Lesson 1
Father’s Help
R. K. Narayan
![]() |
| Fathers Help |
The author and the text:
RK Narayan (1906-2001) is one of the leading figures of early Indian literature in English. His notable works include Malgudi Days and The Guide. He was awarded the Sahitya Academy award in 1958 for The Guide.
āĻāϰ. āĻে. āύাāϰাāϝ়āĻŖ (⧧⧝ā§Ļā§Ŧ-⧍ā§Ļā§Ļā§§) āĻšāϞেāύ āĻĒ্āϰāĻĨāĻŽ āĻĻিāĻে āĻংāϰেāĻিāϤে āϝেāϏāĻŦ āĻাāϰāϤীāϝ় āϏাāĻšিāϤ্āϝ āϰāĻāύা āĻāϰāϤেāύ āϤাāĻĻেāϰ āĻŽāϧ্āϝে āĻ āĻ্āϰāĻāĻŖ্āϝ। āϤাঁāϰ āĻāϞ্āϞেāĻāϝােāĻ্āϝ āϏৃāώ্āĻিāϰ āĻŽāϧ্āϝে āϰāϝ়েāĻে āĻŽাāϞāĻুāĻĄি āĻĄেāĻ’ āĻāĻŦং “āĻĻ্āϝ āĻাāĻāĻĄ। ⧧⧝ā§Ģā§Ž āϏাāϞে ‘āĻĻ্āϝ āĻাāĻāĻĄ’ āĻāĻĒāύ্āϝাāϏেāϰ āĻāύ্āϝ āϤাāĻে āϏাāĻšিāϤ্āϝ āĻ ্āϝাāĻাāĻĄেāĻŽি āĻĒুāϰāϏ্āĻাāϰ āĻĻেāĻāϝ়া āĻšāϝ়।
The story, an edited excerpt from Malgudi Days, is about a young boy called Swaminathan who is unwilling to go to school but is forced by his father to attend school. The story explores how, through the events that follow, Swami’s original reservations about his teacher, Samuel, get transformed considerably.
āĻāĻ āĻāϞ্āĻĒāĻি ‘āĻŽাāϞāĻুāĻĄ়ি āĻĄেāĻ’ āύাāĻŽāĻ āϰāĻāύাāϰ āϏāĻŽ্āĻĒাāĻĻিāϤ āĻ ংāĻļāĻŦিāĻļেāώ। āĻāĻি āϏ্āĻŦাāĻŽিāύাāĻĨāύ āύাāĻŽāĻ āĻāĻāĻি āĻেāϞেāϰ āϏāĻŽ্āĻĒāϰ্āĻে āϝাāϰ āĻŦাāĻŦা āϤাāĻে āϏ্āĻুāϞে āϝেāϤে āĻŦাāϧ্āϝ āĻāϰেāύ। āĻāϞ্āĻĒāĻি āϤুāϞে āϧāϰে, āĻীāĻাāĻŦে, āĻিāĻু āĻāĻāύাāĻĒāϰāĻŽ্āĻĒāϰাāϰ āĻŽāϧ্āϝ āĻĻিāϝ়ে, āϏ্āĻŦাāĻŽীāϰ āϤাāϰ āĻļিāĻ্āώāĻ āϏ্āϝাāĻŽুāϝ়েāϞ āϏāĻŽ্āĻĒāϰ্āĻে āĻŽāϤাāĻŽāϤেāϰ āϝāĻĨেāώ্āĻ āĻĒāϰিāĻŦāϰ্āϤāύ āĻāĻে।
Unit 1
Lying in bed, Swami realized with a shudder that it was Monday morning. It looked as though only a moment ago it was Friday. Already Monday was here. He hoped he didn’t have to go to school.
āĻŦিāĻাāύাāϝ় āĻļুāϝ়ে, āĻāϝ়েāϰ āĻাāĻĒুāύিāϰ āϏāĻ্āĻে āϏ্āĻŦাāĻŽী āĻŦুāĻāϤে āĻĒাāϰāϞ āϝে āĻāĻা āϏােāĻŽāĻŦাāϰ āϏāĻাāϞ। āϤাāϰ āĻŽāύে āĻšāϞ āϝেāύ āĻāĻ āĻāĻ āĻŽুāĻšূāϰ্āϤ āĻāĻে āĻĻিāύāĻা āĻিāϞ āĻļুāĻ্āϰāĻŦাāϰ। āĻāϤিāĻŽāϧ্āϝে āϏােāĻŽāĻŦাāϰ āĻšাāĻিāϰ। āϏে āĻāĻļা āĻāϰেāĻিāϞ āϝে āϤাāĻে āϏ্āĻুāϞে āϝেāϤে āĻšāĻŦে āύা।
At nine o’clock, Swaminathan wailed, “I have a headache.”
āϏāĻাāϞ āύāĻাāϰ āϏāĻŽāϝ় āϏ্āĻŦাāĻŽীāύাāĻĨāύ āĻĄুāĻāϰে āĻেঁāĻĻে āĻŦāϞāϞ, ‘āĻāĻŽাāϰ āĻŽাāĻĨাāϝ় āϝāύ্āϤ্āϰāĻŖা āĻšāĻ্āĻে।
Mother generously suggested that Swami might stay at home. At 9.30, when he ought to have been in the school prayer hall, Swami was lying on the bench in Mother’s room.
āĻŽা āϏāĻĻāϝ়āĻাāĻŦে āĻŦāϞāϞেāύ āϝে āϏ্āĻŦাāĻŽী āĻŦাāĻĄ়িāϤে āĻĨেāĻে āϝেāϤে āĻĒাāϰে। āϏাāĻĄ়ে āύāĻাāϰ āϏāĻŽāϝ় āϝāĻāύ āϤাāϰ āϏ্āĻুāϞেāϰ āĻĒ্āϰাāϰ্āĻĨāύা āĻšāϞে āĻĨাāĻা āĻāĻিāϤ āĻিāϞ, āϏ্āĻŦাāĻŽী āϤāĻāύ āĻŽাāϝ়েāϰ āĻāϰেāϰ āĻŦেāĻ্āĻেāϰ āĻāĻĒāϰ āĻļুāϝ়েāĻিāϞ |
Father asked him, “Have you no school today?”
āĻŦাāĻŦা āϤাāĻে āĻিāĻ্āĻেāϏ āĻāϰāϞেāύ, “āĻāĻāĻে āϤােāϰ āϏ্āĻুāϞ āύেāĻ?”
“Headache,” Swami replied.
“āĻŽাāĻĨাāϰ āϝāύ্āϤ্āϰāĻŖা, āϏ্āĻŦাāĻŽী āĻāϤ্āϤāϰ āĻĻিāϞ।
“Nonsense! Dress up and go.”
“āĻŦাāĻে āĻāĻĨা! āĻাāĻŽাāĻĒ্āϝাāύ্āĻ āĻĒāϰ, āϏ্āĻুāϞে āϝা।”
“Headache!”
“āĻŽাāĻĨাāϰ āϝāύ্āϤ্āϰāĻŖা!’
“Loaf about less on Sundays and you will be without a headache on Monday.”
“āϰāĻŦিāĻŦাāϰে āĻāĻāĻু āĻāĻŽ āĻােāϰাāĻুāϰি āĻāϰ, āϤাāĻšāϞে āĻāϰ āϏোāĻŽāĻŦাāϰে āĻোāύাে āĻŽাāĻĨাāϰ āϝāύ্āϤ্āϰāĻŖা āĻāϰāĻŦে āύা।”
Swami knew how strict his father could be. So, he changed his tactics. “I can’t go so late to the class.”
āϏ্āĻŦাāĻŽী āĻাāύāϤ āϤাāϰ āĻŦাāĻŦা āĻāϤāĻা āĻāĻ োāϰ āĻšāϤে āĻĒাāϰে। āϤাāĻ āϏে āϤাāϰ āĻাāϝ়āĻĻা āĻŦāĻĻāϞে āĻĢেāϞāϞ। “āĻāĻŽি āĻāϤ āĻĻেāϰিāϤে āĻ্āϞাāϏে āϝেāϤে āĻĒাāϰāĻŦ āύা।”
“You’ll have to. It is your own fault.”
“āϤােāĻে āϝেāϤেāĻ āĻšāĻŦে। āĻāĻা āϤােāϰ āύিāĻেāϰ āĻĻোāώ।”
“What will the teacher think if I go so late?”
“āĻāĻŽি āϝāĻĻি āĻāϤ āĻĻেāϰিāϤে āϝাāĻ, āĻŽাāϏ্āĻাāϰāĻŽāĻļাāĻ āĻী āĻাāĻŦāĻŦেāύ?
“Tell him you had a headache and so are late.”
āϤাāĻে āĻŦāϞāĻŦি āϤােāϰ āĻŽাāĻĨাāϰ āϝāύ্āϤ্āϰāĻŖা āĻšāĻ্āĻিāϞ āĻāĻŦং āϏেāĻāĻāύ্āϝāĻ āϞে āĻšāϝ়ে āĻেāĻে |”
“He will scold me if I say so.”
“āĻāĻŽি āϤাāĻে āĻāĻāĻĨা āĻŦāϞāϞে āϤিāύি āĻāĻŽাāĻে āĻŦāĻāĻŦেāύ।”
“Will he? Let us see. What is his name?”
“āϤাāĻ āύাāĻি। āĻĻাāĻĄ়া āĻĻেāĻāĻি āĻী āύাāĻŽ āϤাāϰ?”
“Samuel.”
“āϏ্āϝাāĻŽুāϝ়েāϞ।”
“Does he always scold the students?”
“āϤিāύি āĻি āϏāĻŦāϏāĻŽāϝ়ে āĻাāϤ্āϰāĻাāϤ্āϰীāĻĻেāϰ āĻŦāĻাāĻāĻা āĻāϰেāύ?
“He is a very angry man. He is especially angry with boys who come in late.! wouldn’t like to go late to Samuel’s class.”
“āĻāύি āĻুāĻŦ āϰাāĻি āϞােāĻ। āϤিāύি āĻŦিāĻļেāώ āĻāϰে āϏেāĻ āϏāĻŽāϏ্āϤ āĻেāϞেāĻĻেāϰ āϰেāĻে āϝাāύ āϝাāϰা āĻĻেāϰি āĻāϰে āϏ্āĻুāϞে āĻāϏে। āĻāĻŽাāϰ āϏ্āϝাāĻŽুāϝ়েāϞāĻŦাāĻŦুāϰ āĻ্āϞাāϏে āĻĻেāϰি āĻāϰে āϝাāĻāϝ়াāϰ āĻāĻেāĻŦাāϰে āĻāĻ্āĻা āύেāĻ।”
“If he is so angry, why not tell your headmaster about it?”
“āϤিāύি āϝāĻĻি āĻ āϤāĻ āϰাāĻি, āĻ āĻŦ্āϝাāĻĒাāϰে āϤােāϰা āĻšেāĻĄāĻŽাāϏ্āĻাāϰāĻŽāĻļাāĻāĻে āĻŦāϞিāϏ āĻেāύ?”
“They say that even the headmaster is afraid of him.”
“āĻāϰা āĻŦāϞে āĻšেāĻĄāĻŽাāϏ্āĻাāϰāĻŽāĻļাāĻāĻ āύাāĻি āϤাāĻে āĻāϝ় āĻĒাāύ।

