COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN ENGLISH-15CP01E CHAPTER-2: THE GREAT INDIAN PSYCHOTHERAPY NOTES

COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN ENGLISH-15CP01E

CHAPTER-2: THE GREAT INDIAN PSYCHOTHERAPY

COMPREHENSION:I Answers:

1. Global experts are startled that a country of such massive potential has one of the largest percentages of poor people in the world.

2. The questions often asked by the young are:

a. Will things ever change? How?

b. Whose fault is it that they haven’t?

3. As identified by the author, there are three traits of Indian psyche that are not good for our country and for us. Each comes from three distinct sources – our school, our environment and our home. The traits are as follows:

a. Servility

b. Our numbness to injustice

c. Divisiveness

4. In the 1980s, we had movies like Gunda and Khoon Pi Jaaonga. Today, our movies have better content. They have changed because our expectations from films have changed.

5. Almost all of us have been asked to lie about our ages to the train ticket-checker, to claim to be less than five years old and get a free train ride. This creates a value system in a child’s brain that ‘anything goes’ so long as you get away with it. A bit of lying here, a bit of cheating there is seen as acceptable. In this way we have been exposed to corruption from our childhood onwards.

6. If we resolve today that we will vote on the basis of performance alone, we will encourage the voices against injustice. If we place an honest, though less wealthy person on a higher pedestal than a corrupt, yet rich individual, we will have contributed to India’s progress.

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Examples of Description of Objects

A mixer is used for mixing food. The mixer is made of metal and plastic. It consists of 5 parts: a base, a stand, a motor housing, beaters, and a bowl. The base is rectangular in shape. It is 12 cm wide and 15 cm long. The stand which is supported by the base is 30cm in height. The motor housing which contains a motor is joined to the stand. The steel beaters are very hard and tough. They are fitted in the gearbox. The glass bowl is hard and brittle. The edge of the bowl is circular. The glass bowl is detached from the base.

A kettle is a metal container which is used for boiling water. It consists of 4 main parts: a vessel, a lid, a spout and handle. The vessel is 7 inches high. It is hollow and spherical in shape. The base is flat and circular. It has a diameter of 6 inches. On the top of the vessel, there is a convex lid with a plastic knob in the middle. The lid is 5 inches in diameter. Above the lid is a curbed handle which is covered with plastic at the middle part. At the side of the vessel is a conical spout for pouring water out of the vessel.

A vacuum bottle is a container which is used to keep liquids either hot or cold. It is composed of a metal container, a glass bottle, a plastic cap, a cork, and a shock absorber. This vacuum bottle is 5 inches in height. The outer part of the bottle consists of a metal container and a plastic cap. The container is cylindrical in shape. Its base is flat and circular. It has a diameter of 10 inches. The cap is at the top of the container. Inside the container, there is a cylindrical glass bottle with a tapering neck and a cork at the top. The glass bottle is supported by a spiral shock absorber which is fixed to the base of the container. It has walls: the inner and the outer. Between these walls, there is a vacuum to keep the liquid at a constant temperature.

CHAPTER-2: THE GREAT INDIAN PSYCHOTHERAPY

COMPREHENSION: II ANSWERS

1. Servility is the first trait of Indian psyche which is not good for our country. According to the author Chetan Bhagat; at school, our education system hammers out our individual voices and kills our natural creativity, turning us into servile, course-material slaves. Kids are not encouraged to raise their voices in class, particularly when they disagree with the teacher. And of course, no subject teaches us imagination, creativity or innovation. Curricula are designed for the no-debate kind of teaching. For example, we ask: how many states are there in India? Answer: Twenty-eight. Correct. Next question: how is a country divided into states? What criteria should be used? No answer. Since issues like these are never discussed, children never develop their own viewpoint or the faculty to think. In this way, our education system inculcates the trait of servility in us.

2. Numbness to injustice is the second trait of Indian psyche which is not good for our country. It comes from our environment. According to the author Chetan Bhagat, we are exposed to corruption from our childhood. Almost all of us have been asked to lie about our ages to the train ticket-checker, to be less than five years old and get a free train ride. This creates a value system in a child’s brain that ‘anything goes’ so long as you can get away with it. A bit of lying here, a bit of cheating there is seen as acceptable. Hence we all grow up slightly numb to corruption.

3. Divisiveness is the third trait of Indian psyche which is not good for our country. According to the author, Chetan Bhagat, the source of divisiveness is our home. It is often taught at our home, particularly our family and relatives, where we learn about the differences amongst people. Our religion, culture and language are revered and celebrated in our families. Other people are different – and often implied to be not as good as us. We have all known an aunt or uncle who, though a good person, holds rigid biases against people from different communities. Even today, most of India votes on one criterion – caste. Dalits vote for dalits, Thakurs for Thakurs and Yadavs for Yadavs. In such a scenario, why would a politician do any real work? When we choose a mobile network, do we check whether Airtel or Vodafone belong to a particular caste? No, we simply choose the provider based on the best value or service. Then why do we vote for somebody simply because he belongs to the same case as us?

4. According to Chetan Bhagat - the author, when we talk of change, we alone can’t get a politician replaced, or order a road to be built. However, we can change one thing – our mindset. And collectively, this has the power to make the biggest difference. We have to unlearn whatever is holding us back and definitely break the cycle so that we don’t pass on these traits to the next generation. Our children should think creatively, have opinions and speak up. They shouldn’t hate other people on the basis of their background. Let us also resolve to start working on our own minds, right now. A change in mindset changes the way people vote, which, in turn changes politicians. If we resolve today that we will vote on the basis of performance alone, we will encourage the voices against injustice. If we place an honest, though less wealthy person on a higher pedestal than a corrupt, yet rich individual, we will have contributed to India’s progress. And then, may be, we will start moving towards a better India.

Note: Answers to the II main question – short notes (all chapters) should be a combination of the points from the text and your points of view; preferably in your own words. Write the answer in a paragraph of not more than 100 words.

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