రాయాలతో సంబంధం లేకుండా, ఏ శాఖాహారుడైనా సమాజంలో సభ్యుడిగా ఉండవచ్చని అతను భావించాడు. గాంధీ మిస్టర్ అల్లిన్సన్కు మద్దతు ఇవ్వాలని కోరుకున్నారు కానీ ఆయన తన అభిప్రాయాన్ని వ్యక్తం చేయడంలో విజయం సాధించలేదు. ఫలితంగా, డాక్టర్. ఆలిన్సన్ తాలగించబడ్డారు మరియు మిస్టర్ గాంధీ శాఖాహార సంఘానికి రాజీనామా చేశారు.
రెండవ ఉదాహరణ (శ్రీ. మజుందార్తో కలిసి వెంట్నార్కి వెళ్ళినప్పుడు గాంధీ తన భావాలను వ్యక్తపరచలేకపోయాడు. శాకాహార కుటుంబంతో కలిసి అక్కడే బస చేశారు. అక్కడ, అతను ది ఎథిక్స్ ఆఫ్ డైట్ రచయిత మిస్టర్ హోవార్డ్ని కలిశాడు. శాఖాహారం ప్రచారం కోసం జరిగిన సభలో మాట్లాడాల్సిందిగా ఆయనను ఆహ్వానించారు. గాంధీ తన ప్రసంగాన్ని ముందే రాసుకున్నాడు.
అతను దానిని చదవడానికి లేచి నిలబడ్డాడు కానీ తన స్వంత రచనను చదవలేకపోయాడు. చూపు మసకబారిపోయి వణికిపోయాడు. మజుందార్ అతని కోసం చదవవలసి వచ్చింది. ఆయన ముందస్తు సన్నాహాలు చేసినప్పదికీ, గాంధీ తన ప్రసంగంలో విజయవంతం కాలేదు. అతను తన అసమర్థతకు తన గురించి సిగ్గుపడ్డాడు మరియు హృదయంలో బాధపడ్డాడు.
తన సిగ్గు కారణంగా బహిరంగ ప్రసంగంలో గాంధీ విఫలమైన మూడవ ఉదాహరణ, అతను భారతదేశానికి బయలుదేరే ముందు లండన్లో జరిగింది. అతను ఒక పార్టీని ఏర్పాటు చేశాడు మరియు హోల్బోర్న్ రెస్టారెంట్లో తన శాఖాహార స్నేహితులను ఆహ్వానించాడు.
అతను చాలా (శద్ధతో క్లుప్తంగా ఆలోచించాడు మరియు చాలా తక్కువ వాక్యాలతో కూడిన ప్రసంగాన్ని ఏ్రాసాడు. అందరూ ప్రసంగాలు చేశారు. గాంధీ మాట్లాడే వంతు వచ్చినప్పుడు, అతను హాస్ల ప్రసంగం చేయడానికి లేచి నిలబడ్డాడు కానీ అతను మొదటి వాక్యం దాటి ముందుకు సాగలేకపోయాడు. తనని తాను ఎగతాళి చేసి హఠాత్తుగా కూర్చున్నాడు.
శ్రీ ఎం.కె. తాను దక్షిణాఫికాలో ఉన్నప్పుడే సిగ్గును అధిగమించానని గాంధీ వెల్లడించారు. అతను ఇంకా కొంత సిగ్గుతో ఉన్నాడని మరియు అతను ఆశువుగా మాట్లాడటం అసాధ్యం అని ఒప్పుకున్నాడు. పాఠం ముగింపు భాగంలో, (్రీ ఎం.కె. ఒకప్పుడు చిరాకుగా ఉండే తన ప్రసంగంలో తడటాటు ఇప్పుడు ఆనందంగా మారిందని గాంధీ వివరించారు.
గొప్ప ప్రయోజనం ఏమిటంటే అది అతనికి పదాల ఆర్థిక వ్యవస్థను నేర్పింది. ఇది అతని ఆలోచనలను అరికట్టడం అలవాటు చేసుకోవడంలో అతనికి సహాయపడింది. అతని నోటి నుండి ఆలోచన లేని మాటలు ఐయటికి రాలేదు. అతను ఎప్పుడూ తప్పుగా మాట్లాడలేదు మరియు అతను మాట్లాడిన లేదా వ్రాసిన దేనికీ చింతించలేదు. సత్యాన్ని పాటించే వ్యక్తి యొక్క ఆధ్యాత్మిక క్రమశిక్షణలో మౌనం ఒక భాగమని అనుభవం తనకు నేర్పిందని 1 గీ గాంధీ భావించాడు.
అతను అతిశయోక్తికి ఆ ప్రవృత్తిని కూడా సహజ బలహీనత. అందువల్ల, దానిని అధిగమించడానికి నిశ్శబ్దం అవసరం. తక్కువ పదాలు ఉన్న వ్యక్తి తన ప్రసంగంలో చాలా అరుదుగా ఆలోచించగలడని మరియు అతను ప్రతి పదాన్ని కొలుస్తాడని గాంధీ చెప్పారు. అతను ఎదగడానికి తన సిగ్గుపడటానికి సహాయపడిందని అతను ముగించాడు. ఇది అతని కవచం మరియు బక్లర్. ఇది అతన్ని ఎదగడానికి అనుమతించింది. ఇది అతనికి సత్యాన్ని అర్థం చేసుకోవడంలో సహాయపడింది.
Shyness My Shield – M.K. Gandhi
Glossary:
tongue-tied: too shy or embarrassed to speak
drone: a male bee that does not work (referring to a person who does no useful work)
banter: the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks
mustered: summoned wise: (archaic) manner
puritan: a person with strict moral beliefs and who does not approve of pleasure
protege: a person who is guided and supported by an older, more experienced person
Allinson: Thomas Allinson, a British doctor and dietary reformer entitled: have the right
to do something
social call: a visit to the home of an acquaintance for social reasons (as opposed to business reasons)
Ventnor: a seaside resort in England
Sjt: an abbreviation for ‘Srijut’, a polite (now uncommon) title appended to a man’s name in India (somewhat similar to ‘mister’)
watering-place: a place that you visit frequently, especially to eat, drink or stay
ascertain: to find out to confirm
coherently: in an understandable way ex
tempore: without preparation
foolscap: a paper size measuring 8 inches by 13 inches (slightly larger than an A4-size sheet)
Incapacity: inability to do something or to manage one’s affairs
in these chapters: The extract printed here is from an early chapter in Gandhi’s
autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, first published In Gujarati in 1927 and translated into English by Mahadev Desai soon after.
eclat: brilliant display; social distinction
House of Commons: the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the model for the Lok Sabha in India)
wag: a person who makes jokes
impromptu: without planning or preparation
constitutional: inherent; relating to one’s nature or physical condition
mishap: an unfortunate unexpected event
votary: devoted follower or advocate of something or someone
proneness: tendency
surmount: overcome
pester: to annoy
buckler: a light shield used for personal defence discernment: ability to understand