Introduction
The story "Gopal and the Hilsa-fish" is about Gopal and a Hilsa-fish. The story is written in the form of comic strip style. Comic strip style is a sequence of drawings drawn to describe the story in an interesting way. It helps the readers to understand the story more easily.
The story "Gopal and the Hilsa-fish" narrates the intelligence of Gopal. The story begins with an image of fishermen fishing at the sea; it was the season for Hilsa-fish. Everyone, including the courtiers at the palace, was talking about the fish. Eventually, the king got fed up hearing about the fish and, as a result, he throws a challenge at Gopal.
Summary
It was the season for hilsa-fish. During this season people talked about nothing but hilsa-fish. Even in the royal court, courtiers were talking about Hillsa which made the king lose his temper. He challenged Gopal, one of the intelligent courtiers that even he could not stop anyone from talking about Hilsa-fish just for five minutes. Gopal accepted the challenge willingly.
Gopal went home. He half-shaved his face and smeared himself with ash. He put on torn clothes. His wife stopped him from going out in those disgraceful rags. But Gopal went out to buy a hilsa-fish. He bought one and started for the palace. A child said that he was a joker. Some said that he was a mad man while some declared him a saint.
When he reached the court, he wasn't allowed to meet the king owing to his disgraceful and funny looks. He started to dance and sing loudly. When the king heard the noise, he ordered his guards to bring the man to him. The king recognised him. He asked him why he was dressed up in that laughable fashion. Gopal said that it was strange that no one seemed to be interested in hilsa-fish. From the market to the court, nobody spoke about the hilsa-fish. After listening this, the king started laughing and also congratulated Gopal for achieving the impossible.
Theme / Message
Gopal is a courtier in the court. The king challenges Gopal to bring Hilsa fish in the palace without getting hyped about it. Gopal accepts the challenge. A few days later, Gopal gets half-shaven and smears ash on his face and takes on torn and dirty clothes. The lesson tells us about - Gopal and the Hilsa Fish is nothing is impossible in the world. Smart people will make intelligent decisions, and that's the most crucial factor in how things turn out good for you. Smart people can achieve anything in the world with his or her intelligence.
List of Difficult Words with Meanings
Courtier - A person who attends a royal court as an adviser to the king or queen.
Rag - A piece of old cloth
Downcast - Looking downwards
Fish Monger - a person or shop that sells fish or food.
Ridiculous - Something that deserves to be laughed at.