West Bengal Board Class 10 English Lesson 3 The Passing Away of Bapu Bengali Translation With Answer

Dear students, in this article we will provide West Bengal Board Class 10 English Lesson 3 The Passing Away of Bapu Bengali Translation With Answer (বঙ্গানুবাদ সহ)

মাধ্যমিক ইংরেজি বইয়ের সকল অধ্যায়ের বাংলা অনুবাদের জন্য এখানে CLICK করুন

Lesson 3

The Passing Away of Bapu

Nayantara Sehgal

The author and the text:

Nayantara Sehgal (1927- ) is one of the first female Indian writers in English to receive wide recognition. Her fiction deals with India’s response to the crisis brought about by political changes. She won the Sahitya Academy award in 1986 for her novel Rich like Us.

The text, an extract from Nayantara Sehgal’s memoir Prison and Chocolate cake, recounts the incidents following the death of Gandhiji. It vividly describes not only the author’s personal sense of loss, but also the collective grief of the entire nation at the passing away of Mahatma Gandhi.

Read the following:

Unit 1

I was having tea at home on the evening of 30th January, 1948, when I was called to Birla house by an urgent telephone. Gandhiji had been shot on his way to a prayer meeting. I was numb with shock as I got into the car.

১৯৪৮ সালে ৩০শে জানুয়ারি সন্ধ্যায় আমি যখন চা খাচ্ছিলাম, একটি জরুরি ফোনের মাধ্যমে আমাকে বিড়লা হাউসে ডাকা হয় । একটি প্রার্থনা সভায় যোগ দেওয়ার সময় গান্ধিজি গুলিবিদ্ধ হয়েছেন । এই আকস্মিক আঘাতে বিবশ হয়ে আমি গাড়িতে উঠলাম ।

At the Birla House, Gandhiji’s relatives and followers had gathered round his body. There was silence in the room as Gandhiji breathed his last. Words of Bapuji’s death had spread through Delhi like a flame fanned by wind. Sad groups of men and women had collected around Birla House. Out of every window one could see a brown blur of faces. They did not make a sound. There was an unnatural silence. It was as if time stood still for those few minutes.

বিড়লা হাউসে গান্ধিজির আত্মীয় ও অনুগামীরা তার মৃতদেহের চারপাশে ভিড় করে দাড়িয়েছিল । গান্ধিজি শেষ নিঃশ্বাস ত্যাগ করেছেন এই ঘটনা ঘরে নিস্তব্ধতা নিয়ে এসেছে । হাওয়ায় যেমন দ্রুত আগুন ছড়ায় তেমনি বাপুর মৃত্যুর খবরও দিল্লি জুড়ে ছড়িয়ে পড়েছিল । বিষণ্ণ পুরুষ ও মহিলার দল বিড়লা হাউসে ভিড় জমাচ্ছিল । প্রতিটি জানালা দিয়েই দেখা যাচ্ছিল বাদামি রঙের অস্পষ্ট মানুষের মুখের ভিড় । তারা কোনো শব্দ করছিল না । এক অস্বাভাবিক নীরবতা বিরাজ করছিল । মনে হচ্ছিল ওই কয়েক মিনিটের জন্য সময় থমকে গেছে ।

The people were too stunned to speak in the beginning. Later they clamoured wildly, shouting and crying. They jostled one another in a stampede to break into the house. They calmed a little when it was announced that they would be allowed to see Gandhiji before the funeral.

শুরুর দিকে মানুষ এতটাই হতভম্ব হয়ে গিয়েছিল যে কথা বলতে পারছিল না । তারপর তারা তুমুল চিৎকার করতে শুরু করল আর কাদতে লাগল । তারা বাড়িতে ঢোকার জন্য হুড়োহুড়ি করে একে অপরকে ঠেলাঠেলি করছিল । যখন এটা ঘোষণা হল যে অন্ত্যেষ্টিক্রিয়ার আগে গান্ধিজিকে দেখতে দেওয়া হবে তারা একটু শান্ত হল ।

When one is faced with the shock of a loved one’s death, one whimpers: “What will become of me now that he has left me?” This was surely the question uppermost in the mind of the mourning people. They looked like lost children. It was the question in many of our hearts as we sat, still shocked and unbelieving. We listened to the broadcast telling the people of India that their Bapu was no more.

মানুষ যখন ভালোবাসার কোনো লোকের মৃত্যুজনিত শোকের মুখোমুখি হয়, গুঙিয়ে ওঠে: “তিনি তো আমায় ছেড়ে চলে গেলেন, আমার কী হবে? ” শোকার্ত মানুষগুলোর মাথায় নিশ্চিতভাবে এই প্রশ্নটিই ঘুরছিল । তাদের হারিয়ে যাওয়া শিশুদের মতো দেখাচ্ছিল | এই একই প্রশ্ন আমাদের অনেকের হৃদয়েও ছিল, যারা তখনও মর্মাহত অবস্থায় বসেছিলাম আর বিশ্বাস করে উঠতে পারছিলাম না । আমরা রেডিওয় ঘোষণা শুনলাম ভারতবাসীকে বলা হচ্ছে যে তাদের বাপু আর নেই ।

Comprehension exercises

1. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences:

(a) Gandhiji had been shot on his way to

(i) the Birla House 

(ii) the author’s house 

(iii) a prayer meeting

(iv) a family gathering 

Ans: (iii) a prayer meeting

(b) The author came to know of Gandhiji’s death by

(i) a letter 

(ii) a telephone call 

(iii) a telegram 

(iv) a public broadcast

Ans: (ii) a telephone call

(c) When one is faced with the shock of a loved one’s death, one

(i) whimpers 

(ii) laughs 

(iii) claps

(iv) shouts

Ans: (i) whimpers 

2. Fill in the chart with information from the text:

Ans:

3. State whether the following statements are True or False. Provide sentences/phrases/words in support of your answer:

(a) The author received an urgent telephone call in the morning.

Supporting statement: _________________________

Ans: False

Supporting statement: I was having tea at home on the evening of 30th January, 1948, when I was called to Birla house by an urgent telephone.

(b) People attempted to break into the Birla House.

Supporting statement: _________________________

Ans: True

Supporting statement: They jostled one another in a stampede to break into the house.

(c) The news of Gandhiji’s death did not shock the people.

Supporting statement: _________________________

Ans: False

Supporting statement: The people were too stunned to speak in the beginning.

Read the following:

Unit 2

Gandhiji’s funeral was to take place the day after his death. Hours in advance, people lined the route the funeral procession was to follow.Padmasi, Mrs Naidu’s daughter, spoke for us all when she said simply: we will walk. It is the last time we shall be walking with Bapu.

It was an agonizing walk. Thousands silently watched the procession. Bapu lay on an open truck covered with flowers. Thousands of people wept, trying to touch Bapu’s feet. It was impossible to move in the thick crowd. 

মৃত্যুর পরের দিনই গান্ধিজির অন্ত্যেষ্টি ক্রিয়া হওয়ার কথা ছিল। তার বহু আগে থেকেই মানুষজন যে পথে গান্ধিজির মৃতদেহ যাবে সেখানে ভিড় করে দাঁড়িয়েছিল | শ্রীমতী নাইড়র মেয়ে পদ্মশী খুব সহজভাবে আমাদের সবার কথাটা বললেন: আমরা হাঁটব। এই শেষবার আমরা বাপুর সঙ্গে হাঁটব।

এটা ছিল একটা যন্ত্রণাদায়ক হাঁটা। হাজার হাজার মানুষ নিস্তদ্ধভাবে সেই শােক মিছিলের দিকে তাকিয়েছিল। একটি খােলা ট্রাকের মধ্যে ফুলে ঢাকা গান্ধিজি শায়িত ছিলেন। মানুষজন কাঁদতে কাঁদতে বাপুর পা-টুকু স্পর্শ করার চেষ্টা করছিল। এই প্রচণ্ড ভিড়ের মধ্যে হাঁটা অসম্ভব হয়ে উঠেছিল।

As I moved forward slowly I understood I was not merely in the midst of grieving people. This was even more than the funeral procession of India’s beloved leader. I was among people for whom walking with Bapu had a special meaning. We had walked with Bapu over the rough and smooth of India’s recent history. We could not now accept the fact that the man who had led us over many difficult paths, was never going to walk with us again. Bapu’s slight figure had walked, staff in hand, over a large part of India. To walk is to make slow progress. It is to think with clarity and closely look at all that is around you, from small insects to the horizon in the distance. Moreover, to walk was often the only way open to the average Indian. It required no vehicle except his own body and cost him nothing but his energy. Gandhiji took this necessity, as he took much that was commonplace and transformed it into a joyful effort.

ধীরে ধীরে হাঁটতে গিয়ে আমি বুঝতে পারছিলাম যে আমি শুধু কতগুলি শােকার্ত মানুষের মধ্যে নেই। ভারতবর্ষের প্রিয় নেতার শেষযাত্রার থেকেও এটা আরও বেশি কিছু ছিল। আমি তাদের সঙ্গে হাঁটছিলাম, যাদের কাছে বাপুর সঙ্গে হাঁটাটা একটা বিশেষ অর্থ বহন করত। ভারতের সাম্প্রতিক ইতিহাসে আমরা বাপুর সঙ্গে অনেক বন্ধুর ও মসৃণ পথ হেঁটেছি। আমরা বিশ্বাসই করতে পারছিলাম না, যে মানুষটা আমাদের বহু কঠিন পথে নেতৃত্ব দিয়েছেন তিনি আর আমাদের সঙ্গে হাঁটবেন না৷ ভারতের বিস্তীর্ণ অংশে পাতলা চেহারার বাপু লাঠি হাতে হেঁটেছিলেন। হাঁটা মানে ধীরে এগিয়ে যাওয়া। এতে পরিষ্কারভাবে চিন্তা করা যায় ও কাছ থেকে চারদিকে ছােটো পােকামাকড় থেকে দূরের দিগন্ত রেখা অবধি সবকিছু দেখা যায়। এ ছাড়াও সাধারণ ভারতবাসীর জন্য প্রায়শ হাঁটাই ছিল একমাত্র উপায়। হাঁটার জন্য নিজের দেহ ছাড়া কোনাে বাহন লাগে না এবং নিজের শক্তি ছাড়া আর কোনাে মূল্যও দিতে হয় না। গান্ধিজি আরও অনেক সাধারণ জিনিসের মতাে হাঁটার অভ্যাসকেও প্রয়ােজনীয়রূপে গ্রহণ করেছিলেন এবং একে একটি আনন্দময় প্রচেষ্টায় পরিণত করেছিলেন।

Comprehension exercises 

4. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences: 

(a) Gandhiji’s funeral was to take place

(i) on the day of his death 

(ii) two days after his death 

(iii) one day after his death

(iv) a week after his death 

Ans: (iii) one day after his death

(b) Padmasi was Mrs. Naidu’s

(i) niece 

(ii) sister

(ii) friend 

(iv) daughter

Ans: (iv) daughter

(c) While walking, Bapu used to carry in his hand a/an

(i) flag 

(ii) staff 

(iii) umbrella

(iv) cane 

Ans: (ii) staff

5. Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

(a) Thousands of people wept, trying ______________________

Ans: Thousands of people wept, trying to touch Bapu’s feet.

(b) The author was among people for whom walking ______________________

Ans: The author was among people for whom walking with Bapu had a special meaning.

(c) To walk is to ______________________

Ans: To walk is to make slow progress.

6. Fill in the chart with information from the text:

Ans:

Read the following:

Unit 3

Some days after the funeral, a special train took Gandhiji’s ashes to Allahabad. The compartment was decked with flowers. People on the train sang bhajans. People did not weep anymore for they could feel Gandhiji’s presence amid the flowers and the songs. At every station sorrowful crowds filled the platform. Amid song and prayer the train reached Allahabad. The ashes were immersed in the Ganges where a huge crowd had gathered at the bank. Afterwards we all went back to Delhi.

অন্ত্যেষ্টির কয়েকদিন পরে একটি বিশেষ ট্রেনে করে গান্ধিজির চিতাভস্ম এলাহাবাদে নিয়ে যাওয়া হয়েছিল। কামরাটি ফুল দিয়ে সাজানাে ছিল। ট্রেনের মানুষজন ভজন গাইছিল। মানুষজন আর কাদছিল না কারণ তারা সেই ফুল আর গানের মধ্যে গান্ধিজির উপস্থিতি অনুভব করতে পারছিল। প্রতিটি স্টেশনের প্ল্যাটফর্মই শােকার্ত মানুষের ভিড়ে পরিপূর্ণ ছিল। গান ও প্রার্থনার মধ্যে দিয়ে ট্রেনটি এলাহাবাদে পৌঁছাল। গান্ধিজির চিতাভস্ম গঙ্গার জলে বিসর্জন দেওয়া হল, নদীর ধারে তখন বহু মানুষের ভিড়। এরপর আমরা দিল্লিতে ফিরে আসি।

Back in Delhi, I felt at sea. I had not directly walked with Gandhiji, gone to prison at his call or made any sacrifice for my country. My sisters and I, and other young people like me, had been merely onlookers. But still i felt at sea. I felt I had grown up within a magic circle. With Bapu’s passing away, I felt the magic circle had vanished, leaving me unprotected. 

দিল্লিতে ফিরে এসে আমি যেন কেমন দিশেহারা বােধ করছিলাম। আমি গান্ধিজির সঙ্গে সরাসরি হাঁটিনি, তার ডাকে জেলে যাওয়া বা দেশের জন্য কোনাে স্বার্থত্যাগ করিনি। আমি, আমার বােনেরা এবং অন্যান্য অল্পবয়স্ক মানুষ শুধু প্রত্যক্ষদর্শী ছিলাম। তবুও আমি অথৈ সমুদ্রে পড়েছিলাম। আমার মনে হচ্ছিল আমি কোনাে এক জাদুবৃত্তের মধ্যে বেড়ে উঠেছিলাম। বাপুর মৃত্যুর সঙ্গে সঙ্গে মনে হল সেই জাদুবৃত্ত উধাও হয়ে গেছে, আমাকে অসুরক্ষিত অবস্থায় রেখে।

With an effort I roused myself. I asked myself-had Bapu lived and died for nothing? How could I so easily lose courage when he was no longer there? My values were not so weak. Millions of people would have been ordinary folk but for Bapu. He brought them out of indifference and awakened them to one another’s suffering. What if now Bapu is gone? We were still there, young, strong and proud to bear his banner before us. 

চেষ্টা করে আমি আবার শক্তি জুগিয়ে নিজেকে দাঁড় করালাম। আমি নিজেকে জিজ্ঞেস করলাম—বাপু কি শুধুশুধুই বেঁচেছিলেন আর এমনি এমনি মারা গেলেন? উনি যখন আর নেই তখন এত সহজে আমি কী করে সাহস হারালাম? আমার মূল্যবােধ এত দুর্বল ছিল না। বাপু না থাকলে লক্ষ লক্ষ মানুষ নিতান্তই সাধারণ মানুষ হয়ে রয়ে যেত। তিনি তাদেরকে নির্লিপ্ততা থেকে তুলে এনে একে অপরের কষ্টে সচেতন করেছিলেন। বাপু চলে গেলেই বা কী হয়েছে? আমরা তরুণ, শক্তিশালী ও গর্বিতরা তাে এখনও রয়েছি তার পতাকা বহন করার জন্য। 

Bapu had passed away but his India would continue to live in his children.

বাপু মারা গেছেন কিন্তু তার ভারত তাঁরই সন্তানদের মধ্যে বেঁচে থাকবে।

Comprehension exercises

7. Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences: 

(a) Gandhiji’s ashes were taken to

(i) Ahmedabad 

(ii) Allahabad 

(iii) Delhi

(iv) Benaras 

Ans: (ii) Allahabad 

(b) A huge crowd had gathered by the

(i) Ganges 

(ii) Yamuna 

(iii) Brahmaputra

(iv) Narmada

Ans: (i) Ganges

(c) Gandhiji awakened people to one another’s

(i) indifference 

(ii) jealousy 

(iii) suffering

(iv) greed 

Ans: (iii) suffering

Read Also:

• Father’s Help – R. K. Narayan

• Fable – Ralph Waldo Emerson

• The Passing Away of Bapu – Nayantara Sehgal

• My Own True family – Ted Hughes

• Our Runaway Kite – Lucy Maud Montgomery

• Sea Fever – John Masefield

• The Cat – Andrew Barton Paterson

• The Snail – William Cowper

8. Complete the following sentences with information from the text:

(a) People on the special train ____________.

Ans: People on the special train sang bhajans.

(b) The author felt she had grown up within ____________.

Ans: The author felt she had grown up within a magic circle.

(c) Bapu had passed away but ____________.

Ans: Bapu had passed away but his India would continue to live in his children.

9. Fill in the chart with information from the text:

Ans:

Grammar in use

10. Join the following pairs of sentences into single sentences as directed:

(a) I saw a snake. I ran away.(use participle)

Ans: Seeing a snake, I ran away.

(b) He learns music. He listens to the chords. (use preposition with gerund) 

Ans: By listening to the chords, he learns music.

(c) Gold is a precious metal. It is used to make ornaments. (use noun in apposition)

Ans: Gold, a precious metal, is used to make ornaments.

(d) Ramu has some money. He can buy books. (use infinitive)

Ans: Ramu has some money to buy books.

(e) The sky was cloudy. We postponed our journey. (use nominative absolute)

Ans: The sky being cloudy, we postponed our journey.

(f) The boy wrote the answer. The answer was incorrect. (use adverbial phrase)

Ans: The boy wrote the answer in an incorrect way.

11. Join the following pairs of sentences into single compound sentences as directed: 

(a) The old man is unwell. He cannot go out. (use Illative conjunction) 

Ans: The old man is unwell. So he cannot go out.

(b) He is honest. He is humble. (use cumulative conjunction) 

Ans: He is not only honest but also humble. 

(c) Sonali cannot write poetry. She keeps on trying. (use adversative conjunction)

Ans: Sonali cannot write poetry but she keeps on trying. 

(d) Study hard. You will not pass the examination. (use alternative conjunction)

Ans: Study hard or you will not pass the examination.

12. Join the following pairs of sentences into single complex sentences as directed:

(a) Rabindranath Tagore is a famous poet. He won the Nobel Prize. (use adjective clause) 

Ans: Rabindranath Tagore, who is a famous poet, won the Nobel Prize.

(b) He returned home. Everyone in the family had fallen asleep. (use adverb clause) 

Ans: When he returned home, Everyone in the family had fallen asleep.

(c) The sun rises in the east. Everyone knows it. (use noun clause) 

Ans: Everyone knows that the sun rises in the east.

13. Join the following pairs of sentences into single sentences as directed:

(a) It rained hard. The roads were not flooded. (compound sentence) 

Ans: It rained hard but the roads were not flooded. 

(b) He completed his work. He took rest. (simple sentence) 

Ans: On completing his work, He took rest.

(c) Rahul is a great singer. He can sing different kinds of songs. (complex sentence)

Ans: Rahul, who is a great singer, can sing different kinds of songs.

(d) The time of departure of the train has changed. Alia knew it. (complex sentence)

Ans: Alia knew that the time of departure of the train had changed.

(e) I do not watch television. I do not listen to the radio. (compound sentence) 

Ans: I neither watch television nor do not listen to the radio.

(f) The child was short. The child could not pick the guava from the tree. (simple sentence)

Ans: Being short, the child could not pick the guava from the tree.

14. Split the following into two sentences:

(a) It rained and I could not leave my room.

Ans: It rained. I could not leave my room.

(b) He thought that he could win the race.

Ans: He could win the race. He thought it.

(c) Having been informed of the trouble, the Principal left for home. 

Ans: The principal had been informed of the trouble. He left for home. 

(d) Nasir, who was the captain of the team, scored a century.

Ans: Nasir was the captain of the team. He scored a century.

Writing activities

15. Write a biography of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (within 100 words) based on the hints given below: 

born on 11 November 1888-composed poetry in Urdu-worked as a journalist, protested against British Raj-enthusiastic supporter of Gandhiji’s ideas-wrote many books-like ‘India wins freedom’, ‘Ghubar-e-Khatir’ etc.first Education Minister of independent India-birthday celebrated as National Education Day-died on 22 February 1958

Ans:

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a versatile genius, is known to us as a great freedom fighter. His contribution to India’s freedom movement is unforgettable. He was born on November 11, 1888. He worked as a journalist for a long time. He composed poetry in Urdu. In everything he continued his protest against the British Raj. He was a great and enthusiastic follower of Gandhiji and his philosophy. He wrote many books voicing his protest against the British Some of them are ‘India wins freedom’. ‘Ghubar-e-Khatir’ etc. After independence he became the first Education Minister of India. Now his birthday is observed as National Education Day. Unfortunately, we lost him forever on February 22, 1958.

16. Use the following flow-chart to write a paragraph (within 100 words) on how a building is constructed: 

drawing of a plan of the building by the architect-getting the plan sanctioned by the corporation or municipal authorities-engaging masons and labourers-starting the construction with bricks, cement and sand-fitting doors and windows-plastering of walls-wiring-electric and water connections-painting-building completed-fit for living

Ans:

How a Building Is Made

When a building is to be constructed, we have to follow a long process. First of all, the drawing of a plan is to be collected from an architect. Then it is to be sanctioned by the corporation or municipal authorities. After that, masons and labourers are engaged. The construction started with bricks, cement and sand. In the middle, if possible, the doors and windows are fitted. After the completion of the construction, the walls are plastered. Then the electric wiring is done. Electric and water connections are to be put in. Then the walls are painted both inside and outside. Now the building is complete and fit for living.

Read Also:

• Father’s Help – R. K. Narayan

• Fable – Ralph Waldo Emerson

• The Passing Away of Bapu – Nayantara Sehgal

• My Own True family – Ted Hughes

• Our Runaway Kite – Lucy Maud Montgomery

• Sea Fever – John Masefield

• The Cat – Andrew Barton Paterson

• The Snail – William Cowper