Class:- 8 English (It So Happened) Chapter - 4 The Treasure Within Summary, Word Meanings, NCERT Solutions & Frequently Asked Questions

Class:- 8 English 

(It So Happened)

Chapter - 4

The Treasure Within

Summary, Word Meanings, NCERT Solutions & Frequently Asked Questions  

-- Summary --

Summary in English:- 

The conversation between Ms Bela Raja, editor of Sparsh, a newsletter from the Resource Centre, The Valley School, Bangalore, and Mr Hafeez Contractor, one of India’s leading architects begins with Hafeez confessing about having nightmares about appearing for a math examination where he did not know anything. He stopped seeing those nightmares four to five years ago which was quite positive as it happened his psyche got over it. Upon being asked about his earliest memories of school by Ms Bela,  Hafeez Contractor revealed that he was a quite a good student in first and second standard but by third standard, he lost interest in studies and got indulged in games, pranks and jokes. He used to copy in his examinations until one day his Principal approached him when he was in the eleventh standard. The words of his Principal influenced him and he did not even step out in the field for that particular year even when he was a very good sportsman, cricket captain and senior champion for a number of years. That particular year, all he did was eat, pray and study. He finally got 50 per cent and earned appreciation from his Principal.

Ms Bela asked Hafeez how he felt upon receiving caning from his teachers. Hafeez told her that they would receive caning every week so it did not affect them much. Although, it would hurt badly at that particular moment, but he would forget about it when he would think about playing.  He related one such event when he did not want to study so he created a distraction and they ended up playing chor police for an entire hour. Even his books used to stay in brand new condition because he hardly ever opened them. So, his junior would book his books in advance for their following year.

When Ms Bela asked him about how he ended up being an architect, Hafeez had a complete story to tell. He wanted to join the Army but the admission letter was torn up by his aunt. Then he thought of joining the police force but his mother advises him to do his graduation instead. So, he joined Jaihind College in Bombay where he chose German (out of the two options; German and French) but his German teacher died, so he took French when he was presented with a choice between either changing his college or the language. His cousin, who was an architect’s wife, used to teach him French in the architect’s office. One fine day, he saw someone drawing a wrong window detail. When he pointed out the inefficiency in the drawing, the architect was left amazed. The architect asked him to draw a few other things like the plan of a house which he easily did. Thus, the architect advised him to leave everything and become an architect.

Now, the problem that came was that the college only gave admission in architecture to students having 80-85 percent but Hafeez only had 50 per cent. So, the architect went with Hafeez to his Principal who allowed him to sit in entrances. Hafeez got an A plus in the exam and from there, it was a smooth ride for him.

Also once in his childhood, a teacher named Mrs Gupta advised him when she saw his sketches that although he was useless in everything else, his sketches were good. So, he should become an architect. He did not know it back then, but he surely went to see her after becoming one.

He owes his skills and talent to all the other activities he did in school. He broke every rule in order to do things that needed to be done. Thus, he thinks that living school life the way he did, made him street smart. Ms Bela felt that it was because the personality and skills were there. According to her, he was able to find expression in a manner he was comfortable with. 

Talking about the present, he said that he looks at the client’s face, his clothes, the way he talks and pronounces, the way he eats and he would know what his taste would be like. He  can relate to people in a way that would be comfortable. Then, he would sketch very spontaneously on a paper on the spot. That paper, he would give to people in the office. He further elaborates that it can either be called instinct or arithmetic but what he does is, combines design, construction, psychology and sociology together and makes a sketch from all that is ‘mathematics’. Thus, a complete circle is completed where he ended up finding his own suitable version of a subject that he disliked.

 Summary in Hindi:-

द वैली स्कूल, बैंगलोर के रिसोर्स सेंटर के समाचार पत्र स्पर्श की संपादक सुश्री बेला राजा और मिस्टर हफीज कॉन्ट्रैक्टर, भारत के प्रमुख वास्तुकार के बीच बातचीत होती है । हफीज द्वारा गणित की परीक्षा में बैठने के बारे में बुरे सपने आने के बारे में कबूल करने के साथ कहानी शुरू होती है, जहां उन्हें गणित के बारे में कुछ भी नहीं पता था।

उन्होंने चार-पांच साल पहले बुरे सपने देखना बंद कर दिया था जो काफी सकारात्मक थे क्योंकि ऐसा हुआ कि उनका मानस इससे बहार निकल गया था । सुश्री बेला द्वारा स्कूल की अपनी शुरुआती यादों के बारे में पूछे जाने पर, हफीज कॉन्ट्रैक्टर ने खुलासा किया कि वह पहली और दूसरी कक्षा में काफी अच्छे छात्र थे, लेकिन तीसरी कक्षा तक, उन्होंने पढ़ाई में रुचि खो दी और खेल, मज़ाक और चुटकुलों में लिप्त हो गए।

वह अपनी परीक्षाओं में नकल करते जब तक कि एक दिन उसके प्रधानाचार्य ने उससे संपर्क किया जब वह ग्यारहवीं कक्षा में था।
उनके प्रधानाचार्य के शब्दों ने उन्हें प्रभावित किया और उन्होंने उस विशेष वर्ष के लिए मैदान में कदम भी नहीं रखा, भले ही वह कई वर्षों तक एक बहुत अच्छे खिलाड़ी, क्रिकेट कप्तान और वरिष्ठ चैंपियन रहे। उस विशेष वर्ष, उसने केवल खाना, प्रार्थना और अध्ययन किया। अंतत: उसे 50 प्रतिशत प्राप्त हुआ और उसने अपने प्रधानाचार्य से प्रशंसा अर्जित की।

सुश्री बेला ने हफीज से पूछा कि अपने शिक्षकों से बेंत प्राप्त करने पर उन्हें कैसा लगा। हफीज ने उससे कहा कि उन्हें हर हफ्ते कैनिंग मिलेगी, इसलिए इससे उन पर ज्यादा असर नहीं पड़ा। हालाँकि, उस विशेष क्षण में वह बुरी तरह से आहत होता , लेकिन जब वह खेलने के बारे में सोचता तो वह इसके बारे में भूल जाता ।

उन्होंने एक ऐसी घटना के बारे में बताया जब वह पढ़ना नहीं चाहते थे इसलिए उन्होंने एक व्याकुलता पैदा की और वे पूरे एक घंटे तक चोर पुलिस खेलते रहे। यहां तक ​​कि उनकी किताबें भी बिल्कुल नई हालत में रहती थीं क्योंकि उन्होंने शायद ही कभी उन्हें खोला हो। इसलिए, उनके कनिष्ठ अपने अगले वर्ष के लिए अपनी पुस्तकों को अग्रिम रूप से बुक कर लेते ।

जब सुश्री बेला ने उनसे पूछा कि वह एक वास्तुकार कैसे बने, तो हफीज के पास बताने के लिए एक पूरी कहानी थी। वह सेना में शामिल होना चाहता था लेकिन उसकी चाची ने प्रवेश पत्र फाड़ दिया। फिर उसने पुलिस बल में शामिल होने के बारे में सोचा लेकिन उसकी माँ ने उसे इसके बजाय स्नातक करने की सलाह दी।

इसलिए, उन्होंने बॉम्बे में जयहिंद कॉलेज में प्रवेश लिया, जहां उन्होंने जर्मन (दो विकल्पों में से; जर्मन और फ्रेंच) को चुना, लेकिन उनके जर्मन शिक्षक की मृत्यु हो गई, इसलिए उन्होंने फ्रेंच लिया जब उन्हें अपने कॉलेज या भाषा को बदलने के बीच एक विकल्प के साथ प्रस्तुत किया गया। उनके कजिन, जो एक वास्तुकार की पत्नी थी , उन्हें वास्तुकार के कार्यालय में फ्रेंच पढ़ाती थी । ठीक एक दिन, उसने देखा कि वास्तुकार कोई खिड़की का गलत विवरण बना रहा है। जब उन्होंने ड्राइंग में अक्षमता की ओर इशारा किया, तो वास्तुकार चकित रह गया।

वास्तुकार ने उसे घर की योजना जैसी कुछ अन्य चीजें बनाने के लिए कहा जो उसने आसानी से कर ली। इस प्रकार, वास्तुकार ने उसे सब कुछ छोड़कर एक वास्तुकार बनने की सलाह दी। अब समस्या यह आई कि कॉलेज ने केवल 80-85 प्रतिशत वाले छात्रों को ही आर्किटेक्चर में प्रवेश दिया, लेकिन हफीज ने केवल 50 प्रतिशत अंक लिए थे ।

इसलिए, आर्किटेक्ट हफीज के साथ अपने प्रिंसिपल के पास गया, जिसने उसे प्रवेश द्वार पर बैठने की अनुमति दी। हफीज को परीक्षा में ए प्लस मिला और वहां से, यह उनके लिए एक आसान सवारी थी।

इसके अलावा, बचपन में एक बार, श्रीमती गुप्ता नाम की एक शिक्षिका ने उनके रे स्केचेस को देखकर उन्हें सलाह दी थी कि यद्यपि वे अन्य सभी चीजों में बेकार हैं, लेकिन उनके स्केचेस अच्छे हैं। इसलिए उसे आर्किटेक्ट बनना चाहिए। वह उस समय यह नहीं जानता था, लेकिन वह एक आर्किटेक्ट बनने के बाद उसे देखने जरूर गया था।

वह अपने कौशल और प्रतिभा का श्रेय स्कूल में अन्य सभी गतिविधियों को देता है। जिन कामों को करने की ज़रूरत थी, उन्हें करने के लिए उन्होंने हर नियम को तोड़ा। इस प्रकार, वह सोचता है कि जिस तरह से उसने स्कूली जीवन व्यतीत किया, उसने उसे स्ट्रीट स्मार्ट बना दिया। सुश्री बेला ने महसूस किया कि ऐसा इसलिए था क्योंकि उसमें व्यक्तित्व और कौशल थे।

उनके अनुसार, वह जिस तरह से सहज थे, उस तरह से अभिव्यक्ति खोजने में सक्षम थे।वर्तमान के बारे में बात करते हुए, उन्होंने कहा कि वह ग्राहक का चेहरा, उसके कपड़े, जिस तरह से वह बात करता है और उच्चारण करता है, जिस तरह से वह खाता है – इस सब से वह अनुमान लगाता कि उसका स्वाद कैसा होगा।

वह लोगों से इस तरह से जुड़ सकता है जो सहज हो। फिर, वह मौके पर ही एक कागज़ पर अनायास ही स्केच बना लेता। वह कागज वह कार्यालय में लोगों को देता था। वह आगे विस्तार से बताता है कि इसे या तो वृत्ति या अंकगणित कहा जा सकता है लेकिन वह जो करता है वह डिजाइन, निर्माण, मनोविज्ञान और समाजशास्त्र को एक साथ जोड़ता है और ‘गणित’ से एक स्केच बनाता है। इस प्रकार, एक पूरा चक्र पूरा हो जाता है, जहां वह एक ऐसे विषय का अपना उपयुक्त संस्करण ढूंढता है जिसे वह नापसंद करता था ।

--- Moral ---

No child should be forced to move through a path that they are not interested in. If they do so, they won't be successful in that field.

--- Word Meanings ---

1. Treasure - खजाना
2. Nightmare - भयानक सपना 
3. Disappear - गायब होना
4. Step out - घर छोड़ना
5. Cane - छड़ी मारना
6. Distraction - मनबहलाव.
7. Offbeat - अनोखा
8. Tear - फाड़ना 
9. Ammunition - युद्ध उपकरण 
10. Spontaneously - अपने आप
11. Derive - प्राप्त करना 

--- NCERT Solution ---

Comprehension Check (Page 28)

Question 1:- What did Hafeez Contractor have nightmares about?

Answer:- Hafeez Contractor would often get continuous nightmares about appearing for a Mathematics examination where he did not know anything.

Question 2:- What did the Principal say to him, which influenced him deeply?

Answer:- The Principal told Hafeez that his mother used to work extremely hard to bring him up and paid all his fees on time, despite his father’s absence. Further, he also mentioned that Hafeez was a good student. He could score good grades with a little effort towards his studies. He motivated the young boy to rise to the occasion and study hard and also sideline his sports activities for the time being.

Question 3:- “… that year I did not step out onto the field.” What was he busy doing that year?

Answer:- Being an active sportsman, Hafeez was the senior champion in school for many years and he always loved playing games, especially cricket. But when his Principal influenced him to study for his SSC dedicatedly, he gave up playing, and that year, he didn’t step out onto the field. He only went for prayers and all he did was eat and study for the exams.

Question 4:- i) What “distraction” did Hafeez Contractor create one day?

Answer:- Hafeez was always interested in playing funny pranks. One day, he created a distraction by playing chor police for one full hour at school.

ii) Would you have liked to participate in the “distraction” had you been with him?

Answer:- Yes, I would have loved to participate in such a “distraction”, as it is kind of a break from the regular routine work.

Comprehension Check (Page 32)

Question 1:- Hafeez Contractor wanted to join the police force. Why didn’t he?

Answer:- Hafeez Contractor was interested in joining the police force, but his mother did not accept the prospect. Instead, she told him to complete his graduation first. Soon after that, he joined Jaihind College in Bombay.

Question 2:- In the architect’s office, Hafeez Contractor was advised to drop everything and join architecture. Why?

Answer:- In the architect’s office, Hafeez Contractor saw somebody drawing a window detail which is an advanced form of drawing. He told that person that the drawing was wrong and that the window would not open as drawn. That person initially disagreed but soon realized that his drawing was indeed wrong. When Hafeez’s cousin’s husband saw this, he was surprised and asked him to draw a few specific things, such as to design a house, to which he complied. His relative was impressed and immediately asked him to nurture Hafeez’s natural talent and join architecture at the earliest.

Question 3:- i) What was Mrs. Gupta’s advice to Hafeez Contractor?

Answer:- Mrs Gupta was one of Hafeez’s school teachers in the second or third standard, who saw his beautiful sketches in school and had advised him that he should grow up to become an architect someday.

ii) What made her advise him so?

Answer:- She would often tell him that he was useless in everything else except the beautiful sketches that he drew. Due to this reason, she felt he should nurture his hidden talent and grow up to become an architect.

Question 4:- How did he help fellow students who had lost a button?

Answer:- When his fellow students lost a button while playing or fighting, they would often come running to him and he would help them by cutting a button from chalk by using an ordinary blade.

Question 5:- Which rules did he break as a schoolboy?

Answer:- Hafeez broke many rules while studying at school. He used to copy during the examinations, loiter around aimlessly, and play funny pranks and jokes on others. He would also get involved in gang fights and plan strategies. He would often create distractions by playing chor police games at school during study hours.

Question 6:- i) What is Hafeez Contractor’s definition of mathematics?

Answer:- According to Hafeez Contractor, Mathematics is a mix of putting design, construction, psychology and sociology together and making a sketch by combining all these elements together.

ii) How would you want to define mathematics? Do you like the subject?

Answer:- In my opinion, I would define Mathematics as an interesting subject for those who enjoy solving arithmetical calculations and problems. But it turns out to be a nightmare for those who don’t enjoy playing with numbers and calculations.

Exercise (Page 32)

Answer the following questions.

Question 1:- It is likely that someone who is original and intelligent does not do very well at school. Should such a learner be called a failure? If not, why not?

Answer:- A learner who is original and intelligent, but does not do very well at school cannot be called a failure in life. This is because every student has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. From this conversation between Ms Bela Raja and Mr Hafeez Contractor, we learn that being bright in academics is not enough to do well in life. People should try to nurture their natural talent and polish it in order to stand out in a crowd. We observed that Hafeez was not so bright academically, but he had a hidden talent and knew how to draw beautiful sketches of different things such as forts, houses, etc. However, it is evident that an individual’s talent is not always visible in their academic records. Hence, such people should be encouraged to showcase their hidden talent and be appreciated for it, instead of considering them to be an utter failure.

Question 2:- Who, in your view, is an ‘unusual’ learner?

Answer:- In my opinion, an unusual learner is one who is a genius in his/her own right. This means that a person who is bright and intelligent and has a hidden talent or skill needs to polish it from every angle.

Question 3:- What can schools do to draw out the best in unusual learners? Suggest whatever seems reasonable to you.

Answer:- One of the best options for schools to draw out the best in unusual learners is to stop comparing or categorizing every child on the basis of their academic performance. They should stop measuring children by simply following mechanical methods of teaching. They should appreciate the hidden talent or skill of the learners and encourage them to polish their abilities in every aspect.

--- Previous Year Questions ---

Question 1:- What does the title of the lesson ‘The Treasure Within’ mean and highlight?
Answer:- The Treasure Within’ refers to the hidden talent of every child who has his own style of learning and area of interest. Not every topper in the academics becomes an achiever in life. Every child can achieve greatness in his area of interest.

Question 2:- Who is Hafeez Contractor? What does he tell about himself to his interviewer? How does he find his calling?
Answer:- Hafeez Contractor is a leading architect in India at present. In this interview he traces the story of his childhood and schooldays. He had little interest in studies. He passed the annual examinations by copying. He used to be a good sportsman. But his cousin’s husband once noted his hidden talent and told him to become an architect.

Question 3:- Mr Hafeez at school was more interested in other things than his books. How does he support this statement?
Answer:- At school he used to be interested in games and playing jokes. He was a good sportsman, the cricket captain. He used to copy in class during exam times. Maths was a terror for him. Though he did badly in school, he was good at designing. This skill helped

Question 4:- How does Hafeez give to his client the kind of structure he wants?
Answer:- Hafeez is good at drawing the design of a house on the spot. He looks at the client’s face and the way he talks to know what his taste would be like. Then he sketches on the spot and gives it to his client in the office.

Question 5:- Do you agree with Hafeez that learning disabilities do not go hand in hand with gifted?
Answer:- There is a general belief that the genius usually do not shine in studies. Those who always stand first or second do very ordinary jobs later on. Personality and skills ultimately decide the careers of boys.

Question 6:- How did the. Principal’s words influence Hafeez Contractor?
Answer:- The Principal was a sensible man. He had been seeing Hafeez from day one. He thought it as his duty to guard him on right time. So, when Hafeez approached his eleventh standard, he called him and told him that he was a good student but he never studied. He had lost his father and his poor mother had worked hard to bring him up and pay his fees. It was the time now to rise to the occasion and study. These words of the Principal influenced Hafeez deeply. He forgot games that year and studied day and night. As a result, he got a second class, 50 per cent in his SSC. His Principal was very happy because he had got 50 per cent on his own.

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