Chapter-8

Jalebis
Author introduction
Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi was born in the Anga village in the Khushab district on 20th
November 1916. He was a well-known writer in Urdu literature. Qasmi was not only
a poet but also a journalist, literary critic, and dramatist.
 
Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi was the author of many short stories that got enormous
popularity in Pakistan and other countries. He wrote around fifty books on different
topics such as poetry, fiction, criticism, and journalism. Qasmi was considered a notable
person in Urdu literature and greatly appreciated by the large community of readers. His
poetry of humanism distinguished him from the other Urdu writers and poets.

Some of his prestigious awards are,

 Pride of Performance Award by President of Pakistan (1968)

 Sitara-i-Imtiaz by President of Pakistan (1980)

 
Some of his short story collections are,

 Chopaal
 Afsanay
 Summary of Jalebis
 The Jalebis summary focuses on an honest boy who is on his way to school.
Furthermore, this boy is carrying money with him to pay the school fees. Moreover, a
sight of crisp jalebis raises an excitement in him. There was the jingling of coins in his
pocket. The boy then gives in to the temptation of eating jalebis. Consequently, he
bought a large number of jalebis to enjoy. The following day, the problem of paying
school fees came up. The boy became scared and remorseful. In this troublesome period,
he began praying to God so as to provide him with some help. He waits in hope for a
miracle to happen but nothing happens. Eventually, the boy gets into trouble and learns
an important lesson. Most noteworthy, he learns the difference between what is fanciful
and what is factual. Also, he learns that everything happens for a reason.

Moral of the lesson Jalebis

The Jalebis summary teaches us that lying may get us in trouble such that even
God might not help.

Glossary
S.N
Words Meanings
o
A light ringing sound such as that made by metal objects being
1 Jingle
shaken together
2 Khanak-khanak Sound of jingling of coins
3 Jalebis An Indian sweet made of a coil of batter-fried and steeped in syrup
4 Kadhao A large, open pot used for cooking or boiling something
5 Misguide Leading or guiding someone in a wrong way
   6 Bazaar A market place
7 Sin An offence of breaking, a religious or moral law
8 Dislike Not like someone or something
Look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something with one's eyes
9 Stare
wide open
10 Pile A heap of things laid or lying one on top of another
A sudden strong feeling of fear that prevents reasonable thought and
11 Panic
action
12 Fist A hand with the fingers and thumb held tightly in
13 Grab Grasp or seize suddenly and roughly
14 Clamour To make a loud complaint or demand
15 Grip  Take and keep a firm hold of; grasp tightly 
A grant or payment made to support the student's education based on
16 Scholarship  
their academic or other achievement 
17 Blabbering   Talk foolishly, mindlessly, or excessively 
Respect and admiration are given to someone or something, usually
18 Prestige 
because of a reputation for high quality, success, or social influence 
To close or hold something very tightly, often in a determined or angry
19 Clench 
way 
The action or fact of persuading someone or of being persuaded to do
20 Persuasion  
or believe something
Utter a high-pitched, piercing sound or words, especially as an
21 Shriek 
expression of terror, pain, or excitement 
22 Halwai   Sweetmeat seller  
23 Astonish  Surprise or impress someone greatly 
A small vehicle with two wheels and two long handles that is pushed
24 Handcart  
or pulled with your hands, used for carrying goods 
25 Inexpensive   Not costing a great deal; cheap 
26 Heap   A disorderly collection of objects placed on top of each other 
27 Barefoot   Wearing nothing on the feet 
28 Tonga  A light horse-drawn two-wheeled vehicle used in India  
29 Chachajaan   Uncle in Urdu  
30 Clutch  Grasp or seize something tightly or eagerly  
31 Gali  Narrow lane  
32 Devour   To eat something eagerly and in large amounts so that nothing is left  
33 Pop  Bulge outward 
Two external openings of the nasal cavity in vertebrates admit air to
34 Nostrils 
the lungs and smells to the olfactory nerves 
35 Neighbourhood   An area of a town, or the people who live or work in this area 
36 Assault  Make a physical attack on someone or something 
37 Summon  To order someone to come to or be present at a particular place  
38 Chabutara  A raised platform 
A large crowd of people, especially one that is disorderly and intent on
39 Mob  
causing trouble or violence  
40 Burp  Noisily release air from the stomach through the mouth 
41 Shower   A lot of small objects or drops of liquid coming through the air 
42 Virtuous   Having or showing high moral standards 
43 Head  Going in a particular direction 
44 Recess  A break from doing something or a short interval 
45 Tuck   To put something into a safe or convenient place 
46 Farishta   An angel 
47 Instruction   A direction or order 
48 Wonder Desire or be curious to know something 
49 Unfortunate   Having or marked by bad fortune; unlucky 
To bend your knees and lower yourself so that you are close to the
50 Crouch
ground and leaning forward slightly 
51 Desert   Having no people or things in it; empty 
Cause or arrange for something to take place at a time later than that
52 Postpone 
first scheduled 
53 Cane  To hit someone with a long, thin stick as a punishment 
54 Namaaz Islamic worship or prayer
55 Surat   A chapter or section of the Quran 
54 Quran   The holy book of Muslims 
55 Impoverish   Very poor
An invocation used by Muslims at the beginning of an undertaking,
56 Bismillah 
which means "in the name of God"
 57 Choo  Refers to the sound blowing, usually done to drive away evil spirits
To twist your body, or move part of your body, with small, quick
58 Wriggle 
movements 
Give a long, loud, piercing cry or cries expressing excitement, great
59 Scream  
emotion, or pain 
60 Comfortable  In a way that produces a relaxing feeling of physical comfort 
Of a person move forward on the hands and knees or by dragging the
61 Crawl 
body close to the ground 
An agreement between two people or groups in which each promises
62 Bargain  
to do something in exchange for something else 
63 Wonder  To ask yourself questions or express a wish to know about something
64 Conclusion   The end or finish of an event or process 
65 Wazu Washing face, hands and feet before praying
66 Racket Making loud noise
Jalebi-wielding
67 The hand that held jalebis
hand
68 Gobble Eaten quickly or greedily
69 Virtuous Good and noble

(Note: The Summary and Glossary are given for

your understanding need not to copy in the class
work.)
Comprehension Check Page No. 65

Question 1: Why didn’t he pay the school fees on the day he brought money to
school?

Answer: The boy couldn’t pay the school fees on the day he brought to school because
the teacher Master Ghulam Mohammed was on leave.

Question 2: (i) What were the coins ‘saying’ to him?

(ii) Do you think they were misguiding him?

Answer: (i) The coins in the boy’s pocket urged him to buy hot and fresh jalebis.
(ii) Yes, the coins were misguiding him because the money was meant for paying
school fees.

Question 3: Why didn’t he take the coin’s advice? Give two or three reasons.
Answer: Initially, the boy didn’t take the advice of the coins seriously for a couple of
reasons. He could not spend the money meant for paying school fees on jalebis. Sec-
ondly, the boy knew the harsh nature of the master and the punishment.

Question 4: (i) What did the oldest coin tell him?

(ii) Did he follow his advice? If not, why not?

Answer: (i) The oldest coin convinced him that they were telling him for his own good.
He can pay his fee next day with his scholarship money. So he should not suppress his
desire for jalebis.

(ii) He didn’t follow his advice. He was a promising student. He was from a good family
of repute. He didn’t want to get defame for it.

Question 5: He reached home with the coins in his pocket. What happened then?

Answer: After reaching home he couldn’t suppress his temptation for fresh Jalebis. He
rushed to the shop of halwai. He bought jalebis and enjoyed them.

Comprehension Check Page No. 68

Question 1: (i) Why didn’t he eat all the jalebis he had bought?

(ii) What did he do with the remaining Jalebis?

Answer: (i) He had bought jalebis for one rupee. But he couldn’t eat all of them
because of their quantity.
(ii) He distributed the remaining jalebis among the boys from the neighbourhood.

Question 2: “The fear was killing me.” What was the fear?

Answer: He had eaten so many jalebis that there was the problem of digesting them
all. His fear was that one jalebi or two would come out with a burp.

Question 3: “Children’s stomachs are like digestion machines.” What do you

understand by that? Do you agree?

Answer: It means that children have the capacity to digest a lot of things that they
overeat. I agree with the statement but only partly.

Question 4: How did he plan to pay the fees the next day?
Answer: He planned to pay the fees the next day when he would get his monthly
scholarship.

Question 5: When it is time to pay the fees, what does he do? How is he disobeying the
elders by doing so?

Answer: When the time draws near to pay the fees, he tucked the bag under his arm
and slips out of the school. He had disobeyed his elders by crossing the railway track.

Comprehension Check Page No. 72

Question 1: What was the consequence of buying jalebis with the fees money?

Answer: As a result of spending his fees money on jalebis, he had to be absent from
school for the first time in his life.

Question 2: His prayer to God is like a lawyer’s defence of a bad case. Does he argue
his case well? What are the points he makes?

Answer: He tries to please God with his requests and the recitation of the
entire namaz. He admits that he made a mistake. He wouldn’t have spent his money on
jalebis if he had known about the delay in scholarship. Thus, he argues his case like a
lawyer.

Question 3: He offers to play a game with Allah Miyan. What is the game?

Answer: The game is that he will go upto the signal, touch it and come back. And in the
meantime God should put four rupees under a big rock.

Question 4: Did he get four rupees by playing the game? What did he get to see under
the rock?

Answer: No, he didn’t get four rupees by playing the game. When he lifted the rock, he
saw a worm instead of coins.

Question 5: If God had granted his wish that day, what harm would it have caused him
in later life?

Answer: If God had granted his wish that day he wouldn’t have learnt a lesson to do
any wrong in future. He would have been like a bird and learnt no skill.