Unseen Passage: Gandhiji as a Fund Raiser

Gandhiji was an incurable and irresistible fund raiser. He found special relish in getting jewellery from women. Ranibala of Burdwan was ten years old. One day, she was playing with Gandhiji. He explained to her that her bangles were too heavy for her delicate little wrists. She removed the bangles and gave them away to Gandhiji.

He used to talk jokingly to small girls and created distaste for ornaments and created a desire in them to part with the jewellery for the sake of the poor. He motivated them to donate their jewellery for social usage.

Kasturba didn’t appreciate this habit of Gandhiji. Once she stated calmly, “You don’t wear jewels, it is easy for you to get around the boys. But what about our daughters-in-law? They would surely want them.”

“Well!” Gandhiji put in mildly, “Our children are young and when they grow up they will not surely choose wives who are fond of wearing jewellery.” Kasturba was very upset with the answer.

Gandhiji was determined to keep the jewels to raise the community fund. He was of the opinion that a public worker should accept no costly gifts. He believed that he should not own anything costly, whether given or earned. Kasturba was a female with a desire to adorn. But Gandhiji moved towards renunciation and donated every penny earned in South Africa to the trustees for the service of the South African Indians.

Q. 1 Answer the questions given below:

1. How did Gandhiji create a distaste for jewellery in Ranibala?
2. What was Kasturba’s apprehension about their daughters-in-law?
3. What solution did Gandhiji suggest for the problem posed by Kasturba?
4. How did Gandhiji serve the community?
5. How did Ranibala react to Gandhiji’s explanation?

Answer

1. Gandhiji told Ranibala that her bangles were too heavy for her delicate little wrists. These words created in her a distaste for jewellery and she removed them and gave them to Gandhiji.
2. Kasturba didn’t like these views of Gandhiji, instead, she apprehended about her daughtersin-law that they would like to have ornaments. She also declared that they wouldn’t appreciate Gandhiji’s attitude.
3. For the problems posed by Kasturba, Gandhiji suggested when their sons grow up, they would prefer wives who were not fond of jewellery.
4. Gandhiji motivated the rich to donate their jewellery for the social usage. He himself donated his earnings for the service of the South African Indians.
5. Ranibala removed her bangles and gave them away to Gandhiji.

Q. 2 Find meaning for any of four of the words given below from the options that follow:

1. incurable: (para 1)
   1. unreliable
   2. untreatable
   3. disagreeable
   4. unbeatable
2. motivated: (para 2)
   1. encouraged
   2. emboldened
   3. incited
   4. softened
3. upset: (para 4)
   1. puzzled
   2. furious
   3. confused
   4. distressed
4. renunciation: (para 5)
   1. giving up
   2. disagreement
   3. opposition
   4. termination
5. relish: (para 1)
   1. sweet
   2. tasty
   3. liking
   4. interest

Answer

1. untreatable
2. encouraged
3. distressed
4. giving up
5. liking