Lawley Road

He sold news reports about municipal affairs to an upcountry paper

Step 1: The story describes how the Talkative Man tried to make a living out of reporting news. Step 2: He sent news reports to an 'upcountry paper' which paid him two rupees for every inch of published news. Step 3: Each month he could produce about ten inches of news, mostly an 'idealised account of municipal affairs'. Step 4: This is why he frequently visited the Municipal Chairman's office – to gather news. Step 5: The blanket supply was the Chairman's own earlier business, not the narrator's work.

As a perch for birds

Step 1: Before the Council's decision, the statue was largely ignored by townspeople. Step 2: The story humorously states that people had got so used to it that they never even bothered to look up at it. Step 3: It was 'generally used by the birds as a perch' – meaning birds sat on it. Step 4: This detail highlights the irony – a statue that was once meant to represent imperial authority had become completely irrelevant. Step 5: It was not used as a public gathering spot or an independence symbol; it was simply ignored.

Twenty feet

Step 1: When the Council decided to remove the statue, they went to inspect it in person. Step 2: They then realised the task was much harder than they had imagined. Step 3: The story clearly states that 'the statue towered twenty feet above them'. Step 4: It stood on a pedestal of molten lead, making removal even more difficult. Step 5: This detail was used by Narayan to show how the Council had acted without thinking – they passed a resolution without even checking how big the statue was.

By using dynamite with permission from the District Magistrate

Step 1: The Talkative Man first tried to hack the pedestal using fifty coolies recruited from Koppal for ten days. Step 2: This effort only chipped the pedestal slightly and did not move the statue at all. Step 3: Fearing he would go bankrupt, he sought another solution. Step 4: He obtained permission from the District Magistrate to use dynamite, cordoned off the area, and lit the fuse. Step 5: This brought the statue down without injuring any limb – showing the comedic and dramatic nature of the whole adventure.