Human Relations

Look at the picture and read the following excerpt from the diary of a 72-yearold man. Answer the questions that follow.

As I sit here alone and waiting

I gaze at people passing me by.

I try to smile and reach out to them

But no one notices; no one waits.

They look to me like I am nothing 

Are they afraid to be seen saying “Hi”

to an old man like me?

1.what is the excerpt about?

Ans.the excerpt is about an old mans inner feelings. He feels sorry for himself. Through this excerpt, he tries to tell the readers about his pathetic condition. He fels that he is totally neglected.

2.How do people respond to the old man's plight ?

Ans. The old man craves for company. He smiles at the passersby. He wants to talk to them. But no one notices him. Not even a single person responds to his plight. No one waits for a single second. They think that the old man is nothing. They appear to be afraid of greeting an old man. 3. How- should old people be treated so that they do not feel neglected? Ans. The old people should be treated sympathetically. They should be respected and treated with honour. They should not be bullied or laughed at. We should share our feelings with them. We should give value to their feelings. We should obey them and try to follow their pieces of advice. If we treat the old people as mentioned above, they don't feel neglected.

ORAL DISCOURSE

Description - Describe the picture in your own words. (Reflect on the theme, people, events, about the old man, etc.)

A.The picture shows hectic activity. Everyone, except the old man, is busy with his work. Some women are drawing water out from the borewell. Another woman is selling something. Some men are discussing something seriously at the village platform of negotiations. Children are playing their own game. The old man's son and his daughter-in-law are in the house. His daughter-in-law is serving her hus-band. But he is alone. He is watching the people passing him by. He tries to wish them with smile but no one has any time to notice him, to talk to him. No one has any concern for him. He is feeling loneliness and solitude. He feels that he is not loved, cared and wanted. He feels that he is neglected like a thing or a rock. He is not at least Wished or greeted. At least people have no time to respond to his smile. Thus he is suffering from solitude and he feels that he is ill-treated.

A.The Journey

 `The Journey' is an excellent piece of work written by Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi, a  prominent Assamese writer and it is translated into English by D.P. Nath.

The author was a government officer. He came to his village to get married. His \\ parents had arranged his marriage, according to the customs of their tribal society.  After spending six months at home, he was preparing to return to his place of work. But he didn't want to leave behind his newly-wed wife. He thought of extending his  leave too. But his responsibilities made him decide to go.

As theirs is a hilly terrain, without any motorable roads, the author always prefers to carry lesF luggage. Now, his problem was that he needed someone to carry his luggage as his education had made him avoid physical labour.

Since most of the villagers were busy in the fields, he couldn't find even one w could help him carry the trunk to the bus stop. Finally, the writer's father told him that he would see him off at Dirang. He didn't want to allow his old father to carry I) trunk. But his father decided to carry the chest to the bus stop.

On the day of his departure, a large crowd gathered to wish him luck and the author left for Dirang at 10 : 20. His father had already left and he had to walk fast to catch up his father. He was very tired when he caught up with his father. He sat on rock to rest for a while. His father drank all the wine given by him and resumed carrying the luggage on his back. The author followed his father. Neither of them spoke a word as if they were strangers.

The author knew that his father had provided for his education. But he thought that it was through him that his parents had earned admiration and respect from the villagers. He knew that he was physically useless in spite of his youth and strength. He concluded that it would be better to let his father carry the luggage and follow him silently. After resting at two places for tiffin, they reached Dirang finally.

They entered a tea shop and started sipping tea. His father asked him if he had a pair of old shoes. Then the author looked at his father's bare feet and noticed that they were full of cracks. He noticed this for the first time. He offered' his father money but he refused to take. Instead, he wanted the author's old pair. So, the author gave him the hunting boots he was wearing. His father filled with satisfaction when he saw the author taking out his pair of leather shoes from the trunk. His father wanted to say something to him but the bus started moving.

Finally  the author realized that both their ways were different  his way was a luxurious one while his father's was a difficult one.

Glossary

Lethargy (n) :

the state of not having any energy or enthusiasm for doing things .

Creeps (v) :

develops very slowly .

Dilly-dallying (v) :

taking a long time to do something, go somewhere or make a decision .

Shun (v) :

to avoid something or somebody .

Dissuade (v) :

to convince somebody not to do something .

Plight (n) :

a difficult and sad situation .

guilt (n) :

the unhappy feelings caused by knowing that you have done something wrong .

Self-consciousness (n):

feelings of nervousness about what other people think of you .

Contentment (n) :

a feeling of happiness or satisfaction .

Weary (adj) :

very tired .