A Pinch Of Snuff By Manohar Malgonkar
Born -12 July 1913
Died – 14 June 2010
A well know novelist and short story writer.
Important works – Distant Drum, The princes, A bend in Ganges and Bombay
A pinch of snuff ( Humors story ) – Contemporary India taken from Short stories in English.
A Pinch Of Snuff EXPLANATION IN ENGLISH
The narrator is an undersecretary on probation in the Ministry of Balances. One day his mother told him cheerfully that Nanu kaka was coming to stay with them because he wanted to see some minister.
The narrator was disturbed because he knew that Nanu kaka’s stay would be inconvenient to him and he might stay for many days. After all it was not easy to see a minister.
But his mother assured him that Nanu kaka would not stay for more than two or three days. He was a man who could manage things in his own way.
The narrator went to receive Nanu kaka at the railway platform. Nanu kaka gave hi
Nanu kaka’s arrival
m a basket and told him to go out immediately and wait outside the railway station. The basket contained a kitten. Nanu kaka took a long time coming. The ticket checker was accompanying him.
Nanu kaka came to the narrator who was waiting for him at his car. He explained that he had travelled second class on a third class ticket, and the kitten had travelled free. The ticket checker had objected to it but Nanu kaka had the matter settled amicably.
As they drove home, Nanu kaka asked him when he had arranged his meeting with the minister. The narrator told him frankly that he was only an under secretary on probation and it was almost impossible for him to get an appointment from the minister. Nanu kaka said it hardly mattered. He took a pinch of snuff and sat thinking.
The mother was delighted to see her brother and get the gift of a kitten. Nanu kaka stayed in the narrator’s bedroom, whereas the narrator put his cot in the backyard.
Nanu kaka gets an appointment
The narrator took two day’s leave from his office and drove Nanu kaka to North Block. He waited outside and Nanu kaka went in to get an appointment with the minister.
He returned after two hours and had been led from official to official till a Deputy Secretary gave an appointment three days from then. Nanu kaka was very angry.
Nanu kaka decides to meet Lala Sohanlal
As they were driving back home an attractive car passed them. The driver spoke to the narrator. He was the son of Lala Sohanlal, the party boss in Delhi. The narrator told Nanu kaka that they worked in the same ministry.
Sometime back it was heard that he was going as Trade commissioner to Hajrat Barkat Ali, the ambassador in Beirut. But now it is all over because Hajrat Barkat Ali had refused to take him. Nanu kaka thought of a plan. He announced that they would visit Lala Sohanlal immediately.
Visit To Lala Sohanlal
Nanu kaka asked the narrator to change into a jodhpuri coat and wear a turban so that he looked his secretary. Then they drove to Lala Sohanlal’s house. The Secretary of Lala Sohanlal was unwilling to entertain them. But he said he would see if lalaji was free.
When the Secretary had gone to Lala Sohanlal in the adjoining room, Nanu kaka spoke loudly, “How fast we travel these days. I was in Beirut on Sunday, and today is only Tuesday. Old HB wanted me to stay on for a few more days, but I was getting cable after cable from SK who wanted me to come back to Bombay at once”
Lala Sohanlal could hear all that Nanu kaka had said. When he heard that Nanu kaka was a close friend of Hajrat Barkat Ali, he came to meet Nanu kaka immediately.
Nanu kaka gets a useful information
Sohanlal and his secretary were very polite to Nanu kaka. Then Lalaji told him that his son was to go as Trade Commissioner to Hajrat Barkat Ali but the welfare Minister had poisoned his cars. So HB had refused to take his son.
He also told Nanu kaka that he wanted the minister to marry his daughter to his son. But the minister was trying to marry her to the Prince of Ninnore ,though the horoscopes had not been exchanged yet.
Nanu kaka promised to write to HB, and help his son to get his appointment as the Trade Commissioner. Then he took leave of Sohanlal.
Visit to the Minister’s House
Now Nanu kaka announced that they would visit the minister’s house. He told the narrator that they needed a large car to impress the minister.
The narrator knew that that an outlandish large car was for sale with the Sikka Auto Dealers. But they would let them try the car only if they were convinced that Nanu kaka was a genuine buyer.
Nanu kaka hit upon a plan. He gave the dhobi his old coat and a bearer cheque of a large amount. Then he gave him some instructions.
When they were at the office of Sikka Auto dealers, the dhobi came running holding the cheque. He said he had found it in the pocket of his coat. Nanu kaka rewarded the dhobi for his honesty.
The Sikka Auto Dealers were convinced that Nanu kaka was a rich man and they let Nanu kaka to try the car.
They drove straight to the house of the Welfare Minister. Nanakuka asked for the visitor’s book. He said he had come to pay a courtesy call but did not want to disturb the Minister.
He wrote his name and added “Hereditary Astrologer to the Maharaja of Ninnore ”He gave the narrator’s address as his Delhi address . Then he asked the narrator to drive to the palace of the Maharaja Sutkatta, because he had to return the horoscopes.
The Welfare Minister comes to see Nanu kaka
Next morning the Welfare Minister, whom Nanu kaka had come to Delhi to meet , came to the narrator’s house. Nanu kaka was able to accomplish his mission and went back.
But the narrator was worried. He wondered what would have happened when the minister learnt that Nanu kaka was not what pretended to be.
Questions & Answers A Pinch Of Snuff
Q. 1 The Under-Secretary always obeyed Nanu kaka, although he was never willing to do so, Why?
Ans.- The under- secretary always obeyed Nanu kaka because Nanu kaka was his guest and his mother’s brother although he was not willing to do so.
Q. 2 “This tie-and-collar business is no good these days”. What did Nanu kaka mean to say?”
Ans.- In these lines Nanu kaka had narrated the importance of our traditional dress, such as close collar, Jodhpur coat and turban, While meeting a minister of other VIPs. The western dress like “Tie and Collar” was not fit for the purpose, according to him.
Q. 3 How did Nanu kaka impress Sohanlal Ratiram?
Ans.- Nanu kaka started describing about his VIP status in a very loud voice so that Sohanlal could hear. He firstly talked about foreign tours and his contacts with politicians the ambassador in such a tone as if they were best friends and this impressed Sohanlal the most.
Q. 4 What important information did he collect at Ratiram’s place?
Ans.- The important information Nanu kaka collected at Ratiram’s place was that after refusing the proposal of marriage of his daughter to Sohanlal’s son, the welfare minister had decided to marry his daughter to the prince of Ninnore. Another information received was that Ratiram will not give tickets to minister next time.
Q. 5 Who is a Prince? Do we have any prince now? If yes, do they enjoy the same privileges which they used to?
Ans.- A prince is the son of the king of an estate or a country. He is the nest claimant for the ruler’s post. No, we do not have any prince in India but some other countries do have princes. No, they can’t enjoy the same privileges they used to, in the post.
Objective Questions A Pinch Of Snuff
1.” Pinch of Snuff is a …
(A) novel
(B) poem
(C) short story
(D) essay
2. ……is a humorous story.
(A) The Earth
(B)The Artist
(C) A Pinch of Snuff
(D) above of these
3. ‘A Pinch of Snuff’ is written by –
(A) Bertrand Russell
(B) H.E. Bates
(C) Manohar Malgaonkar
(D) Pearl S. Buck
4.The author was merely-
(A) an under secretary
(B) a secretary
(C) a clerk
(D) a boss
5…… was coming to visit the narrator’s family.
(A) Sohanlal Ratiram
(B) Hajrat Barkat Ali
(C) Nanu kaka
(D) None of these
6. Nanu kaka was related to the narrator as he was his mother’s—
(A) uncle
(B) father
(C) brother
(D) None of these
7. Nanu kaka has a unique quality of telling –
(A) stories
(B) truths
(C) lies
(D) None of these
8. Nanu kaka was a very ……. Man.
(A) food
(B) stupid
(C) honest
(D) clever
9. ‘A Pinch of Snuff is in fact a detailed character sketch of ……
(A) Sohan Lal
(B) Nanu kaka
(C) Ratiram
(D) Manohar Malgoankar
10. Manohar Malgaonkar was the ……….. on Probation.
(A) Secretary
(B) Under Secretary
(C) Joint Secretary
(D) Chief Secretary
11. …… informed the undersecretary about Nanu kaka’s visit.
(A) father.
(B) mother
(C) friend
(D) brother
12. Nanu kaka was to stay for….
(A) four or five days
(B) three or four days
(C) two or three days
(D) a week
13. On the platform Nanu kaka handed over the author –
(A) a bag
(B) a box
(C) a briefcase
(D) a basket
14. Nanu kaka travelled in-
(A) the A.C. Class
(B) the Second Class
(C) the Third Class
(D) the First Class
15. Nanu kaka was author’s –
(A) brother
(B) neighbor
(C) maternal uncle
(D) friend
16. Nanu kaką in a linguistic emergency always turned to
(A) English
(B) Hindi
(C) his mother-tongue
(D) Sanskrit
17.The author had taken-
(A) five days’ leave
(B) three days’ leave
(C) two days’ leave
(D) six days’ leave
18.Nanukaka was coming to Delhi –
(A) to visit the Red Fort
(B) to see some minister
(C) to participate a conference
(D) to spend the summer
19. Nanu kaka had third class ticket but travelled in the second class because –
(A) he was clever
(B) there was no third class
(C) he lost his ticket
(D) there was no room in the third class
20. The author has a complex about-
(A) relative
(B) guest
(C) officials
(D) minister
21. The basket contained –
(A) fruits
(B) a cat
(C) sweets
(D) vegetables
22. The speaker put on his white Jodhpuri coat and the… turban.
(A) orange
(B) red
(C) yellow
(D) black
23. ………… is the main character of the story ‘A Pinch of Snuff.
(A) Nanu kaka
(B) Sohanlal Ratiram
(C) Manohar Malgaonkar
(D) None of these
24. Ratiram was the son of …………
(A) Mohanlal Ratiram
(B) Sohanlal Ratiram
(C) Jaganlal Ratiram
(D) None of these
25. The second important person Nanu kaka had planned to meet was-
(A) The Home Minister
(B) The Railway Minister
(C) The Welfare Minister
(D) None of these
26. Nanu kaka handed over a cheque of a thousand rupees to a-
(A) Carpenter
(B) Dhobi
(C) Gold smith
(D) Milkman
27. Nanu kaka portrayed himself as the hereditary astrologer of the Maharaja of-
(A) Jaipur
(B) Bikaner
(C) Ninnore
(D) None of these •
28. There is nothing like honesty was said by —
(A) Nanu kaka
(B) Sohanlal Ratiram
(C) Ratiram
(D) Hajrat Barkat Ali
29. Nanu kaka thought that the secretary treated them coldly because they had not gone in-
(A) an old car
(B) a bigger car
(C) a small car
(D) a new car
30. Nanu kaka took out his cheque-book and wrote a cheque
(A) five thousand rupees
(B) two thousand rupees
(C) a thousand rupees
(D) five hundred rupees
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