1 Operation Blackbeard -Aabid Surti GM opectives f : In this chapter, we will: © read a short story, * learn about the use of figurative language, antonyms, and synonyms. fer ¢ learn to find words in a dictionary using the head words and guide words, learn about proper, common, and collective nouns; and to punctuate using a comma ¢ listen to a story and sequence the order of events; enact the story : with a different ending; and learn about silent letters. learn to write a notice and make a poster. READING... Do you know anyone who likes to boast all the time? Read what befell the boastful Nawab Rangile when he tried to capture the dreaded it th. e bandit Bhootnath, ‘Nawab: a Muslim nobleman, He was indeed the great Nawab Jung Bahadur Rangile, even though _Powerfullandowner, ora hehad never stepped on a battlefield, nor displayed any valour. ica courige ot His kingdom of Nagadpur was merged with India at the time of the bravery in the face of danger, ‘especially in battle topsy-turvy: in a confused or With time, not only did the princely lifestyle fade away, but the world disorganised state modest: (here) small around the Nawab turned topsy-turvy. Today, the great Nawab Rangile ss ee ea : ‘Begum: a Muslim woman of lives in a modest house with his wife, Begun Rangili, and does odd jobs high rank Partition in 1947. like selling eggs and catching crooks. crooks: criminals or dishonest persons One day, he was sitting under a tree narrating the story of his tiger hunt to group of children. (@) Scanned with CamScannerLooking Back When india attained independence from the British, it was divided into two countries—indla and Pakistan, This division is referred to athe Partition. During the Partition, many people moved to the two newly-formed ‘countries and settled there Many princely states, similar to the fictional Nagadpurin this, story, became a part of the newly formed country, India AS a tesul, the ruler of those states became figureheads and had no role in the administration ofthe state. Literary Device * put up a bold front This is an example of an idiom. It means to appear to be brave (even if one is not). + his heart sank This idiom means his ‘courage failed and he felt less confident. : the Urdu word for Sir Tong face: a sad facial expression burgled: robbed sdered: robbed thoroughly = snasthiya: Hindi word for village keadman With a sword in my hand, I chased the cater like a bullet. Sometimes, I was vend of him sometimes he was ahead of mes aheat . “then what happened, Nawab Sahib?” a child asked excitedly. ? Tran so fast 4 the tiger defeat me’ He when turned my hea, ~ here to be seen!” the beast was now! ‘As the children broke out laughing ing his long face, ‘Nawab Rangile’ friend Sher Singh appeared. Seeing 1g Ps wre 2” Nawab Rangile asked, ‘What's wrong, Shera it bt ‘Last night my house was burgled. Bhootnath, the bandit, has robbed my house clean and vanished? ‘Why did you not wake me up?" he morning that I realised “How could I? It was only when I woke up 7 tl the loss? Sher Singh cried. ‘In fact, the bandit has plundered three more houses in the village!” “What else can you expect from a village where a flock of cowards live? “True. But we do have a braveheart amongst us? ‘Indeed... that’s me!” ‘And that’s why..’ Sher Singh continued, ‘Pukar Singh, the mukhiiya has chosen you to go into the forest and catch Bhootnath? Nawab Rangile was shocked, for at the mention of the bandit’s name, not only the village folks, but even the leaves trembled with fear. Somehow, he managed to put up a bold front and say, ‘Who else could dare to enter that ghastly forest? I'll march into it tonight and bring him dragging to the village square before dawn? “That's the spirit... [ did not... I mean... that is exactly what I expected from you, The mukhiya has announced a fabulous prize of ten thousand rupees to anyone who brings that crook to justice, dead or alive? Nawab Rangile closed his eyes and saw the cloud bursting with crisp, green, bank notes, Notes in the sky, notes in the air, notes everywhere. When he reached home, his heart sank. He thought of the bandit Bhootnath—big bulging eyes, frightening moustache, thick black beard and a wrestler’s body. The truth was, alas, that no one had ever seen Bhootnath in person, Scanned with CamScannerBegun Rangili was worried to see her husband look so disin id asked what was wrong ‘Bandit Bhootnath... said Nawab Sahib. Begum Rangili correctly guessed, ‘He must have accepted the challenge to capture Bhootnath and now was cursing himself for his blunder’ ‘Ah..’ she said, ‘So my valiant soldier is all set to launch Operation Blackbeard! ‘Nawab Rangile was hurt. ‘That bandit has done no harm to us, has he? Probably, he has realised this house is invincible. That is why he has never dared to touch us’ ‘But will you go into the forest or.” ‘Still plenty of time till sunset’ After sunset, it was time to leave forthe jungle, and poor Nawab Rangile was scared. He decided to hide under the bed, and told his wife his plan, ‘If Shera comes to fetch me, tll him Ihave already et for the battlefield, fully armed? Literary Device Operation Blackbeard But Sher Singh had already arrived and was listening quietly from the Sarat’ Gacteard door. ‘Nawab Sahib, the battlefield for braveheatts is not under the allusion. Blackbeard was an bed’ So saying, he led the Nawab out to meet the villagers who walked _"'#™0Us English pirate in the early eighteenth century with them to the forest. in and around the Caribbean Islands, Here Begum Rangili Despite his pounding heart, Nawab Rangile walked into the forest. 's alluding to Bhootnath 4 Blackbeard, as both He scampered up a tree to protect himself. The bandit Bhootnath had #5 Backbeat as bo also chosen the same tree to get some sleep. Bhootnath woke up witha start, and asked, ‘Who's there? Man or mouse?’ Feeling insulted, the Nawab replied, ‘I am the original braveheart, a © Nawab Jung Bahadur Rangile of Nagadpur. I have sworn to catch dismal: sad and gloomy; i ‘ without any hope Bhootnath and take him to the village to hang him. Who are you?’ blunder: a silly or careless mistake ‘Tam Lallu, the sweet-seller. I have also come in search of Bhootnath. _valrant brave Now, what is the use of spending the night here? It’s better that invincible: too strong or Tleave,. powerful to be defeated . pounding: beating loudly The Nawab was terrified at the thought of the man leaving, He said, Tk val leh ae en ‘IfT succeed in this venture, I will gift the prize money to you. To be especially through fear honest, all the gold of my Begum is still safe in the house? or excitement sworn: pledged; promised Hearing the Nawab, a plan formed in the crafty bandit’s mind. venture: difficult activity Bhootnath decided to steal the Begumts jewellery. He said, ‘I don't involving a lot of risk . 2 clever at achievi think Bhootnath will dare come here tonight because the Braveheart is Se 2 sieving personally here, Lets go home and sleep in peace’ Estaeiractne ( 17 ) ; Scanned with CamScannerIE SO Os introduced him to his id s. Quick, make Mahi py ome Relieved, the Nawab invited Lallu home for dinner, took eee d Begum, ‘This Poor guy has not caten anything for the last Coun fast as you can? e The Begum asked, ‘You did not say anything about the bandit “When he found out that . Js voice. 3 What is thereto say?’ There was a ringing tone of success it his Iv ., 7 a "as looking for him, he simply vanished nt she had glimpse seller. But wh, ner » alert the mo But Begum Rangili was not that easy to fool, She had become al ceed he’s a swee the guest. ‘There is something dubious shea the chap. The Nawab s has ever seen a sweet-seler with a hard, threatening face? Th d who the guest aiid she do? She thought and spotted the Nawab’ old nixed them in the halwa Begum Rangili q was. But what cou! thought. Then she ills, She mixed them at i bani and carried two plates to meant for the ba the seated men. ‘Lallyj, the halwva puri dish, Prepared by the master chef, Begum Rangili of Luc a internationally known for its flavour and taste? Nawab Bahadur had jumped up and served the & man the unadulterated dish before she could = : . ' ing her head on the wall. To make halwa:an Indian sweet dish Wink at him. The Begum felt like banging fee reectne ee made with semolina, milk, matters worse, the Nawab insisted on feeding his 7 7 pea ta fell on deaf ears, and she was forced to eat from the same dish as her uri: an Indian deep-fried bread served with vegetables husband's, or hala ae . + joked such a delicious dish? dubious about: suspicious, “You are a sweet-seller, have you ever co not to be considered the Nawab asked Bhootnath. completely safe or honest ; ao unadulterated: completely ‘Not even my father prepared anything like this’ Pure without anything we substandard added to it The Nawab stretched his legs on a charpai. He could not even finish his felon deaf ears: were ignored sentence and was soon fest, asleep. In the kitchen, the Begum too was charpai: Hindi word for feeling dizzy. She was cursing herself for her ingenious idea, Soon, she too woven cots used in villages ever or inventive aS sleeping like alog (but here, itis used to mean ‘ : the opposite) Bhootnath was quietly watching the scene. A miracle, he thought. miracle: a very wonderful Soon, he was at work. Quickly, he opened the safe, grabbed the and surprising event that Jewellery box, and walked out through the front door like is unexpected a gentleman. Scanned with CamScannerAbout the Author ta simpleton cal Cm Tooke inelaling, nd Figs, Hl also wttes ates fo COMPREHENSION A, Choose the best answer, 1, Nawab Rangile thought himsel to be the ruler of a. Lucknow, (H) Nagadpur, «. Hyderabad. 2. The Nawabs a. Lalu, » Sher Singh. c. Bhootnath, nied was, 3. The entire a, Sher Singh, Bhootnath. c. Nawab Rangile. 4, Nawab Rangile decided to a. kill Bhootnath, ‘go to the forest. c. hide under his bed. 5, Lallu was actually es ¢ Bhootnath. ¢. Pukar Singh. . Answer these questions briefly. 1. What did Nawab Rangile tell the children? 2. What did Sher Singh tell Nawab Rangile? 3. What challenge did Nawab Rangile accept, and why? What happened in the jungle? What crafty plan did Bhootnath think off Did he succeed in his plan? How did Begum Rangili guess Lalluji’s identity? What was Begum Rangilis plan? How did Nawab Rangile foil his wife's plans to catch the bandit? y wpe Scanned with CamScannerC. Think and answer the questions. 1. Do you think Nawab Rangile was a br: a ; el being a Nawab, Was this true? Was he a commoner 2, Nawab Range prided himself on being Nawal as commoner ny man? Support your answer with examples, : la wned 1 village, or its cro 3. Who do you think was the cleverer of the two—the Nawab or his B wi oie ; 8 angile’s house ‘ so? ‘ 4. The story ends with Bhootnath walking out of Nawab Rangile’s house ‘like a gentl ; 1e story e! you thi Do you think Bhootnath was a gentleman? Give reasons to justify your answer, Life Skills and Values VOCABULARY... Figurative Language ‘The term figurative language covers a wide range of literary devices that writers use to make their writing more interesting and lively. The most commonly used figurative language consists of idioms, similes, metaphors, personifications, and hyperboles, + An idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning is different from what each word in it means. For example; His heart sank, + Asimile compares two different things with a common trait, using ‘like’ or ‘as. For example: Her cheeks were as red as roses, + Ametaphor is used to compare two things that have something in common, and to show a similarity, For example: The classroom is a zoo. + Imagery describes something in detail to Create a word picture for the reader. For example: Nawab Rangile closed his eyes and saw the cloud bursting with crisp, green, bank notes, Scanned with CamScanner