Fair Play

1. Jumman Shaikh said to his old aunt. He wanted her property but didn’t want to take care of her

2. The old aunt said this to Aglu Chowdhry, he was unwilling to get involved in his friend’s personal matters and thus reluctant towards the pleas of the aunt.

3. Aglu Chowdhry said to his friend Jumman Shaikh as the head of the panchayat. He wanted to be fair and listen to both the parties.

4. Sahu said this to Aglu Chowdhry he had demanded to be paid for the bullock Sahu had bought from him.

5. Aglu said this after the last panchayat when Jumman had done justice to him as the head. He could have given the verdict against Aglu Chowdhry like Aglu had done in the matter of his aunt but the seat of panchayat made him act fair and just.

After the transfer of property, the situation changed and Jumman went back on his promise of looking after the old aunt. The lady was neglected and both Jumman and his wife treated her badly.

When the aunt had had too much, she suggested that Jumman paid her a monthly allowance and she would cook for herself separately.

The villagers gave her mixed reactions. While some were sympathetic, some laughed and some asked her to make peace with Jumman but she was bent on getting justice.

Jumman was elated over Aglu’s nomination as the head Panch because the two were best of friends and he would never go against Jumman. Jumman was positive about getting a favorable verdict since he thought his friend would take his side.

She meant that the person on the Panchayat’s seat acts as an agent of god. He is not swayed by his personal likes or dislikes and does what is just and fair to all.

Aglu gave a fair judgement in the favour of the old aunt. Jumman was shocked, he had not expected his friend to go against him even if he was the culprit. He broke all ties with Algu and wished him suffering.

Aglu was hard-pressed for money and thus sold his bullock to Samjhu Sahu on the promise of being laid later. But cruel Sahu took so much work from the bullock that the animal died of exhaustion. He Sahu then went back on his words and refused to pay Aglu, putting him a tight spot.

Aglu was upset over Jumman’s nomination as head Panch because he had expected Jumman to take revenge. When Aglu was the nominated as head Panch in Jumman’s case he had done his duty and delivered a fair verdict which had upset Jumman. Now that Jumman had the power to decide against Aglu, Aglu was hopeless.

Jumman gave a fair verdict, asking Sahu to pay Aglu for the bullock because the animal was purchased in a healthy state. Aglu took it happily and called this a victory of the Panchayat.

I think the second statement ‘let no one deviate from the path of justice and truth for friendship or enmity’ sums up the story best. In both the panchayats that we saw in the story, Aglu’s friendship with Jumman and Jumman’s enmity after the first case could have changed the outcome of the village meeting. But justice was served in both the cases because, on the seat of the panch, people are not individuals but representatives of god.

1. The best way to avoid an unnecessary argument is to keep mum.

2. As ill luck would have it, the train I was trying to catch was cancelled.

3. He has been told not to take chances while driving a car through a crowded street.

4. The patient needs to be properly looked after.

5. Why don’t the two of you make it up by shaking hands?

6. I was in a tight spot till my friends came to my rescue.

7. When I saw a pile of dirty dishes, my heart sank.

8. I will go into the matter carefully before commenting on it.

9. They criticized him in the meeting but he swallowed all the criticism.

10. It will ease my conscience to know that I had done nothing wrong.

1. Why don’t you set down your ideas on paper?

2. A fund has been set up for the soldiers’ families.

3. We should set aside a little money every month.

4. You should buy some woolens before winter sets in.

5. They set out on the last stage of their journey.

This activity should be performed by the student.

My friend answered all my questions fairly well. He said he had a separate room to himself, would love to live in a joint family and likes meeting people in general. He said he liked the locality he lived in since it was spacious and away from crowded parts of the city. He had never travelled in a public transport vehicle but would be happy to try. He said he is fond of reading and wants to be an engineer like his father.

1. old – new

2. wet - dry

3. open – closed

4. blunt - sharp

5. forget – remember