A LETTER TO GOD [WITH HINDI STORY] CHAPTER 1 [CLASS 10] | WITH QUESTION ANSWER

A LETTER TO GOD [WITH HINDI STORY]

  CHAPER 1  

A LETTER TO GOD

WITH QUESTION ANSWER

THE house — the only one in the entire valley — sat on the crest of a low hill. From this height one
could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that always promised a good harvest. The only thing the earth needed was a downpour or at least a shower. Throughout the morning Lencho — who knew his fields intimately— had done nothing else but see the sky towards
the north-east.

“Now we’re really going to get some water, woman.”

The woman who was preparing supper, replied, “Yes, God willing”. The older boys were working in
the field, while the smaller ones were playing near the house until the woman called to them all, “Come for dinner”. It was during the meal that, just as Lencho had predicted, big drops of rain began to fall. In the north-east huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching. The air was fresh and
sweet. The man went out for no other reason than to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body,
and when he returned he exclaimed, ‘‘These aren’t raindrops falling from the sky, they are new coins.
The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones are fives.’’

With a satisfied expression he regarded the field of ripe corn with its flowers, draped in a curtain of
rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large hailstones began
to fall. These truly did resemble new silver coins. The boys, exposing themselves to the rain, ran out
to collect the frozen pearls.

‘‘It’s really getting bad now,’’ exclaimed the man. “I hope it passes quickly.” It did not pass quickly.
For an hour the hail rained on the house, the garden, the hillside, the cornfield, on the whole
valley. The field was white, as if covered with salt.

Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the
plants. Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he stood in the middle of the field and said to his sons, “A plague of locusts would

KHUB ENGLISH

 have left more than this. The hail has left nothing.
This year we will have no corn.’’

That night was a sorrowful one.
“All our work, for nothing.”
‘‘There’s no one who can help us.”
“We’ll all go hungry this year.”

Oral Comprehension Check

1. What did Lencho hope for?
Answer: Lencho hoped for rains as then only he could get a better yield and thus feed his family.

2. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
Answer: Lencho’s crops were ready for harvest. As raindrops would have helped in getting a better harvest, resulting in more prosperity, so Lencho compared them with new coins.

3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?
Answer: The rain was pouring down. But suddenly, a strong wind began to blow, followed by a devastating hailstorm. All the crops in Lencho's fields were destroyed.

4. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
Answer: After the hail stopped, Lencho's heart was filled with sadness.He was completely shattered .He could see a bleak future for him and his family. He was worried about lack of food for the coming year.

But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary
house in the middle of the valley, there was a single
hope: help from God.
“Don’t be so upset, even though this seems like
a total loss. Remember, no one dies of hunger.”
“That’s what they say: no one dies of hunger.”

All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God, whose eyes, as he
had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience. Lencho was an ox of a
man, working like an animal in the fields, but still he knew how to write. The following Sunday, at
daybreak, he began to write a letter which he himself would carry to town and place in the mail.
It was nothing less than a letter to God.

“God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year. I need a hundred
pesos in order to sow my field again and to live until the crop comes, because the hailstorm....”

He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town. At the post
office, he placed a stamp on the letter and dropped
it into the mailbox.

One of the employees, who was a postman and also helped at the post office, went to his boss
laughing heartily and showed him the letter to God. Never in his career as a postman had he known
that address. The postmaster — a fat, amiable fellow — also broke out laughing, but almost
immediately he turned serious and, tapping the letter on his desk, commented, “What faith! I wish I
had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. Starting up a correspondence with God!”

So, in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster came up with an idea: answer the
letter. But when he opened it, it was evident that to answer it he needed something more than goodwill, ink and paper. But he stuck to his resolution: he asked for money from his employees, he himself gave part of his salary, and several friends of his were obliged to give something ‘for an act of charity’.

It was impossible for him to gather together the hundred pesos, so he was able to send the farmer
only a little more than half. He put the money in an envelope addressed to Lencho and with it a letter
containing only a single word as a signature: God.

Oral Comprehension Check
1. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Answer: Lencho had faith in God.He firmly believed that God can see everything,and even knows what his people have in their hearts.He strongly felt that God will definitely help him out of this situation. He wrote a letter to God saying that he needed some money to sow his fields again.

2. Who read the letter?
Answer: The postmaster read the letter.

3. What did the postmaster do then?
Answer: The postmaster was deeply moved by Lencho's faith in God. He did not want to disillusion this faith. So he decided to collect the money and also asked his colleagues to contribute so that he can send it to Lencho.

The following Sunday Lencho came a bit earlier than usual to ask if there was a letter for him.

It was the postman himself who handed the letter to him while the postmaster, experiencing the
contentment of a man who has performed a good deed, looked on from his office.

Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence — but
he became angry when he counted the money. God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have
denied Lencho what he had requested.

Immediately, Lencho went up to the window to ask for paper and ink. On the public writing-table,
he started to write, with much wrinkling of his brow, caused by the effort he had to make to express his ideas. When he finished, he went to the window to buy a stamp which he licked and then affixed to

KHUB ENGLISH

 the envelope with a blow of his fist. The moment the letter fell into the mailbox the postmaster went to open it. It said: “God: Of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much. But don’t send it to me through the mail because the post office
employees are a bunch of crooks. Lencho.”

Oral Comprehension Check
1.Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Answer: No, Lencho was not at all surprised to see the letter from God with money inside it. His confidence and faith in God was such that he had expected that God would definitely send money and help him out of this situation.

2. What made him angry?
Answer: When he finished counting money, he found only seventy pesos in it. But he had demanded hundred pesos. He was confident that God could neither make a mistake nor deny him what he had requested. So,he was pretty sure that the post office employees must have taken the remaining thirty pesos.

A LETTER TO GOD [WITH HINDI STORY]

  CHAPER 1  

A LETTER TO GOD

वह मकान जो पूरी घाटी(entire valley) का इकलौता मकान(solitary house) था, एक निचली पहाड़ी की चोटी(crest) पर स्थित था| इस ऊंचाई से नदी तथा पके हुए मकई के उस खेत को देखा जा सकता था, जो फूलों से भरा था जिनसे एक अच्छी फसल या पैदावार होने का भरोसा होता था| एक मात्र चीज जिसकी धरती को जरूरत थी, वह थी या तो भारी बारिश(downpour) या फिर कम से कम एक बौछार(shower)|
उस पूरी सुबह, लैंचो जो अपने खेतों से भली-भांति परिचित था, ने उत्तर पूर्व के आकाश को देखने के अतिरिक्त कोई और काम नहीं किया था|
“अरे महिला! अब सचमुच ही बारिश होने वाली है|” उस महिला, जो रात का भोजन तैयार कर रही थी, ने उत्तर दिया- “हां यदि ईश्वर की इच्छा हुई तो|”
‘डिनर तैयार है’, यह कह कर जब तक महिला ने उन सभी को नहीं बुलाया, तब तक बङे लड़के खेतों में काम कर रहे थे और छोटे घर के नजदीक खेल रहे थे|
भोजन के दौरान ही, जैसा लैंचो ने भविष्यवाणी(prediction) की थी, वर्षा की बड़ी-बड़ी बूदें गिरने लगी| उत्तर पूर्व दिशा में बड़े बड़े पहाड़ जैसे बादल आते दिखाई दिए| हवा ताजी तथा सुहानी थी|
 वह आदमी बाहर गया और किसी और काम के लिए नहीं बल्कि सिर्फ इसलिए ताकि वह अपने शरीर पर गिरती वर्षा का आनंद अनुभव कर सके और जब वह लौटा तो उसने अचानक कहा- यह आकाश से गिरती हुई वर्षा की बूंदें नहीं है| यह तो नये सिक्के हैं| बड़ी-बड़ी बूंदें दस-दस सेंट के सिक्के हैं और छोटी बूंदें पाँच- पाँच सेंट के सिक्के हैं|
संतोषपूर्ण(satisfied) भाव(expression) सहित उसने पकी मकई के खेत को देखा जो फूलों से भरा था और वर्षा की चादर से ढका था| लेकिन अचानक तेज हवा बहने लगी और वर्षा के साथ बड़े-बड़े ओले गिरने लगे| यह सचमुच ही चांदी के नए सिक्कों जैसे लग रहे थे| वर्षा में भीगने हुए लड़के उन बर्फ़ीले सिक्कों(frozen pearls) को उठाने बाहर भागे।
‘अब मौसम सचमुच खराब होता जा रहा है’, लैंचो ने दुखी होते हुए कहा| मुझे आशा है कि यह शीघ्र ही समाप्त हो जाएगा, किंतु यह (बारिश और तूफ़ान) शीघ्र समाप्त नहीं हुआ| 1 घंटे तक ओले बरसते रहे- घर के ऊपर, बाग में, पहाड़ी की ढलान पर, मकई के खेतों में और पूरी घाटी पर| खेत सफेद हो गया मानो नमक से ढका हो|
पेड़ों पर एक भी पत्ता शेष न रहा| मकई पूरी तरह से नष्ट(destroy) हो गई और उस पर से फूल गिर गए या नष्ट हो गए| लैंचो का अंतर्मन(soul) उदासी(sadness) से भर गया| जब तूफान गुजर चुका था, तब अपने खेतों के बीच खङे हुये उसने अपने बेटों से कहा- ‘एक टिड्डी दल(plague of locusts) भी इससे कहीं ज्यादा छोड़ जाता| ओले तो कुछ भी बाकी नहीं छोड़ गये| इस वर्ष हमारे पास मकई बिल्कुल नहीं होगी|’
वह एक दुख भरी रात थी|
“हमारा सारा कार्य बेकार गया|”
“कोई नहीं है, जो हमारी सहायता कर सके|”
“इस वर्ष हम सब भूखे रहेंगे|”
परंतु उन सभी के दिल में, जो घाटी के बीच बने उस सुनसान घर में रहते थे, एकमात्र आशा अभी थी| ईश्वर से मदद की|
“इतना दुखी या परेशान(upset) मत होओ, यद्यपि ऐसा लगता है कि सब नष्ट हो गया है| याद रखो, भूख से कोई नहीं मरता|”
“वे  तो यही कहते हैं: भूख से कोई नहीं मरता|”
पूरी रात लैंचो, अपनी एकमात्र आशा के संबंध में सोचता रहा: ईश्वर-जिनकी आंखें जैसा कि उसे बताया गया या सिखाया(instruct) गया था, सब कुछ देखती हैं, यहां तक कि वह भी जो मनुष्य के अंतर्मन(conscience) में होता है - से सहायता| लैंचो एक मेहनतकश इंसान था; वह खेतों में पशु की तरह काम करता था परंतु फिर भी उसे लिखना आता था| आगामी रविवार के दिन सुबह(daybreak) होते ही वह एक पत्र लिखने लगा, जिसे वह खुद शहर ले जाकर डाक में डालने वाला था| जो वह लिख रहा था- वह था, खुद ईश्वर के लिए पत्र|
‘भगवान’ उसने लिखा: यदि आप मेरी मदद नहीं करेंगे तो मुझे और मेरे परिवार को इस वर्ष भूखे रहना होगा| मुझे अपने खेत को फिर से बोने (sow) के लिए और अगली फसल(crop) आने तक जीने के लिए, एक सौ पैसों की जरूरत है क्योंकि ओलों ने……”
उसने लिफाफे पर लिखा ‘ईश्वर के लिए’ और पत्र को उसके अंदर डाल दिया और अब भी परेशान सा शहर की ओर चल पड़ा| डाकघर में उसने पत्र पर टिकट लगाया और उसे डाक वाले डिब्बे में डाल दिया|
कर्मचारियों में से एक, जो एक डाकिया था और उस पोस्ट ऑफिस में भी मदद करता था, वह खूब हंसते हुए(laughing heartily) अपने अफसर के पास गया और उसे ईश्वर को लिखा गया वह पत्र दिखाया| डाकिए के रूप में अपने पूरे कार्यकाल(career) के दौरान उसने वह पता कभी नहीं जाना था| पोस्ट मास्टर जो एक मोटा सा दोस्ताना स्वभाव(amiable) वाला व्यक्ति था, उसकी भी हंसी छूट गई(broke out laughing), किंतु लगभग तुरंत ही वह गंभीर(serious) हो गया और डेस्क के ऊपर पत्र को खटखटाते(tapping) हुए कहने लगा, “कैसी आस्था है(What faith)! काश मेरी भी आस्था उस आदमी जैसी होती, जिस ने यह पत्र लिखा है| इसने तो ईश्वर के साथ ही पत्र व्यवहार(correspondence) शुरू कर दिया!”
तो लेखक का ईश्वर में विश्वास ना डगमगाने देने के लिए पोस्ट मास्टर को एक विचार सूझा: इस पत्र का उत्तर दिया जाना चाहिए| किंतु जब उसने पत्र खोला तो स्पष्ट(evident) था कि उसका उत्तर देने के लिए उसे दयाभाव(goodwill)  कागज और स्याही के अलावा भी कुछ चाहिए होगा| लेकिन वह अपने निश्चय(resolution) पर अडिग रहा| उसने अपने कर्मचारियों(employees) से पैसे मांगे, स्वयं भी अपने वेतन(salary) का कुछ भाग दिया और उसके अन्य मित्रों को भी दयालुता(charity) के इस काम में कुछ देना पड़ा(obliged to give)|
उसके लिए सो पैसों को इकट्ठा करना असंभव(impossible) था, इसलिए वह किसान को आधे से थोड़ा सा अधिक ही भेज पाया |उसने पैसों को लैंचो का पता लिखे, एक लिफाफे(envelope) में डाला उस पर और साथ ही एक पत्र रख दिया, जिस पर केवल एक ही शब्द हस्ताक्षर(signature) के रूप में अंकित था- ईश्वर|
आगामी(foolowing) रविवार को लैंचो रोजाना से कुछ पहले ही वहाँ पहुंच गया, यह पूछने के लिए कि क्या उसके लिए कोई पत्र है? डाकिए ने खुद उसे पत्र दिया जबकि  पोस्ट मास्टर, वैसा संतोष(contentment), जो एक अच्छा काम करने वाला व्यक्ति अनुभव करता है, करते हुए, पोस्ट ऑफिस से देख रहे थे|
लैंचो को पैसे देखकर बिल्कुल आश्चर्य(surprise) नहीं हुआ! उसका विश्वास(confidene) ऐसा था! किंतु जब उसने पैसे गिने तो वह क्रोधित(angry) हो गया| ईश्वर गलती नहीं कर सकते थे और ना ही वह लैंचो को जो उसने माँगा था, देने से मना कर सकते थे|
तुरंत ही कागज और स्याही मांगने के लिए लैंचो खिड़की पर गया| फिर पब्लिक के लिए रखी हुई मेज पर अपनी भोंहों पर बल देते हुए, जो अपने विचारों को व्यक्त करने के प्रयास में पङ रहे थे, उसने लिखना शुरू किया|
जब उसने लिखना समाप्त कर लिया तो वह टिकट खरीदने खिड़की पर गया, जिसे उसने अपनी जीभ से गीला किया और फिर मुट्ठी(fist) से घूँसा मार कर लिफाफे पर चिपका दिया| जैसे ही पत्र डाक के डिब्बे में गिरा, पोस्ट मास्टर उसे खोलने के लिए चल दिये| उसमें लिखा था: ‘ईश्वर’ वे पैसे जो मैंने मांगे थे, उनमें से केवल 70 पैसे ही मेरे पास पहुंचे हैं| मुझे बाकी पैसे भेज दीजिए क्योंकि मुझे इन की बहुत जरूरत है, किंतु यह पैसे मुझे डाक द्वारा मत भेजना, क्योंकि डाकघर के कर्मचारी ठग(crooks) हैं|
लैंचो

   Thinking about the Text  

1. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Answer: Lencho has complete faith in God. The following sentences prove his confidence:
(i) But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley, there was a single hope: help from God.
(ii) All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God, whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience.
(iii) “God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year.”
(iv) He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town.
(v) God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.
(vi) It said: “God: of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much.”

2. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
Answer: Postmaster was moved by Lencho’s strong faith in the God. So he decided to send money to Lencho. Moreover, the postmaster did not want to disillusion him or shake his trust in God. So, he signed the letter ‘God’. It was a good ploy to convey a message that God had himself written the letter.

3. Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?
Answer: No, Lencho did not try to find out who had sent him the money because he trusted God . His faith in God was so strong that he believed that only God could have sent him the money.

4. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation? [Remember that the irony of a situation is an unexpected aspect of it. An ironic situation is strange or amusing because it is the opposite of what is expected.]
Answer:  Lencho had all his doubts on people working in the post office. The irony of the situation is that Lencho blames those who had tried to help him out . In real life also we come across such situations. Many a time you would have tried helping someone and he may get a wrong message.Lencho thinks that the post office people have taken the money. But the fact is that they only tried to help him by sending  money . But, on the other hand, Lencho thinks they have stolen his money. He even calls them crooks. Thus ,there is an element of irony in this situation.

5.Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is? You may select appropriate words from the box to answer the question.

Greedy Naive stupid ungrateful 

selfish comical unquestioning

Answer: I don't think there can be any such people in the real world. Lencho is literate and yet he writes a letter to God and even posts it without writing an address on it.So,he can rightly be called naive and unquestioning.

6. There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Answer: The conflict between humans and nature is shown when a hailstorm struck the field and destroyed his farm. As the crops get damaged, Lencho started feeling sad and gloomy and could foresee his dark future.This appropriately projects the conflict between nature and  man. The story also shows another conflict, between humans themselves. The postmaster, along with the help of his colleagues , could manage to collect some money and then sent it to Lencho . They were not related to Lencho in any manner. It was an act of kindness and selflessness on their part. Even though they did a good deed, Lencho blamed them for taking away some amount of money. This shows that man does not have faith in his fellow humans, thereby giving rise to this conflict.

Revision NotesChapter 01 A Letter to God

 Lencho’s hope of good rain to have a good crop.

 It rains but the rain soon changes into hailstones.

 Lencho has firm faith in God.

 Lencho writes a letter to God to help him.

 Lencho ask God to send him hundred pesos.

Postmaster and other employees laugh at Lencho’s letter to God.

 Postmaster decides to help Lencho in his problem.

 Postmaster wants every employee to help in his noble deed.

 Postmaster collects seventy pesos and gives the envelope to Lencho himself.

·Lencho gets angry after getting seventy pesos amount as he asked for hundred pesos.

Lencho calls the employees of post office a ‘bunch of crooks’ as he thinks that they have stolen the rest of amount.

Lencho again writes a letter to God to send him rest of the money.