The Little Martyr 9th Grade, English

Background Information Quit India Movement - The Quit India Movement was a civil disobedience movement launched in India in August 1942 in response to Gandhi’s call for immediate independence. The All India Congress Committee proclaimed a mass protest demanding what Gandhi called "an orderly British withdrawal" from India. The call for determined, but passive resistance appears in his call to Do or Die, issued on 9th August at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai in the year 1942. Hubli - Hubli, also called Hubballi, is a major city in the state of Karnataka, India. The name Hubballi literally means "flowering creeper" in Kannada. The twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad, collectively referred to as "Hubli-Dharwad", is the second-largest in Karnataka after Bengaluru. The city of Hubli, situated about 20 km south-east of Dharwad, is the commercial centre and business hub of the North Karnataka region.

The Story Many different movements to get the British out of India starting with the First War of Independence in 1857 had happened but none of them had borne fruit. Freedom fighters were routinely arrested and put in jail where there were tortured and beaten up very badly. Quite a few were hanged. Indians were boiling with rage against the British rule and the tyranny of the British and the Quit India movement fuelled those feelings very strongly. The entire city of Hubli was filled with people participating in the Quit India movement and placards, posters could be seen everywhere depicting this. Thousands of people had gathered in Durgadbail, the city square echoing the call of Quit India.

The Story…continued Narayan, a small boy living in Hubli was also very interested to take part in the gathering. After taking bath, he wore his khadi shorts and shirt, took the National Flag which filled him with pride and told his mother that he was going out to participate in the procession at Durgadbail, a square in the heart of the city. His mother was very concerned that he was going to participate in a procession of elders but Narayan brushed her off by saying what mattered was the intent to serve Mother India and not the size. His mother beamed with pride and let him go. Narayan took part in the procession, seeing his little heart filled with so much of patriotism all the elders put him at the head of the procession where he proudly waved the Indian flag while shouting against the British to go back to their country. All of a sudden the police resorted to firing bullets at the procession and Narayan was also hit in the chest by a bullet. In the hospital, just before he died, Narayan uttered the words ‘Swaraj’ before passing away. Narayan was a true Martyr of the Nation, albeit a little fellow, he stands tall among all the folks who lost their lives fighting the British.

Comprehension 1) Who served an ultimatum to the British? Ans: Gandhiji served an ultimatum to the British to leave India. 2) What was mistaken for cowardice? Ans: Gandhiji’s principle of non violence was mistaken to be cowardice. 3) When was the First War of Independence fought? Ans:1857 4) How were the freedom fighters treated? Ans: Freedom fighters were put in jail and ruthlessly tortured. 5) Who was Narayan? Ans: Narayan was a small boy living in Hubli 6) What did the Indians ask the British to do? Ans: The Indians were asking the British to go back to their country 7) What filled Narayan with the spirit of patriotism? Ans: The touch of the Indian flag filled his heart with patriotism 8) Where did Narayan join the freedom fighters? Ans: Narayan joined the fighters in Durgadbail 9) What did people do when the police fired? Ans: People ran in all directions away from the firing 10) What did Narayan say before he breathed his last? Ans: Swaraj

Exercise - Fill in the Blanks I prefer death to enslavement. A child’s smile is infectious. Tilak worked untiringly for the freedom of India. The Kumbhamela is a mammoth gathering of people. The dacoits beat the trader ruthlessly and decamped with his valuables. A bomb thrown by the terrorists killed many innocent people. It was a heartrending scene to see the innocent lie in a pool of blood.

Exercise – Combine the following sentences using who, which, because, when, neither/nor, either/or, although and though. 1) Tenzing is a sherpa. He is the pride of India. Ans: Tenzing is a sherpa who is the pride of India. 2) We reached Bijapur. The sun was setting. Ans: We reached Bijapur when the sun was setting. 3) The Ganga is a holy river. It takes its birth in the Himalayas. Ans: The Ganga is a holy river which takes its birth in the Himalayas. 4) Gandhiji did not like violence. He did not like communal disharmony. Ans: Gandhiji neither liked violence nor communal disharmony. 5) They saw a tiger. They ran as fast as they could. Ans: When they saw a tiger, they ran as fast as they could. Ans: Because they saw a tiger, they ran as fast as they could. 6) The police asked the dacoit to surrender. They told him to face punishment. Ans: The police asked the dacoit to either surrender or face punishment. 7) He was crippled. He fought bravely. Ans: Although he was crippled, he fought bravely. 8) He came late. He could complete his work. Ans: Though he came late, he could complete his work.

Exercise – Name the parts of speech Gandhiji stirred up the patriotic feelings. Patriotic - adjective The whole of India rose against the despotic rule of the British. Against - preposition Thousands of Indians fought untiringly to drive the British out. Fought – verb; untiringly – adverb; out - preposition He opened the cupboard and took out the tricolour. Opened - verb Every drop of blood that fell on this holy soil inspired Indians. Every – adjective; on - preposition; inspired – adjective; Indians - Noun Further Reading – Read the play Ramsing Chowk by S.R.Rohidekar