Jalebis Flashcards
Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day they brought money to the school?
He did not pay the school fees on the day they brought money to the school because the teacher responsible for collecting the fees was on leave, so it could only be collected the next day.
What were the coins saying to him?
The coins were asking him to buy the jalebis.
Do you think they were misguiding him?
Yes, they were misguiding him. The money he had was meant for paying the fees, but the coins lured him into spending it all on jalebis.
Why didn’t he take the coin’s advice? Give 2 or 3 reasons.
He didn’t take the coin’s advice because:
- He was a sincere boy.
- He was diligent and had a good image in school, which he did not want to spoil.
- He did not want to get caught doing anything wrong.
What did the oldest coin tell him? Did he follow its advice? If not, why?
The oldest coin told him that they were advising him for his own good. It also said that since he would receive his scholarship money the next day, he could use it to pay the fees and spend the current money on jalebis.
However, he did not follow this advice, even though the thought of buying jalebis made his mouth water. He realized he was one of the most talented students in the school. He had won a scholarship of four rupees a month in exams and belonged to an affluent family with a strong reputation. He had never been beaten in school; instead, his teachers made him punish other students. Considering his status, he thought it would not look good for him to stand in the middle of the market and eat jalebis.
He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened?
When he reached home, the coins started speaking again. During lunchtime, they began screaming. He was so fed up that he hurried out of the house, barefoot, and ran toward the market. Although he was terrified, he asked for a whole rupee worth of jalebis. The halwai then opened up an entire newspaper and piled a mound of jalebis onto it.
Why didn’t he eat all the jalebis he had bought? What did he do with the remaining jalebis?
He did not eat all the jalebis he had bought because he had already eaten too many. If someone had pressed his stomach, the jalebis would have come out of his ears and nostrils. He distributed the leftover jalebis to the children who had gathered in the gali where he was eating them.
The fear was killing him. What was the fear?
The fear that he would be caught by his parents and they would find out that he had eaten so many jalebis. He was burping with every breath, and with every burp, there was a danger of jalebis popping out.
Children’s stomachs are like digestion machines. What do you understand by that? Do you agree?
This means that children have a strong digestive system and can eat more than their usual diet. Yes, I agree because children are always engaged in physical activities, which help them digest more food than usual.
How did he plan to pay the fees the next day?
He planned to pay the fees the next day with the previous month’s scholarship money that he would be receiving.
When it is time to pay the fees, what does he do? How is he disobeying the elders while doing so?
When it is time to pay the fees, he tucks his bag under his arm and leaves the school. He keeps walking and prays to God, hoping for a miracle. He reaches Kambelpur station. He disobeys his elders, who had warned him not to cross the railway tracks and not to spend his fees money on sweets.
What were the consequences of spending the fees money on the jalebis?
The consequence of spending the fees money on jalebis was that, for the first time in his life, he did not attend school and was absent. He also disobeyed his elders for the first time.
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?
He does not argue his case well. He tried to impress God with promises. He claimed he had learned the entire Namaz and knew the last ten surahs of the Quran by heart. He said he was a dedicated servant of God and was in need of the money meant for the fees. He admitted his mistakes but, to avoid scolding, insisted he hadn’t eaten all the jalebis and had shared them with other children. He promised not to use fees money for sweets again and asked for punishment if he did. He argued that God’s treasury had no shortage and that even the chaprasi earned a lot of money. He mentioned being the nephew of a big officer and only asking for four rupees.
He offers to play a game with Allah Miyan. What is the game?
The game he proposed was that he would go to the signal from where he was standing. After that, God would secretly place four rupees under a big rock. Meanwhile, he would touch the signal and come back. Then, he would lift the rock to find the four rupees below it.
Did he get the 4 rupees by playing the game? What did he get to see on the rock?
No, he did not get the 4 rupees by playing the game. Instead, when he looked at the rock, he saw a big, hairy worm curling, twisting, and wiggling towards him.
If God had granted his wish that day, what harm would it have caused him later in life?
If God had granted his wish that day, he would not have learned a lesson from his mistake. He would have continued making wrong decisions, thinking that God would always save him after his arguments.
