Hinglish

Read: The Story

Class 6 English · Chapter 10: Change of Heart · NCERT Poorvi section pp. 103–107

Learn

Before you read: which games do you play just for fun, and which for competition? How do you feel when you win, or lose? Useful words: friendly matches are played without serious competition; an opponent is someone you compete against; a tally is a record of points; sporting spirit means being fair and respecting every player.

Part I (in short): Prabhat always wants to win and cannot bear losing, not even at marbles. He plays only games he is sure to win, like badminton. A new student, Surya, an excellent badminton player, joins the school. On the last Friday of the month, the coach holds friendly matches, and Prabhat and Surya are chosen to play each other, with Prabhat keeping the score.

Prabhat prepares very seriously; Surya stays relaxed, smiling and joking. On court Surya is a phenomenon (someone with special talent), winning point after point, but he pays so little attention to the score that Prabhat secretly changes the scoreboard. Prabhat wins by cheating and makes a big fuss of it, but Surya just says, "It's been fun. We should play again some time."

Part II (in short): that night Prabhat can't sleep well: he won, but he isn't happy, and he is puzzled that Surya isn't upset. Next day he sees Surya playing basketball, hopeless at it, yet enjoying every moment. Watching Surya for days, Prabhat realises you don't need a scoreboard to enjoy a game; what matters is trying to do well and enjoying it. He starts joking while playing and enjoys even hide and seek. Soon his classmates say he has a great sporting spirit.

Explore: put the story in order.

  1. Put the five events in order.

Remember

  • Prabhat cannot bear losing and cheats to beat Surya, but the win leaves him unhappy.
  • Watching Surya enjoy every game, Prabhat learns to play for fun and gains a true sporting spirit.

Quick check

How did Prabhat win the match?

  1. By changing the scoreboard
  2. By playing better
  3. Surya was ill
  4. By luck
Answer

By changing the scoreboard. He was the scorekeeper and cheated while Surya looked away.

Think about it

Why do you think Prabhat couldn't sleep well after winning?

One answer

Deep down he knew he had cheated, so the win didn't feel earned. Surya's calm, happy attitude also made him question what really matters in a game.

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.