Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day he brought money to the school?
The boy couldn’t pay the school fees on the day he brought money to school because the teacher Master Ghulam Mohammed was on leave. So, it would be collected the next day.
What were the coins ‘saying’ to him?
The coins in the boy’s pocket urged him to buy fresh jalebis.
Do you think they were misguiding him?
Yes, the coins were misguiding him because the money was meant for paying school fees, they persuaded him to spend it on the jalebis.
Why didn’t he take the coin’s advice? Give two or three reasons.
The body didn’t take the advice of the coins seriously for a couple of reasons.
(i) He did not want to misuse the money he brought for paying the school fees.
(ii) He was honest and smart to not use the money for school fees or buying jalebis.
(iii) The boy knew the harsh nature of the Master Ghulam Mohammed and the punishment he would give him for doing wrong.
What did the oldest coin tell him?
The oldest coin convinced him that they were telling him for his own good. He persistently persuaded him to not suppress his desire for jalebis. Instead, pay the school fees from the scholarship money.
Did he follow his advice? If not, why not?
He didn’t follow his advice because he didn’t want to get defamed and hurt his reputation of a good boy. He was an honest and promising student. He was from a good family of repute.
He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened then?
After reaching home it felt as if the coins were successful in persuading him to buy jalebis. He couldn’t suppress his temptations for fresh Jalebis anymore. Therefore, he rushed to the shop of halwai, bought jalebis and enjoyed them.
Why didn’t he eat all the jalebis he had bought?
He had bought jalebis for one rupee. But he couldn’t eat all of them because of the quantity of jalebis was more to be finished by a child alone.
What did he do with the remaining Jalebis?
The quantity of jalebis was more to be finished by a child alone. So, he distributed the remaining Jalebis among the boys from the neighbourhood.
“The fear was killing me.” What was the fear?
There were many fears killing him. The first was the fear of getting caught for cheating. Secondly, he had eaten so many jalebis that there was the problem of digesting them all. His fear was that one jalebi or two would come out with a burp.
“Children’s stomachs are like digestion machines.” What do you understand by that? Do you agree?
“Children’s stomachs are like digestion machines.” It means that children have the capacity to digest a lot of things that they overeat. This is mainly because children do more physical activities, so they are able to digest more than their usual diet.
How did he plan to pay the fees the next days?
He planned to pay the fees the next day when he would get his monthly scholarship.
When it is time to pay the fees, what does he do? How is he disobeying the elders by doing so?
When it is the time to pay the fees, he tucked the bag under his arm and fled from the school. He also disobeyed his elders by crossing the railway track.
What was the consequence of buying jalebis with the fees money?
The consequences of buying jalebis with the fees money were worse as the boy expected.
(i) He got the bad news that the scholarship money will be paid the next month.
(ii) On getting this news, he had no option left but to run away from school.
(iii) He had to be absent from school for the first time in his life.
His prayer to God is like a lawyer’s defense of a bad case. Does he argue his case well? What are the points he makes?
Yes, he argued his case very well. He tried every bit to please God with his requests and the recitation of the entire Namaz. He admitted that he made a mistake. He said that he was a good student who was honest and good followers of religion too. He explained his mistake that he wouldn’t have spent his money on jalebis if he had known about the delay in scholarship. Thus, he argues his case like a lawyer.
He offers to play a game Allah Miyan. What is the game?
The game is that he will go up to the signal, touch it and come back. And in the mean-time God should put four rupees under a big rock or in his bag.
Did he get four rupees by playing the game? What did he get to see under the rock?
No, he didn’t get four rupees by playing the game. When he lifted the rock, he saw a hairy worm instead of coins.
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 wouldn’t have learned a lesson to not cheat in future and fall into the bad habits. Then, he would keep on repeating mistakes and then ask God to get rid of his deeds.
Select and read sentences that show
(a) that the boy is tempted to eat jalebis.
(b) that he is feeling guilty
(c) that he is justifying a wrong deed.
(a) The following lines show the meaning of the given statement: “that the boy is tempted to eat jalebis.”
(i) Jalebis are meant to be eaten, and those with money in their pocket can eat them.
(ii) But then, these jalebis are no common sort of Jalebis either. They’re crisp, fresh and full of syrup.
(iii) My mouth watered. I rushed out of the house barefoot and ran towards the bazaar.
(b) The following lines show the meaning of the given statement: “that he is feeling guilty.”
(i) When the recess bell rang I tucked my bag under my arm and left the school.
(ii) Now for the crime of eating a few Jalebis, for the first time in my life I was absent from school.
(iii) Sitting under a tree, at first I felt like crying.
(c) The following lines show the meaning of the given statement: “that he is justifying a wrong deed.”
(i) I didn’t eat them all by myself, and I fed them to a whole lot of children.
(ii) Allah Miyan! I am a good boy.
(iii) I have memorized the entire namaz and the last ten surats of the Quran by heart.
Discuss the following points.
(a) Is the boy intelligent? If so, what is the evidence of it?
(b) Does his outlook on the jalebis episode change after class VIII? Does he see that episode in a new light?
(c) Why are coins made to ‘talk’ in this story? What purpose does it serve?
(a) Yes, the boy is intelligent. The first evidence that proves this is that he gets monthly scholarship every month. He knows the difference between right and wrong. With his smartness and presence of mind, he argues his case before God like a lawyer.
(b) Yes, his outlook on the jalebis episode changed after class VIII. He later realised that nothing comes without a price. We have to work hard and stay true in all times. If God were to grant all one’s wishes for the asking, man would not learn any skill.
(c) “The coins” are made to talk because they reflect the conflict going on in his own mind.