Q1.
Let us Read — Glass Bangles. Read the story and enjoy it.
Answer
Read the story once for the fun of it. Then read it again, slowly, and stop at the end of each part to see what has changed.
The story in six parts:
- The town. Firozabad, in Uttar Pradesh, is a busy district famous for its glassware. It is best known for beautiful glass bangles. Ravi is a skilled glass artisan — a person who makes beautiful things by hand. His family has been making bangles there for a very long time.
- The workshop. Ravi’s workshop is full of life. “The air was filled with the clinking of glass and the gentle hum of conversation as artisans shaped beautiful bangles.” Clinking is the small ringing sound glass makes when two pieces touch.
- How a bangle is made. It is difficult work and it needs great skill. The glass is heated in a furnace — a very hot oven. The soft glass is then shaped into bangles. Colours and designs are added. Last, the bangles are cooled slowly, “to perfection”.
- Diwali. Diwali is the festival of lights. Women love to wear glass bangles at this time, so the demand goes up. The workshop becomes busier than ever, with the artisans “working around the clock” — that is, working all day and all night.
- Ananya’s idea. Ravi’s daughter Ananya has finished school. She has an eye for design. She adds delicate floral patterns (flower designs) and geometric shapes (circles, squares, triangles) to the old designs. Ravi is hesitant at first, because he is worried about keeping the craft true to its tradition. Then he sees how beautiful her work is, and agrees.
- The happy ending. They make a special Diwali collection that joins the old with the new. It sells very well. On Diwali night, as the streets of Firozabad glitter with lamps, Ravi and Ananya watch with pride as women and girls walk past their shop wearing their bangles.
Why the story matters: Ravi keeps the skill; Ananya brings the new idea. Neither one alone would have made the Diwali collection. Old and new worked together, and that is the whole point of the story.
Did you know? Firozabad is often called India’s “glass city”. Its bangles, glass beads and glassware are sent all over the country and abroad. Making a glass bangle by hand takes many pairs of hands — one worker heats the glass, another shapes the ring, another joins the two ends, and another adds the colour and the design.
Read it aloud like this: Read parts 1 to 3 in a steady, proud voice — this is a town telling you about its craft. Read part 4 a little faster, because everyone is in a hurry. Slow down for part 6 and read it softly — that is the quiet, happy end.