Summary: The Concert
Pandit Ravi Shankar is to play at the Shanmukhananda Auditorium in Bombay.
Smita and her brother, Anant, both of whom took sitar lessons, are excited to
learn this. Anant, however, will not be able to attend the concert, as he is very
unwell. He suffers from cancer and the family has come to Bombay for his
treatment. Unfortunately, his condition is worsening with each passing day
and the doctors have more or less washed their hands off. Anant’s family rally
around him and as advised by the doctors, they try to keep him happy and
fulfill all his wishes. Although Anant will not be able to attend the concert,
Smita’s mother asks her to attend it.
Initially, Smita is hesitant and does not want to go, as she had always done
things with her brother; later she thinks of a very good plan and eagerly goes
off to the concert with her father. Smita enjoys listening to Pandit Ravi
Shankar play the sitar and Ustad Allah Rakha play the tabla. After the
performance is over, she goes up to them and tells them about her brother,
who loves playing the sitar and caneven compose music. She then pleads with
them to play for her ailing brother at her aunt’s house. After a little
consideration, they agree. Next morning, the maestros came to Smita’s aunt’s
house to play for Anant. As Anant listens, he breathes his last—it is as if his
last wish has come true.
The story dwells on the immense love and bonding between siblings. While
Smita gifted Anant something which he considered a chance of a lifetime,
Anant was equally happy to see Smita go to attend the concert. It also shows
the humility and magnanimity of the maestros, who kept their promise.
UNIT 11: THE CONCERT
Embedded Questions
1. We know that the boy was excited to hear the news because he said that it was a chance of a
lifetime and even managed to raise himself a little.
2. Anant’s mother comforts him by saying that he can listen to the sitarist when he gets better.
3. Smita felt lonely in the park because she missed her brother.
4. Smita thinks of her plan while watching the concert.
5. Free response
6. The text ended on a happy note as Anant’s last wish was fulfilled.
Comprehension
A. 1. Pandit Ravi Shankar would be playing at the Shanmukhananda auditorium the next day.
2. the chance of a lifetime.
3. she had been so excited at seeing the announcement that she had not remembered how ill her
brother was.
4. compose his own tunes.
5. she and Anant had always done things together.
6. made her way through the crowd towards the stage to talk to Pandit Ravi Shankar.
B. 1. a. ‘She’ refers to Smita and Anant’s mother. She utters a prayer of thanksgiving as Anant, who was
very unwell, had been able to raise himself on his elbows without any help.
b. This shows how much she loved Anant and how fervently she hoped that he would get well.
Even the slightest bit of improvement filled her with hope. She was always thinking about this
and thus endlessly whispering a prayer.
82. a. These words were spoken by Pandit Ravi Shankar to Smita.
b. It was settled that Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Allah Rakha would go to Aunt Sushila’s house
the next day to play for Anant.
c. The morning after the day of the performance, Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Allah Rakha took
a taxi to Aunt Sushila’s house. They stopped the taxi outside their block and they went up the
wooden staircase and knocked softly on the door of Aunt Sushila’s apartment. They went in, sat
down on the divan by the window and played for Anant. This is how Pandit Ravi Shankar kept
his word.
C. 1. Anant was very excited to hear that Pandit Ravi Shankar, the sitar maestro, was going to be playing
at Shanmukhananda auditorium the next day. He was so thrilled and excited that he was able to
raise himself on his elbows for one second before falling back again. Anant had always wanted to
see and hear Pandit Ravi Shankar play and so his eyes were shining as he said that they shouldn’t
miss the chance of seeing the maestro play. Anant was a good sitar player and he could even
compose his own tunes. Thus, he felt that hearing and seeing the great sitarist play would help
him learn and that it was the chance of a lifetime.
2. The family was in Bombay for Anant’s medical treatment, as he was suffering from cancer. They
had come from Gaganpur with the hope that Anant would be cured in Bombay.
3. Though the family knew that Anant’s condition was fast deteriorating and he did not have
many days to live, they did not voice their fears. They laughed, smiled, talked and surrounded
Anant with whatever made him happy. They fulfilled his every need and gave him whatever he
asked for.
The family behaved like this around Anant because as Anant’s condition worsened, the doctors
asked them to take Anant home and give him the things he liked and indulge him. The family
knew that there was little hope of Anant getting well.
4. As Panditji played the first notes, Smita felt as if the gates of a land of enchantment and wonder
had opened. Spellbound, she listened to the unfolding ragas—the slow sad notes and the fast
happy ones.
5. Smita told Panditji about her brother, who lay sick at home and of how he longed to hear Panditji
and the Ustad play. She then requested the maestros to come and play at Aunt Sushila’s house for
her brother.
D. 1. Suggested answer: Though Smita had told Anant about the great musicians agreeing to come to
Aunt Sushila’s house to play for him, he could hardly believe it was happening when he saw them
walking in. He was very happy; he felt that he had got the chance of lifetime.
2. Suggested answer: The maestros’ kindness and large heartedness are evident in this piece. In spite
of being very famous and busy, the fact that they had tried to fulfil the wish of a young and ailing
music lover shows their greatness.
Grammar
A. 2. will come 3. will fall 4. shall do 5. shall not have 6. shall attend
7. going to clean 8. going to give
B. 2. leave 3. will be studying 4. is planning 5. will have opened
6. will be cooking
Vocabulary
A. 1. need 2. rush 3. indulge 4. compose 5. surround 6. gather
7. leave 8. long
B. Free response
Pronunciation
1. ee 2. ment 3. ful 4. ese 5. eous 6. ity 7. eer 8. ist
Dictionary Work
1. AmE 2. BrE 3. AmE 4. BrE 5. AmE 6. BrE
Writing
Pandit Ravi Shankar was born on 7 April 1920 in Benaras. His name was Ravi Shankar Chowdhury
then. He started his schooling at Bengalitola High School. Being inclined towards dance and music, by
13 years of age, he became a member of Uday Shankar’s dance group and learned to dance and play
various Indian instruments. In fact, he studied Indian classical music under Ustad Allauddin Khan. He
first began to play the sitar publicly in December 1939. His first performance was with sarod-player,
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He soon began to record music for HMV India and also worked as a music
director for All India Radio. He went on many international tours and taught in many colleges in
different countries.
Pandit Ravi Shankar has received many awards, including four Grammy Awards. He also founded the
Kinnara School of Music in Mumbai and Los Angeles.
THE CONCERT
A. Answer in brief.
1. Why was Smita excited on seeing a news item in the paper?
Ans: Smita was excited to read a news item which said Pandit Ravi Shankar was performing the
next day at Shanmukhananda Auditorium . That was because she was a great admirer of Pandit
Ravishankar and thought she could attend the concert.
2. Why did Anant’s mother not want to disturb him?
Ans: The boy was very sick and was bed ridden. His mother wanted him to rest without any
disturbance. She knew that he too was a great admirer of Pandit Ravishankar and would definitely
want to attend the concert. But she also knew he was in no position to go. So she did not want
him to be disturbed.
B. Answer in detail.
1. What sort of a boy was Anant? What was the frightening truth the family had to come to terms
with?
Ans: Anant was an accomplished and a multi-talented boy. At the age of fifteen he was the best
table-tennis player in the school and the fastest runner. Not only was he good at sports, he was
an excellent musician. He was learning to play the sitar and could compose his own tunes to the
astonishment of his guru. It was sad that cancer struck him at such a young age. The family had to
accept the bitter truth that Anant was suffering from a terminal illness. They had come to Bombay
and stayed with Aunt Sushila to get treatment for their dear Anant.
2. What did Aunt Sushila ask Smita to do? How did that help her?
Ans: Smita was extremely sad because she was aware that her dear brother would not be able
to go to the concert. They both had always enjoyed together particularly when it came to music
as both were taking sitar lessons. Smita did not want to go to the concert without her brother
and with tear-filled eyes was wondering what to do. It was then that Aunt Sushila comforted her
and asked her to take a walk in the park and think calmly. Her walk did help her and she was lost
in thoughts while the people in the park were doing different things like playing ball, feeding
the ducks and eating roasted gram. After some time a bold thought came to her mind and she
hurried home feeling a bit better.
C. Read the lines and answer the questions.
1. “When you get better,” his mother said “This is not the last time they are going to play”
a. What does the mother want to convey?
b. Who was going to play? What was he going to play?
c. How was the boy’s wish fulfilled?
Ans: a. The mother wanted to convince the boy that he could attend the concert of his favourite
artiste after he got better.
b. It was the sitar concert of Pandit Ravishankar whom the boy adored a lot.
c. His sister Smita arranged for a private concert for the boy in his own house.
2. “Panditji is a busy man. You must not bother him with such requests.
a. Who speaks the above lines and to whom ?
b. What was the request the person had made?
c. Could she succeed in convincing the person?
Ans: a. The above lines are spoken by a mustachioed man and he was speaking to Anant’s sister
Smita.
b. Smita wanted the sitar maestro to come to her house and play for her brother who was
dying of cancer.
c. Yes. Pandit Ravishankar agreed to perform for Anant the next morning.
D. Answer in brief. (Think and answer)
1. What was occupying Smita’s mind while she was listening to the sitar recital?
Ans: The enchanting music filled the hearts of everyone present in the auditorium. Spell bound
Smita too was listening to every raga that the maestro played. Though she was taken to a different
world, in her mind she had a plan to make her brother’s wish come true. Will that materialise? Her
mind was occupied with that thought.
2. Why was Smita nervous about approaching Pandit Ravishankar?
Ans: Smita was one among many in the audience who had come to the concert. She had a unique
request to make to the sitar maestro. He was an artiste of great repute. She wondered if her plan
would materialise.
E. Answer in detail. (Think and answer)
Humility makes a great artiste even greater. Justify with example from the lesson ‘The Concert’.
Ans: Pandit Ravishankar, the world renowned sitar maestro was moved by Smita’s request, a
young girl, who wanted to fulfill her ailing brother’s wish. A moustachioed man standing close by
commented that Pandit Ravishankar was a busy man and that he should not be bothered with such
requests. But Pandit Ravishankar and Ustad Allah Rakha wasted no time in agreeing to perform
exclusively for Smita’s sick brother. That showed their greatness and humility. They had proved that
they were far greater than what the world thought of them.
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