NCERT Textbook - Jalebis | English (It so Happened) Class 8 PDF Download

 Page 1


I
• An honest boy is on his way to school carrying money in his pocket
to pay the school fees.
• The sight of crisp, syrupy jalebis in the market excites him and
the coins in his pocket begin to jingle.
• After a long debate with himself, he yields to the sweet
temptation.
IT happened many years ago. I was in the fifth standard at the
government school, Kambelpur, now called Atak. One day, I went
to school with four rupees in my pocket to pay the school fees and
the fund. When I got there I found that the teacher who collected
the fees, Master Ghulam Mohammed, was on leave and so the fees
would be collected the next day. All through the day the coins simply
sat in my pocket, but once school got over and I was outside, they
began to speak.
All right. Coins don’t talk. They jingle or go khanak-khanak.
But I’m telling you, that day they actually spoke! One coin said,
“What are you thinking about? Those fresh, hot jalebis coming out
of the kadhao in the shop over there, they’re not coming out for
nothing. Jalebis are meant to be eaten and only those with money
Jalebis
7
khanak-khanak: sound of jingling of coins  jalebis: syrupy Indian sweet  kadhao: large,
open pot for cooking/boiling
Reprint 2024-25
Page 2


I
• An honest boy is on his way to school carrying money in his pocket
to pay the school fees.
• The sight of crisp, syrupy jalebis in the market excites him and
the coins in his pocket begin to jingle.
• After a long debate with himself, he yields to the sweet
temptation.
IT happened many years ago. I was in the fifth standard at the
government school, Kambelpur, now called Atak. One day, I went
to school with four rupees in my pocket to pay the school fees and
the fund. When I got there I found that the teacher who collected
the fees, Master Ghulam Mohammed, was on leave and so the fees
would be collected the next day. All through the day the coins simply
sat in my pocket, but once school got over and I was outside, they
began to speak.
All right. Coins don’t talk. They jingle or go khanak-khanak.
But I’m telling you, that day they actually spoke! One coin said,
“What are you thinking about? Those fresh, hot jalebis coming out
of the kadhao in the shop over there, they’re not coming out for
nothing. Jalebis are meant to be eaten and only those with money
Jalebis
7
khanak-khanak: sound of jingling of coins  jalebis: syrupy Indian sweet  kadhao: large,
open pot for cooking/boiling
Reprint 2024-25
It so happened...
56 56 56 56 56
clamour: loud noise
in their pocket can eat them, And money isn’t for nothing. Money
is meant to be spent and only they spend it, who like jalebis.”
“Look here, you four rupees, I said to them. I am a good boy.
Don’t misguide me or it won’t be good for you. I get so much at
home that I consider even looking at something in the bazaar a sin.
Besides, you are my fees and fund money. If I spend you today,
then how shall I show my face to Master Ghulam Mohammed in
school tomorrow and after that to Allah miyan at Qayamat? You
probably don’t know it but when Master Ghulam Mohammed gets
angry and makes you stand on the bench, he simply forgets to let
you sit till the last bell rings. So it’s best you stop chewing at my
ears like this and let me go home straight.”
The coins disliked what I’d said so much that all of them began
to speak at the same time. There was such a clamour that passersby
in the bazaar stared, eyes wide with surprise, at me and my pocket.
The coin of those days, the wretched thing, made so much more
noise too! Finally, in a panic, I grabbed all four of them and held
them tight in my fist and then they were silent.
Reprint 2024-25
Page 3


I
• An honest boy is on his way to school carrying money in his pocket
to pay the school fees.
• The sight of crisp, syrupy jalebis in the market excites him and
the coins in his pocket begin to jingle.
• After a long debate with himself, he yields to the sweet
temptation.
IT happened many years ago. I was in the fifth standard at the
government school, Kambelpur, now called Atak. One day, I went
to school with four rupees in my pocket to pay the school fees and
the fund. When I got there I found that the teacher who collected
the fees, Master Ghulam Mohammed, was on leave and so the fees
would be collected the next day. All through the day the coins simply
sat in my pocket, but once school got over and I was outside, they
began to speak.
All right. Coins don’t talk. They jingle or go khanak-khanak.
But I’m telling you, that day they actually spoke! One coin said,
“What are you thinking about? Those fresh, hot jalebis coming out
of the kadhao in the shop over there, they’re not coming out for
nothing. Jalebis are meant to be eaten and only those with money
Jalebis
7
khanak-khanak: sound of jingling of coins  jalebis: syrupy Indian sweet  kadhao: large,
open pot for cooking/boiling
Reprint 2024-25
It so happened...
56 56 56 56 56
clamour: loud noise
in their pocket can eat them, And money isn’t for nothing. Money
is meant to be spent and only they spend it, who like jalebis.”
“Look here, you four rupees, I said to them. I am a good boy.
Don’t misguide me or it won’t be good for you. I get so much at
home that I consider even looking at something in the bazaar a sin.
Besides, you are my fees and fund money. If I spend you today,
then how shall I show my face to Master Ghulam Mohammed in
school tomorrow and after that to Allah miyan at Qayamat? You
probably don’t know it but when Master Ghulam Mohammed gets
angry and makes you stand on the bench, he simply forgets to let
you sit till the last bell rings. So it’s best you stop chewing at my
ears like this and let me go home straight.”
The coins disliked what I’d said so much that all of them began
to speak at the same time. There was such a clamour that passersby
in the bazaar stared, eyes wide with surprise, at me and my pocket.
The coin of those days, the wretched thing, made so much more
noise too! Finally, in a panic, I grabbed all four of them and held
them tight in my fist and then they were silent.
Reprint 2024-25
Jalebis
57 57 57 57 57
After taking a few steps, I loosened my grip. Immediately, the
oldest coin said, “Here we are trying to tell you something for your
own good and you try to strangle us instead. Tell me honestly now,
don’t you feel like eating those hot, hot jalebis? And then, if you do
end up spending us for today, won’t you get the scholarship money
tomorrow? Sweets with the fees money, fees with the scholarship
money. End of story! Kissa khatam, paisa hazam.”
What you’re saying isn’t right, I replied, but it isn’t that wrong
either. Listen. Stop blabbering and let me think. I am not a common
sort of boy. But then, these jalebis are no common sort of jalebis
either. They’re crisp, fresh and full of sweet syrup.
My mouth watered, but I wasn’t about to be swept away so easily.
In school I was among the most promising students. In the fourth
standard exams, I had even won a scholarship of four rupees a
month. Besides, I came from a particularly well-to-do family, so I
enjoyed considerable prestige. I’d never once been beaten so far. On
the contrary, Masterji had got me to beat the other boys. For a child
of such status, standing there in the middle of the bazaar eating
jalebis? No. It wasn’t right, I decided. I clenched the rupiyas in my
fist and came home.
Kissa khatam paisa hazam: end of story (literally: story ends, money disappears)
blabbering: talking confusedly  prestige: respect
Reprint 2024-25
Page 4


I
• An honest boy is on his way to school carrying money in his pocket
to pay the school fees.
• The sight of crisp, syrupy jalebis in the market excites him and
the coins in his pocket begin to jingle.
• After a long debate with himself, he yields to the sweet
temptation.
IT happened many years ago. I was in the fifth standard at the
government school, Kambelpur, now called Atak. One day, I went
to school with four rupees in my pocket to pay the school fees and
the fund. When I got there I found that the teacher who collected
the fees, Master Ghulam Mohammed, was on leave and so the fees
would be collected the next day. All through the day the coins simply
sat in my pocket, but once school got over and I was outside, they
began to speak.
All right. Coins don’t talk. They jingle or go khanak-khanak.
But I’m telling you, that day they actually spoke! One coin said,
“What are you thinking about? Those fresh, hot jalebis coming out
of the kadhao in the shop over there, they’re not coming out for
nothing. Jalebis are meant to be eaten and only those with money
Jalebis
7
khanak-khanak: sound of jingling of coins  jalebis: syrupy Indian sweet  kadhao: large,
open pot for cooking/boiling
Reprint 2024-25
It so happened...
56 56 56 56 56
clamour: loud noise
in their pocket can eat them, And money isn’t for nothing. Money
is meant to be spent and only they spend it, who like jalebis.”
“Look here, you four rupees, I said to them. I am a good boy.
Don’t misguide me or it won’t be good for you. I get so much at
home that I consider even looking at something in the bazaar a sin.
Besides, you are my fees and fund money. If I spend you today,
then how shall I show my face to Master Ghulam Mohammed in
school tomorrow and after that to Allah miyan at Qayamat? You
probably don’t know it but when Master Ghulam Mohammed gets
angry and makes you stand on the bench, he simply forgets to let
you sit till the last bell rings. So it’s best you stop chewing at my
ears like this and let me go home straight.”
The coins disliked what I’d said so much that all of them began
to speak at the same time. There was such a clamour that passersby
in the bazaar stared, eyes wide with surprise, at me and my pocket.
The coin of those days, the wretched thing, made so much more
noise too! Finally, in a panic, I grabbed all four of them and held
them tight in my fist and then they were silent.
Reprint 2024-25
Jalebis
57 57 57 57 57
After taking a few steps, I loosened my grip. Immediately, the
oldest coin said, “Here we are trying to tell you something for your
own good and you try to strangle us instead. Tell me honestly now,
don’t you feel like eating those hot, hot jalebis? And then, if you do
end up spending us for today, won’t you get the scholarship money
tomorrow? Sweets with the fees money, fees with the scholarship
money. End of story! Kissa khatam, paisa hazam.”
What you’re saying isn’t right, I replied, but it isn’t that wrong
either. Listen. Stop blabbering and let me think. I am not a common
sort of boy. But then, these jalebis are no common sort of jalebis
either. They’re crisp, fresh and full of sweet syrup.
My mouth watered, but I wasn’t about to be swept away so easily.
In school I was among the most promising students. In the fourth
standard exams, I had even won a scholarship of four rupees a
month. Besides, I came from a particularly well-to-do family, so I
enjoyed considerable prestige. I’d never once been beaten so far. On
the contrary, Masterji had got me to beat the other boys. For a child
of such status, standing there in the middle of the bazaar eating
jalebis? No. It wasn’t right, I decided. I clenched the rupiyas in my
fist and came home.
Kissa khatam paisa hazam: end of story (literally: story ends, money disappears)
blabbering: talking confusedly  prestige: respect
Reprint 2024-25
It so happened...
58 58 58 58 58
The coins were so keen on being spent that day, they kept up
their attempts at persuasion till their voices began to choke. When
I reached home and sat on the bed, they began to speak. I went
inside to have lunch, they began to shriek. Thoroughly fed up, I
rushed out of the house barefoot and ran towards the bazaar.
Terrified I was, but quickly I told the halwai to weigh a whole rupee
worth of jalebis. His astonished look seemed to be asking where I
had the handcart in which I would carry all those jalebis. Those
were inexpensive times. One rupee fetched more than twenty rupees
does nowadays. The halwai opened up a whole newspaper and
heaped a pile of jalebis on it.
Comprehension Check
1. Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day he brought money to
school?
2. (i) What were the coins ‘saying’ to him?
(ii) Do you think they were misguiding him?
3. Why didn’t he take the coins’ advice? Give two or three reasons.
4. (i) What did the oldest coin tell him?
(ii) Did he follow his advice? If not, why not?
5. He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened then?
II
• A heap of jalebis he eats, and shares them liberally with one and
all.
• Though penniless now, he feels no less important than a mob
leader.
• The real problem at hand is payment of school fees on time.
Just as I was gathering up the heap, in the distance I spotted our
tonga. Chachajaan was returning from Court. I clutched the jalebis
to my chest and ran into a gali. When I reached a safe corner, I
began to devour the jalebis. I ate so many... so many jalebis that if
anyone pressed my stomach a little, jalebis would have popped out
of my ears and nostrils.
persuasion: coaxing  halwai: sweetmeat seller  tonga: two-wheeled, horse-drawn
vehicle  gali: narrow lane
Reprint 2024-25
Page 5


I
• An honest boy is on his way to school carrying money in his pocket
to pay the school fees.
• The sight of crisp, syrupy jalebis in the market excites him and
the coins in his pocket begin to jingle.
• After a long debate with himself, he yields to the sweet
temptation.
IT happened many years ago. I was in the fifth standard at the
government school, Kambelpur, now called Atak. One day, I went
to school with four rupees in my pocket to pay the school fees and
the fund. When I got there I found that the teacher who collected
the fees, Master Ghulam Mohammed, was on leave and so the fees
would be collected the next day. All through the day the coins simply
sat in my pocket, but once school got over and I was outside, they
began to speak.
All right. Coins don’t talk. They jingle or go khanak-khanak.
But I’m telling you, that day they actually spoke! One coin said,
“What are you thinking about? Those fresh, hot jalebis coming out
of the kadhao in the shop over there, they’re not coming out for
nothing. Jalebis are meant to be eaten and only those with money
Jalebis
7
khanak-khanak: sound of jingling of coins  jalebis: syrupy Indian sweet  kadhao: large,
open pot for cooking/boiling
Reprint 2024-25
It so happened...
56 56 56 56 56
clamour: loud noise
in their pocket can eat them, And money isn’t for nothing. Money
is meant to be spent and only they spend it, who like jalebis.”
“Look here, you four rupees, I said to them. I am a good boy.
Don’t misguide me or it won’t be good for you. I get so much at
home that I consider even looking at something in the bazaar a sin.
Besides, you are my fees and fund money. If I spend you today,
then how shall I show my face to Master Ghulam Mohammed in
school tomorrow and after that to Allah miyan at Qayamat? You
probably don’t know it but when Master Ghulam Mohammed gets
angry and makes you stand on the bench, he simply forgets to let
you sit till the last bell rings. So it’s best you stop chewing at my
ears like this and let me go home straight.”
The coins disliked what I’d said so much that all of them began
to speak at the same time. There was such a clamour that passersby
in the bazaar stared, eyes wide with surprise, at me and my pocket.
The coin of those days, the wretched thing, made so much more
noise too! Finally, in a panic, I grabbed all four of them and held
them tight in my fist and then they were silent.
Reprint 2024-25
Jalebis
57 57 57 57 57
After taking a few steps, I loosened my grip. Immediately, the
oldest coin said, “Here we are trying to tell you something for your
own good and you try to strangle us instead. Tell me honestly now,
don’t you feel like eating those hot, hot jalebis? And then, if you do
end up spending us for today, won’t you get the scholarship money
tomorrow? Sweets with the fees money, fees with the scholarship
money. End of story! Kissa khatam, paisa hazam.”
What you’re saying isn’t right, I replied, but it isn’t that wrong
either. Listen. Stop blabbering and let me think. I am not a common
sort of boy. But then, these jalebis are no common sort of jalebis
either. They’re crisp, fresh and full of sweet syrup.
My mouth watered, but I wasn’t about to be swept away so easily.
In school I was among the most promising students. In the fourth
standard exams, I had even won a scholarship of four rupees a
month. Besides, I came from a particularly well-to-do family, so I
enjoyed considerable prestige. I’d never once been beaten so far. On
the contrary, Masterji had got me to beat the other boys. For a child
of such status, standing there in the middle of the bazaar eating
jalebis? No. It wasn’t right, I decided. I clenched the rupiyas in my
fist and came home.
Kissa khatam paisa hazam: end of story (literally: story ends, money disappears)
blabbering: talking confusedly  prestige: respect
Reprint 2024-25
It so happened...
58 58 58 58 58
The coins were so keen on being spent that day, they kept up
their attempts at persuasion till their voices began to choke. When
I reached home and sat on the bed, they began to speak. I went
inside to have lunch, they began to shriek. Thoroughly fed up, I
rushed out of the house barefoot and ran towards the bazaar.
Terrified I was, but quickly I told the halwai to weigh a whole rupee
worth of jalebis. His astonished look seemed to be asking where I
had the handcart in which I would carry all those jalebis. Those
were inexpensive times. One rupee fetched more than twenty rupees
does nowadays. The halwai opened up a whole newspaper and
heaped a pile of jalebis on it.
Comprehension Check
1. Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day he brought money to
school?
2. (i) What were the coins ‘saying’ to him?
(ii) Do you think they were misguiding him?
3. Why didn’t he take the coins’ advice? Give two or three reasons.
4. (i) What did the oldest coin tell him?
(ii) Did he follow his advice? If not, why not?
5. He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened then?
II
• A heap of jalebis he eats, and shares them liberally with one and
all.
• Though penniless now, he feels no less important than a mob
leader.
• The real problem at hand is payment of school fees on time.
Just as I was gathering up the heap, in the distance I spotted our
tonga. Chachajaan was returning from Court. I clutched the jalebis
to my chest and ran into a gali. When I reached a safe corner, I
began to devour the jalebis. I ate so many... so many jalebis that if
anyone pressed my stomach a little, jalebis would have popped out
of my ears and nostrils.
persuasion: coaxing  halwai: sweetmeat seller  tonga: two-wheeled, horse-drawn
vehicle  gali: narrow lane
Reprint 2024-25
Jalebis
59 59 59 59 59
chabutara: platform  assault: attack  jalebi-wielding hand: the hand that held jalebis
Very quickly, boys from the entire neighbourhood assembled in
the gali. By that time I was so pleased with my stomach full of
jalebis that I got into the mood for some fun. I started handing out
jalebis to the children around. Delighted they ran off, jumping and
screaming, into the galis. Soon a whole lot of other children appeared,
probably having heard the good news from the others. I dashed to
the halwai and bought one more rupee’s worth of jalebis, came
back and stood on the chabutara of one of the houses, liberally
distributing jalebis to the children just like the Governor saheb
used to distribute rice to the poor and needy on Independence day.
By now there was a huge mob of children around me. The beggars
too launched an assault! If children could be elected to the Assembly,
my success would have been assured that day. Because one little
signal from my jalebi-wielding hand and the mob would have been
willing to kill and get killed for me. I bought jalebis for the remaining
two rupees as well and distributed them. Then I washed my hands
and mouth at the public tap and returned home, putting on such
an innocent face, as if I hadn’t even seen the hint of a jalebi all my
Reprint 2024-25