How A Client Was Saved-Class 9th-English-Lesson 7-Tulip Series

How A Client Was Saved | Prose 7| English | Tulip Series | Class 9th |

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Lesson 7 – How A Client Was Saved  (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) was an Indian nationalist leader. He was born in Porbandar in the present state of Gujarat on October 2, 1869, and educated in law at University College, London. In 1891, after having been admitted to the British bar, Gandhi returned to India and attempted to establish a law practice in Bombay (now Mumbai), with little success. Two years later an Indian firm with interests in South Africa retained him as legal adviser in its office in Durban. Arriving in Durban, Gandhi found himself treated as a member of an inferior race. He was appalled at the widespread denial of civil liberties and political rights to Indian immigrants to South Africa. He led the struggle against the British which won India freedom in 1947. The passage here is from Gandhi’s autobiography, The story of My Experiments with Truth.

Thinking about the Text

Q1. Why had Rustomji’s smuggling offences not been discovered earlier?

Ans. Rustomji’s smuggling offences had not been discovered earlier because he was on the best terms with the customs officials, therefore no one was inclined to suspect him. These officials used to take his invoices on trust.

Q2. What did Rustomji consider, to be the greatest cause for shame to him?

Ans. Deceiving Gandhiji by hiding his tricks of the trade and confessing that his guilt had been discovered, was the greatest cause of shame for him. Going to jail would reveal his guilt of smuggling in trade and that would have been another cause of shame for him.

Q3. What did Gandhiji consider, to be a greater cause for shame?

Ans. According to Gandhi, committing offence is the greater cause for shame. He said that shame lies not much in going to jail as in committing the offence. The imprisonment should be regarded as a penance and the real penance lies in resolving never to do the wrong again.

Q4. Which words that Rustomji used to describe his offence show us that he did not consider it to be a moral offence? (See paragraph 3)

Ans. Following words of Rustomji show that he did not consider it to be a moral offence:

“I have kept back nothing else from you, but I thought I ought not to bother you with such tricks of the trade, and so I never told you about this smuggling.”

Q5. Who, according to Gandhiji, was the one who would finally decide whether Rustomji was to be saved or not?

Ans. According to Gandhiji, it was the Attorney General, who would finally decide whether Rustomji was to be saved or not.

Q6. Gandhiji and the other counsel differed in the way in which they thought the case ought to be handled. How did (a) Gandhiji and (b) the other counsel hope to settle the case?

Ans. Gandhiji told Rustomji that he would try to save him, by means of confession. The counsel said that the case would be tried by the jury. Gandhiji met both Custom Officer and Attorney General. The case against Rustomji was settled by a compromise. He was to pay a penalty equal to twice the amount he had confessed to having smuggled.

Q7. Gandhiji spoke of two penances.

a. What were they?

Ans. One of the penances that Gandhiji spoke was, imprisonment and the other was staying away from wrongdoing or never to do the wrong again. He said that real penance lies in resolving never to do the wrong again.

b. Which of them did Rustomji, not have to do?

Ans. Rustomji did not have to go to jail for imprisonment. He had not to penance as imprisonment.

Q8. Why did Gandhiji have to go to the Attorney-General as well as to the Customs Officer?

Ans. The case was no longer taken to the court. It was all in the hands of Custom Officer and who in turn was guided by the Attorney General. So Gandhiji had to go to Customs Officer and Attorney General to settle the case.

Q9. Which two qualities of Gandhiji’s helped him to persuade the Attorney-General not to drag Rustomji into court?

Ans. The qualities of persistence and the frankness of Gandhiji helped him to persuade the Attorney General not to drag Rustomji into the court.

Q10. What did Rustomji (a) lose (b) partly save by the settlement of the case?

Ans. Rustomji lost nothing other than a penalized amount that he had confessed to having smuggled. He saved his name and fame by paying the amount of penalty as his repentance.

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Language work

a) Rewrite the sentences, replacing the word (or words) in italics with a word chosen from the list below, taking care to use the correct form. Insert articles wherever necessary. The first one is done for you.

Exception, smuggle, compromise, prosecute, reveal, client, intimate

1. Rustomji was accused of importing goods secretly and illegally.

Ans. Rustomji was accused of smuggling.

2. Gandhi knew Rustomji not only as a person who gets help from a lawyer but also as a co-worker.

Ans. Gandhi knew Rustomji not only as a client but also as a co-worker.

3. Official inquiries showed that the actual offence detected involved a very small sum.

Ans. Official inquiries revealed the actual offence detected involved a very small sum.

4. Gandhi did not know the other counsel closely.

Ans. Gandhi did not know the other counsel intimately.

5. Gandhi succeeded in settling Rustomji’s case by a mutual agreement involving some concession on either side.

Ans. Gandhi succeeded in settling Rustomji’s case by a compromise.

6. The law does not recognize any case as something different or demanding special treatment.

Ans. The law does not recognize any case as an exception.

7. Gandhi succeeded in making the Customs Officer promise not to start legal proceedings against Rustomji.

Ans. Gandhi succeeded in making the Customs Officer promise not to prosecute Rustomji.

b) (i) Rewrite the sentences, using verb-forms of the words in italics. The first one is done for you.

1. Rustomji made a resolution never to smuggle again.

Ans. Rustomji resolved never to smuggle again.

2. Gandhi began a correspondence with the Attorney-General.

Ans. Gandhi corresponded with the Attorney-General.

3. Rustomji had so much confidence in Gandhi that he had no hesitation in accepting his quack treatment.

Ans. Rustomji had so much confidence in Gandhi that he did not hesitate in accepting his quack treatment.

4. As Rustomji was on very good terms with the customs officials, no one had any suspicions about him.

Ans. As Rustomji was on very good terms with the customs officials, no one suspected him.

5. Is not my confession before you enough? (Begin: ‘Is it not enough…’)

Ans. Is it not enough that I confessed before you?

6. Rustomji told his counsel that he would like to take Gandhi’s guidance.

Ans. Rustomji told his counsel that he would like to be guided by Gandhi.

(ii) Use the following words, both as noun and verb

Wrong:

Noun: One should be expected to know the difference between right and wrong.

Verb: We should forgive those who have wronged us.

Rest:

Noun: Two of the five robbers were arrested and rest escaped from the site.

Verb: we will not rest until we discover the truth.

Shame:

Noun: His crimes brought, shame upon his family.

Verb: He was shamed by his behaviour at the party.

Promise:

Noun: She gave her promise to meet me.

Verb: She promised that she will come to my home tomorrow.

Compromise:

Noun: The case was settled on a compromise.

Verb: His reputation was compromised.

Fate:

Noun: She thought that we would never see each other again, but fate brought us together.

Verb: Lack of advanced education will, fate a person to a lifetime below-average earnings.

Light:

Noun: His photograph was taken in low light so it is not visible.

Verb: The candle lighted up when brought near the fire.

Hand:

Noun: He got an injury in his right-hand while fighting.

Verb: Wasim Akram is a left-handed bowler.

Pay:

Noun: The order was issued to release only regular pay for the employees during the COVID-19 months.

Verb: He has paid all his dues and deserves a promotion.

End:

Noun: The employees will be paid only, regular salary at the end of the month

Verb: The meeting between the two parties ended peacefully.

(iii) Some words are used with one spelling as nouns and another spelling as, ‘verb’ such as, ‘advice’ and ‘advise’ `practice’ and, ‘practise’. Find five more examples of such words. You need not confine yourself to the lesson.

 

(iv) Match the following

 

A	B
tricks of the trade	feel a wish to
on trust	without proof; without checking.
put off	take no notice of (something, that is, wrong), suggesting consent or approval is given.
be inclined to	ways of attracting customers, gaining an advantage over merchants in the business, etc.
insist on	take advice (from).
to connive at	post-pone
to rest with	be left in the hands of or charge of.
at stake	win or lose, depending upon the result of something.
at one’s disposal	direct, apply, or use (something) upon.
to bring to bear upon	to be used as one wishes.
consult with	ask something with determination.
enter into correspondence with	begin exchanging letters with.
transitory contrition	write down.
reduce to writing	sorrow (for wrongdoing) that does not last long.

 

Ans.

 

A	B
tricks of the trade	ways of attracting customers, gaining an advantage over merchants in the business, etc.
on trust:	without proof; without checking.
put off	post-pone
be inclined to	feel a wish to
insist on	ask something with determination.
to connive at	take no notice of (something, that is, wrong), suggesting consent or approval is given.
to rest with	to be used as one wishes.
at stake	win or lose, depending upon the result of something.
at one’s disposal	be left in the hands of or charge of.
to bring to bear upon	direct, apply, or use (something) upon.
consult with	take advice (from).
enter into correspondence with	begin exchanging letters with.
transitory contrition	sorrow (for wrongdoing) that does not last long.
reduce to writing	write down.

 

c) Fill in the blanks in the passage with appropriate phrases chosen from the list below, taking care to use the correct form.

bring to bear, confide in, on good terms with, bring to bear, on trust, inclined to, at stake, at once, deal with, resort to, connive at

Rustomji ………... smuggling quite often. But for a long time, this fact did not, come to light because nobody was ........... suspect the good Parsi. He was ………... the customs officers and they took his invoices. ……….. Some of them might even have ………... the smuggling. At last, when the crime was discovered, Rustomji’s reputation was ………... He ………... went to Gandhi and ………... him, begging him to save his name. Gandhi decided to ………. the whole matter in a straight forward manner. He asked Rustomji to confess to the crime and resolve never to repeat it. He then met the Attorney-General and ………. the full details of the case. He ………. on it all his force of persuasion to have the case settled by, means of a compromise.

Ans. Rustomji resorted to smuggling quite often. But for a long time, this fact did not come to light because nobody was inclined to suspect the good Parsi. He was on good terms with the customs officers and they took his invoices. On trust. Some of them might even have connived at the smuggling. At last, when the crime was discovered, Rustomji’s reputation was at stake. He at once went to Gandhi and confided in him, begging him to save his name. Gandhi decided to deal with the whole matter in a straight forward manner. He asked Rustomji to confess to the crime and resolve never to repeat it. He then met the Attorney-General and bring to bear the full details of the case. He brings to bear on it all his force of persuasion to have the case settled by, means of a compromise.

Writing Work

What do you learn from this lesson? Sum up your thought in 300 words.

      M. K. Gandhi was one of the greatest freedom fighters in India’s Independence. Whatever he felt during his lifetime, he wrote it in the form of autobiography. The lesson ‘How Client Was Saved’ was a factual incident in his life. This incident shows how he dealt with the cases in his life. He had given many such valuable messages in his writings. In this lesson, he conveys a message about the result of wrongdoings. He said, “Wrongdoers have to pay wrongs committed by them, and sinners have to pay sins committed by them.” From the quote, quoted by Gandhi, one can easily understand the aftermath of the sin one has committed. As we learned from the lesson how Rustomji was smuggling with tricks in the trade without knowing that he might be caught up once and he had pay for his wrong deeds. When he was caught, all his name and fame were on stake. From this lesson, we learned that lie has no legs to stand on. Wrongdoing is always discovered and once discovered; one has to pay all his fame. We should always stay from such wrongdoings. It gives only shame and nothing else. Some persons who go on doing such kind of deeds think that no one is watching them, but they should remember that Almighty Allah is always and every-time watching them. They should refrain from such deeds. It is good to repent early than it is too late. No chance will be given on the last day of redemption. We should be honest with our friends. Never break the trust of someone who trusts you.

Discussion

Honesty may not be the best policy but it is, definitely the best principle. Discuss with your group mates.

Suggested Reading

The Story of My Experiments with Truth by M. K. Gandhi

Letters from a Father to a Daughter by J. L. Nehru