West Bengal Board Class 10 English The Passing Away Of Bapu Summary, Lesson Explanation with difficult word meanings from Bliss Book
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The Passing Away Of Bapu West Bengal Board Board Class 10 English
Nayantara Sehgal
The Passing Away Of Bapu Introduction
The lesson “The Passing Away of Bapu” by Nayantara Sehgal tells us about the events following Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on January 30, 1948. The author, along with many others, was shocked and deeply saddened by his death. People gathered in silence at Birla House, where Gandhiji’s body lay. The next day, during the funeral procession, thousands of people mourned and paid their last respects as Gandhiji’s body was carried on an open truck covered with flowers. His ashes were later taken to Allahabad and immersed in the Ganges river. The lesson emphasizes Gandhiji’s lasting impact and how his legacy continues to inspire.
Theme of the Lesson The Passing Away Of Bapu
The theme of “The Passing Away of Bapu” by Nayantara Sehgal revolves around the profound impact of Mahatma Gandhi’s life and death on the people of India. The chapter explores themes of grief, loss, and the sense of direction and purpose that Gandhiji provided to millions. It reflects on the collective mourning and emotional chaos experienced by the nation upon his assassination. The story shows the enduring legacy of Gandhiji’s teachings and principles, emphasizing how his spirit and ideals continue to inspire and guide people even after his physical departure.
The Passing Away Of Bapu Summary
The lesson “The Passing Away of Bapu” by Nayantara Sehgal talks about the author recounts the tragic events following Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on January 30, 1948. The author describes how she was having tea at home when she received a phone call informing her of Gandhi’s shooting. She rushed to Birla House where Gandhi’s body lay, surrounded by mourning relatives and followers. The news spread quickly, and people gathered silently outside, deeply shocked by the loss. The next day, Gandhi’s funeral procession took place, with thousands lining the streets to pay their respects. Padmasi, Mrs. Naidu’s daughter, expressed the sentiment that this would be their last walk with Bapu. The procession was filled with grief as people wept and tried to touch Gandhi’s feet as his body was carried on an open truck covered in flowers. The author reflects on how walking with Gandhi held a special meaning for people, symbolizing their shared journey through India’s challenges and triumphs. Gandhi’s simple act of walking, often the only means available to average Indians, became a powerful symbol of progress and reflection. After the funeral, Gandhi’s ashes were taken by train to Allahabad, accompanied by devotional songs and prayers. Crowds gathered at every station, finding peace in the presence of Gandhi’s spirit amidst the songs and flowers. His ashes were immersed in the Ganges River in a solemn ceremony attended by a large gathering. Back in Delhi, the author felt uncertain without Gandhi’s leadership. She questioned the purpose and strength of her values in Gandhi’s absence but found peace in his legacy. Gandhi’s ideals of compassion and unity continue to inspire millions, ensuring that his vision for India lives on in future generations.
The Passing Away Of Bapu Summary in Hindi
नयनतारा सहगल द्वारा लिखित पाठ “बापू का निधन” । पाठ में 30 जनवरी, 1948 को महात्मा गांधी की हत्या के बाद की दुखद घटनाओं का वर्णन किया गया है। लेखिका बताती हैं कि कैसे वह घर पर चाय पी रही थीं, जब उन्हें एक फोन आया। गांधी की शूटिंग से हत्या कर दो गई थी । वह बिरला हाउस पहुंची जहां गांधी का शव शोक मना रहे रिश्तेदारों और अनुयायियों से घिरा हुआ था। यह खबर तेजी से फैल गई और लोग चुपचाप बाहर जमा हो गए, अगले दिन, हजारों की भीड़ के साथ गांधी का अंतिम संस्कार किया गया श्रीमती नायडू की बेटी पद्मसी ने भावना व्यक्त की कि यह उनकी बापू के साथ अंतिम यात्रा होगी, जुलूस शोक से भर गया और लोग रो पड़े और गांधी के पैर छूने की कोशिश करने लगे । लेखक दर्शाता है कि कैसे गांधी के साथ चलना लोगों के लिए एक विशेष अर्थ रखता था, जो भारत की चुनौतियों और जीत के माध्यम से उनकी साझा यात्रा का प्रतीक था, जो अक्सर औसत भारतीयों के लिए उपलब्ध एकमात्र साधन था। अंतिम संस्कार के बाद, गांधीजी की राख को भक्ति गीतों और प्रार्थनाओं के साथ ट्रेन से इलाहाबाद ले जाया गया। हर स्टेशन पर भीड़ इकट्ठा हो गई और गीतों और फूलों के बीच गांधी की आत्मा की शांति की प्रार्थना की जा रही थी। एक विशाल समारोह में उनकी अस्थियों को गंगा नदी में विसर्जित कर दिया गया, जिसमें एक बड़ी भीड़ मौजूद थी। दिल्ली में, लेखिका गांधी के नेतृत्व के बिना अनिश्चित महसूस करती है। वह गांधी की अनुपस्थिति में अपने मूल्यों के उद्देश्य और ताकत पर सवाल उठाती है लेकिन उनकी विरासत में शांति पाती है। गांधीजी के करुणा और एकता के आदर्श लाखों लोगों को प्रेरित करते हैं, जिससे यह सुनिश्चित होता है कि भारत के लिए उनका दृष्टिकोण भावी पीढ़ियों में जीवित रहेगा।
The Passing Away of Bapu Lesson Explanation
Unit 1
Passage:
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. At the Birla House, Gandhi’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.
Word Meanings:
blur (n): something that cannot be seen clearly
unnatural (adj.): not natural, abnormal
Explanation: The narrator begins by recalling the evening of January 30th, 1948. She was at home, having tea, when she received an urgent phone call. The call informed her that Mahatma Gandhi had been shot on his way to a prayer meeting. Feeling shocked and numb, she quickly got into her car and rushed to Birla House. At Birla House, where Gandhi’s body was placed, his family and followers had gathered. The atmosphere was very quiet as everyone was deeply saddened by Gandhi’s passing. News of his death spread rapidly through Delhi, and many people gathered silently around Birla House. Looking out of the windows, the narrator saw many faces blurred with sadness. There was a strange silence that seemed to fill the air, making it feel like time had stopped for those few moments of mourning and disbelief.
Passage:
The people were too stunned to speak in the beginning. Later they clamored 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. 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.
Word Meanings:
clamored (n): demanded loudly
jostled (v): forced one’s way by pushing
whimpers (v): making low, crying noises
stampede (n): an occasion when many large animals or many people suddenly all move quickly and in an uncontrolled way
mourning (n): the period or time during which a death is officially mourned
Explanation: Upon learning of Gandhi’s death, at first, everyone was too shocked to say anything. Later, they became very emotional, shouting and crying loudly. They even pushed each other in a rush to get into the house where Gandhi’s body was. When it was announced that they could see Gandhi before his funeral, they calmed down a bit. Many people were deeply affected by Gandhi’s death and wondered what would happen to them now that he was gone. They looked lost and sad, feeling like children who had lost their way. Everyone listened quietly as the news spread across India that their beloved Bapu was no longer alive.
Unit 2
Passage:
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.
Word Meanings:
procession (n): a group of people moving forward in a ceremonial manner
agonizing (adj.): causing acute mental pain
Explanation: After Gandhi’s death, his funeral was scheduled for the following day. Hours before the ceremony, crowds gathered along the route it would take. Padmasi, the daughter of Mrs. Naidu, spoke for all of them, when she said they would walk together for the last time with Bapu. The atmosphere was heavy as thousands silently watched the procession. Gandhi’s body lay on an open truck adorned and covered with flowers, and many cried openly, attempting to touch his feet as a final tribute. The huge crowd made movement difficult, reflecting the deep sorrow and respect people felt for their departed leader.
Passage:
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.
Word Meanings:
staff (n): walking-stick
clarity (n): ability to clearly think about or understand something
commonplace (n): ordinary
horizon (n): the line where the sky meets the earth
Explanation: During the procession, the narrator realized that walking alongside Gandhi meant more than just being sad about his death. It symbolized their shared journey through India’s recent history, through both good times and challenges. The narrator and others couldn’t accept that Gandhi, who had led them through so much difficulty, would never walk with them again. Gandhi’s small figure with his stick had walked across much of India, showing leadership and determination. Walking is seen as a slow but meaningful way to move forward, giving clarity of thought and a close connection to everything around. For many Indians, walking was the only option, requiring only their own energy. Gandhi turned this necessity and need into something joyful for the nation.
Unit 3
Passage:
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.
Word Meanings:
decked (n): decorated
weep (v): to cry tears
bhajans (n): singing devotional songs and hymns
sorrowful (adj.): feeling sorrow, sad
Explanation: After Mahatma Gandhi’s funeral, his ashes were taken by a special train to Allahabad. The train compartment was adorned with flowers, creating a peaceful atmosphere. People on the train sang bhajans (devotional songs), feeling Gandhi’s presence among them through the songs and flowers. As the train stopped at various stations, large crowds gathered with sorrowful hearts. Finally, in Allahabad, thousands had gathered at the banks of the Ganges. During prayers and songs, Gandhi’s ashes were immersed in the holy river. After the rituals, everyone returned to Delhi, marking the completion of this journey of remembrance and farewell.
Passage:
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. 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.
Bapu had passed away but his India would continue to live in his children.
Word Meanings:
indifference (n): lack of interest
onlookers (n): someone who watches an event take place but is not a part of it
Explanation: Upon returning to Delhi, the narrator, a woman, felt lost and unsure. Unlike many who walked with Gandhiji or sacrificed for the country, she and her sisters had been just watching their sacrifices for the country. Losing Gandhiji felt like losing a protective circle they grew up in. The narrator wondered if Gandhiji’s life and death had been a waste. Despite her doubts, she realized Gandhiji’s impact wasn’t in waste. He united millions, awakening them from indifference to each other’s suffering. Even without Gandhiji, the youth stood strong and proud, carrying forward his ideals. Though Bapu was gone, his spirit continued to live on in India’s heart, and his legacy remained with them.
