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The Tiger King Summary In English

The Maharaja of Pratibandapuram is the hero of this story. He also came to be known as Tiger King. As soon as he was born, astrologers had foretold that one day the Tiger King would actually have to die. The ten-day-old prince addressed the astrologers as “O wise prophets”. He asked them to tell him the manner of his death. The chief astrologer said that death would come from the Tiger. The prince growled, “Let tigers beware!”

When the crown prince came of age at twenty, his state came into his hands. There were many forests in the Pratibandapuram State. They had tigers in them. The Maharaja started out on a tiger hunt. The Maharaja was thrilled when he killed his first tiger. He sent for the state astrologer. The old man said, “Your majesty may kill ninety-nine tigers in exactly the same manner. But you must be very careful with the hundredth tiger.” The astrologer promised to tear up all his books on astrology and set fire to them, if he killed the hundredth tiger.

The state banned tiger hunting by anyone except the Maharaja. The Maharaja vowed he would attend to all other matters only after killing the hundred tigers. Initially the king seemed well set to realise his ambition. He faced many dangers too. Sometimes the bullet missed its mark. The tiger jumped upon him. He fought the beast with his bare hands. Each time it was the Maharaja who won.

Once he was in danger of losing his throne. A high-ranking British officer visited Pratibandapuram. He was very fond of hunting tigers and fonder of being photographed with the tigers he had shot. He wished to hunt tigers in Pratibandapuram. The Maharaja was firm in his resolve. He refused permission. Since he had prevented a British officer from fulfilling his desire, the Maharaja stood in danger of losing his kingdom itself. The Maharaja and the dewan held deliberations over this issue. About fifty expensive diamond rings of different designs were sent to the British officer’s good lady. The king and the minister expected her to choose one or two rings and send the rest back. But she kept all of them and sent a letter of thanks. The Maharaja was happy that though he had lost three lakh of rupees, he had managed to retain his kingdom.

The Maharaja’s tiger hunt continued to be highly successful. Within ten years he had killed seventy tigers. But then there were no tigers left in Pratibandapuram. One day the Maharaja sent for his dewan and told him that thirty tigers still remained to be shot down by his gun. He told the dewan that he had decided to get married. The dewan found the right girl from a state with a large number of tigers. Each time Maharaja Jung Jung Bahadur visited his father-in-law, he killed five or six tigers. In this way ninety-nine tiger skins adorned the walls of the reception hall in the Pratibandapuram palace.

There remained just one tiger to be killed to reach the figure of a hundred. But the tiger farms had now run dry even in his father-in-law’s kingdom. It became impossible to locate tigers anywhere. The Maharaja was sunk in gloom. Soon he got a happy news. In his own state sheep began to disappear frequently from a hillside village. Surely, a tiger was at work. The villagers ran to inform the Maharaja, but the tiger was not easily found. The Maharaja refused to leave the forest until the tiger was found. Maharaja’s anger and obstinacy rose higher. Many officers lost their jobs.

One day the Tiger King was very angry. He called the dewan and ordered him to double the land tax forthwith. The dewan said that the people would become discontented. Then their state too would fall a prey to the Indian National Congress. The king asked the dewan to resign. The dewan felt afraid. He felt life returning to him only when he saw the tiger which had been brought from the People’s Park in Madras and kept hidden in his house.

At midnight the town was sleeping in peace. The dewan and his aged wife dragged the old tiger to the car and shoved it into the seat. The dewan himself drove the car straight to the forest where the Maharaja was hunting. Now the tiger refused to get out of the car. Somehow the dewan hauled the beast out of the car and pushed it down to the ground.

On the following day, the same old tiger wandered into the Maharaja’s presence and stood there. It was with boundless joy that the Maharaja took careful aim at the beast. The tiger fell in a crumpled heap. The Maharaja was happy that his vow to kill hundred tigers had been fulfilled. Ordering the tiger to be brought to the capital in grand procession, Maharaja left in his car. After the Maharaja left, the hunters went to take a closer look at the tiger. The tiger rolled its eyes and looked back at them. The men realised that the tiger was not dead. The bullet had missed it. It had fainted from the shock of the bullet whizzing past. One of the hunters took aim from a distance of one foot and shot the tiger. The dead tiger was taken in procession through the town and buried.

A few days later the third birthday of the Maharaja’s son was celebrated. He wished to give him some special gift on his birthday. He spotted a wooden tiger in a toyshop and decided it was the perfect gift. The wooden tiger cost only two annas and a quarter. But the shopkeeper called it a bargain at three hundred rupees. He praised it as an extremely rare example of craftsmanship. Actually, it had been carved by an unskilled carpenter. Its surface was rough. Tiny slivers of wood stood up like quills all over it. When the Maharaja was playing with his son, one of those slivers pierced the Maharaja’s right hand. He pulled it out with his left hand and continued to play with the prince.

The next day, infection flared in the Maharaja’s right hand. In four days, it developed into a sore emitting pus. It spread all over his arm. Three famous surgeons were brought in from Madras. After holding a consultation, they decided to operate. The operation was successful but the Maharaja died. In this manner the hundredth tiger took its final revenge upon the Tiger King.

The Tiger King Summary In Hindi

प्रतिबन्धपुरम का महाराज इस कहानी का नायक है। वह ‘टाइगर किंग’ के नाम से भी विख्यात हुआ (जाना गया)। जब उसका जन्म हुआ तो ज्योतिषियों ने उसी समय भविष्यवाणी की थी कि एक दिन बाघ राजा को वास्तव में मरना पड़ेगा। दस दिन की आयु के राजकुमार ने भविष्यवक्ताओं को ‘ओ बुद्धिमान भविष्य द्रष्टाओ!’ कह कर सम्बोधित किया। उसने उन्हें उसकी मृत्यु का ढंग बताने को कहा। मुख्य ज्योतिषी ने कहा कि मृत्यु शेर (बाघ) द्वारा आयेगी। राजकुमार गुर्राया, “बाघों को सावधान कर दो!”

जबे युवराज बीस वर्ष की आयु में वयस्क हुआ, तो उसका राज्य उसके हाथ में आ गया। प्रतिबन्धपुरम राज्य में कई जंगल थे। उनमें बाघ भी थे। महाराजा ने बाघ का शिकार करना आरम्भ कर दिया। जब उसने पहली बाघ मारा तो राजा रोमान्चित हुआ। उसने राजकीय ज्योतिषी को बुलवाया। वृद्ध व्यक्ति ने कहा, “महाराजाधिराज, चाहे आप इस ढंग से 99 बाघ मार दें किन्तु आप को 100वें बाघ से अत्यन्त सावधान रहना चाहिए। यदि वह 100वें बाघ को मार पाया, तो ज्योतिषी ने प्रण किया कि वह ज्योतिष की अपनी सभी पुस्तकें फाड़ डालेगा तथा उन्हें आग लगा देगा।”

राज्य में महाराजा के अतिरिक्त किसी अन्य द्वारा बाघ के आखेट (शिकार) पर प्रतिबन्ध लगा दिया गया । महाराजा ने शपथ ली कि वह अन्य सभी मामलों की ओर पूरे 100 बाघ मारने के उपरान्त ही ध्यान देगा। आरम्भ में राजा अपनी महत्वाकांक्षा पूरी करने में पूर्णतया सुनिश्चित लगा। उसने कई खतरों का भी सामना किया। कई बार गोली अपना निशाना चूक जाती। बाघ उस पर उछल पड़ता। वह अपने नंगे हाथों से बाघ से लड़ता। प्रत्येक बार महाराजा ही विजयी होता।

एक बार उस पर अपनी राजगद्दी गंवाने का खतरा था। एक उच्च पद पर आसीन ब्रिटिश अधिकारी ने प्रतिबन्धपुरम का भ्रमण किया। वह बाघ के आखेट में बहुत रुचि रखता था तथा इससे भी अधिक शोकीन था अपने द्वारा मारे गये बाघों के साथ चित्र खिंचवाने का। वह प्रतिबन्धपुरम में बाघ का आखेट करना चाहता था। महाराजा भी अपने संकल्प में दृढ़ रहा। उसने अनुमति प्रदान करने से मना कर दिया। क्योंकि उसने एक ब्रिटिश अधिकारी को अपनी इच्छा पूरी करने से रोका था, महाराजा पर अपना राज्य गंवाने का खतरा मंडराने लगा। इस समस्या पर महाराजा तथा दीवान ने विचार-विमर्श किया। विभिन्न डिजाइनों की लगभग 50 महंगे हीरों की अंगूठियां ब्रिटिश अधिकारी की पत्नी के पास भेजी गईं। राजा तथा मन्त्री आशा करते थे कि वह एक अथवा दो को चुन लेगी तथा शेष को लौटा देगी। परन्तु उसने सभी रख ली तथा धन्यवाद का पत्र भेज दिया। यद्यपि महाराजा ने तीन लाख रुपये मँवा दिये थे, किन्तु वह प्रसन्न था क्योंकि वह अपना राज्य तो बचा पाने में सक्षम रहा।

महाराजा के बाघ-आखेट अत्यन्त सफल होते रहे। दस वर्ष के भीतर ही उसने सत्तर बाघ मार डाले थे। किन्तु फिर प्रतिबन्धपुरम में कोई बाघ नहीं बचा। एक दिन महाराजा ने अपने दीवान को बुलवाया तथा उसे बताया कि उसकी बन्दूक द्वारा अभी 30 बाघों का आखेट करना शेष था। उसने दीवान को बताया कि उसने विवाह करने का निर्णय कर लिया था। दीवान ने ऐसे राज्य की सही कन्या का चुनाव किया जिसमें बाघ बहुत बड़ी संख्या में थे। प्रत्येक बार जब महाराजा जंग जंग बहादुर अपने ससुर से मिलने जाता, तो वह पाँच या छह बाघ मार डालता। इस प्रकार प्रतिबन्धपुरम के राजमहल के स्वागत कक्ष की दीवारें 99 बाघों की खालों से सुसज्जित हो गई थीं।

एक सौ की संख्या पर पहुँचने के लिये केवल एक बाघ को मारना शेष था। किन्तु अब उसके ससुर के राज्य में भी बाघों के प्रांगण शुष्क (बाघ-विहीन) हो गये। बाघों को कहीं भी ढूंढना असम्भव हो गया। महाराजा उदासी में डूब गया। शीघ्र ही उसे एक सुखद समाचार मिला। उसके अपने राज्य में, पहाड़ी के पास वाले गाँव में, भेड़े प्रायः गायब होने लगीं। निश्चय ही कोई बाघ कार्यरत था। ग्रामीण लोग महाराज को समाचार देने दौड़े, किन्तु बाघ सरलता से नहीं पाया गया। महाराजा का क्रोध तथा हठ (जिद्दीपन) ऊपर चढ़ता गया। कई अधिकारी अपनी नौकरियाँ आँवा बैठे।

एक दिन बाघ-राजा अत्यधिक क्रोधित थी। उसने दीवान को बुलाया तथा तुरन्त लगान को दो गुणा करने का आदेश दिया। दीवान ने कहा कि लोग असन्तुष्ट हो जायेंगे, फिर उनका प्रदेश (राज्य) भी भारतीय राष्ट्रीय काँग्रेस का शिकार बन जायेगा। राजा ने दीवान को त्याग पत्र देने को कहा। दीवान भयभीत हो गया। उसे अपना जीवन लौटता हुआ तभी महसूस हुआ जब उसने उस बाघ को देखा जिसे मद्रास के जन-उद्यान से लाया गया था तथा उसके घर में छिपा कर रखा गया था।

आधीरात को नगर शान्तिपूर्वक सो रहा था। दीवान तथा उसकी वृद्धा पत्नी ने बूढ़े बाघ को कार तक घसीटा तथा इसको सीट पर धकेल दिया। दीवान ने स्वयं गाड़ी सीधे उस जंगल तक चलाई जहाँ महाराजा शिकार कर रहे थे। अब बाघ ने कार से बाहर निकलने से इन्कार कर दिया। किसी प्रकार दीवान ने इस (हिंसक) पशु को उठाकर कार से बाहर फेंका तथा भूमि (जमीन) पर धकेला।।

अगले दिन, वहीं बाघ घूमता हुआ महाराजा के सामने पहुँचा तथा वहाँ खड़ा हो गया। असीमित आनन्द सहित महाराजा ने सावधानीपूर्वक बाघ का निशाना साधा। बाघ एक सिकुड़ा हुआ ढेर हो गया। महाराजा प्रसन्न था कि उसका एक सौ बाघों को मारने का प्रण पूरा हो गया था। महाराजा ने आदेश दिया कि बाघ को भव्य शोभा-यात्रा द्वारा राजधानी लाया जाए तथा अपनी कार में चला गया। महाराजा के जाने के पश्चात्, शिकारी बाघ को समीप से देखने पहुँचे । बाघ ने अपनी आँखें घुमाईं तथा उनकी ओर देखा। लोगों ने समझ लिया कि बाघ मरा नहीं थी। गोली निशाना चूक गई थी। वह तो गोली के पास से निकलने की ध्वनि से ही मूर्छित हो गया था। शिकारियों में से एक ने एक फुट के फासले से निशाना साधा तथा बाघ को गोली से मार गिराया। मृत बाघ को नगर में शोभायात्रा (जुलूस) में ले जाया गया तथा दफना दिया गया।

कुछ दिन पश्चात महाराजा के पुत्र का तीसरा जन्म दिवस मनाया गया। वह अपने पुत्र को उसके जन्मदिन पर कुछ विशेष उपहार देना चाहता था। उसने खिलौनों की दुकान में लकड़ी का बना बाघ देखा और निर्णय किया कि यह सम्पूर्ण उपहार था। लकड़ी का बाघ केवल सवा दो आने की लागत का था। किन्तु दुकानदार ने तो इसे 300 रु० मूल्य पर भी लाभ का सौदा बताया। उसने इसकी कारीगरी की अत्यन्त दुर्लभ उदाहरण के रूप में प्रशंसा की। वास्तव में इसे एक अकुशल बढ़ई द्वारा तराशा गया था। इसका तल असमान (खुरदरा) था। इसके ऊपर प्रत्येक स्थान पर साही के काँटों की भाँति लकड़ी के नुकीले लम्बे टुकड़े उभरे हुए थे। जब महाराजा अपने पुत्र के साथ खेल रहा था, तो इन लम्बी उभरी हुई फाँसों में से एक महाराजा के दायें हाथ में छेद करती घुस गई। उसने इसे अपने बायें हाथ से खींच निकाला तथा राजकुमार के साथ खेलता रहा।

अगले दिन राजा के दाहिने हाथ में संक्रमण फैल गया। चार दिन में यह मवाद निकलने वाले घाव (फोड़े) में बदल गया। यह उसके पूरे बाजू में फैल गया। मद्रास से तीन प्रसिद्ध शल्य-चिकित्सक लाये गये। विचार-विमर्श के उपरान्त उन्होंने शल्य-क्रिया (आपरेशन) करने का निर्णय लिया। शल्य-क्रिया सफल रही, किन्तु महाराजा मर गया।
इस प्रकार सौवें बाघ ने बाघ-राजा से अन्ततः बदला ले ही लिया।

The Third Level Summary in English

“The Third Level”, written by Jack Finney blends fiction with reality. It is also about a man’s wish to escape from the harsh realities of present life. Charley, though he does not admit it, wants to go into the past as he is unhappy. He is unhappy with his wife. In fact, he is as unhappy as he finds the world in which he lives full of hurry, tension and war. His psychiatrist friend, Sam tells his stamp collecting also as an escape into the past.

There were only two levels at Grand Central Station. However, Charley found a third one. It was by chance. Many a times, he was lost there. He was always discovering new doorways, new corridors and new tunnels. He had begun to think that the Grand Central was always pushing out tunnels and new corridors like roots of a huge tree.

There he lost his way and found himself on the third level. This level was entirely different and olcl-fashioned. The locomotive, the brass spittoons and the naked gaslights belonged to the previous century. He desired to escape to Galesburg, the town of his dreams. However, he was nearly arrested. The money he gave to pay the fare was different from that in use those days. The booking clerk thought that he was cheating. Charley, thus, ran into the present. He never found the third level again. However, his psychiatrist friend, who did not believe that the third level existed, found it and escaped to Galesburg of 1894.

The Third Level Main Characters in the Chapter

Charley

Charley is a thirty-one year old man in a tan gabardine suit and a straw hat. One night, on his way back from work, he decides to take the subway at the Grand Central Station, which as everyone knows, has two levels. Preoccupied and in a hurry, Charley discovers an unknown exit that takes him through a long corridor, into the third level.

Here, there were fewer ticket windows, the man at the booth wore green eye-shades, the lights were open-flame gas lights, and women wore old-fashioned, fully covered dresses. The newspaper, ‘The World’, was dated June 11,1894. Charley knows that from there, the third level of the Grand Central, he could go to anywhere in the United States, 1984. He decides to buy two tickets to Galesburg, Illinois, for his wife Louisa and himself from the ticket window in the third level.

Galesburg, with its big old houses, huge lawns and tremendous trees represents an idyllic world to Charley, with the World War II still forty years into the future. However, the clerk at the window refuses the currency Charley offers. Charley leaves, deciding to return the next day, after converting all his savings into old-style currency. But Charley has never again found the third level.

When Charley tells his psychiatrist friend, Sam Weiner about this, Sam tells him that it was “a waking dream wish fulfilment” as Charley was “unhappy” in the modern world with its insecurities and fears, and just wanted to escape. Charley never again found the corridor that led to the third level at the Grand Central. Ironically, his friend Sam, the psychiatrist, disappeared, only to reach Galesburg, Illinois, in 1894.

Sam

Sam Weiner is Charley’s friend, and psychiatrist, and the next most important character in the story. He concludes that the third level is a figment of Charley’s imagination, induced by the pressures of modern living.

When Charley fails to find the third level of the Grand Central Station, his wife Louisa is worried for him and tells him to stop looking for it. But after sometime, both start looking for it because they find proof that the third level exists. Charley’s friend, Sam Weiner disappears. A first-day cover that Charley discovers in his collection, is signed by Sam and is from Galesburg, Illinois, dated July 18,1894. Charley subsequently discovers that Sam had bought eight- hundred dollars worth of old-style currency and moved to Galesburg, Illinois, in 1894. He had . set up a hay, feed and grain business as he had always said that it is what he really wished to do. Clearly, he could not go back to his old business—psychiatry—in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1894.

Louisa

Charley’s wife Louisa was initially angry with Sam’s suggestion that Charley was unhappy, ‘ when Charley tells him about his sojourn to the third level of the Grand Central Station in New York. Then Sam explains that it is not marital unhappiness, but dissatisfaction and discontent with modern day living with its insecurity, fear, war and worry. To escape from these pressures, Charley’s mind had sought refuge in the idyllic world of the third level. Louisa’s conviction in the existence of the third level is affirmed only when she sees the note sent by Sam himself, from Galesburg, Illinois, dated July 18, 1894. Since then, Louisa has been actively involved in looking for the third level, along with her husband, Charley.

The Third Level Summary Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Why did Charley meet a psychiatrist?
Answer:
Charley met a psychiatrist, since he was in a dilemma. He felt sure that he had been on the third level of the Grand Central Station, which everyone knows has only two levels. Even the Presidents of the railroads would swear on a stack of timetables that there were only two levels.

Question 2.
What was the psychiatrist’s diagnosis?
Answer:
The psychiatrist said that Charlie was unhappy. The modern world, full of insecurity, fear, war and worry oppressed him, and he just wanted to escape.

Question 3.
What proof did the psychiatrist provide?
Answer:
Charley’s psychiatrist and his friends said that his stamp-collecting was an indication of his desire to seek “a temporary refuge from reality”, as was his collection of first-day covers.

Question 4.
What was Charley’s argument when the psychiatrist told him that the stamp collection was a temporary refuge from reality?
Answer:
Charley argued that his grandfather lived in nice and peaceful times, yet he was the one . who had started the stamp collection. He did not need any “temporary refuge from reality”. He added that President Roosevelt collected stamps too.

Question 5.
How does Charley describe Galesburg, Illinois, 1894?
Answer:
Charley describes it as a wonderful town with a leisurely way of life with big old frame houses, huge lawns, tremendous trees and a peaceful and tranquil world. During summer evenings, people sat in their lawns, with men smoking cigars and women waving palm-leaf fans. The first World War was twenty years away and the second World War was forty years into the future.

Question 6.
What is a first-day cover?
Answer:
When a new stamp is issued, stamp collectors buy some and use them to mail envelopes to themselves on the very first day of sale and the postmark proves the date. The envelope is called a first-day cover. They are never opened. You just put a blank paper inside the envelope.

Question 7.
What role does the first-day cover play in the story?
Answer:
One night,while fussing with his stamp collection, Charley comes across a first-day cover that should not have been there. It had been mailed to his grandfather at his home in Galesburg in July 18, 1894. However, instead of a blank paper, it contained a letter for Charley from Sam. It urged him to come back to the third level with Louisa, and keep looking for it till he found it.

Question 8.
What was the content of the note that Sam wrote to Charley?
Answer:
Sam said that he had found the third level, that he had already been there for two weeks, that life was peaceful, calm and tranquil. He urged Charley and Louisa to go back to the third level and keep looking for it till they found it.

Question 9.
How was Charley often lost on the Grand Central Station?
Answer:
Cllarley had went to the Grand Central Station hundreds of times. However, at times, he was always lost in new doorways and corridors. Once, he entered a tunnel and came out in the lobby of a hotel. Another time, he reached in an office building.

Question 10.
How did Charley compare the Grand Central to a huge tree? Why?
Answer:
Charley always found new tunnels and staircase at the Grand Central. He began to suspect that Grand Central was like a huge tree. It used to push out new corridors and tunnels like the roots of a tree.

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Summary In English

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers prance and jump across a screen. They are bright coloured like the shining yellow topaz. These denizens’ or the dwellers of the green forests are brought in the panel by Aunt Jennifer. She creates them through her own hands. They don’t fear the men standing under the tree. They pace in ‘sleek’ and ‘chivalric’ certainty.

Aunt Jennifer’s hands are moving about her wool. But the movement is not smooth and effortless. Aunt finds it quite hard to pull even the ivory needle. The heavy weight of the marriage band that bonded her with her husband sits heavily upon her hand. She still feels tied down by that weight.

Her terrified hands’ will tell the whole story of her unhappy life even when aunt is dead. Hardships and sufferings were the parts of her married life. These crushed her. She was in the grip of very tough life. But the tigers she has made in the panel will go on jumping ahead, proud and unafraid.

Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers Summary In Hindi

आन्ट जेनिफर के शेर दीवार के ऊपर से आगे की ओर छलांग लगा रहे हैं। वे पीले पुखराजों की भाँति चमकीले रंग के हैं। हरे जंगलों के ये निवासी फलक या पट्ट पर आन्ट जेनिफर द्वारा उतारे गये हैं। वह उन्हें अपने हाथों से रचती है। वे वृक्षों के नीचे खड़े हुए व्यक्तियों से नहीं डरते। वे बने-ठने, शौर्यपूर्ण निश्चितता से दौड़ते हैं।

आन्ट जेनिफर के हाथ अपनी ऊन में इधर-उधर घूम रहे हैं। किन्तु गति (चाल) निर्विघ्न तथा प्रयत्नहीन नहीं है। आन्ट को हाथी दाँत की सलाइयाँ खींचने में भी काफी कठिनाई होती है। विवाह की पट्टी जिसने उसे उसके पति के साथ बाँधा था उसके हाथ पर भारी पड़ रही है। वह अभी भी स्वयं को उस भार के नीचे बंधी हुई अनुभव करती है।

जब आन्ट मर जायेगी तो उस समय भी उसके ‘आतंकित हाथ उसके दुखी जीवन की सारी कहानी कहेंगे। मुसीबतें तथा कष्ट उसके विवाहित जीवन के अंग थे। इन्होंने उसे कुचल दिया। वह इनके शिकंजे में थी। किन्तु पट्टी या फलक पर जो शेर उसने बनाये हैं वे गर्वित भाव से निडर होकर छलांग लगाते रहेंगे।

A Roadside Stand Summary

There is a roadside stand at the edge of the road. Those who established it certainly did so to earn money. They expected their prospective customers to stop there and buy things. But the rich and the refined people drive past without stopping there. The roadside stand offers ordinary things for sale like wild berries and golden gourds.

The people who run this stand hope for city-money so that they may also prosper. There is a news that their land will be bought by the government. The so called good doers and greedy people exploit them. Some people who pretend to be generous are even worse than flesh-eating wild animals. These greedy people want to mint money by befooling the innocent rural people.

The people who run this roadside stand hope that some car will stop there. They keep their windows open so that some customer may oblige them. But some come only to back or turn around the car or to ask the way where it is bound.

Summary in Hindi

सड़क के किनारे स्टैंड है। जिन्होंने इसे स्थापित किया, उन्होंने निश्चित रूप से पैसा कमाने के लिए ऐसा किया।  उन्हें उम्मीद थी कि उनके संभावित ग्राहक वहीं रुकेंगे और चीजें खरीदेंगे। लेकिन अमीर और परिष्कृत लोग बिना रुके अतीत  उस शेड् को पार कर जाते हैं। सड़क के किनारे का स्टैंड बिक्री के लिए साधारण चीजें पेश करता है। वहां खेतो मे उगाई गयी जंगली जामुन और सुनहरी लौकी बेची जाती है। जो लोग इसे चलाते हैं, वे नगर-धन की आशा रखते हैं, कि वे भी समृद्ध हों। समाचार है कि उनके घर और  जमीन को खरीदा जाएगा।

तथाकथित अच्छे कर्ता और लालची लोग उनका शोषण करेंगे। कुछ लोग जो उदार होने का दिखावा करते हैं, वे मांस खाने वाले जंगली जानवरों से भी बदतर हैं।  ये लालची लोग बेगुनाह ग्रामीण जनता को बेवकूफ बनाकर पैसे की ढलाई करना चाहते हैं। इस सड़क के किनारे दौड़ने वाले लोग उम्मीद करते हैं कि कोई गाड़ी वहीं रुकेगी। वे अपनी खिड़कियां खुली रखते हैं ताकि कुछ ग्राहक उन्हें उपकृत कर सकें। लेकिन कुछ तो केवल पीछे आने के लिए आते हैं या कार को घुमाते हैं या यह पूछने के लिए कि उनकी मंजिल को कौन सा रास्ता जाता है  यह कहाँ से बंधी है।

 कवि को बहुत राहत महसूस होगी यदि एक ही झटके में उनके सारे कष्ट दूर हो जाएं। उनके दयनीय जीवन से मृत्यु कहीं बेहतर है।
 

A Thing of Beauty Summary In English

A thing of beauty is a constant source of joy. Its beauty keeps on increasing. It never fades. It will never pass into nothingness. It provides us a pleasant shelter—a quiet bower for us. It gives us peace and a sleep full of sweet dreams. We are bound to the beauties of the earth.

We suffer from malice and disappointment. We lack good human qualities and noble natures. We have some sad days also. All these things make our life gloomy. We also develop unhealthy and evil ways that cause us suffering and pain.

In spite of all these sufferings, some beautiful things remove the cover of sad feelings from our hearts. All beautiful things of nature are a boon for humanity. The sun, the moon, and old and young trees are sources of happiness. They provide a shady shelter, which is a boon for simple sheep. Daffodil flowers are blooming among the green surroundings. Small streams with transparent water make a cooling shelter of thickets to protect themselves from the hot season. Bushes are growing in the middle of the forest. They have been made more beautiful and grand by a sprinkling of blooming musk roses. This magnificence and beauty surpasses grandeur of the dooms that we have imagined for our mighty dead forefathers.

These beauties of nature are lovelier than all lovely tales that we have heard or read. Nature is an endless fountain. It pours into our hearts an immortal drink from the heaven’s brink.

A Thing of Beauty Summary In Hindi

एक सुन्दर वस्तु सदा के लिये आनन्द का स्रोत होता है। इसकी सुन्दरता बढ़ती जाती है। यह कभी फीकी नहीं पड़ती। यह कभी नगण्यता में परिवर्तित नहीं होती। यह हमें एक शान्त आश्रयस्थल देती है-हमारे लिये एक शांत लतामण्डप (कुंज)। यह हमें शान्ति तथा मधुर सपनों से भरी नींद प्रदान करती है। हम पृथ्वी की सुन्दरता से जुड़े हुए हैं।

हम द्वेष एवं निराशा से पीड़ित रहते हैं। हमारे भीतर अच्छे मानवीय गुणों एवं श्रेष्ठ (नेक) स्वभाव की कमी है। हमारे कुछ उदासी भरे दिन भी आते हैं। ये सभी चीजें जीवन को उदास बना देती हैं। हम अस्वस्थ तथा बुरे तरीके भी विकसित कर लेते हैं जो हमारे कष्टों एवं दुःखों को उत्पन्न करते हैं।

इन सभी कष्टों के बावजूद कुछ सुन्दर वस्तुयें हमारी अन्तरात्मा (हृदय) से उदासी की भावनाओं के आवरण को हटा देती हैं। प्रकृति की सभी सुन्दर वस्तुएं मानवता के लिये एक वरदान हैं। सूर्य, चन्द्रमा, पुराने तथा नये वृक्ष सभी प्रसन्नता के स्रोत हैं। ये सरल भेड़ों के लिये छायादार आश्रयस्थल प्रदान करती हैं जो उनके लिये एक वरदान है। डैफोडिल के फूल हरियाली के बीच खिलते हैं। स्वच्छ पानी की सरितायें स्वयं को गर्मी की ऋतु से बचाने के लिये झाड़ियों को ठंडा आश्रय बना लेती हैं। जंगल के मध्य में झाड़ियाँ उगी हुई हैं। वे सुंदर खिले हुए कूजों के फूलों से अधिक सुंदर एवं भव्य बनी हुई हैं। इनकी भव्यता तथा सुंदरता उस तबाही के वैभव से कहीं अधिक हैं जिसकी कल्पना हमने अपने शक्तिशाली पूर्वजों के लिये की है।

प्रकृति की यह सुंदरता उन सभी सुंदर कहानियों से जो हमने सुनी या पढ़ी हैं, से कहीं अधिक सुंदर है। प्रकृति एक अनन्त रूप से बहता हुआ फव्वारा है। यह स्वर्ग के किनारे से हमारे हृदयों में अमरता का पेय उड़ेल रहा है।

Keeping Quiet Summary In English

The poet wants us to keep still till he counts upto twelve. For once, let us not talk in any language on this earth. He asks us to stop moving our arms so much for one second.
Let there be no rush or hurry for a second. Engines and other machines must stop for a moment. That moment will be a fascinating moment for all of us. Then all of us shall enjoy the sudden strangeness of the moment together.

The poet wants that the fishermen would not harm the whales in the cold sea of polar regions. Even the man gathering salt with his own hands must take care of his hurt hands.

All kinds of wars must be stopped at once. The green wars against the environment, wars with poisonous gases and wars with fire-arms must be stopped now. In such wars, victory is meaningless as there are no survivors left after the war. Instead of fighting and waging wars, people should come out in their best dresses. They must go out for a walk with their brothers. They must move about under the shady trees and enjoy doing nothing.

The poet does not want that we should confuse ‘stillness’ with ‘total inactivity. Doing nothing at all would amount to death. The poet has no association with death. We think that life is to move about. We should not be always on the move. For a while we should also take rest. A long silence can do us a lot of good. Men become sad when they fail to understand themselves. They feel helpless when they threaten themselves with death. A long silence can soothe our feelings and help us in removing this sadness.

The poet gives an example to illustrate the idea that ‘stillness’ does not mean total inactivity’. The earth can teach us a lesson. When everything seems dead, the earth remains alive.
The poet asks us to keep quiet till he counts twelve. Then he will go.

Keeping Quiet Summary In Hindi

कवि चाहता है कि जब तक वह बारह तक गिने, हम निश्चल रहें। एक बार के लिए आओ हम संसार की किसी भी भाषा में बातचीत न करें। वह हमे से कहता है कि एक क्षण के लिए हम अपनी भुजाओं को इतना अधिक हिलाना बन्द कर दें।

एक क्षण के लिए कोई हड़बड़ी अथवा जल्दबाजी न हो। इंजन तथा अन्य मशीनें एक क्षण के लिए रुक जायें। वह क्षण हम सब के लिए एक विलक्षण (मोहक) क्षण होगा। तब हम सब मिलकर उस क्षण की तात्कालिक विचित्रती का आनन्द लेंगे।

कवि चाहता है कि मछुआरे ध्रुवीय क्षेत्रों के ठण्डे समुद्र में व्हेल मछलियों को कोई हानि न पहुँचाएं। वह व्यक्ति भी जो अपने हाथों से नमक एकत्रित करता है, अपने घायल हाथों का अवश्य ध्यान रखे।

सभी प्रकार के युद्ध तुरन्त रोक दिए जाने चाहिए। पर्यावरण के विरुद्ध हरित युद्ध, विषैली गैसों के साथ युद्ध तथा आग्नेयास्त्रों के साथ युद्ध अभी रोक देने चाहिए। इन युद्धों में विजय अर्थहीन है क्योंकि युद्धों के उपरान्त कोई भी जीवित नहीं बचता। युद्ध लड़ने अथवा छेड़ने के बजाय लोगों को अपने सबसे बढ़िया वस्त्र पहनकर बाहर निकलना चाहिए। उन्हें अपने भाइयों के साथ सैर करने जाना चाहिए। उन्हें छायादार वृक्षों के नीचे घूमना चाहिए तथा कुछ भी न करने का आनन्द लेना चाहिए।

कवि यह नहीं चाहता कि हम ‘निश्चलता’ को ‘पूर्ण निष्क्रियता’ समझने की भूल करें। कुछ भी न करने का अर्थ होगा ‘मृत्यु’ कवि का मृत्यु के साथ कोई सम्बन्ध नहीं है। हम समझते हैं कि चलना ही जीवन है। हमें सदा चलते ही नहीं रहना चाहिए, थोड़ी देर के लिए हमें विश्राम भी करना चाहिए। एक लम्बी चुप्पी हमारा बहुत लाभ कर सकती है। मनुष्य तब उदास हो जाते हैं जब वे स्वयं को समझने में असफल रहते हैं। वे असहाय तब अनुभव करते हैं जब वे स्वयं को मृत्यु से डराना आरम्भ करते हैं। एक लम्बी चुप्पी हमारी भावनाओं को शान्त कर सकती है तथा इस उदासी को हटाने में हमारी सहायता कर सकती है।

कवि इस विचार को स्पष्ट करने के लिए एक उदाहरण देता है कि निश्चलता’ का अर्थ ‘पूर्ण निष्क्रियता’ नहीं होता। पृथ्वी हमें । शिक्षा दे सकती है। जब प्रत्येक चीज़ मृतप्राय प्रतीत होती है, पृथ्वी सजीव रहती है।
कवि हमें जब तक वह बारह तक न गिने, शान्त रहने को कहता है। फिर वह चला जाएगा।

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Summary In English

The children of an elementary school classroom in a slum look pathetic and miserable. They have pale and lifeless faces. Their disorderly hair are torn around and look like rootless weeds. They are depressed and keep their heads down. They have stunted growth. They inherit the diseases of their parents. They do have dreams. A sweet young boy is sitting unnoted at the back of his dim classroom. He is dreaming of squirrel’s game in trees and of other interesting places other than his dull and drab classroom.

The gifts given as donations and the picture of Shakespeare’s head are hung on the unpleasant creamy walls. But these are useless to these unfortunate children. In the early morning, the sky is cloudless. Domes of the institutions of the civilized world shine in every city. So are they in Tyrol Valley. Music of bells and fragrance of flowers pervade there. The map of this world is made and reshaped by the people in power. But for these children of a school in the slum that world is meaningless. Their own windows are dirty. Unpleasant surroundings form their world. The fog of uncertainty dominates their future. They are doomed to live in narrow streets closed in by the bluish grey sky. Their world is far away from rivers, capes and stars.

Shakespeare holds no interest for them. Nor the map of the world does them any good. This map shows a world which is not theirs. This world is full of attractions. There are beautiful ships, warmth of the sun and love. They entice these children. They are tempted to steal them away by running away from their miserable surroundings. They live in their narrow, crowded holes or lairs. Their life starts with the fog of uncertainty and ends with the endless night of their death. On the heap of the waste these small children wander with their bones peeping out of their skins. Wearing spectacles of steel with mended glasses, they look like pieces of broken bottles on stones. All their time and space is spent in these dirty and foggy slums. These slums are nothing less than living hells. Actually, they are a blot on their civilised world—the world of the rich and the great.

The map of the civilized world and the slums of these unfortunate children are two entirely different worlds. Governors, inspectors, visitors and other important persons must abridge this gap. They must peep into the world of the children living in the slums. They must make their own world the world of these slum children too. The unsuitable environment of the slums has blocked all their gates to progress. They are lying shut like catacombs (underground graves). These obstacles should be broken. Everything that binds them should be broken. They must be allowed to breathe in the open. They must be allowed to come out of their narrow lanes and dirty slums of the town. Let them enjoy the beauty of the green fields. Their world should extend to the sky-blue waves rising over the golden sands. Let the pages of wisdom be open for them. Let their tongues express themselves freely without any check or fear. Only those people make or create history whose language has the warmth and strength of the sun.

An Elementary School Classroom in a Slum Summary In Hindi

गन्दी बस्ती की प्राथमिक पाठशाला के एक कक्षा में बच्चे अत्यन्त करुणाजनक एवं दयनीय प्रतीत होते हैं। उनके चेहरे पीले तथा निर्जीव हैं। उनके बेतरतीब बाल उखड़े पड़े हैं तथा जड़ विहीन जंगली पौधों की भाँति दिखाई पड़ते हैं। वे उदास हैं तथा अपने सिरों को नीचे झुकाये हुये हैं। उनका विकास अवरुद्ध (रुका हुआ) है। वे अपने माता-पिता की बीमारियाँ विरासत में प्राप्त करते हैं। उनके भी अपने स्वप्न हैं। एक छोटा-सा सुन्दर लड़का, जिस पर किसी का ध्यान नहीं है, अपने धुंधले कक्षा-कक्ष में पीछे बैठा है। वह वृक्षों में गिलहरी के खेल तथा अन्य रुचिजनक स्थानों के स्वप्न देख रही है जो उसके नीरस तथा बदरंग कक्षा-कक्ष से अलग हो।

अप्रिय क्रीम रंग की दीवारों पर दान में प्राप्त उपहारों तथा शेक्सपीयर के सिर का चित्र टंगे हुये हैं। किन्तु इन अभागे बच्चों के लिये ये व्यर्थ हैं। ऊषाकाल में आकाश बादल रहित है। सभ्य संसार के प्रत्येक नगर में (शिक्षा) संस्थाओं के गुम्बद चमकते हुए दिखाई देते हैं। आस्ट्रिया की टाइरोल घाटी में भी ऐसा ही है। वहाँ भी घंटियों का संगीत तथा फूलों की सुगन्ध विद्यमान है। संसार का चित्र उन लोगों द्वारा तैयार किया जाता है तथा पुनः रूप दिया जाता है, जो सत्ता में हों। किन्तु गन्दी बस्ती के विद्यालय के इन छात्रों के लिये वह संसार अर्थहीन है। उनकी अपनी खिड़कियाँ गन्दी हैं। असुहावना वातावरण ही उनके संसार का निर्माण करता है। अनिश्चितता का कोहरा ही उनके भविष्य पर छाया रहता है। उनके भाग्य में ऐसी तंग गलियों में रहना बदा है जो नीलाभ भूरे आकाश से घिरी हुई हैं। उनका संसार नदियों, अन्तरीपों तथा सितारों के संसार से दूर, बहुत दूर है।

शेक्सपीयर उनके लिये कतई रुचिपूर्ण नहीं है। न ही संसार का मानचित्र उनकी कोई भलाई करता है। यह मानचित्र ऐसे संसार को दर्शाता है जो उनका अपना संसार नहीं है। यह संसार आकर्षणों से भरा पड़ा है। ये हैं सुन्दर पोत (जहाज), सूर्य तथा मानव प्रेम की गर्मी-ये बच्चों को ललचाती हैं। ये उन्हें अपने दयनीय वातावरण से दूर भागकर इन्हें प्राप्त करने के लिये प्रलोभित करती हैं। वे अपने तंग बिलों अथवा मांदों में अपना पूरा जीवन बिताते हैं। उनका जीवन अनिश्चितता के कोहरे से आरम्भ होता है तथा उनकी मृत्यु की अन्तहीन रात से समाप्त होता है। कूड़े के ढेरों पर ये बच्चे अपनी खाल से बाहर झांकती हुई हड्डयों के साथ भटकते रहते हैं। पैबन्द लगे शीशों से जड़े स्टील के चश्मे पहने, वे ऐसे लगते हैं जैसे पत्थरों पर बोतलों के टूटे हुये टुकड़े। ये गन्दी बस्तियाँ साक्षात जीवित नरक से कुछ कम नहीं हैं। वास्तव में ये उनके सभ्य संसार पर एक कलंक हैं-वह संसार जो अमीर तथा महान लोगों का है।

सभ्य संसार का मानचित्र तथा इन अभागे बच्चों की गन्दी बस्तियाँ—ये दो नितान्त भिन्न संसार हैं। राज्यपालों (प्रशासकों), निरीक्षकों, आगन्तुकों एवं अन्य महत्वपूर्ण व्यक्तियों को इस अन्तर को कम करना चाहिये। उन्हें इन गन्दी बस्तियों में रहने वाले बच्चों के जीवन में भी झांक कर देखना चाहिये। उन्हें अपने संसार को इन गन्दी बस्तियों में रहने वाले बच्चों का संसार भी बनाना चाहिये। गन्दी बस्तियों के अनुपयुक्त वातावरण ने उनकी प्रगति के सारे मार्ग अवरुद्ध कर दिये हैं। वे भूमिगत कब्रों की भाँति बन्द पड़े हुये हैं। ये रुकावटें तोड़ देनी चाहिये। प्रत्येक चीज़ जो उन्हें बाँधती है, उसे तोड़ देना चाहिये। उन्हें खुली हवा में सांस लेने दिया जाना चाहिये। उन्हें अपने नगरों की गन्दी बस्तियों की तंग गलियों से बाहर निकलने की अनुमति देनी चाहिये। उन्हें हरे खेतों की सुन्दरता का आनन्द लेने दीजिये। उनके संसार का सुनहरी रेत पर उभरती हुई नीली-नीली समुद्री लहरों तक विस्तार कर दें। उनके लिये बुद्धिमत्ता की पुस्तकों के पृष्ठ खोल दो। उनकी जुबानों (जिल्ला) को बिना किसी बन्धन अथवा भय के स्वतन्त्र रूप से अपने आपको व्यक्त करने दो। केवल वे ही लोग इतिहास को निर्मित अथवा सृजित करते हैं जिनकी भाषा में सूर्य की ऊष्मा तथा ऊर्जा (शक्ति) हो।

My Mother at Sixty-six Summary in English

The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport last Friday morning. Her mother was sitting beside her. She was sixty six years old. The old lady was dozing. Her mouth remained open. Her face looked pale and faded. It was grey like ash. It looked lifeless like a corpse (dead body).

The lifeless and faded face of her mother pained her heart. The old lady seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. The poet turned away her attention from her mother and looked outside. The world outside was full of life and activity. The young trees seemed running fast. The children looked happy while moving out of their homes.

When they were at the airport, they had to undergo a security check. The poet was standing a few yards away from her mother. She looked again at her old mother. She felt pained to look at the colourless, lifeless and pale face of her mother. Her face looked faded like the late winter’s moon which had lost its shine and strength. This aroused the old familiar ache in the poet’s heart. Her childhood fear overpowered her again. However, she controlled herself. She appeared to be normal. She scattered smiles on her face while saying good bye to her mother. She wished to see her old Amma again.

My Mother at Sixty-six Summary in Hindi

पिछले शुक्रवार को सवेरे कवयित्री अपने माता-पिता के घर से कोचीन हवाई अड्डे की ओर गाड़ी चलाती हुई जा रही थी। उसकी माँ उसके पास बैठी थी। वह 66 वर्ष की थी। वृद्धा उँघ रही थी। उसका मुँह खुला रह गया था। उसका चेहरा पीला तथा मुझीया हुआ दिखता था और राख जैसा विवर्ण-धूसर लगता था। यह एक लाश के समान निर्जीव प्रतीत होता था।

उसकी माँ का निर्जीव तथा विवर्ण चेहरा उसके हृदय को दु:ख पहुँचाता था। वृद्धा अपने ही विचारों में खोयी हुई प्रतीत होती थी। कवयित्री ने अपना ध्यान अपनी माँ से हटाया तथा बाहर की ओर देखा। बाहर का संसार जीवन से भरपूर तथा गतिविधियों से भरा पड़ा था। छोटे-छोटे वृक्ष पीछे दौड़ते हुये प्रतीत होते थे। अपने घरों से बाहर निकलते हुए बच्चे प्रसन्न दिखते थे।

जब वे हवाई अड्डे पर थे, तो उन्हें सुरक्षा जाँच से गुजरना पड़ा। कवयित्री अपनी माँ से कुछ गज़ दूर खड़ी थी। उसने अपनी माँ को फिर से देखा। माँ के विवर्ण, निर्जीव तथा पीले चेहरे को देखकर वह पुनः दुःखी हो गई। उसका चेहरा उस बीतती हुई शरद ऋतु के विवर्ण चन्द्रमा की भाँति दिखाई देता था, जिसकी चमक तथा शक्ति चुक गई हो। इसने कवयित्री के हृदय में पुरानी जानी-पहचानी टीस (पीड़ा) जागृत कर दी। उसके बचपन के भय ने उसे फिर से जकड़ लिया। किन्तु उसने स्वयं को नियन्त्रित किया। वह सामान्य दिखने लगी। उसे अलविदा कहते समय उसने अपने चेहरे पर मुस्कान बिखेर ली थी। वह अपनी वृद्धा अम्मा से फिर से मिलने की कामना करती थी।

Going Places Summary In English

Sophie and Jansie, two school girls, were coming home from school. Sophie declared that she was going to have a boutique. Jansie looked doubtful as something like that took money. Sophie said that she would find it. Jansie observed that it would take a long time to save that much. Sophie said she would be a manager till then. Jansie pointed out that they would not make her manager straight off. However, Sophie persisted in her fantasising. She said that she would be like Mary Quant. She would have the most amazing shop in that city.

Jansie knew that they were both earmarked for the biscuit factory. She became melancholy and wished Sophie wouldn’t say those things. She told Sophie to be sensible. They didn’t pay well for shop work. Moreover, her dad would never allow it.

Sophie changed track. She said that she would become an actress. There was real money in that field. She could also have boutique as side business as actresses did not work full time. Alternatively, she would become a fashion designer-something a bit sophisticated.

“If ever I come into money I’ll buy a boutique,” she said, entering the house. Little Derek, who was hanging on to the back of his father’s chair, remarked, “She thinks money grows on trees, don’t she, Dad?” Their mother sighed. Sophie watched her back stooped over the sink. The small room was steamy from the stove and cluttered with the heavy-breathing man in his vest at the table and the dirty washing piled up in the corner. Sophie felt a tightening in her throat. She went to look for her brother Geoff.

Geoff was three years out of school. He was an apprentice mechanic. He travelled to his work each day to the far side of the city. He was kneeling on the floor in the next room and tinkering with a part of his motor cycle. Geoff was almost grown up now. She suspected areas of his life about which she knew nothing, about which he never spoke. He seemed to be away somewhere, in those places she had never seen. These places attained a special fascination simply because they were unknown to her and remained out of her reach. She wished she could be admitted more deeply into her brother’s affections and that someday he might take her with him. She knew that Geoff thought her too young but she felt impatient.

Sophie told Geoff that she had met Danny Casey in the Arcade. Geoff did not believe her and asked if she had told Dad. Geoff asked her how Casey looked like. She said that he had green, gentle eyes but he was not very tall. Geoff told his father that Sophie had met Danny Casey.

Sophie wriggled. Her father looked at her with disdain. He considered Casey too young for the first team. Sophie then said that Danny Casey told her that he was going to buy a shop. Her father dismissed it as another of her wild stories. He did not believe her yarn. He warned her that she was going to talk herself into a load of trouble someday.

In Geoff’s room Sophie looked at the large poster of United’s first team squad. It had a row of coloured photographs beneath. Three of them were of the young Irish prodigy, Casey. Sophie asked Geoff to promise he would not tell anyone about her meeting Casey and asking him for autograph for Derek. Since neither of them had any paper or a pen, he asked her to come to meet him next week. She promised to do so. Geoff said that it was the most unlikely thing he had ever heard.

On Saturday, they went to watch United. Their team won two-nil and Casey drove in the second goal. Sophie glowed with pride. Geoff was ecstatic.

Next week Jansie asked Sophie what she had been talking about meeting Danny Casey. She promised to keep it a secret. Sophie said that her father would quarrel with her if he heard about it. Sophie realised that Geoff had not told her about the date.

After dark she walked by the canal. She sat down on a wooden bench beneath a solitary elm to wait. For sometime, she imagined his coming. Some more time passed. She began to think that Danny might not come. She felt sad. Others would doubt her. Geoff would be disappointed.

She climbed the steps to the street. Outside the pub, she noticed her father’s bicycle propped against the wall. She was glad he would not be there when she got home. Coming through the arcade she pictured Danny Casey again outside Royce’s. She saw his gentle, gazelle like eyes. She kept waiting in the arcade alone for a long time remembering the soft melodious voice, the shimmer of green eyes.

Then Sophie remembered another vision. Last Saturday she had seen Casey moving past the defenders without making a sound and kicking the ball into the goal. She remembered the thunderous applause made by fifty thousand supporters.

Going Places Summary In Hindi

विद्यालय में पढ़ने वाली दो लड़कियाँ, सोफी तथा जैन्सी, विद्यालय से अपने घर आ रही थीं। सोफी ने घोषणा की कि वह एक बुटीक लेगी। जैन्सी ने संदेह जताया क्योंकि इस प्रकार की वस्तु के लिये धन लगता है। सोफी ने कहा कि वह धन प्राप्त कर लेगी। जैन्सी ने कहा कि इतना अधिक धन जमा करने में काफी लम्बा समय लगेगा। सोफी ने कहा कि तब तक वह मैनेजर बनी रहेगी। जैन्सी ने कहा कि कोई भी उसे एकाएक मैनेजर नहीं बना देगा। किन्तु सोफी ने अपनी कल्पना की उड़ान जारी रखी। उसने कहा कि वह मेरी क्वैन्ट की भाँति बनेगी। वह नगर में सबसे अधिक विस्मयकारी दुकान लेगी।

जैन्सी जानती थी कि उन दोनों का बिस्कुट की फैक्टरी में जाना तय था। वह उदास हो गई तथा इच्छा करने लगी कि सोफी ऐसी बातें न करें । उसने सोफी को समझदार होने के लिए कहा। दुकान पर काम करने के अच्छे पैसे नहीं मिलते। इसके अतिरिक्त उसका पिता कभी इसकी आज्ञा नहीं देगा। सोफी ने मार्ग बदल लिया। उसने कहा कि वह एक अभिनेत्री बन जायेगी। इसमें तो असली धन था। वह साथ में बुटीक व्यापार के रूप में रख सकती थी, क्योंकि अभिनेत्रियों को प्रत्येक समय काम नहीं करना पड़ता। विकल्प के रूप में, वह एक फैशन डिजाईनर बन जायेगी-कुछ थोड़ी सी परिमार्जित चीज़।

घर में प्रवेश करते हुये उसने कहा, ”यदि कभी मुझे धन मिला, तो मैं बुटीक खरीद लूंगी।” छोटा डेरेक, जो अपने पिता की कुर्सी की पीठ से झूल रहा था, बोला, ”वह सोचती है, पैसा पेड़ पर उगता है, क्या वह नहीं सोचती, डैड?’ उनकी माँ ने आह भरी। सोफी ने उसकी पीठ को सिंक पर झुके देखा। छोटा कमरा अंगीठी के कारण भाप से तथा मेज पर बनियान पहने बैठे हुये आदमी की भारीभारी सांस एवं कोने में लगे गन्दे कपड़ों के ढ़ेर से भरा पड़ा था। सोफी को अपने गले में कसाव महसूस हुआ। वह अपने भाई ज्योफ को देखने निकल पड़ी।

ज्योफ को स्कूल छोड़े तीन वर्ष हो चुके थे। वह एक नौसिखिया मिस्त्री थी। वह नगर के दूसरे छोर पर प्रतिदिन अपने काम के लिये यात्रा करता था। वह अगले कमरे में घुटनों के बल झुका हुआ था तथा अपनी मोटरसाइकिल के एक पुर्जे (भाग) के साथ छेड़-छाड़ कर रहा था। ज्योफ अब लगभग बड़ा हो चुका था। वह उसके जीवन के कुछ क्षेत्रों के विषय में सन्देह करती थी, जिनके विषय में वह कुछ नहीं जानती थी तथा जिनके विषय में वह कभी नहीं बोला था। ऐसा प्रतीत होता था कि वह कहीं दूर था, ऐसे स्थानों में जो उसने कभी नहीं देखे थे। ये स्थान एक विशेष आकर्षण लिये हुये थे। मात्र इसलिये क्योंकि वे उसके लिये अनजाने थे तथा उसकी पहुँच से बाहर रहते थे। वह इच्छा करती थी कि वह अपने के भाई स्नेह में अधिक गहराई तक प्रवेश करे तथा किसी दिन वह उसे अपने साथ ले जाये। वह जानती थी कि ज्योफ उसे बहुत छोटी समझता था, किन्तु वह अत्यन्त अधीर थी।

सोफी ने ज्योफ को बताया कि दुकानों के मेहराबदार गलियारे में उसकी डैनी कैसी से भेंट हो गई। ज्योफ ने उस पर विश्वास नहीं किया तथा उससे पूछा कि क्या उसने पिताजी को बता दिया था। ज्योफ ने उससे पूछा कि कैसी कैसा लगता था। उसने कहा कि उसकी हरी, विनम्र आँखें थीं किन्तु वह अधिक लम्बा नहीं था। ज्योफ ने अपने पिता को बताया कि सोफी डैनी कैसी से मिली थी। सोफी कसमसाई। उसके पिता ने उसकी ओर घृणा से देखा। वह कैसी को प्रथम टीम के लिये बहुत छोटा समझता था। सोफी ने तब कहा कि डैनी कैसी ने उससे कहा था कि वह एक दुकान खरीदने वाला है। उसके पिता ने इसे उसकी एक ऊटपटांग कहानी कहकर ठुकरा दिया। वह उसकी बहकी, झूठी बातों में विश्वास नहीं करता था। उसने उसे चेतावनी दी कि इस प्रकार की बातें करके वह किसी दिन स्वयं को ढेर सारी मुसीबतों में डाल लेगी।

ज्योफ के कमरे में दीवार पर सोफी ने यूनाइटिड की प्रथम टीम के दल का विशाल पोस्टर देखा। इसके नीचे रंगीन फोटोग्राफ की एक कतार थी। इनमें से तीन आयरलैंडवासी युवा प्रतिभा कैसी के थे। सोफी ने ज्योफ से यह वायदा करने को कहा कि वह उसकी कैसी से भेंट तथा डेरेक के लिये (स्वहस्त लिखित) हस्ताक्षर माँगे। क्योंकि उनमें से किसी के भी पास कोई कागज़ अथवा पेन (कलम) नहीं था, उसने उसे अगले सप्ताह मिलने आने को कहा। उसने ऐसा करने का वायदा किया। ज्योफ ने कहा कि यह सर्वाधिक अनहोनी बात थी जो उसने सुनी थी।

शनिवार को वे युनाईटिड का मैच देखने गये। उनकी टीम ने दो-शून्य से विजय प्राप्त की। दूसरा गोल कैसी ने किया था। सोफी गर्व से चमकने लगी। ज्योफ अति प्रसन्न था।

अगले सप्ताह जैसी ने सोफी से पूछा कि डैनी कैसी से भेंट के विषय में वह क्या बातें करती रही थी। उसने इसे गुप्त रखने का वायदा किया। सोफी ने कहा कि यदि उसका पिता इसके विषय में सुन लेगा तो वह उससे झगड़ पड़ेगा। सोफी ने महसूस किया कि ज्योफ ने उसे पुनः मिलने के विषय में नहीं बताया था।

अन्धेरे के पश्चात वह नहर के साथ चली। वह एक अकेले सरु के वृक्ष के नीचे पड़ी बैन्च पर प्रतीक्षा करने को बैठ गई। कुछ समय तो वह उसके आगमन की कल्पना करती रही। कुछ समय और व्यतीत हुआ। वह सोचने लगी कि शायद डैनी न आये। उसने उदास महसूस किया। अन्य उस पर सन्देह करेंगे। ज्योफ निराश हो जायेगा।

वह गली में जाने को सीढ़ियाँ चढ़ी। मदिरालय के बाहर, उसने अपने पिता की साईकिल को दीवार के सहारे खड़े हुये देखा। वह प्रसन्न थी कि जब वह घर जायेगी तो उसका पिता वहाँ नहीं होगा। मेहराव वाले गलियारे से निकलते समय उसने फिर रायस की दुकान के सामने डैनी कैसी की कल्पना की। उसने उसके विनम्र बारहसिंघे जैसी आँखें देखीं। उसकी कोमल सुरीली आवाज तथा हरी आँखों की चमक को याद करती हुई वह काफी लम्बे समय तक मेहराबदार गलियारे में प्रतीक्षा करती रही।

फिर सोफी को एक अन्य दृश्य याद आ गया। पिछले शनिवार को उसने कैसी को रक्षकों के पास से बिना कोई आवाज किये गुजरते हुये तथा गेन्द को गोल में मारते हुये देखा था। उसे पचास हजार समर्थकों द्वारा तालियों की प्रशंसा की गड़गड़ाहट याद आ गई।

The Interview Summary in English

The narration, “The Interview”, written by Christopher Silvester is a very interesting lesson speaking about the invention of the interview about 130 years ago. We face interviews throughout our journey of life and several thousand celebrities are the part and parcel of this process. Yh e opinions of the interview—its functions, methods and merits—vary considerably. Some people believe that they are able to recall the truth while there are those who have a great despise from the word ‘interview’. They believe it to be a kind of direct encounter into the lives of the celebrities. In this context, some of the world fame writers had varied opinion. According to V.S. Naipaul, a cosmopolitan writer, “Some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves.”

Given below is an extract from an interview of Umberto Eco. He is interviewed by Mukund Padmanabhan from The Hindu.

Mukund : Once an English novelist, David Lodge remarked that he was unable to understand how Eco could do so many things.

Umberto Eco : People might feel, ‘I am doing many things but in the end I have found that I am always doing the same thing.’

Mukund : Which is that thing?

Umberto Eco : It is very difficult to explain. I have got some philosophical interests which are pursued by my novels and academic work. There are my books for children. They are about peace and non-violence and this is all philosophical interest. Even then there is a secret. All of us have a lot of empty spaces in our lives and I call them interstices.

Suppose you are coming over in an elevator to my place and I am waiting for you. This is an interstice—an empty space. I work in empty spaces. Your elevator will come up from the first to the third floor, and I am waiting for it. I have already written an article.

Mukund : It must be your non-fictioiial writing. Your work has a certain playful and personal quality about it. This is a departure from a regular academic style. You must have adopted an informal approach.

Umberto Eco : While presenting my first doctoral dissertation in Italy, one of the professors said “Scholars learn a lot of certain subjects, then they make a lot of false hypotheses, correct them and give the conclusions. But you told the story of your research.”

At the age of 22,1 understood that the scholarly books should be written the way I had done—by telling the story of the research. So, my essays have a narrative aspect. At the age of 50, I started writing novels. I remember that my friend Roland Barthes was always frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist. He wanted to do some creative writing but he died. In my case, I started writing novels by accident. The novels satisfied my taste for narration.

Mukund : Thus, you became famous after the publication of The Name of the Rose. You have written five novels and many more on non-fiction. Among them a seminal piece of work on semiotics. If we ask people about Umberto Eco, they will say that he is a novelist. Does it trouble you?

Umberto Eco : Of course, it troubles me. I consider myself a University Professor who writes novels on Sundays. It is not a joke. I always participate in academic conferences. I do not attend the meetings of Pen Clubs and writers. I identify myself with the academic community. By writing novels, I am in a position to reach to the large number of people. I cannot expect to have one million readers with stuff on semiotics.

Mukund : I ask you another question. Your novel The Name of the Rose is very serious novel. At one level, it is a detective tale, and then it goes deep into metaphysics, theology and medieval history. It is being enjoyed by a large number of audience. Were you puzzled at all by this?

Umberto Eco : No, the journalists are puzzled. We can even see that sometimes publishers also get puzzled because both believe that people like trash and do not like difficult reading experiences. Suppose there are six billion people in this planet and the novel is sold to 10 and 15 millions. Thus, I am getting only a small percentage of readers. Thus, these readers do not always want easy experiences. After dinner at 9.00 p.m., I watch television, and see ‘Miami Vice’, or Emergency Room. I enjoy it and I need it but not all day.

Mukund : Can you tell that how your novel has got a good success even if it deals with the medieval history?

Umberto Eco : That is possible. But I can tell you another story. My American publisher told she did not expect to sell more than 3000 copies in a country where some has seen a cathedral or studied Latin. So, I was given an advance for 3000 copies but in the end it sold two or three million in the U.S. So many books have been written about the medieval past but the book has a mysterious success. Nobody can predict it. If I had written it ten years earlier or later, it would not have been the same. Why it worked is a mystery? Thus, the novel The Name of the Rose has got a good success.

The Interview Main Characters in the Chapter

Mukund Padmanabhan

He is an interviewer from ‘The Hindu’ who interviews Umberto Eco after his huge success of the book he wrote.

Umberto Eco

He is the author of the popular novel, ‘Name of the Rose’. He is a University Professor. Writing novel is his hobby which he does only on Sundays. He had written 40 scholarly works of non-fiction and 5 novels. He always identified himself with the academic community, and never with writers or novelists.

The Interview Summary Reference-to-Context Questions

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1. Some might make quite extravagant claims for it as being, in its highest form, a source of truth, and, in its practice, an art. Others, usually celebrities who see themselves as its victims, might despise the interview as an unwanted intrusion into their lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them, just as in some primitive cultures it is believed that if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody then one is stealing that person’s soul.

a. What is ‘it’ referred here?
Answer:
Here, ‘it’ is referred to interview.

b. How is ‘it’ described in the above lines?
Answer:
The interview is described as the highest form, a source of truth and an art in its practice.

c. Who might despise the interview?
Answer:
Celebrities who see themselves as its victim despise the interview.

d. Why do they despise?
Answer:
Celebrities despise interview because they consider it as an unwanted intrusion into their lives.

2. Rudyard Kipling expressed an even more condemnatory attitude towards the interviewer. His wife, Caroline, writes in her diary for 14 October 1892 that their day was ‘wrecked by two reporters from Boston’. She reports her husband as saying to the reporters, “Why do I refuse to be interviewed? Because it is immoral!

a. What was the attitude of Rudyard Kipling towards the interviewer?
Answer:
Rudyard Kipling expressed a condemnatory attitude towards the interviewer.

b. What happened on 14 October 1892?
Answer:
On 14 October 1892, Rudyard Kipling and his wife’s day was wrecked by two reporters from Boston.

c. Where were the two reporters from?
Answer:
The two reporters were from Boston.

d. Why did Rudyard Kipling refuse to be interviewed?
Answer:
Rudyard Kipling refused to be interviewed because he considers it to be immoral.

3. H.G. Wells in ah interview in 1894 referred to ‘the interviewing ordeal’ but was a fairly frequent interviewee and forty years later found himself interviewing Joseph Stalin. Saul Bellow, who has consented to be interviewed on several occasions, nevertheless once described interviews as being like thumbprints in his windpipe.

a. What did H.G. Wells refer to in an interview in 1894?
Answer:
In an interview in 1894, H.G. Wells referred to ‘the interviewing ordeal’.

b. Who was a frequent interviewee?
Answer:
H.G. Wells was a frequent interviewee.

c. Who was H.G. Wells interviewing to after forty years?
Answer:
After forty years, H.G. Wells was interviewing Joseph Stalin.

d. How did Saul Bellow once describe interviews?
Answer:
Saul Bellow once described interviews as being like thumbprints in his windpipe.

4. Aah, now that is more difficult to explain. I have some philosophical interests and I pursue them through my academic work and my novels. Even my books for children are about non-violence and peace…you see, the same bunch of ethical, philosophical interests.

a. Who is the speaker of the above lines?
Answer:
Umberto Eco is the speaker of the above lines.

b. Whom is the speaker speaking to?
Answer:
The speaker is speaking to Mukund Padmanabhan, the interviewer.

c. How does the speaker pursue his philosophical interests?
Answer:
He pursues his philosophical interests through his academic work and his novels.

d. What are his books for children about?
Answer:
His books for children are about non-violence and peace.

5. This is why my essays always have a narrative aspect. And this is why probably I started writing narratives (novels) so late – at the age of 50, more or less. I remember that my friend Roland Barthes was always frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist. He wanted to do creative writing one day or another, but he died before he could do so.

a. Why did his essays have a narrative aspect?
Answer:
His essays have a narrative aspect because he used to write in a way of telling stories.

b. When did Umberto Eco start writing novels?
Answer:
He started writing novels at the age of 50, more or less.

c. Why was his friend Roland Barthes always frustrated?
Answer:
Roland Barthes was always frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist.

d. What did his friend want to do?
Answer:
His friend wanted to do creative writing.