Karma by Khushwant Singh short summary and question answers

 

The story opens at a railway station where Sir Mohan Lal, a highly anglicised Indian barrister, is waiting for the train in the first-class waiting room. He stands before a cracked and imperfect Indian-made mirror, which he looks at with contempt and superiority. He mocks the mirror as inefficient and dirty, comparing it to India itself. At the same time, he admires his own reflection—his Savile Row suit, Balliol tie, neatly trimmed moustache, and English perfumes—and feels proud of his English manners and education at Oxford. His self-love and sense of superiority are clearly established at the outset of the story.

Sir Mohan calls for a bearer and orders a small drink of whisky. While he drinks and relaxes in the waiting room, his wife Lachmi (Lady Mohan Lal) sits outside on their luggage. Lachmi is described as short, fat, middle-aged, and traditionally dressed in a dirty white sari with a red border. She chews betel leaves and chats freely with railway workers. Unlike her husband, she is simple, unpretentious and comfortable with her Indian identity.

Lachmi asks a coolie where the zenana (women’s) compartment is and decides to travel there instead of first class. She explains to the coolie that her husband is a barrister and a “vizier” ( High official ) who travels first class and mingles with English officers, while she is only a native woman who does not know English or English manners. She eats her simple meal of chapatis and mango pickle, belches loudly, washes at the public tap, and thanks the gods for a satisfying meal—actions that sharply contrast with Sir Mohan’s refined, artificial behaviour.

As Lachmi waits in the zenana compartment, the story shifts back to Sir Mohan’s inner thoughts. He reflects proudly on his five years in England, where he adopted English habits, manners, and speech. He feels deep contempt for India and Indians, including his own wife. He recalls English life fondly—Oxford colleges, sports, dinners and feels that those five years were far more meaningful than his long life in India. His marriage appears empty and mechanical, marked by brief and joyless encounters.

Sir Mohan imagines how he will impress English passengers on the train. He plans to sit quietly with The Times, wear his Balliol tie, and offer Scotch and English cigarettes to attract conversation. He believes Englishmen will admire him for his polished manners and Oxford education.

When the bearer informs him that his luggage has been placed in a first-class compartment, Sir Mohan walks there with great dignity. He is disappointed to find the compartment empty but sits down and opens his newspaper. Soon, he notices two drunken English soldiers searching for seats. Hoping to impress them, Sir Mohan decides to welcome them into his compartment, even though they are entitled only to second class.

However, the soldiers see Sir Mohan not as an English gentleman but as a “nigger” (a racial slur). They rudely order him to get out, shouting “Reserved!” and “Army Fauj.” Sir Mohan protests in his Oxford-accented English, but the soldiers do not recognize or respect him. They throw his belongings—his suitcase, bedding, thermos(bottle), briefcase, and even The Times—onto the platform.

When Sir Mohan angrily protests and threatens to call the guard, one soldier slaps him across the face. As the train starts moving, they physically throw him out of the compartment. Sir Mohan falls onto his luggage, shocked and humiliated, unable to speak. The soldiers mock him with a cheerful “Toodle-oo!”

As the train moves away, Sir Mohan stands frozen on the platform, staring helplessly at the passing compartments. In the last zenana compartment, Lachmi sits comfortably. Her face is visible in the light, her diamond nose-ring shining. As the train leaves the station, she spits a stream of red betel juice across the platform—symbolically marking the final moment of the story.

The story ends with a powerful irony: the man who rejected his Indian identity and worshipped English culture is brutally humiliated by the English, while the simple, unashamed Indian woman travels peacefully and safely. The title “Karma” reflects the idea that Sir Mohan’s pride, self-hatred, and false sense of superiority ultimately lead to his downfall.

 

 

Activity

1. Irony and Dialogue as a Critique of Social Snobbery and Colonial Mentality

Khushwant Singh uses irony and dialogue clearly to expose the hollowness of social snobbery(pride) and colonial mentality in Karma. The strongest irony lies in Sir Mohan Lal’s self-image versus how he is actually treated. He admires himself in the mirror, calling himself “distinguished, efficient — even handsome,” while dismissing India as “inefficient, dirty, indifferent.” Ironically, the mirror he mocks reflects his own moral and cultural emptiness.

Dialogue further sharpens this critique. Sir Mohan’s anglicised Hindustani (“Koi Hai!”, “Ek Chota”) and his rehearsed Oxford accent are meant to signal refinement, but they fail completely when he confronts the English soldiers. His protest—“I say, I say, surely”—sounds English to him, but the soldiers respond with brutal racism: “Get the nigger out.” This dialogue reveals the harsh colonial truth that imitation of English culture does not earn respect. The final irony is that Lachmi, whom Sir Mohan despises as “vulgar,” travels safely, while he is violently thrown out of the first-class compartment.

 

2. Meaning of the Term ‘Anglophile’

An Anglophile is a person who admires, loves, or idealizes England, English culture and English ways of life, often to the extent of undervaluing or rejecting their own native culture. Sir Mohan Lal is a classic Anglophile, as he worships English manners, language, clothing, and social habits.

Text-Based Comprehension Exercises

I. Answer in Two or Three Sentences

1. Who is Sir Mohan Lal, and how does he view himself?

Sir Mohan Lal is an Indian barrister educated at Oxford who strongly identifies with English culture. He views himself as refined, superior, and almost English, believing that his manners, dress, and speech place him above other Indians.

2. Why does Sir Mohan Lal prefer to travel in the first-class compartment?

Sir Mohan Lal prefers first-class travel because it symbolizes status, prestige and proximity to English officers. He believes it will give him opportunities to impress Englishmen through his manners, education, and possessions like The Times and Scotch.

3. How is Lady Lal portrayed in contrast to her husband?

Lady Lal is portrayed as simple, traditional, and rooted in Indian culture, while Sir Mohan Lal is artificial and anglicised. She is comfortable with her identity, whereas her husband is ashamed of his Indianness.

4. What role does irony play in the ending of the story?

Irony plays a decisive role when Sir Mohan Lal, who worships English culture, is brutally humiliated by English soldiers. Meanwhile, Lachmi, whom he considers inferior, travels peacefully, highlighting the failure of colonial mimicry.

5. What is the significance of the title Karma?

The title Karma signifies poetic justice. Sir Mohan Lal’s arrogance, self-hatred, and blind admiration of colonial power lead directly to his humiliation and downfall.

II. Answer in a Paragraph

6. Describe the relationship between Sir Mohan Lal and Lady Lal

The relationship between Sir Mohan Lal and Lady Lal is emotionally distant and unequal. Sir Mohan treats his wife with contempt, embarrassment, and indifference, seeing her as crude and uneducated. He visits her only briefly at night and communicates with her through commands rather than affection. Lachmi, on the other hand, accepts her role passively and seeks companionship through gossip with strangers, revealing the loneliness and neglect she experiences within the marriage.

7. How does Khushwant Singh use characterization to criticize colonial attitudes?

Khushwant Singh uses Sir Mohan Lal as a satirical representation of the colonised subject who internalises colonial values. His obsession with English manners, language, and approval exposes the psychological damage caused by colonial rule. In contrast, Lachmi’s earthy realism and cultural rootedness highlight the dignity of indigenous identity. Through these contrasting characters, Singh criticizes the colonial attitude that equates worth with whiteness and Westernisation.

8. Discuss the use of setting and symbols in the story

The railway station serves as a symbolic setting where different classes, cultures, and identities collide. The first-class compartment represents colonial privilege and false aspiration, while the zenana compartment symbolizes marginalised yet secure indigenous spaces. Objects like The Times, Scotch, English cigarettes, and the Balliol tie symbolize Sir Mohan’s borrowed identity. The cracked mirror at the beginning reflects both physical decay and Sir Mohan’s fractured self-image.

III. Essays

9. Examine how Karma critiques the colonial mindset through the character of Sir Mohan Lal

Karma presents a sharp critique of the colonial mindset by exposing the psychological slavery of colonised elites. Sir Mohan Lal embodies the Anglophile Indian who believes that English education and manners can erase racial and cultural boundaries. His contempt for India and Indians reflects internalised colonial racism. However, his violent rejection by English soldiers reveals the illusion at the heart of colonial mimicry. Singh demonstrates that colonial power structures do not reward imitation but reinforce racial hierarchies. Sir Mohan’s humiliation exposes the emptiness of colonial aspirations and the tragic cost of cultural self-denial.

10. Explore the theme of identity and cultural alienation in Karma

Karma powerfully explores identity and cultural alienation through the contrasting lives of Sir Mohan Lal and Lachmi. Sir Mohan is alienated from his own culture, language, and people, yet he is never accepted by the English. His identity is fragmented—neither fully Indian nor English. Lachmi, though socially marginalised, remains culturally whole and emotionally secure. The story suggests that true self-worth comes from self-acceptance, not imitation. Through this contrast, Khushwant Singh exposes the tragic consequences of rejecting one’s roots in pursuit of colonial approval.