Chapter's summary : Text and Summary of Prose and Poem

Summary           ' Not for Sale ' by an anonymous writer is a heart touching story of a young couple madly in love who overcome all obstacles for the sake of their love and togetherness. The author was on a vacation when he came across a painting of a young woman . The painting was extraordinary and very expressive. He wished to buy it. But the woman in charge of the shop denied saying that the painting belonged to the owner of the shop and he did not wish to sell it. However, the painting was so touching that it kept haunting the author. Whenever he got a chance, he would drive all the way through Taos and to the gallery and see the painting. Finally, the woman shopkeeper told him the story behind the painting. Two young students, a man and a woman, fell madly in love while they studied painting and arts in New York, far from their homes . They decided to get married and have a promising career in painting.           How...

Not for Sale Please Read the Part-1 of ' Not for Sale '.           She therefore decided to return home at once. She wrote the young man a long letter which she left in his room. In the letter, the young woman mentioned nothing about her health; she simply said that she had discovered that she was not really in love with him and that she had decided not to get married. Under the circumstances, she wrote, the best thing for her to do was to return home. And she did. After she did. After she had left, the young man found the letter in his room. For Summary of "Not For Sale", please click the below link >> Summary           The woman at the shop, who had been telling me the story, stopped at this point. I waited for a moment, then remarked, "But you haven't said anything about the painting. Where does that come into the story?"           She remained silent for a moment. "The painting is simpl...

Not for Sale           When I take vacations, I enjoy going around different towns in the Southwestern part of the United States. I am particularly interested in the many art galleries and shops in the part of the country. These shops often exhibit paintings of young artists who have not yet won much attention. If one has a good eye for such things and chooses carefully, one can sometimes pick up some real bargains. At least it has been my experience in the past that I can find paintings which later prove to be true works of art. In fact, several of these now hang on the walls of my apartment and give me pleasure each time I look at them. They give me pleasure, first, because I was able to pick them up at a low price and, second, because I had the good sense to recognize the work of a young artist who later became famous.           Thus, it happened that one summer I drove into the quaint little town of Taos, New Mexico, wher...

Breeze in the Old Building           "I even learned one day while blowing through the Ministry Office building that they have their territories marked in the air too. If someone crosses these by mistake and goes over to the other's then they start their fights. And these are not ordinary fights, like I do with Miss Air sometimes, these are gun battles. They kill each other and settle their scores. I refused to touch such flags on the wars fields that the winners hoist after the war is won, over the strewn dead bodies. I wanted to tear such pieces of colourful cloth to shreds."           "Yes, dear Ms Breeze, i know all about this. Last time, decades ago, my brother Storm Beaten had gone out once when he met Tornado and Gale. They were so very angry with these humans that they destroyed whatever came on their way. Storm Beaten was also blown off his feet but he somehow managed to cling onto a tree, without food and water, like...

Breeze in the Old Building           Breeze stood near the gate of the old building and asked the gatekeeper in a low voice,           "Will you let me in please?"           The gatekeeper hugged her and said, "Yes dear! By all means!"           After touching the doorman's tossing mane and tartar beard slightly, Breeze flew inside the building and was greeted by her friends who were trapped in there for years together. They sighed in relief as if they had got a breather when Breezer had steeped in. The rugged pillar on the veranda grimaced seeing Breeze corning in and emitted a steamy breath. She went from hall to hall, from one room to another and stopped at the attic. The oldish upcountry putrid air glowered at her from the ceiling and said,           "What brings you here, Breeze after so many years?"       ...

Pegasus : The Winged Horse           Some of you may have heard that 'Pegasus' was a snow-white steed with beautiful silvery wings who spent most of his time on the top of a mountain. He was as wild and as swift in his flight through the air as any eagle and seemed hardly to be a creature of the earth.           Whenever he was seen up very high above people's heads, with the sunshine on his silvery wings, you would have thought that he belonged to the sky, and that, skimming a little - too low he had gone astray among our mists and vapors, and was seeking his way back. It was very pretty to behold him plunge into the fleecy bosom of a white cloud, and be lost in it for a moment or two, and then break forth on the other side. Or, in a sullen rain-storm, when there was a grey pavement of clouds over the whole sky, it would sometimes happen that the winged horse descended right through it and the glad light of the upper region would g...

The Conjurer's Revenge "Now, ladies and gentlemen," said the conjurer, "having shown you that the cloth is absolutely empty, I will proceed to take from it a bowl of goldfish. Presto !" All around the hall people were saying "Oh, how wonderful? How does he do it?" But the Quick Man on the front seat said in a big whisper to the people near him, "He-had-it-up-his-sleeve."        Then the people nodded brightly at the Quick Man and said, "Oh, of course;" and everybody whispered round the hall, "He-had-it-up-his-sleeve." "My next trick," said the conjurer, "is the famous Hindustani rings. You will notice that the rings are apparently separate; at a blow they all join (clang, clang, clang)-Presto!"      There was a general buzz of stupefaction till the Quick Man was heard to whisper, "He must have had another lot up his sleeve." Again everybody nodded and whispered, The-rings-were-up-his-sleeve....

 My Eccentric Guests           When mist fills the Himalaya valleys and heavy monsoon rain sweeps across the hills, it is natural for wild creatures to seek shelter. And sometimes my cottage in the forest is the most convenient refuge.   There is no doubt I make things easier for all concerned by leaving most of my windows open, I like plenty of fresh air indoors and if a few birds, beasts and insects come in too, they're welcome provided they don't make too much of a nuisance of themselves.    I must confess I did lose patience with a bamboo beetle who blundered in the other night and fell into the water jug. I rescued him and pushed him out of the window. A few seconds later he came whirring in again, and with unerring accuracy landed with a plop in the same jug. I fished him out once more and offered him the freedom of the night. But attracted no doubt by the light and warmth of my small sitting room, he came buzzing back, circli...

          I am disposed to agree with Captain Dolbey that the man who knows no fear exists only in the imagination of the lady novelist or those who fight their battles at the base. He is invented because these naïve people suppose that a hero who is conscious of fear ceases to be a hero. But the truth surely is that there would be no merit in being brave if you had no fear. The real victory of the hero is not over outward circumstance, but over himself. One of the bravest men of our time is a man who was born timid and nervous and suffered tortures of apprehension, and who set himself to the deliberate conquest of his fears by challenging every danger that crossed his path and even going out of his way to meet the things he dreaded. By sheer will he beat down the enemy within, and to the external world he seemed like a man who knew no fear. But the very essence of his heroism was that he had fought fear and won. For Summary of the Chapter, Please click the...

Summary                Reminiscences of a Parisian Model narrates the journey of a model from an ordinary home loving girl to a super model at the Pierre Cardin. But it also brings out her desire to go beyond her outward journey by trying to discover her inward journey. In spite of having been a model for several years and working for Pierre Cardin in Paris, her love for her country has given her a wider perspective of life. The ups and downs of her life have helped her absorb and learn, share and spread happiness, transcending geography, culture and relationships. She feels fulfilled that she can retain her roots while being open to other systems of knowledge and belief. For the Whole Chapter of "Reminiscences Of A Parisian Model", Please click the below link  >> Text Why is learning important? Learning is very important as it is the door to success in life. In the chapter Reminiscences of a Parisian Model', Anjali Mendes narrat...

               Kite Flying written by Makarand Paranjape is about a middle-aged executive. In the beginning, the main character of the story is quite satisfied with his life and family but later on gets disturbed. The mind get tensed and he is unable to look into the matters of life properly. In the meantime, he remembers his uncle named Freud who advised to search for happiness from childhood as it is full of innocence. The executive passes by a kite shop. He suddenly remembers how good he felt as a child and especially when he flew kites. Kite flying gave him immense pleasure. Now when he remembers the good olden days, he wants to return back to them. At the same time, he also feels shy as to what people will think of him if he purchases kites as this age. He wants to hide the kites and tie string to them. Then he leaves the readers in a confused state as he doesn't declare whether he files the kite or not. But later on he reveals that kite...

Speech           At the very outset we ought to define our attitude in relation to the present struggle. What is our aim? Where are we going? I think that most people would agree that we are out to secure freedom, freedom from foreign subjection, freedom from foreign interference. It is as well, however, that we should have a clear grasp of what is meant by the word ‘freedom’. In the first place, it does not imply an absence of all restraint. Secondly, freedom does not necessarily imply the absence of the idea of dependence. Dependence there must be so long as we live in a society, and need its protection. There is no necessary opposition between freedom and such dependence that is willingly suffered by the people. What then is freedom? It is impossible to define the term, but one may describe it as that state, that condition, which makes it possible for a nation to realize its own individuality and to evolve its own destiny. The history of mankind is ful...

Dear Son,             It was a pleasant surprise to receive your mail. To start with, let me tell you are definitely not unique to go through what you are going through. Pressures are not new; I still have them, only the reasons change. But we all have to learn to handle them; the faster you do the better you are. All through my career, I have always tried to think and implement solutions to problems or pressures, different from the existing norms because I have always felt that there has to be a different method to approach a problem. But when you try a different approach, you actually invite more pressure. There is every possibility that you may fail. but it eliminates one more parameter of solution. For the Whole Poem, Please click the below link >> Poem           Most people think that I am not scared of failures. This is not true. Even today I am. But this scare has never discouraged me form from taking action, ...

P.T. Usha: Against All Hurdles           Flying Rani, Payyoli Express Golden, Girl... the epithets are as numerous as the 102 International medals and 1000-plus awards she has won at national and state-level meets. Humble beginnings, financial shortcomings, inadequate facilities... the odds against her have been as daunting as the competition which she has outpaced on the track.           But Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha is not just winner in the world of athletics. This sporting spirit has triumphed in life's race, taking everything from the dejection and of losing out on an Olympic medal to allegations of drug use in her stride. Vinod Nair takes a trip through time with an achiever who has never settled for the position of also-ran. For Summary of "P.T. Usha: Against All Hurdles", Please click the below link >> Summary           My life started with struggle: My earliest memories are ...

Kite Flying           Since that evening, I have been wondering how to tell this story. What happened was not unusual and, doubtless, you must have read many stories of this sort. but, believe me, when it actually happens to you, you feel like an altered being, as if you've traded in your old life for a brand new one. But perhaps you're already getting restless with this introduction... As usual, that evening I was being driven back from my office when on the way I happened to notice a whole row of bright kites with coloured reels of thread hung in front of a neighborhood shop. For Summary of "Kite Flying", Please click the below link >>  Summary           All in all, it hadn't been an unusual day for me. I had left home around 9:30 a.m. when the company car came to pick me up. I had a normal day at the office. The routine of work. Some visitors. Tea. Chatting. Files. Launch. A meeting in the afternoon..   ...