THE RACE - Nisha Punjabi
‘The Race’, written by Nisha Punjabi the famous Indian freelance writer, is the story of an athlete boy named Tarun.
Tarun was weak in his studies. But he had an intense wish to become the fastest runner in the world. An intensive training was necessary to achieve his dream. But he had no money. Moreover his parents hated sports and wanted him to concentrate on his studies. The only way to achieve his goal was to practice very hard.
One day his father got angry with him for failing in his terminal examination. His friends teased him. This made him very sad. To overcome this, he went to the park and started running around. When he was tired, he sat on a bench. The great athlete and Olympian, Ram Narayan was watching him all the time. He told Tarun that he would train him. But there was one condition. Tarun should win the race on Children’s Day at Nehru Park. Tarun took it as a challenge. He practiced hard for the thousand meter race.
The day of the race arrived. Tarun was far ahead of everybody. But he slipped and fell down again and again. But he got up and ran again. His mother and Ram Narayan encouraged him from the gallery. Though he was the last, he finished the race. The crowd cheered him for his determination. Ram Narayan told Tarun that he had won the toughest race- the race of his life.
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Read and Respond
Ans : I like Tarun more than his brother. Even though he was weak in studies he had an intense wish to become the fastest runner in the world.
2. What were the obstacles before Tarun in pursuing his dream ?
Ans : Tarun wished to become the fastest runner in the world. But his parents wanted him to concentrate on his studies. They had no money to train him in sports.
Ans : To solve this problem he could practice himself or he could convince his parents that he had the potential in him.
3. “It was a day he wanted to wipe out from his memory...”. Why ?
Ans : His father was very angry with him for failing in his terminal exam. His friends teased him.
4. What made Ram Narayan say, “Life is full of ups and downs” ?
Ans : While Tarun was in the park, Ram Narayan asked him why he was sad. Tarun replied that he had failed in two subjects. Then Ram Narayan told him that life was full of ups and downs.
5. Do you think Tarun’s meeting with Ram Narayan would change his life ? Explain.
Ans : Yes. Ram Narayan would give training to Tarun to make him a great athlete.
6. How did Tarun react when Ram Narayan asked if he had joined some training school ?
Ans: When Ram Narayan asked him whether he had joined some training school, Tarun’s smile faded. He told Ram Narayan that a training-school was very expensive as he was unemployed.
7. On what condition did Ram Narayan agree to train Tarun?
Ans : Tarun should win the race that was going to be held on Children’s Day at Nehru Park.
8. What made Ram Narayan say that it was his job to get Tarun entry in the race ?
Ans : Tarun promised Ram Narayan that he would win the race. Then Ram Narayan replied that it was his job to get Tarun’s entry in the race.
9. How did Tarun prepare for the race ?
Ans : First, Tarun went to Nehru Park to check the details of the race. Everyday he got up at four O’ clock in the morning and ran ten miles. In the evening he practised for the thousand meter race.
10. “He also wanted someone to back him up and so he told everything to his mother”. Do you think this kind of sharing will help him face his problems better? Why ?
Ans: Yes. When we share our feelings to our beloved ones, they would support us and it would make us confident to achieve the goal.
11. Why did Tarun really want to win the race ?
Ans : Because he wanted to show his father that he was not really the ‘black sheep’ of the family.
12. “Tarun felt very proud of himself”. What made him proud ?
Ans : Tarun saw that he was far ahead of the other runners. So he felt very proud of himself.
13. If you were Tarun, would you finish the race or give it up ? Why ?
Ans : If I were Tarun, and had fallen down more than once, I would have given up the race, feeling ashamed.
14. Do you think the presence of his mother and Ram Narayan helped Tarun in finishing the race? Give reasons.
Ans : Yes. The presence of his mother and Ram Narayan filled his mind with confidence and courage to finish the race.
15. “You have won the toughest race, the race of your life”. What did Ram Narayan mean by this ?
Ans : When Tarun crossed the finishing-line last, he felt ashamed and said sorry to Ram Narayan. Then Ram Narayan told these words. By this, Ram Narayan meant that Tarun was a real-life hero.
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Character-sketch of Tarun.
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Activity 3
Announcement
The race Tarun participated in, was quite exciting. Several factors made it lively. The announcement was one of them. Read the script of an announcement about Tarun’s race.
Ans:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We welcome all of you to Nehru Park for watching the race in connection with the Children’s Day Celebrations. The race will start at 8 AM. tomorrow. Young athletes from various schools are participating in it. Olympian Sri. Ram Narayan will flag off the race.We invite all of you to watch it.
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The Sports Club of your school is organising a meeting to congratulate Tarun. You are asked to make an announcement about the programme. Prepare a script of your announcement and present it.
Ans: Ladies and Gentlemen, we welcome all of you to Govt. High School Lukhnow, for a congratulatory function arranged to honour Master Tarun who has raised the fame of our nation and our school up in the sky. The function will start at 11 a.m tomorrow. Nobody from our village has ever participated or won any prize in a sports event like this. So let’s gather together and congratulate the valour, determination and spirit of the real athlete in him. We invite all of you to Govt. High School Lukhnow.
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