The Magic Brush of Dreams — Textbook

THE MAGIC BRUSH OF DREAMS

Let us do these activities before we read.

I Work in pairs. Choose the acts of kindness and unkindness from the box that you have heard, read or experienced. Write them separately in appropriate boxes. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.

friendly, heartfelt, mean, thoughtful, impatient, caring, selfish, unfriendly, nice, pleasant, hateful, thoughtless

[Image description: Two emoji faces surrounded by blank rectangular label boxes to fill in qualities—on the left is a yellow smiling, happy face; on the right is an angry, frowning face with furrowed brows.]

II Use appropriate words to express the qualities of a kind child on following aspects mentioned in the box. Here is an example for you.

Kind Child

[Image description: Decorative illustrations showing a magical wand emitting golden stars, a paintbrush lying in the center, a magical genie lamp billowing colorful swirls of smoke, and a peacock standing near greenery.]

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Let us read

[Image description: An illustration of a young Indian girl named Gopi kneeling under a banyan tree and drawing pictures in the sand with a twig. A village is visible in the background against hills.]

"Go and gather wild beans, Gopi,

Go and fetch some rice.

Go and pluck the mangoes

And bring home something nice."

Gopi sits beneath the banyan,

A twig is in her hand.

She sits there drawing pictures,

Pictures in the sand.

The winds blow by and sweeps away

The pictures in the sand.

But on a stone there sits a man,

A brush is in his hand.

He looks around. He calls to Gopi.

"Come here!" he whispers. "Hush!

We mustn't let the village know

About this magic brush."

He slips the brush into her hand

And tells her to be sure,

"Paint not for the wealthy ones,

But only for the poor."

"Did you gather wild beans, Gopi?

Did you fetch some rice?

Did you pluck the mangoes

And bring home something nice?"

"No beans, no rice, no mangoes!"

Gopi grins and runs inside.

She paints a bowl of khichdi and waits,

Until the paint has dried.

"The bowl is full of khichdi, Gopi!"

Into the house the villagers streamed

The young and old all wish to see

The magic brush of dreams.

She paints a muffler for a farmer,

A plough for another man,

A shawl for a grandmother,

And for a girl, a fan.

And soon the news spreads far and wide,

Through forests, fields, and plains,

Until the Zamindar himself

Hears of these magic gains.

"I order you to paint for me,

A fortress tall and grand.

Paint treasures, jewels, and riches rare,

Enough to rule this land."

Gopi bows and shakes her head.

"My lord, I can't comply.

I swore to use this magic brush

To help the needy by."

The Zamindar roars and stamps his foot.

He bellows to his men,

"Seize this brush and seize the girl.

Throw her in the pen!"

Now Gopi waits inside the cell,

Upon a cold mud floor.

Until the Zamindar returns

And shouts through the door.

He holds the brush. He thunders loud,

"Paint my fortress tall!

Paint gold and rubies, emeralds bright,

And you shall leave this hall!"

That night the Zamindar lies in bed,

Dreaming of his gold,

While Gopi paints a winding road,

A horse both strong and bold.

The road leads out of prison gates.

The horse, she swiftly urges

Gopi leaps on and gallops fast,

Through fields and many villages.

"It's Gopi! It's Gopi! She's back again!"

Say the villagers, merry and kind.

But Gopi keeps on painting still,

With the Zamindar's men following behind.

She paints a mighty river wide,

Its currents fast and deep.

The Zamindar and all his men

Stop short and cannot leap.

"Now should I paint a beast

To leap and chase you through?

Stop this chase or it will feast

On you, and you and you!"

The Zamindar cries, "No, no, no more!

I'll leave, I'll go away!"

He turns and flees; his men behind

Dare not choose to stay.

Now Gopi paints for the village folk,

A feast of sweets and tea.

A courtyard bright, a band to play,

And songs of victory.

— ADAPTED FROM A FOLK TALE

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Let us discuss

I Arrange the events in order of occurrence in the poem. The last one has been marked for you. Share your answers with your classmates and teacher.

II Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct answer from the box given below.

triumphant and celebratory | tension and suspense | playful and innocent

The tone of the poem shifts throughout, reflecting the different moods of the story. Initially, the tone is 1. ________ as Gopi uses her imagination to draw in the sand, and later when the Zamindar enters the story, the tone shifts to one of 2. ________. In the final part of the poem, the tone becomes 3. ________ as Gopi escapes, the Zamindar is defeated, and the villagers rejoice.

III Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option from within the brackets.

1. The poem mostly follows a simple rhyme scheme, ________, which adds a rhythmic flow. (ABCB, ABBA, ABAB)

2. This poem belongs to the ________ poetry genre, which tells a story through verse. (descriptive, narrative or ballad, free style)

IV Choose the correct answer from the options given.

(a) What is special about the brush in the poem?

(i) It can paint.

(ii) It can bring painting to life.

(iii) It is made of gold.

(iv) It has magical power.

(b) What does the poem ultimately teach us?

(i) Art is more valuable than money.

(ii) Power and kindness should be used to help the poor and needy.

(iii) Wealth is the most important thing.

(iv) Magic solves all problems.

V Match the phrases from the poem in Column 1 with what they symbolise in Column 2.

VI Identify whether the following statement is true or false.

While Gopi uses the magic brush to help others, the Zamindar wants to use it for personal gain. This contrast drives the moral of the story.

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Let us think and reflect

I Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1. But on a stone there sits a man, A brush is in his hand. He looks around. He calls to Gopi. "Come here!" he whispers. "Hush! We mustn't let the village know About this magic brush." He slips the brush into her hand And tells her to be sure, "Paint not for the wealthy ones, But only for the poor."

(i) Fill in the blank by selecting the correct option from those given in the brackets.

The man is whispering and telling Gopi to keep the brush a secret reflects his ________ (careful and secretive/magical and delightful) nature.

(ii) What is the significance of the man slipping the brush into Gopi's hand?

(iii) Complete the following sentence with a suitable reason.

The most likely reason the man instructs Gopi to 'Paint not for wealthy ones but only for the poor' is because he ________.

(iv) Select the most appropriate title for the extract from the two given below.

A. The Magic Brush's Secret

B. Gopi's Special Gift

2. And soon the news spreads far and wide, Through forests, fields, and plains, Until the Zamindar himself Hears of these magic gains. "I order you to paint for me, A fortress tall and grand. Paint treasures, jewels, and riches rare, Enough to rule this land."

(i) Complete the following sentence with the correct reason.

The news of Gopi's magic brush spreads 'through forests, fields, and plains' because of its ________.

(ii) The things painted by Gopi's paintbrush is compared to 'magic gains'. Why?

(iii) Which of the following statements given below is false? Rectify the false statement.

A. Gopi's magic brush draws the attention of the powerful Zamindar.

B. The Zamindar requests Gopi to paint a grand fortress and jewels.

(iv) What does the Zamindar's demand for a grand fortress and jewels reveal about his character?

II Answer the following questions.

1. Explain why Gopi made the right decision by refusing to paint for the Zamindar.

2. Gopi threatens to draw a beast to scare away the Zamindar. Justify her action. How would you have dealt with the situation differently?

3. What is the significance of Gopi celebrating with the villagers at the end of the poem?

4. Compare Gopi's use of the magic brush to how the Zamindar would have used it.

5. What can be inferred about Gopi's character based on her refusal to follow the Zamindar's orders?

6. Justify the appropriateness of the title of the poem.

7. If you had the magic brush, how would you use it in today's world?

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Let us learn

I The verb 'draw' has different meanings in different contexts. Match the sentences in Column 1 with their appropriate meanings in Column 2.

II Fill in the crossword. Clues have been given below. You will find the words in the poem.

[Image description: A crossword puzzle grid containing numbered boxes across and down with certain letters provided: G, A, L, L, O, P; S, W, I, F, T; W, H, I, S, P, E, R, S; P, L, U, C, K; W, E, A, L, T, H, Y; S, E, I, Z, E; F, L, E, E, S; M, I, G, H, T, Y; R, O, A, R; C, O, M, P, L, Y; S, T, R, E, A, M, E, D; V, I, C, T, O, R, Y.]

III There are certain expressions that convey a sudden feeling or reaction. They can be used to express a variety of emotions and thoughts.

Example: ... he whispers. "Hush!"

('Hush' denotes the act of silencing someone)

Now, match the expressions in Column 1 with what emotions or reactions they convey, in Column 2.

Now, make sentences using any five expressions from Column 1.

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Let us listen

I You will listen to five speakers speak about a magical power they wish for. As you listen, match statements 1–7 with speakers (i)–(v). There are two statements you do not need. (Transcript for teacher on page 152)

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Let us speak

I Intonation is the rise and fall of the pitch of tone while speaking.

The 'falling' tone is the fall in the pitch of the voice from a high level to a low level. It is marked [↘]. The falling tone is generally used in imperative sentences. Such sentences are used in speech for different communicative purposes to express a command or an instruction, to ask for a favour or to give a warning.

Read the following sentences from the text with the falling tone.

• ↘ Come here!

• ↘ Seize this magic brush...

• ↘ Paint my fortress tall!

• ↘ Go and fetch some rice.

II Work in pairs. Take turns to make requests for the following formal and informal situations.

Formal Requests

Informal Requests

You may use the following phrases when you make the request.

[Image description: A full-length cartoon drawing of a female superhero in a green jumpsuit with an "S" logo and a flowing cape, flying through the air with one hand raised.]

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Let us write

I The writing of an essay is like the construction of a house. Before constructing a house, we make a plan. Likewise we plan out that we want to write about the subject in the form of outlines/hints.

(i) While developing the outlines, efforts should be made to link one idea.

(ii) Put space between paragraphs.

(iii) Choose the greatest information.

(iv) Organise the information/ideas in sequence.

(v) Use short and cut sentences.

(vi) Choose sweet soothing easy words.

(vii) Each sentences in a paragraph should have magnetic touch.

(viii) Due care should be given to appropriateness of the language or grammaticality.

(ix) Read your essay over and over again to improve your expressions and constructions.

(x) The beginning and the end must be short and effective.

Now write the following essays in about 100 words developing the outlines given.

(a) Trees; (Title)

Outlines: The role of trees in human life and its usefulness- how they supply oxygen, timber and essential conveniences of life, protect the surface soil of the earth cause rain and prevent floods- country's wealth-one should look after them well.

(b) When I was a child.... (Title)

Outlines: The happiest period, free from sorrow and burdens- how you were looked after by your parents- how you were loved by your grandparents- some unforgotable memories when you joined your first school love of teachers your liking of the stage.

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Let us explore

[Image description 1: A framed portrait of the great magician P.L. Sundarka wearing a traditional turban and embellished royal sherwani with an ornate background.]

[Image description 2: An illustration of four young students standing outdoors in a garden, talking together—a Sikh boy with a blue patka, a girl in green sweatshirt, a girl in a printed kurta, and a visually impaired boy wearing sunglasses and holding a white cane.]

I. Have you heard of Odisha's famous magician P.L. Sundarka (Senior). His full name is Panna Lal. He is known as one of the "India's Greatest Magician". He was from Nayagarh, Itamati, Odisha. He was known for being a disciple of the renowned magician P.C. Sorcar. He was also known as the "Emperor of Magic" or "Jadusamrat" in India. He was known for his grand stage illusions and captivating performances which drew large crowds.

II. Words can also play tricks. Read the riddles about things that seem to be unreal and find what they refer to.

1. I can fill a room, but I take up no space. I'm often heard, but never seen. What am I?

2. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?

3. I have cities but no houses, I have forests but no trees. What am I?

4. I'm tall when I'm young and short when I'm old, in a dark room, my story is told.

III. You are asked to create a magical object. What object would you create? Make a drawing with all its details and mention its special quality on the same sheet. Put up the sheet on the display board.