A Panorama of Life — Class 11
Chapter 1: Gender Bias
Author: Sudha Murthy
Q.1 Comprehension
(a) Short Answer Type Questions
1. What course was the author pursuing at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore?
The author was pursuing a master’s course in Computer Science at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
2. Where did the author want to complete a doctorate in Computer Science?
The author wanted to go abroad, particularly to the United States, to complete her doctorate in Computer Science. She had received scholarship offers from universities in the U.S.
3. Which advertisement did the author see on the notice board?
She saw a job advertisement from Telco, the famous automobile company now known as Tata Motors. The company was looking for young, bright and hardworking engineers with excellent academic backgrounds.
4. What was in the advertisement that made the author very upset?
The advertisement contained the line, “Lady candidates need not apply.” This discriminatory condition upset her because women were being denied an opportunity solely on the basis of gender.
5. Why did she write a postcard to Telco?
She wrote a postcard to JRD Tata to express her displeasure at Telco’s discriminatory recruitment policy. She was surprised that a respected company associated with the Tata Group should discriminate against women.
6. What telegram did the author receive from Telco?
She received a telegram asking her to appear for an interview at Telco’s Pune office at the company’s expense.
7. Why did the author’s hostelmates want her to go to Pune for the interview?
Her hostelmates encouraged her to take advantage of the company-paid trip and buy them the famous Pune saris at low prices.
8. How many people were there on the interview panel? What did the author realise?
There were six people on the interview panel. When she entered the room and heard someone whisper that she was the girl who had written to JRD Tata, she realised that the interview was a serious matter.
9. What did Sudha tell the panel before the interview?
Sudha told the panel, rather impolitely, “I hope this is only a technical interview.” She later admitted that she was ashamed of her rude attitude.
10. What type of questions was the author asked by the interview panel?
The panel asked her technical questions, and she answered all of them.
11. When did Sudha first see JRD Tata?
Sudha first saw JRD Tata in the office of Sumant Moolgaokar at Bombay House, after she had joined Telco and been transferred to Bombay.
12. What did Sumant Moolgaokar tell JRD about Sudha?
Sumant Moolgaokar introduced Sudha as a young woman engineer with a postgraduate degree and the first woman to work on Telco’s shop floor.
13. How many girls are now studying in engineering colleges?
According to the author, close to 50 per cent of the students in engineering colleges are girls.
14. What would the author want from life if time stops?
She would wish that JRD Tata were alive to see how much the company he started had grown. He would also have been happy to see the progress women had made in engineering and industry.
(b) Long Answer Type Questions
1. Describe Sudha’s life as a student at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Sudha Murthy’s life as a student at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, was happy, ambitious and academically successful.
- An ambitious student: Sudha was in the final year of her master’s course in Computer Science at IISc, Bangalore, in April 1974.
- The only girl in her department: She was the only girl in her postgraduate department and lived in the ladies’ hostel. Other girls were pursuing research in different science departments.
- A happy life: She describes her life as full of fun and joy. At that time, she had not experienced helplessness or injustice.
- Plans for higher studies: She wanted to go abroad to complete a doctorate in Computer Science and had received scholarship offers from universities in the United States.
- Academic excellence: She had performed better than most of her male peers and was confident of her academic abilities.
- An experience that changed her life: The Telco advertisement stating that women need not apply introduced her to gender discrimination. She decided to challenge the unfair practice.
Thus, Sudha’s student life was marked by academic achievement and high ambitions, but the Telco incident taught her the importance of standing up against injustice.
2. What were Sudha’s plans after completing her master’s course in Computer Science?
After completing her master’s course, Sudha planned to pursue higher studies abroad.
- Doctoral studies: She wanted to complete a doctorate in Computer Science.
- Scholarship offers: She had received scholarship offers from universities in the United States.
- No immediate employment plans: She had not thought of taking up a job in India because her attention was focused on further studies.
- An unexpected challenge: She noticed Telco’s job advertisement, which invited engineers to apply but excluded women candidates.
- A decision to protest: Although she was not keen on taking the job, she regarded the discriminatory condition as a challenge and wrote a postcard to JRD Tata.
- A change in direction: Telco invited her for an interview, and she was eventually selected for the job.
Her original plan was to pursue a doctorate abroad, but her determination to challenge discrimination led her towards a career in industry.
3. Why did Sudha become angry after reading the job advertisement from the automobile company Telco?
Sudha became angry because Telco’s advertisement discriminated against women despite inviting applications from well-qualified engineers.
- An unfair restriction: The advertisement stated, “Lady candidates need not apply.” Women were excluded solely because of their gender.
- Her academic confidence: Sudha had performed extremely well in her studies, better than most of her male peers.
- A contradiction with merit: She believed that engineering jobs should be open to capable candidates irrespective of gender.
- Her respect for the Tata Group: She admired the Tatas for their contribution to Indian industry and higher education, including the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science.
- A direct protest: She wrote a postcard to JRD Tata expressing her surprise and displeasure at Telco’s policy.
- A challenge to tradition: Rather than ignore the advertisement, she decided to challenge the company’s practice.
Her anger was not merely personal. She believed that discrimination denied women fair opportunities and prevented society from benefiting from their abilities.
4. What was the reason given by the elderly man for not employing women in Telco?
During Sudha’s interview, an elderly member of the panel explained why Telco had not employed women on its factory shop floor.
- The company’s past practice: He said that Telco had never employed women on the shop floor.
- The factory environment: He argued that a factory was different from a co-educational college.
- Preference for research work: He acknowledged Sudha’s academic excellence but suggested that women like her should work in research laboratories.
- Sudha’s disagreement: She replied that the company had to start somewhere; otherwise, no woman would ever be able to work in its factories.
- The need for change: Her response challenged the assumption that factory work was unsuitable for women.
The exchange highlights how established practices can perpetuate discrimination. Sudha argued that change would remain impossible unless someone was given the first opportunity.
5. When did Sudha come to know who JRD Tata was? When did she happen to meet him?
Sudha came to understand JRD Tata’s stature after joining Telco. She met him later at Bombay House in Bombay.
- Her earlier understanding: Sudha knew JRD Tata as the head of the Tata Group and had seen his photographs in newspapers. She addressed her postcard to him because she believed he headed the group.
- Learning about his stature: After joining Telco, she realised that JRD Tata was one of the most respected figures in Indian industry, described in the essay as its uncrowned king.
- Her transfer to Bombay: She did not meet him immediately after joining the company. She met him after being transferred to Bombay.
- The meeting at Bombay House: One day, she was showing reports to Sumant Moolgaokar, Telco’s chairman, in his office at Bombay House when JRD Tata entered.
- Her nervousness: Sudha remembered the postcard episode and felt nervous, hoping he would not ask her about the interview or her letter.
- Her introduction: Moolgaokar introduced her to JRD Tata as a postgraduate woman engineer and the first woman to work on Telco’s shop floor.
The meeting was a memorable moment for Sudha and symbolised the progress being made towards equal opportunities for women in industry.
Q.2 Vocabulary
1. Match the words under Column A with their meanings under Column B
| Column A | Correct meaning |
|---|---|
| 1. Opportunity | Chance |
| 2. Bias | Prejudice |
| 3. Pursue | Continue with |
| 4. Academic | Educational |
| 5. Fortunately | Luckily |
| 6. Affectionate | Loving |
| 7. Scared | Afraid |
| 8. Nervous | Anxious |
| 9. Segment | Part |
| 10. Impolite | Rude |
2. Form nouns from the following words
| Word | Noun |
|---|---|
| (i) Long | Length |
| (ii) Know | Knowledge |
| (iii) Apply | Application |
| (iv) Decide | Decision |
| (v) Select | Selection |
| (vi) Advertise | Advertisement |
| (vii) Receive | Receipt |
| (viii) Affectionate | Affection |
| (ix) Marry | Marriage |
| (x) Young | Youth |
Q.3 Grammar
1. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions
- Life was full of fun and joy.
- I was looking forward to going abroad.
- She saw an advertisement on the notice board.
- Sudha fell in love with the beautiful city.
- She had done better than most of her male peers.
2. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs given in brackets
- The workers have gone on strike. (Present perfect tense)
- Children are playing in the park. (Present continuous tense)
- Hard work brings success. (Simple present tense)
- He had reached the ground before the match started. (Past perfect tense)
- She will be staying here till Sunday. (Future continuous tense)
3. Use each of the following words as a noun and a verb
(i) Book
- Noun: This is an interesting book.
- Verb: I book a ticket online.
(ii) Challenge
- Noun: This task is a challenge.
- Verb: I challenge the unfair decision.
(iii) Interview
- Noun: The interview lasted an hour.
- Verb: They interview the candidates.
(iv) Iron
- Noun: Iron is a useful metal.
- Verb: I iron my clothes.
(v) Change
- Noun: There has been a major change in her life.
- Verb: We must change our habits.
Key Message of the Chapter
The chapter teaches us that opportunities should be based on ability and merit, not gender. Sudha Murthy’s experience shows how courage, determination and the willingness to challenge unfair traditions can help bring social change.