UNIT 1 - FABLES AND FOLK TALES
LESSON 1 - A BOTTLE OF DEW
The first lesson of the Poorvi English textbook, “A Bottle of Dew,” is a delightful folk tale that beautifully blends humour with a powerful message. Set in a rural Indian backdrop, the story revolves around a greedy landlord and a wise Sage, and highlights how intelligence and presence of mind can defeat dishonesty.
With simple language and a clever plot, the lesson not only entertains young readers but also teaches important values such as justice, humility, and the power of truth. As we enter into this engaging story, we are reminded that real strength lies not in money or status, but in the ability to think clearly and act wisely.
यह कहानी भारत के ग्रामीण परिवेश में रची गई है, जहाँ एक लोभी ज़मींदार और एक चतुर साधु के इर्द-गिर्द घटनाएं घटती हैं। कथा यह दिखाती है कि कैसे बुद्धिमत्ता और सूझबूझ से छल-कपट को भी हराया जा सकता है।
सादा भाषा और चतुराई से बुनी गई कथा न केवल बच्चों का मनोरंजन करती है, बल्कि उन्हें न्याय, विनम्रता और सत्य की शक्ति जैसे जीवन के अहम मूल्य भी सिखाती है। जैसे-जैसे हम इस दिलचस्प लोककथा में आगे बढ़ते हैं, हमें यह महसूस होता है कि असली ताकत न तो धन में होती है, न ही पद-प्रतिष्ठा में—बल्कि साफ सोचने और समझदारी से काम लेने की क्षमता में होती है।
यह कहानी बच्चों को सोचने, समझने और सही रास्ता चुनने की प्रेरणा देती है—बिलकुल सहज और रोचक ढंग से।
GIST OF THE LESSON
Rama Natha, a rich landlord’s son, inherited a vast estate. Instead of managing it, he obsessed over finding a magic potion to turn objects into gold. He spent all his money and ignored his wife’s worries. A sage, Mahipati, told him he could make such a potion by collecting five liters of morning dew from banana plant leaves in winter, which would then be enchanted. Rama Natha worried this would take years, but the sage encouraged him to plant as many banana plants as he wanted, provided he cared for them and collected the dew himself.
रामनाथ, एक अमीर ज़मींदार का बेटा था, जिसे अपने पिता की बहुत बड़ी ज़मीन-जायदाद विरासत में मिली थी। लेकिन ज़मीन संभालने के बजाय, उसका ध्यान एक ऐसे जादुई घोल की तलाश में था जो किसी भी चीज़ को सोने में बदल सके। इसी ख्वाब में डूबे हुए उसने अपनी सारी दौलत खर्च कर दी और अपनी पत्नी की चिंताओं को नज़रअंदाज़ करता रहा।
एक दिन एक साधु महिपति से उसकी मुलाकात हुई। साधु ने बताया कि ऐसा जादुई घोल बनाया जा सकता है — बस शर्त यह है कि सर्दियों में केले के पत्तों से सुबह की ओस इकट्ठा कर के पाँच लीटर ओस लानी होगी, जिसे वह फिर मंत्रों से सिद्ध कर देंगे।
रामनाथा को चिंता हुई कि इतनी ओस इकट्ठा करने में तो सालों लग जाएंगे। लेकिन साधु ने उसे समझाया कि वह जितने चाहे उतने केले के पौधे लगा सकता है — बस शर्त यह है कि वह खुद उनकी देखभाल करे और हर सुबह खुद ओस जमा करे।
इस कहानी में एक गहरा संदेश छिपा है — शॉर्टकट की तलाश में भागने से अच्छा है मेहनत और धैर्य से अपना रास्ता बनाना।
MORAL OF THE LESSON
The moral of the story is that hard work, perseverance, and practical effort are more valuable than a quick fix or an illusory pursuit of wealth through magic. Rama Natha’s obsession with a magic potion led him to neglect his actual wealth and resources. The sage’s seemingly difficult task subtly guides him towards productive labor, implying that the real “magic” lies in diligent effort and smart management, not in supernatural shortcuts.
इस कहानी की सीख यह है कि कठिन परिश्रम, लगातार कोशिश और व्यावहारिक मेहनत — किसी भी जादुई उपाय या झूठे सपनों की तुलना में कहीं ज़्यादा कीमती होती है।
रामनाथ जादुई घोल के पीछे इतना पागल हो गया कि उसने अपनी असली दौलत — ज़मीन, संसाधन और रिश्तों — सबको नज़रअंदाज़ कर दिया। साधु ने जो काम उसे सौंपा, वो पहली नज़र में मुश्किल ज़रूर लगा, लेकिन उसी में छुपा था एक गहरा संदेश:
असल जादू तो मेहनत, लगन और समझदारी से काम करने में ही है, न कि किसी चमत्कार की उम्मीद में।
यह कहानी हमें सिखाती है कि जीवन में सफलता पाने के लिए शॉर्टकट नहीं, बल्कि समय, मेहनत और सही दिशा चाहिए।
GLOSSARY
LET US DISCUSS - 1
The “Let us Discuss” section appears after or during a lesson and is designed to encourage student participation, critical thinking, and collaborative learning. It usually contains open-ended questions or discussion prompts related to the story or poem that students have just read.
This section helps learners:
1. Think deeply about the events, characters, and moral of the story.
2. Express their own opinions, feelings, or judgments.
3. Connect the story with their own life or surroundings.
4. Listen to others and build communication skills.
5. Practise speaking English in a meaningful context.
Let us Discuss अनुभाग पाठ के बाद या बीच में आता है, और इसका उद्देश्य छात्रों की भागीदारी, आलोचनात्मक सोच और समूह में मिलकर सीखने को बढ़ावा देना होता है। इसमें आमतौर पर खुले प्रकार के प्रश्न या चर्चा के बिंदु होते हैं, जो कहानी या कविता से संबंधित होते हैं जिसे अभी-अभी पढ़ा गया होता है।
यह अनुभाग छात्रों को निम्नलिखित में मदद करता है:
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कहानी की घटनाओं, पात्रों और नैतिक शिक्षा पर गहराई से सोचने के लिए।
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अपने विचारों, भावनाओं और निर्णयों को व्यक्त करने के लिए।
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कहानी को अपनी निजी ज़िंदगी या आसपास के वातावरण से जोड़ने के लिए।
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दूसरों की बात सुनने और संवाद कौशल विकसित करने के लिए।
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एक अर्थपूर्ण संदर्भ में अंग्रेज़ी बोलने का अभ्यास करने के लिए।
1. What did Rama Natha believe?
ANS. Rama Natha believed in a magic potion that could turn things into gold.
2. How did the sage help Rama Natha?
ANS. The sage helped him by telling him to collect dew from banana leaves for a “magic potion,” making him work hard.
3. Do you think Rama Natha will be able to collect the dew? Give the reason.
ANS. Yes, he should. The sage said he could plant many banana plants, so with effort, he’ll manage to collect itd.
SCHOOL STUFFS 36GARH
LET US DISCUSS - 2
1. Why was Rama Natha was angry?
ANS. Rama Natha was angry because the collected dew could not turn anything into gold, so he thought he was cheated by the sage.
2. How did Rama Natha and Madhumati create wealth?
ANS. Rama Natha and Madhumati created wealth buy selling bananas in the market.
SCHOOL STUFFS 36GARH
LET US THINK AND REFLECT
I. Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.
1. He spent all his time to learn about the magic potion. People cheated him often, promising to tell him about it, but he did not give up. His wife, Madhumati, was tired of this and also worried because she saw how much money Rama Natha was spending. She was sure that soon they would be without money.
(i) Complete the sentence with a suitable reason.
Rama Natha did not ‘give up’ because he was determined to learn about the magic potion.
(ii) Read the column which shows ‘what happened’ and write the correct outcome in the next column.
| WHAT HAPPENED | OUTCOME |
| A. People promised to tell Rama Natha about the magic potion. | He was often cheated by them. |
| B. Rama Natha was spending a lot of money. | His wife, Madhumati, was worried they would soon be without money. |
(iii) Write whether the following statements are True or False.
A. Madhumati was troubled about what her husband did. ✅
B. Rama Natha was very happy digging his fields. ❌
C. The sage wanted to show the right path to Rama Natha. ✅
2. Carefully, he took the bottle to the sage. The sage smiled and muttered something over the water. Then he returned the bottle and said, “Try it out.” Rama Natha sprinkled a few drops on a copper vessel and waited for it to turn to gold. To his surprise nothing happened!
(i) Choose the option that lists the events given below in the correct order.
A. The sage smiled.
B. Rama Natha gave the bottle to the sage.
C. Rama ntha dropped a few drops of water on a copper vessel.
D. He said something in a low voice over the water.
E. Rama Natha waited to see if the magic worked.
(a) A, E, D, B, C
(b) B, A, D, C, E
(c) C, D, A, B, E
(d) A, D, B, E, C
ANSWER :
(b) B, A, D, C, E
(ii) Fill in the blank with the correct word from the lines given above.
Seeing that the plant had dried up, the gardener dropped some water on it.
(iii) How might Rama Natha have felt when nothing happened to the copper vessel?
Rama Natha might have felt surprised, disappointed, confused and angry because he was expecting the magic to work.
SCHOOL STUFFS 36GARH
II. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.
1. What did the sage ask Rama Natha to do to make the magic potion?
ANSWER : The sage asked Rama Natha to plant a banana plant, water it regularly with his own hands, and in winter collect the morning dew from its leaves. He had to collect five litres of dew and bring it to the sage.
2. Why did the sage ask Rama Natha to do everything himself?
ANSWER : The sage wanted Rama Natha to work hard and take responsibility. He knew that only by working on his own land and looking after the plants himself, Rama Natha would understand the value of labour and earn real wealth.
3. How could Rama Natha have a big banana plantation after six years?
ANSWER : Rama Natha started by cleaning his empty fields and planting rows of banana plants. Every year he planted more plants and tended them carefully. Over the years, the plantation grew larger and larger, giving them a big banana farm after six years.
4. How did the sage make Rama Natha believe that there is no magic potion?
ANSWER : When Rama Natha brought the dew after six years, the sage pretended to chant magic words over it and asked him to try it on a copper vessel. When nothing happened, the sage revealed the box of gold coins earned from selling bananas, proving that hard work, not magic, had created the wealth.
5. Fill in the ‘before’ and ‘after’ table about Rama Natha.
ANSWER :
| What he did before meeting the sage | What he did after meeting the sage |
| (i) Spent time and money searching for a magic potion. | Cleaned his fields and planted banana plants. |
| (ii) Ignored his land and wasted money on false promises | Worked hard, tended plants, and earned money from selling bananas |
FOR – LET US LEARN, LET US LISTEN, LET US SPEAK, LET US WRITE AND LET US EXPLORE ACTIVITY, PLEASE CLICK THE LINK GIVEN IN THE BELOW
A BOTTLE OF DEW ACTIVITIES - PART - II
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