Bepin Choudhury's Lapse of Memory Summary Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 3

Key Points of the Story

• Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory is written by Satyajit Ray. 
• It is a humorous story about a man, Bepin Choudhury. 
• He is the protagonist of the story who thinks he is sick. 
• He meets people who tell him about an incident which he does not remember at all. 
• This confuses Bepin a lot because he feels only one memory is missing. 
• He remembers everything well but not what the other gentlemen convince him of. 
• Thus, it is convincing enough for him that he has gotten a lapse of memory. 
• The whole story follows all the events and his journey to find out the truth. 
• However, we come to know at the end that it was all made up. 
• His old friend played a practical joke on him out of spite. 
• Bepin did not help his friend in need so his friend did all this. 
• It was all a set up all along, Bepin was always fine.

Detailed Summary

Every Monday, Bepin Choudhury used to come to the New Market to buy books. His favourite items were crime stories, ghost stories and thrillers. He lived alone. He had not many friends. One day Bepin Babu found in the market that someone was observing him. It was a round faced man. The man saw him and smiled. But Bepin Babu could not recognise him. He reminded Bepin Babu that once he had been to Ranchi in 1958. The man had arranged a car for him to take him to the Hudroo Falls. His name was Parimal Ghose.

But Bepin's memory played a trick on him. He was sure that he had never been to Ranchi. Parimal was surprised. He gave several instances in his support. Bepin, he said, had fallen down in Hudroo and got a cut on his knee. He had brought him iodine. He had fixed up a car for him to get to Netarhat.
There was one Dinesh Mukerji also in whose bungalow Bepin Babu had stayed. Bepin always carried a book bag at his sight seeing trips. But nothing could revise Bepin’s   memory. He said that he was in Kanpur in 1958. Parimal told that Bepin had no children and his wife had died 10 years ago. The same year his brother died in Ranchi mental hospital. But Bepin could not recollect any such event.

Bepin believed that he had an excellent memory. He was working daily in his office and doing a responsible job. He wondered how Parimal knew all intimate details about his wife’s death, and his brother’s insanity. But at the same time, he was sure that he was not in Ranchi but at his friend Haridas Bagchi’s house in Kanpur during the Pujas. He could write to Haridas to confirm his visit, but Haridas had already left for Japan. He found an inch-long cut mark on his knee, but he couldn’t recall when and where he had got the cut.

Then Bepin decided to go to Dinesh Mukerji’s house to confirm Parimal’s claim. But he dropped the idea lest Dinesh should think he had gone mad. He soon forgot all about Parmial and went to sleep.

Next day Bepin rang up Dinesh who confirmed him that he was there in Ranchi. He felt that he had lost his memory.
After Bepin Babu took lunch, Chuni Babu came to see him. He was his school-mate. He wondered how he had forgotten his visit to Ranchi. He hadn't suffered any injury in the head.

Chuni Babu had been to his school and was requesting him for a job. When Chuni Babu asked him what his last job was, Bepin told correctly that his (Chuni’s) last job was in a travel agency. Chuni recalled that he himself had fixed up Bepin's railway booking in Ranchi and gone to station to see him off. He left him  without requesting for a job.

Now Bepin Babu became serious about this matter. He consulted a young physician Paresh Chanda. Paresh suggested a plan. Bepin should go to Ranchi once again and might get back his lost memory. Bepin left for Ranchi the same evening.

At Ranchi Bepin Babu realised that he had never been there before. He didn’t recognise any building or bazaar. He left for Hundroo falls. There two Gujrati gentlemen found Bepin lying unconscious beside a rock. Bepin Babu returned to Calcutta. He received a letter, urgent and confidential. The letter was from Chuni lal. He said he was down on luck. But he had written a novel which might bring him fortune.

Bepin’s memory suddenly came back. He told Dr Chanda that he had pain in the hip from a fall in Ranchi. He asked the doctor to prescribe some pain killer.

Theme/Message

Difficult Words

• Thrillers– a novel, play or film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage
• Close quarters– very near to a person or thing
• Idle chat- unnecessary; routine conversation
• Meek– quiet; humble 
• Bawarchi– hindi word for a cook 
• Utter disbelief– complete surprise 
• Intruder– a person who intrudes
• Inconceivable– not capable of being imagined or grasped mentally; unbelievable
• Head reeled– he was shocked and confused 
• Deliberate– done consciously and intentionally 
• Bracing– stimulating
• Lingered– spend a long time over something
• Hastings– rapidity of action or motion 
• Ruthless– having or showing no pity or compassion for others
• Getting into other people’s hair- to annoy or bother someone 
• Snuggling– settle or move into a warm, comfortable position 
• Sleuthing– carry out a search or investigation in the manner of a detective 
• Conscientious– careful and correct
• Head was in a whirl– confused and able to think clearly (here) 
• Wits– intelligence
• Tried to gather his wits together- make an effort to become calm and think clearly
• Utterly– absolutely 
• Didn’t beat about the bush– came straight to the point 
• Incredulous– unbelieving or doubtful
• Sighed– emit a long, deep audible breath expressing sadness, relief, tiredness, or similar
• Shook his head– an act to show agreement 
• Tranquilliser– a medicine to reduce stress and anxiety
• Procured– got (with a little difficulty) 
• Boulder– a very big rock
• Came round– regained consciousness