NCERT Textbook: Transcripts | English Poorvi Class 8 - New NCERT PDF Download

 Page 1


250
MAGNIFYING GLASS
Let us listen (refer to page 227)
I You will listen to a conversation between a father and daughter about 
lesser-known Indian inventions. As you listen, mark the four true 
statements from 1–6 given below.
Daughter :  Papa, everyone talks about how yoga and the 
concept of zero came from India, but I recently 
found out there are so many more inventions that 
people don’t really know about!
Father  : Oh really? Like what?
Daughter :   Well, did you know that radio broadcasting has 
roots in India? We usually credit Marconi, but 
Jagadish Chandra Bose, a Bengali scientist, actually 
conducted an experiment using microwaves 
before Marconi. 
Father  :  Wow, I didn’t know that! That’s incredible. I can 
recollect something about fibre optics.
Daughter :  Yes! You’re absolutely right Papa. Can you 
imagine life without fibre optics? No fast internet, 
no clear communication… And guess what? It 
was pioneered by Narinder Kapany, an Indian 
physicist from Punjab. He’s called the ‘father of 
fibre optics.’
Father  :  That’s something I use every day, but I just had an 
idea that the origins were in India. What about fun 
things? Any of those that you’ve found out about?
Daughter :  Yes indeed! You’ll love this one—Snakes and 
Ladders! It was actually invented as a game to 
teach children values, with ladders representing 
virtues and snakes representing evil. It wasn’t 
just a board game like we think today. It had a 
spiritual meaning in ancient times.
Unit 5.indd   250 13-05-2025   15:42:39
Page 2


250
MAGNIFYING GLASS
Let us listen (refer to page 227)
I You will listen to a conversation between a father and daughter about 
lesser-known Indian inventions. As you listen, mark the four true 
statements from 1–6 given below.
Daughter :  Papa, everyone talks about how yoga and the 
concept of zero came from India, but I recently 
found out there are so many more inventions that 
people don’t really know about!
Father  : Oh really? Like what?
Daughter :   Well, did you know that radio broadcasting has 
roots in India? We usually credit Marconi, but 
Jagadish Chandra Bose, a Bengali scientist, actually 
conducted an experiment using microwaves 
before Marconi. 
Father  :  Wow, I didn’t know that! That’s incredible. I can 
recollect something about fibre optics.
Daughter :  Yes! You’re absolutely right Papa. Can you 
imagine life without fibre optics? No fast internet, 
no clear communication… And guess what? It 
was pioneered by Narinder Kapany, an Indian 
physicist from Punjab. He’s called the ‘father of 
fibre optics.’
Father  :  That’s something I use every day, but I just had an 
idea that the origins were in India. What about fun 
things? Any of those that you’ve found out about?
Daughter :  Yes indeed! You’ll love this one—Snakes and 
Ladders! It was actually invented as a game to 
teach children values, with ladders representing 
virtues and snakes representing evil. It wasn’t 
just a board game like we think today. It had a 
spiritual meaning in ancient times.
Unit 5.indd   250 13-05-2025   15:42:39
251
Father  :  So even that simple game had such deep roots. 
Let me tell you about one that I just remembered.
Daughter : Of course! I’d love to know.
Father  :  Well, the USB port, something we rely on all the 
time to connect devices, was invented by Ajay 
Bhatt. He’s an Indian-born engineer who helped 
revolutionise the way we use technology.
Daughter :  That’s amazing. USB is such a basic part of life 
now. It’s hard to imagine a time without it. 
Father  :  That’s incredible. And all this from India. I 
definitely learned a lot from this conversation.
Adapted from— https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5rnsYs1QcP-
B7CsyjzvTcmjf/7-surprising-things-india-has-given-the-world
Unit 5.indd   251 13-05-2025   15:42:40