Summary of two lady rams.

1. St Xavier’s College, Mahuadanr
SEM – II, Core - 3
Summary of two Lady Rams
Mulk Raj Anand is known for his realistic portrayals of the social and
economic problems suffered by Indians because of the caste system and British
Colonial rule. Anand is considered by many critics to be one of India’s best writers. In
Two Lady Rams, Anand presents witty narrative of Lalla Jhinda Ram's household
which is at a constant state of cold war between two ladies of the house Suki the elder
wife and Shakuntala the younger wife.
To elucidate the background to Jinda Ram’s life, it may be mentioned how that
his elder wife Suki connoting ‘Sukh’ or comfort to husband was Barren and was
unable to keep up his race by giving him a child. So he married Shakuntala. While the
first wife brought along with her a big dowry and gave financial push to the ordinary
shopkeeper Jinda Ram, the dowry became the launching pad of Ram’s social success.
The younger wife Shakuntala introduced romance in his life.
The plot revolves around the two wives of Jinda Ram who fight with each other
for their husbands’ attention. Since they two are constantly quarreling with each
other, Ram decides to divide his house into two separate Wings one for each wife to
manage. He divided his household duties among the two wives so as to keep them far
from each other. The first considered the second wife Shakuntala as only a substitute
but Jinda Ram showed both equal attentions.
The confusion started once again when Jinda Ram was awarded knighthood by
the colonial government in recognition of his sundry (various) services to the British
Empire. The crisis emerged since he was invited to the garden party along with lady
Ram and both the wives insisted on being given the title of lady Ram.
Sir Jinda Ram only wished his younger wife Shakuntala to get dressed in a new
sari for the occasion and the elder wife got furious when the news reached her

2. through servants. The fight between the two wives reaches the level of a war and
increased the bitterness between them.
Finally Jhinda Ram’s driver who had been a witness to all these events offered
to give a solution to resolve the reigning Crisis. With a certain amount of tact and
double dealing, he approached each wife separately in her respective house and
managed to convince each of them that she alone was to attend the garden party.
Thus by impressing each wife individually the driver provided his master some peace
to have his meal and to get ready for the occasion. Both the wives appeared in their
flashing saris and Jhinda Ram bundled them into his car and went for the party at the
Governor’s House.
The unexpected arrival of two lady Rams instead of one did not cause a flutter
or lead to any untoward (unpleasant) incident during their reception at the
Government house by his Excellency and her Excellency. Rather they were both
complimented for their wonderful dazzling saris by her Excellency the governor’s wife,
and his Excellency conferred Sir Jhinda Ram with the title of “The star of the Knight
Commander of Indian Empire”.
The story concludes happily on the note that from that day the two Lady Rams were
a familiar feature of all ceremonial occasions held in the capital.