Unit V: Short Stories

Chapter - 19
“Two Lady Rams”

- Mulk Raj Anand

Question- What is the summary of the story "Two Lady Rams"?

Answer - 

This story takes place during the British rule in India. "In recognition to the sundry services to the British empire" The authority decide to confer the title of knighthood on Lalla Jhinda Ram. Even thought it was a matter of great honour for Lalla Jhinda Ram, it also brought a fair share of woes for Lala, something "His Majesty is government did not realize."

Lalla Jhinda Ram has two wives and the problem that confronts him is who to make Lady Ram, for of course both of his wives insist on being Lady Ram. In its stages Lalla elegantly copes with the problem. All he has to do is to ignore the brewing tension between his two wives.

Soon he becomes busy replying all the congratulatory messages that come pouring in after the announcement of the title. He is hardly able to believe that he, a son of small shopkeeper, contractor himself has been chosen for this honour.

He often finds himself admiring his own aura of glory in the stolen glances while standing in front of a mirror. Tension between his wives is not a new occurrence. It began seven years ago, when "The young, twenty five years old. Sakuntala came and ousted the fiftyfive-year-old Sukhi."And therefore Lalla Jhinda Ram regarded this new quarrel between them simply as an extention of the earlier one that he has so successfully dodged by "segregating them in two different parts of his house."

But this quarrel took a really serious turn when Lalla received an invitation from his excellency the Governor to attend the Garden Party. Since the invitation was for sir Jhinda and Lady Ram, he asked his younger wife to get ready for the party. The news soon travelled to other part of the house where reined the other challenger of the title Lady Ram.

Till the quarrel took a serious turn over the title of Lady Ram, both Sukhi and Sakuntala had more or less maintained the conventional order by not interfering with each other. Lalla would alternate his nights in the quarters of his both wives and the lives of all three smoothly.

The British who had imposed the Indian Penal Code but had also allowed the Hindu Mitakshara Law to be practised along with it allowed a Hindu man to marry more than once. They also had not made any ruling as to whether one or all the wives of a man would assume the title of lady if the husband is given the title of knighthood, or any other title of such nature.

So when Sukhi learned that Lalla has only asked Sakuntala to get ready for the party. She crossed into her enemy's territory and began a continuous shower of curses and abuses. At first Lalla tried to simply snub her, but soon her abuses and curses became more intense, and Lalla realized that the matter is getting out of control.

He was thrown in such a state of agitated confusion that he decided to call ADC to the governor and asked for an appointment to discuss a matter of urgency. The ADC declined the appointment thinking that Lalla was only looking to talk to him about some contract or deal.

When Lalla returned to the house in noon, he found that the battle is still going on. He then decided to go to the Governor of the province to find the solution of the problem that he found himself facing.

At the gate of Governor's house the sepoy asked for his pass, and because Lalla was unable to produce such pass, he was denied entry. Humiliated in front of his own chauffeur, he got into his car. As he was trying to gather his wits to find away out of the grim situation that he found himself, his chauffeur asked his permission to suggest a way out.

Angrily but humbly he asked his chauffeur to speak, who suggested to take both the wives to the party. Even thought Lalla snubbed the idea, in his heart he knew that it is a simple and obvious solution to the problems. "Why. if he could marry two wives in law, he certainly ought to have a right to call them both Lady Rams"

He then asked his chauffeur to tell both the wives to be ready for the party. The chauffeur cleverly told each one that she was the only one selected to go to the party by Lalla Jhinda. When both the wives appeared, they knew that they were tricked, but they did not create a scene, even they did not open their mouth owing solely to their "respect for their prolonged toilet".

At the party the butter announced "Sir Jhinda and the two lady Rams. Everything went smoothly and nothing unexpected happened. His excellency was complimented both the two lady Rams for their saris.

There were few young boys who tried to make fun of the fact that there were two lady rams, but "then the youth of today in Government house and outsides a notorious for its complete disregard of all manners, codes, conventions, rules and regulations. The narrator ends the story by saying.

"Since that day Sir Jhinda and two Lady Rams are at familiar feature of all ceremonial occasions in our capital. And no Empire Day, cricket match or horse race is complete without them. For they are three staunch pillars of the Raj which has conceded to them privileges unknown in the annals of the Angrezisarkar of India."

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