NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Chapter 1 - Drama

Very Short Answer Type Questions

1. What does the word “Chandalika” mean?

2. What does the word “Prakrati” mean? Why was the girl named Prakriti in the play?

3. What is the name of Buddhisht’s monk in the play?

4. Which religion was false according to the girl Prakriti?

5. The Drama “Chandalika” is based on which legend?

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did the girl Prakriti in the drama says she is reborn?

2. What truth was revealed by the Buddhist monk to the girl Prakriti?

3. “What are you afraid of, mother”? Why did Prakriti say these words to her mother?

4. What does the wayfarer ask Prakriti? What reply did she give? 

Long Answer Questions

1. Why did Prakriti become intoxicated at the words of the Bhikshu? 

2. Write a summary of the chapter “Chandalika.”

3. How did the mother scold Prakriti when she did not return from school on time?

NCERT Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Drama “Chandalika” Summary

Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian to gain a Nobel prize in 1939. He wrote in many genres like poems, dramas, songs, novels and short stories. He had the talent and inclination to write since he was a young boy. His works display the delicate and complex emotions of human psychology, and the music (an inherent part of his writing) accentuates the aura of his plays. His plays are centred around awakening the human soul to the superior power in the universe. It depicts the enlightenment of human beings to their higher self in a beautiful and melodious way.

The play “Chandalika” is about an untouchable girl. The drama brings out the hypocrisy of a society which treats one human different from another based on their caste. The play also talks about spiritual conflict and how self-consciousness, when not controlled, can over-reach its limit. As much as self-consciousness is necessary for self-development, it can intoxicate a human and give way to vanity and pride. When the thin line between self-esteem and pride is crossed, such a person often trespasses on the rights of others.

Kaleidoscope - Chandalika

The play is a tale of the complexity of human minds and their various needs and wants. Prakriti is an untouchable girl who was termed as “Chandalika”. She has been brought up with the belief that she is not equal to other humans of upper caste, and no one outside of her clan would accept water or anything from her hands. One day a Buddhist monk, Ananda, comes to her and asks for some water. She tells him that she is an untouchable girl, but he does not accept the norms of society and tells her both of them are equal human beings.

This small act of offering water to a monk sparks new emotions and realisations in Prakriti. She feels like she has been given new birth to the monk’s respect shown towards her. Prakriti is so overwhelmed by this newfound feeling that she now wants to have Ananda for herself. She asks her mother to work some magic so that the monk is drawn to her, even though monks have taken a vow to be celibate. Prakriti’s mother initially did not agree and told her not to force such things on anyone. However, once the mother sees Prakriti’s obsession and depressed state, she decides to do the magic.

The dark forces of the nether world make Anandna come to Prakriti, but he is not his usual self. Prakriti cannot see this state of Ananda, where he has lost his glow and peaceful demeanour and looks agitated and tortured. She pleads with her mother to release Ananda from the spell and not cause further humiliation.

Ananda pardons Prakriti for this act as he understands that she has not been treated well in life, making her do things beyond ordinary. Prakriti realises that loving someone does not mean holding on to them without their wish.

Exercise - Thinking About the Play

There are six questions in this exercise. They are all long answer types, and one can answer them by going through the summary given. 

1. Why does something so ordinary and commonplace as giving water to a wayfarer become so significant to Prakriti?

Ans: In the play, the Buddhist monk named Ananda wanders around and is one of Buddha's most beloved disciples. Upon returning from a visit, he meets Prakriti, a girl from the lowest untouchable caste who has been told all her life that she is a chandala and faces hatred and despise from higher caste members. However, the monk treats her with respect and seeks water from her without any distinction between himself and Prakriti. This act enlightens Prakriti and makes her realize her worth, liberating her from the strings of social demands. The monk's simple act of asking for water becomes significant to her.

2. Why is the girl named Prakriti in the play? What are the images in the play that relate to this theme?

Ans: The play 'Chandalika' by Tagore centers on the significance of Prakriti, which translates to 'nature', in portraying the main character's self-awareness and her rediscovery of her identity as a woman. The protagonist, a low-caste untouchable girl named Prakriti, is touched by the compassion shown to her by Ananda, the Buddhist monk, which inspires her to awaken to her own humanity. Prakriti embodies the innate desires of a woman who is deeply moved by human values.

3. How does the churning of emotions bring about self-realisation in Prakriti even if at the cost of her mother’s life?

Ans: Prakriti, who was the one to give water to the Buddhist monk, developed feelings for him. She asked her mother, who was skilled in magic, to cast a spell on the monk. Despite his efforts, the spell proved too strong, and he found himself at their house one night. However, when he saw the girl prepare a bed for him, he was overcome with guilt and prayed for his master's help. Realizing the error of her ways, Prakriti begged her mother to undo the spell. She saw how she had tarnished the monk's purity and felt remorse. She pleaded for forgiveness at his feet and acknowledged the consequences of her cowardly act. In the end, her mother paid the price, and Prakriti learned the harsh lesson of her actions.

4. How does the mirror reflect the turmoil experienced by the monk as a result of the working of the spell?

Ans: Prakriti’s mother cast a powerful spell, which had a significant impact on the monk and stirred up his deep-seated passions. Tagore gives glimpses of the monk's inner turmoil through Prakriti's eyes as she traces his steps to their home in the mirror. In the beginning, Prakriti hints at the monk's turmoil by saying, “Must the king of the forest crash to the dust, at last, his cloud-kissing glory broken?". As the play progresses, the readers witness the monk engulfed in flames, representing his internal struggle between the pure fire of his soul and the serpent-like fire of the spell. The image ends with the monk's agony, indicating his defeat to the mighty spell.

5. What is the role of the mother in Prakriti’s self-realisation? What are her hopes and fears for her daughter?

Ans: Prakriti's mother was well aware of the gravity of casting a wicked spell on the monk, and she usually acted as a guiding voice in her daughter's life. Despite her love for Prakriti, she had no choice but to support her daughter's impossible wish. However, she also reminded her daughter of the severe consequences of this cowardly act and the toll it would take on their lives. Prakriti eventually realized the horror of what she had done in subjecting the monk to such pain against his will. Her mother urged her to confront the consequences of her actions by looking in the mirror and witnessing the monk's suffering. Prakriti understood the gravity of the situation, but sadly, undoing the spell cost her mother's life.

6. ‘Acceptance of one’s fate is easy. Questioning the imbalance of the human social order is tumultuous.’ Discuss with reference to the play.

Ans: Tagore's play 'Chandalika' is based on a Buddhist legend where the famous disciple of Buddha, Ananda, teaches human values to a lower-caste girl named Prakriti. She was considered unclean by society due to her birth into a despised caste. Ananda imparts wisdom to her and helps her realize her full potential as a human being in the community. He teaches her to judge herself not by the artificial values that society attaches to birth but by her capacity for love and service to the community. However, she goes against society and loses her mother. She questions the social imbalance that led to her realization of worth and a sense of equality. The play highlights the message that accepting fate is easy, but questioning the imbalance of the social order is tumultuous.

Exercise - Appreciation

There are four questions in this exercise that are long answer types. The questions are not direct but based on the theme of the play. Students need to discuss the human conflict which arises from societal norms. There is a question where students need to find excerpts from the play that have an interplay of opposites. Such questions invoke the creative thinking process in students.

Key Features of NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Drama Chapter 1 “Chandalika”

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Conclusion

This was the complete discussion on the NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English Drama “Chandalika”. With this article, we have also learnt a few important questions from the perspective of Class 12th CBSE board exams.. If you are a Class 12 student, get a thorough understanding of the chapter with the NCERT solutions provided by Vedantu.