Essay Questions

What does Gita’s mother-in-law mean when she says, “No daughter-in-law of mine is going to sing and dance like a bazaar woman?”

Gita has been traditionally brought up as an obedient child. In Gita's culture, society believes that a woman has to perfect in specific activities to attract a man. For instance, Gita's parents believe that an attractive woman must be an expert in playing sitar and singing. The men in this society have been tailored to think that a woman who is a wife material must be an expert in singing and singing and playing sitar because those are the vital attributes of a woman ready for marriage. However, Gita's mother-in-law is a strict churchgoer brought up in an Orthodox background. She does not fully support the assumptions of culture regarding the attributes of a woman. She swears that Gita has to stop dancing and singing in her home because those are the attributes of prostitutes whose primary intention is to attract men for financial gains.

What is the predominant theme in the short story ‘To Simla in a Tonga’?

The short story ‘To Simla in a Tonga' primarily focuses on the Indian's self-determination struggle. Anima, the main character in the story, is a strong supporter of the Indian Liberation struggle against the British. Her husband is working for the British, which significantly hampers her efforts to remain strong in the liberation struggle. Most Indians are mistreated by the British, which makes Anima angry about her husband, who is a loyal servant of the British government. Consequently, the Indian liberation struggle emerges as the central theme in this story.

Why is Gita finding her freedom on someone else's commands?

Gita’s problems started when she was a young girl because she was taught to be submissive without questioning. Her parents directed her to practice playing sitar and singing to attract a man to marry her. After getting married, Gita continued being submissive, even if it meant subjecting her to suffering. After her husband rebuked her, she started living alone, but she could not make individual decisions. Later, she came across Rani, a commanding fellow who makes her work in a palace. Gradually, Gita started learning how to live independently by making decisions after learning that it was critical to surviving without depending on others.