Hinglish

Read: The Story

Class 6 English · Chapter 1: A Bottle of Dew · NCERT Poorvi section pp. 1–5

Learn

Before you read: think of a time you worked really hard at something, like learning to ride a cycle or preparing for a test. How did it help you, and how did you feel afterwards? Keep that feeling in mind as you read this story by Sudha Murty.

Part I (in short): Rama Natha, the son of a rich landlord, inherits large fields but never looks after them. He is sure there is a magic potion that can turn anything into gold, and he wastes money on people who cheat him with promises. His wife Madhumati is worried they will soon have nothing left.

A famous sage, Mahipati, comes to town. To Rama Natha's surprise, the sage says he knows how to make the potion, but it is hard: Rama Natha must plant banana plants, water them himself, and collect the winter dew from their leaves with his own hands. When he has five litres of dew, the sage will turn it into the potion.

Part II (in short): Rama Natha clears his empty fields and plants rows and rows of bananas. He tends them and collects the dew every winter; Madhumati sells the bananas at the market. After six years he has five litres of dew. The sage mutters over it, but when Rama Natha sprinkles it on a copper pot, nothing happens! Then Madhumati opens a box full of gold coins, earned by selling their bananas. The sage explains: there is no magic potion; their hard work created the wealth.

Explore: put the story in order.

  1. Put the five events in order.

Remember

  • Rama Natha wanted a magic potion to make gold; the sage set him a task: collect five litres of dew.
  • Six years of hard work on the banana plantation made them rich, not magic.

Quick check

What did the sage ask Rama Natha to collect?

  1. Five litres of dew from banana leaves
  2. Five bags of gold
  3. Water from the Himalayas
  4. Honey
Answer

Five litres of dew from banana leaves. He had to grow the plants and collect the dew himself.

Think about it

Do you think Rama Natha would have listened if the sage had told him the truth on the first day?

One answer

Probably not. He believed so strongly in magic that he had ignored his wife's worries. He had to discover the truth through his own work.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.