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(Scene 4: At the palace)
Narrator: And in the palace too the courtiers could discuss nothing but Hilsa-fish.
Courtier 1: Your majesty, you should have seen, the huge fish I caught, it was...
King: Stop it! Are you a courtier or a fisherman?
(Scene 5)
Narrator: The courtier fell silent with downcast eyes, the king felt guilty.
King: I'm sorry I lost my temper. It is the season for Hilsa-fish and no one....Not even Gopal can stop anyone from talking about Hilsa- fish not for even about five minutes.
Gopal: Oh! I think I could, Your Majesty.
King: Then let me see you buy a huge Hilsa and bring it to the palace without anyone asking you a word about it.
Gopal: I accept the challenge, Your Majesty.
Narrator: And in the palace too the courtiers could discuss nothing but Hilsa-fish.
Courtier 1: Your majesty, you should have seen, the huge fish I caught, it was...
King: Stop it! Are you a courtier or a fisherman?
(Scene 5)
Narrator: The courtier fell silent with downcast eyes, the king felt guilty.
King: I'm sorry I lost my temper. It is the season for Hilsa-fish and no one....Not even Gopal can stop anyone from talking about Hilsa- fish not for even about five minutes.
Gopal: Oh! I think I could, Your Majesty.
King: Then let me see you buy a huge Hilsa and bring it to the palace without anyone asking you a word about it.
Gopal: I accept the challenge, Your Majesty.
Explanation:
People were speaking about the Hilsa-fish all over the place. Even in the palace, the courtiers were talking about the Hilsa-fish. Usually, courtiers in the king's palace will hold important meetings and discuss other matters surrounding the palace. However, since it was Hilsa-fish season, the courtiers had nothing but the Hilsa to speak.
After speaking with the fellow courtiers, one of the courtiers went in front of the king and said, "Your majesty, you should have seen the huge fish I caught; it was..."
When the king heard about the fish, he burst out in anger. He questioned the courtier whether he was a courtier or a fisherman. The king made this argument because the courtiers were wasting their time talking about the Hilsa-fish instead of doing their jobs. The king knew that the fishermen would discuss more about the fish rather than others. Since fishing was their career, fishermen would talk about it more. And so the king thought, what's wrong with these courtiers simply wasting their time in speaking about the fish.
When the king heard about the fish, he burst out in anger. He questioned the courtier whether he was a courtier or a fisherman. The king made this argument because the courtiers were wasting their time talking about the Hilsa-fish instead of doing their jobs. The king knew that the fishermen would discuss more about the fish rather than others. Since fishing was their career, fishermen would talk about it more. And so the king thought, what's wrong with these courtiers simply wasting their time in speaking about the fish.
King got angry at the courtier
The courtier stood silent and felt ashamed because he had never expected that the king would shout at him. When the king looked at the courtier, he felt guilty and regretted for having yelled at him. The king apologised for the mistake and said, "I'm sorry I lost my temper". The king lost his cool because everyone was speaking about the Hilsa-fish. He knew that it was the season for the Hilsa-fish, but the king was annoyed because no one stopped speaking about the Hilsa. Not even Gopal could stop anyone from talking about Hilsa-fish, not for even about five minutes.
After hearing the king's point about no one can remain silent without talking about Hilsa-fish, Gopal, at once said, "Oh! I think I could, Your Majesty." After hearing his response, the king assigned a task for him. The job was Gopal should buy a huge Hilsa-fish from the market, and he would have to return to the palace without anyone asking about the fish.
After hearing his assigned task, Gopal said, "I accept the challenge, Your Majesty."
Meanings of the difficult words:
| S.No | Words | Meanings |
1 | Majesty | The term used to address the king with respect |
2 | Palace | A large and impressive building forming the official residence of a ruler (king) |
3 | Courtier | Adviser of the king or queen |
4 | Downcast eyes | Looking downward in the feeling of depressed or ashamed |
5 | Guilty | Responsible for a specified wrong doing |
6 | Temper | A person's state of mind seen in terms of being angry or calm |
7 | Challenge | A call to prove or justify something |
8 | Yelled | Shout in a loud, sharp way |
9 | Uttering | Say something |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2007). Honeycomb. Gopal and the Hilsa-fish(pp. 36-47). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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