A LETTER TO GOD
THEME
This is a story of a hard-working farmer Lencho. He is expecting a good harvest this year if it rains. The rain does come bringing brief happiness. However, a hailstorm follows the rain destroying all his crops. Being deeply hurt, he looks toward God. Having an unshaken faith in God he writes a letter to Him demanding one hundred pesos. This amount is sufficient enough to sow his crop again. He posts it. The postman has a hearty laugh when he reads it and shows it to the postmaster. The postmaster, being a generous man, decides to help Lencho. He gives a part of his salary and collects money from the employees.
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- Where was Lencho’s house situated? Why did he sit seeing the sky?
- Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like new coins?
- What were Lencho’s feelings when the hailstorm stopped?
- Why was Lencho angry when he received the letter?
- What did the postmaster do to keep the faith of Lencho on God?
- How did Lencho’s hope change to despair?
- Why did Lencho write a letter to God asking for money?
- Ans: Lencho’s house was situated on the crest of a low hill in the valley. The whole day he sat seeing the sky because he knew his fields needed downpour or at least a shower, so he was waiting to see the signs of rain.
- Ans: Lencho said the raindrops were like new coins because his corn really needed rain to be a good harvest. Lencho’s crops were ready for harvest. However, they required a good downpour before harvesting. After a downpour, he could sell the harvest and get more money which in turn enriches his lifestyle.
- Ans: When the hail stopped, Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. He looked around at his fields and said that even a plague of locusts would have left more than what was left after the hailstorm. He was very upset and worried thinking what will he eat now. He could sense his future dark where he won’t be able to feed his family in the year ahead.
THE THIEF’S STORY
THEME
This story by Ruskin Bond revolves around the theme that human values and relations are important in life and they can thus change a person. Hari Singh is a character who is a thief. Though he robbed Anil but couldn’t run away with his money as Anil was an honest and genuine man, and Hari did not want to hurt him. Anil even educated Hari Singh. As a result, Hari Singh kept the money back. Hence, it can be said that even a person’s honesty can change an evil person. Anil was a good man and his goodness changed the mind of a thief Hari, who remembered the days spent with Anil. This changed his mind which shows that true values and kindness wins everyone’s heart, even a thief’s heart.
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- Why did Hari Singh approach Anil?
- Why did Hari Singh tell a lie about cooking?
- What did Anil and Hari agree upon to be the mode of payment? [CBSE 2015]
- What made Hari Singh go back to Anil’s house?
- Did Hari like working for Anil? Give reasons in support of your answer. [CBSE 2014]
- Why do you think Hari Singh believed that it was difficult to rob a man like Anil?
- Ans: Hari Singh was a thief who had not much luck in his work recently. So he approached Anil with the intention of robbing him, as he seemed to be an easygoing and simple man. According to Hari, winning Anils confidence was an easy task.
- Ans: Hari Singh knew that Anil would hire him only if he could cook. However, Hari did not know how to cook. Still, as he wanted to somehow rob Anil, he told the lie to gain entry into Anil’s house. When Hari Singh cooked the meal at night, it was so terrible that Anil gave it to a stray dog and told him to be off. But later Anil said that he would teach him to cook.
- Ans: Anil stated his inability to pay Hari. So he questioned Hari if he could feed Hari. Hari realised that he had misjudged his target and molded the situation for his benefit. Finally, both of them agreed that Hari would cook and then Anil would feed him.
MADAM RIDES THE BUS
INTRODUCTION
The lesson “Madam Rides the Bus” is about a brave eight year old who had a strong desire and along with it, the courage to fulfill it. She liked gazing at the hustle and bustle of the street and her favourite part was the sight of a bus arriving and departing. Thus, she developed a deep desire to travel by bus. For that, she needed all sorts of information about the bus journey, collect the bus fare and then plan it so that she could be back at home before her mother woke up from her afternoon nap. Thus, the story brings us recounts of how innocently but responsibly she fulfilled her deepest desire and her experiences on the bus ride. How an incident makes her realize the reality of death.
THEME
Through Valli in Madam Rides the Bus, Vallikannan depicts the curious nature of the children. The story also shows that how easily children are fascinated by new things and their curiosity doesn’t end without them experiencing the delights of fantasy life in their life. Just as we see Valli has a desire to go on a bus ride and she manages to go all alone. The experience of her first bus ride has been depicted by Vallikannan in a humorous and rambling way. Through the story, we get to see the world from the perspective of a child…
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- How could you say that Valli was a meticulous planner?
- How did Valli react when she saw the dead cow by the roadside?
- What was the most fascinating thing for Valli?
- Why did the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
- What was the favourite pastime of Valli?
- Why did Valli listen to the neighbour’s conversations? What did she get from them?
- Ans: Valli dreamt of riding on the bus. Her eagerness to fulfill her dream fired her curiosity. This curiosity led her to listen to the conversations of people going on bus rides and asking discreet questions so that she could gather much information regarding the bus journey. Valli made careful, elaborate and painstaking plans for her first journey or her first ride on the bus. She saved every penny, cut down on her expenses and resisted all the temptations to save sixty paise for the fare. She sacrificed a lot of things to achieve her dream. She curbed the temptation to buy sweets and riding on the merry-go-round in the fair. Sacrificing all these things at such a tender age is very difficult for a child. These steps suggest that Valli was a meticulous planner.
- Ans: When Valli saw the dead cow by the roadside, she refused to look out of the window. It was the same cow that was running in front of their bus, during their trip to the town. It was a fun for Valli but now she was overcome with sadness. The memory of the dead cow haunted her and she was subdued for the rest of the journey.
- Ans: The most fascinating thing that Valli saw on the street was the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. It passed through her street each hour, once going to the town and once coming back.
