Jalebis

AP/ NCERT Solutions Grade 8 Supplementary Reader

Chapter 7 Jalebis

Comprehension Check (Page 65)

1. Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day he brought money to school?

The boy did not pay the school fees on the day he brought money to the school because his teacher, Master Ghulam Mohammed, who collected the fees, was on leave that particular day and so the fees would be collected the next day.

2. (i) What were the coins ‘saying’ to him?

The coins in the boy’s pocket were actually his inner self which was urging him to buy hot and fresh jalebis.

(ii) Do you think they were misguiding him?

Yes, the coins were misguiding him because the money was actually meant for paying school fees. However, when he saw the hot, sweet and syrupy jalebis, the boy couldn’t resist the temptation to buy and eat them.

3. Why didn’t he take the coins’ advice? Give two or three reasons.

Initially, the boy didn’t take the coins’ advice because of the following reasons:

• He was an honest boy.
• He could not spend the money meant for school fees on buying jalebis.
• He was fully aware of the consequences of not paying the fees on time, i.e., the teacher would punish him by beating him with a cane.

4. (i) What did the oldest coin tell him?

The oldest coin convinced him that they were telling him to buy jalebis for his own good. It also said that he could also pay his fees the following day with his scholarship money. Hence, he should not suppress his desire for jalebis or resist this temptation.

(ii) Did he follow his advice? If not, why not?

No, the boy didn't follow the coins' advice at first. Being an honest student, he couldn't tarnish his family's reputation by spending his school fees on jalebis. He feared the teacher's punishment for late fees.

5. He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened then?

At home, the coins kept urging him, and during lunch, they shrieked. Frustrated, he ran barefoot to the bazaar. Unable to resist, he asked the halwai for a rupee worth of jalebis, quickly piled on a newspaper.

Comprehension Check (Page 68)

1. (i) Why didn’t he eat all the jalebis he had bought?

Unable to finish all the jalebis, he ate many and was completely full. He joked that if someone pressed his stomach, jalebis might pop out of his ears and nostrils.

(ii) What did he do with the remaining jalebis?

He distributed the remaining jalebis to the children who had assembled in the same gali where he was relishing the jalebis. Initially, he bought a rupee’s worth of jalebis, but later, he bought jalebis with the rest of the money that he had with himself.

2. “The fear was killing me.” What was the fear?

Spending his school fees on jalebis, the boy regretted his big mistake. Fearing punishment if his parents found out, every burp brought the danger of revealing a jalebi, adding to his fear.

3. “Children’s stomachs are like digestion machines.” What do you understand by that? Do you agree?

Children have an active digestive system due to daily physical activities. The boy, after eating many jalebis, believed his system would digest them overnight. I agree, as children can handle overeating at times.

4. How did he plan to pay the fees the next day?

He planned to pay the fees the next day with his monthly scholarship that he would receive on that day.

5. When it is time to pay the fees, what does he do? How is he disobeying the elders by doing so?

When the time came to pay fees, the boy, bag under his arm, left school, hoping for a miracle. Lost in thought, he reached Kambelpur railway station, recalling warnings about crossing tracks or spending fees on sweets. Deep regret filled him for disobeying those words.

Comprehension Check (Page 72)

1. What was the consequence of buying jalebis with the fees money?

The ultimate consequence of buying jalebis with the fees money was that for the first time in his life, the boy had to stay absent from his school. He knew that he had disobeyed his parents for the first time and felt sorry for spending the fees money to fulfil his craving.

2. His prayer to God is like a lawyer’s defence of a bad case. Does he argue his case well? What are the points he makes?

The boy earnestly prayed to God, reciting namaz verses and Quranic surahs, regretting spending school fees on jalebis. He acknowledged the mistake, citing unawareness of scholarship delays. He pleaded, mentioning God's abundant treasury and his family's connections, asking for four rupees and presenting his case like a lawyer.

3. He offers to play a game with Allah Miyan. What is the game?

The game was that he would go up to the signal, touch it and return. In the meantime, God should secretly put four rupees under a big rock. Once he lifts it, he should be able to find the four rupees underneath the rock.

4. Did he get four rupees by playing the game? What did he get to see under the rock?

No, the boy didn’t get four rupees by playing the game with God. However, when he lifted the rock, he found a big hairy worm curling and twisting that wriggled towards him.

5. If God had granted his wish that day, what harm would it have caused him in later life?

If God had granted his wish that day, he would have never learnt a lesson from his mistake. He felt he would have continued doing wrong and bad deeds and that God would always save him upon persuasion.

Exercise (Page 72)

Work in small groups.

1. Select and read sentences that show

• that the boy is tempted to eat jalebis
• that he is feeling guilty
• that he is justifying a wrong deed

That the boy is tempted to eat jalebis

• Jalebis are meant to be eaten, and those with money in their pocket can eat them.
• But then, these jalebis are no common sort of jalebis either. They’re crisp, fresh and full of syrup.
• My mouth watered.
• Thoroughly fed up, I rushed out of the house bare foot and ran towards the bazaar.

That he is feeling guilty

• My head started to spin.
• When the recess bell rang I tucked my bag under my arm and left the school.
• Now for the crime of eating a few jalebis, for the first time in my life I was absent from school.
• Sitting there under the tree, at first I felt like crying.

That he is justifying a wrong deed

• I didn’t eat them all by myself, though I fed them to a whole lot of children too.
• ‘Allah Miyan! I’m a very good boy. I have memorised the entire namaaz. I even know the last ten surats of the Quran by heart.

2. Discuss the following points.

Is the boy intelligent? If so, what is the evidence of it? Does his outlook on the jalebis episode change after class VIII? Does he see that episode in a new light? Why are coins made to ‘talk’ in this story? What purpose does it serve?

• The boy, an intelligent and promising student, won a scholarship and knew right from wrong.
• He was never absent, listened to elders, and presented valid points in his prayers like a defense lawyer.
• His outlook changed in class VIII, realizing everything has a price.
• The coins 'talk,' revealing his inner greed that led him to spend school fees on jalebis.