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Chapter 8, , Watchman of the Lake, , R K NARAYAN, Question 1. Why was the headman in a hurry to complete the road work?, Answer: The king of the land was to pass by that way the next day and the road had, to be ready for use., Question 2., The village headman asked Mara to keep away from the road workers because of, Answer: He did not want the king to know that the village had such fools as Mara., Question 3. How did Mara manage to draw the attention of the king? Why?, Answer: Mara hid among the branches of a tree and jumped down from the tree in, front of the king when the king passed that way. Mara did it as he was desperate to, tell the king about his dream and what the Goddess had revealed to him in the, dream., Question 4. The Goddess’ command to Mara was to ______, Answer: build a tank for Veda so that Veda found a home., Question 5. How does the king respond to Mara’s information about the tank?, Answer: The king does not doubt Mara. He asks Mara to go with him to the palace, the next day as he wanted to discuss further about the tank to be built., Question 6. What does Mara advise his son in saving the lake and the creatures?, Answer: Mara reminded his son that he had to be the watchman of the lake after him, (Mara). Mara also shared with his son what the Goddess had instructed Mara to do., She had commanded that nothing that flew, swam or walked those parts, where the, lake existed, be killed as the place was sacred. So Mara told his son that no killers, should be allowed there whether they came with arrows for the gulls which skimmed, over the water or with the rod for the fish., Question 7., Why did the visitor approach Mara?, OR, Why did the visitor request Mara for water?, OR, In ‘Watchman of the Lake’, one day a visitor approached Mara to, (a) get water to his village, (b) stop fishing in the lake, (c) work as watchman of the lake., OR, Why did the visitor from the farthest village come to Mara?, Answer:, The visitor approached Mara for some water from the tank as his village was the
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farthest from the king’s domain and crops parched up and cattle were dying of, drought., , Question 8. Mara rushed to the king because he wanted to save, Answer: (b) the king., Question 9. Mara was trembling at the king’s palace because, Answer: (c) he was worried about the lake., Question 10. On what condition did Mara make the Goddess wait for him?, Answer: Mara requested the Goddess not to carry out her act of devastation until he, returned from the capital after informing the king about the danger., II Question 1., What was the significance of Mara’s dream?, OR, Write about Mara’s dream in ‘Watchman of the Lake’., OR, Describe the sacrifices made by Mara to build and to save the lake., Answer:, Mara gets two dreams in the course of the play. The first time, it is the dream of the, Goddess who urges Mara to get a bank built for river Veda so that she could find a, home for herself. The second time, it is the same Goddess, furious that her plaything, Veda has been imprisoned in the man-made bank. When Mara reminds her that it, was at her behest(order or command) that the bank was built, the Goddess, who is, in the mood of destruction, retorts that she is now ready for devastation., After the vision, both the times, Mara works for the general welfare. After the first, dream, he wants the bank to be built because he knows that the preserved water, would be of great use to the subjects of the king. He undergoes a lot of harassment, at the hands of the village headman before he gets to speak to the king. The second, time, after the dream, when he realises that nothing can stop the Goddess from the, act of destruction, he sacrifices himself in order to save the king and his kingdom., Thus, we see that Mara is a true saviour of the people. If this is one significant, aspect of the dream, there is one more point full of wrath. Maybe she is displeased, by selfish people who try to exploit the water in the bank for their own good and, wants to teach all a lesson. Even here, it is Mara’s sacrifice that comes to the, forefront., The significance of the dreams is that we have no control over divine design. Yet, if, we have the nobility of Mara, we can escape the destructive edge of even divine, plans.
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Question 2. What instructions did Mara give his son about the lake and the, creatures? What light do these instructions throw on Mara’s character?, OR, What instructions did Mara give his son, Ganga, about the duties of the watchman of, the lake?, Answer: Mara reminded his son that he had to be the watchman of the lake after his, death. Mara also shared with his son what the Goddess had instructed Mara to do., She had commanded that nothing that flew, swam or walked those parts, where the, lake existed, be killed as the place was sacred. So Mara told his son that no killers, should be allowed there, whether they came with arrows for the gulls which skimmed, over the water or with the rod for the fish. These instructions are given by Mara to his, son, first of all, show that Mara was obedient to the Goddess., Secondly, it shows that he was a great lover of nature. Thirdly, it shows his sense of, responsibility. He wanted the lake and the bank to be taken care of in an exemplary, way. At the same time, he was authoritative too. He did not allow anyone to exploit, the bank. Yet, he did not deny anyone the just use of the water of the bank. Thus, we, see that Mara was a noble watchman of the lake., Question 3., Bring out the significance of the sacred spot that Mara describes to the king., OR, Describe the myth regarding the sacred spot from where the sacred river Veda was, born, as narrated by Mara to the king., OR, What mythological story did Mara narrate about the sacred spot to the King?, Answer:, According to Mara’s narration, the spot was sacred because Hanuman stood there, on the day Lakshmana lay in a dead faint in the battle-field at Lanka. Hanuman was, guided by divine omens and came to the spot where the king stood, and went up the, mountain to find sanjeevini, with which he revived Lakshmana. In the place of the, sanjeevini a stream arose and it flowed past the spot where the king stood. Thus, the, place was sacred for two reasons. First of all, the great Hanuman came there;, secondly, river Veda, originating from the spot where sanjeevini grew, flowed there., Question 4., How did Mara react to the Goddess when she appeared before him, (a) the first time?, (b) the second time?, Answer:, (a) The first time, when the Goddess appeared before Mara, he recognised her, immediately as the divine mother and fell at her feet. He was struck by her grandeur,, and this is evident from the graphic description he gives to the king of the tresses,, the stars in her coronet and the ruby on the forehead of the Goddess., (b) The second time, Mara sees the Goddess in her destructive mood. Her tresses, are wild, her eyes gleam with a strange light, her forehead is splashed with vermilion, and she carries a sword. This time too Mara falls at her feet, but this time he is, frightened and pleads for mercy.
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III Question 1. Was the headman justified in calling Mara a lunatic? Give reasons., OR, Why did the headman call Mara a lunatic? Give reasons., Answer:, No, he was not. First of all, he gives Mara no hearing at all. Right from the beginning,, he has been very insulting towards not only Mara but also the other labourers. Even, if he doesn’t believe Mara’s stories, it is not necessary to be so harsh towards Mara., He even goes to the extent of imprisoning Mara. Moreover, we see that the king has, no doubts about the story of Mara. Thus, it is clear that the headman is not justified, in calling Mara a lunatic., , Question 2., “Nature is both protective and destructive.” How does the play bring out this idea?, OR, The Goddess says “Veda is my plaything” indicating that nature can be constructive, as well as destructive. How is this true in the play ‘Watchman of the Lake’?, OR, How does the play ‘Watchman .of the Lake’ bring out both the protective and, destructive faces of nature?, Answer:, The play makes it very clear that nature is both protective and destructive and that, we are at the mercy of nature. We see the same river Veda as the life-giver, life, maintainer and life destroyer. The play shows it as the whim and fancy of the, Goddess, for whom River Veda is a plaything. But, what the author tries to show is, that nature can impact us in different ways at different times and we are not in a, position to understand why it acts as it does. But, what is important is that we should, protect nature and not exploit it., Question 3., How differently did Mara treat the fisherman and the visitor?, OR, Why did Mara treat the fisherman and the visitor differently?, Answer:, Mara is a devoted watchman of the lake and he follows all the commands ordained, by the Goddess. That is why he does not harm the tiger that comes to the lake to, quench its thirst. For the same reason, he threatens the fisherman with dire, consequences if he tries to fish at the lake again. Mara’s duty is to ensure that no, living creature got harmed at the lake. At the same time, he does not misuse his, power. He is very courteous with the visitor and offers him all the assistance,, according to the rules put down by the king. Mara knows that the water of the lake is, for consumption and does not deny anyone the rightful use of it., Question 4., Why do you think Mara asked the king make his son, son’s son, and soon, the, watchman of the lake?, Answer:, Mara’s attachment to the lake is such that he cannot trust anyone else with the
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welfare of it. He has seen selfish people like the fisherman, misusing their power., Moreover, he has guided his son at every point as to how to look after the lake and, knows that his son can look after the lake very well. So, when Mara knows that his, end is near, he requests the king to grant him his last wish, and that is to appoint his, son and his grandsons after his son as the watchmen of the lake. Thus, Mara’s, selfless attitude is evident even when he makes a request that might seem to others, as a selfish one., Question 5., In what way do you think Mara’s sacrifice saved the lake? What ‘sacrifices’ need to, be made to save the lakes today?, Answer:, Since the Goddess couldn’t make Veda overflow her banks till the return of Mara,, with Mara’s death, Mara ensured that the river would never overflow its banks. His, selflessness in making the king kill him saved the life of the king and all his subjects., In the present time, we have no watchmen to guard our rivers and other sources of, water. We have been exploiting the water resources selfishly. We throw rubbish,, including factory effluence, into the water; we waste water; we don’t try to preserve, water through watershed management, rainwater harvesting etc., We have polluted our most sacred river – Ganga – beyond measure. It is high time, we realised that water is the elixir of life and unless we treat water respectfully, there, is no future for us. The year 2013-14 has been declared by the UN as the Year of, Water Cooperatives. Let us, at least now, start celebrating the importance of the life, giving water.
